Will I always have rib pain after a fight/spar?

Discussion in 'Injuries and Prevention' started by ShadowHawk, Sep 14, 2011.

  1. ShadowHawk

    ShadowHawk Valued Member

    The few times I've sparred pretty hard, Ive been hit in the ribs .


    The worst rib pain ever was from a street fight, I actually had to wrap my torso for 2 months.

    But now that I'm sparring and getting hit in different regions of the ribcage am I "breaking in" new/different parts of it so to speak.

    Is this something I just have to learn to live with as a fighter? Will my ribs get tougher similar to how shins do?
     
  2. Seventh

    Seventh Super Sexy Sushi Time

    I'd see a doctor and a shrink.
     
  3. righty

    righty Valued Member

    How old are you?

    And what does your doctor say?
     
  4. ShadowHawk

    ShadowHawk Valued Member

    Even when I had the 2 month rib "fracture" I didnt go to any doctor. I'd just wrap my ribs and when maybe once a day I'd unwrap them for a little till it started to hurt again I could literally feel my ribs seperating after unwrapping them. It healed in 2 months.


    What I have now has to be a hairline fracture, I googled it. Thanks for the sarcasm though 7th, I got a laugh.

    I guess I'm still soft I need to get my ribs as hard as my shins
     
  5. righty

    righty Valued Member

    SEE A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL!!!!
     
  6. Rebel Wado

    Rebel Wado Valued Member

    Conditioning doesn't make things harder, it places the body under stress and the body adapts to the stress. The body has to be addressed as a whole, not one piece at a time.

    ShadowHawk, I agree with others that you should see a doctor and get professional opinion. You are still young and I bet you really don't want an injury that will bother you for the rest of your life simply because you did not see professional help when you were younger.

    One more point, your idea of your ribs being healed 2 months ago seems suspect to me. What is your criteria for healed?

    My criteria is something is fully healed when all the strength is back, this is beyond the time it takes for the bones to heal. If after you get checked out by a doctor and everything is okay, I suggest you get on conditioning your torso with crunches, particularly side crunches that will strengthen the muscles around the ribs. When you have full strength in the torso, that is when you are healed.

    Oh, and don't forget the first principle, "do not get hit". Never take a full power hit from anyone if you can help it. Goes a long way in keeping from getting injured. Learn to move to reduce the damage you take.
     
  7. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    Wrapping your ribs is pointless. The only thing you're doing is increasing your chance of catching a respiratory disease.

    Seriously... go see a doctor. You're being ridiculous.
     
  8. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    Your ribs are never going to be as hard as your shins. At this rate go for as hard as your head. :p

    Seriously... take a look at a basic skeletal anatomy chart and try to figure the differences between ribs and shin bone. It's a massive difference. They serve two very different functions and are stressed in two very different ways. One has reams of connective tissue linked to it. One doesn't.

    Edumucate yourself.
     
  9. Unconditioned or unprepared body parts hit too hard break or are severely damaged...
    Keep at it and you might suffer all your life, regardless of continued sparring.

    Alternatively, you could see a good doctor now, precisely assess the damage you inflicted to yourself, and get on with a full healing process, then a rehab process.
    Once there, you could start thinking of a prefab program, then a conditioning/preparation program, then ultimately some progressive sparring...

    "Intelligence is the ability to predict consequences" ~James West

    Ultimately, it is your choice. :)


    Osu!
     
  10. ShadowHawk

    ShadowHawk Valued Member

    Some of you misread what I wrote, the serious injury took 2 months to heal, it wasnt 2 months ago.

    Thanks for the input though.
     
  11. Hapuka

    Hapuka Te Aho

    If anything is broken or near enough to being broken then you should see a doctor (otherwise its going to get worse), and ideally when you spar don't have your elbows out, keep them tucked.
    Have you gone to get x-rays done?
     
  12. ShadowHawk

    ShadowHawk Valued Member

    ^Unfortunately I cant afford to see a doctor. Not now, not when my ribs were cracked almost a year ago.

    Thanks for the input though , I certainly listen to all the advice I learn off of here.
     
  13. righty

    righty Valued Member

    I didn't misread. If something is taking you two months to heal from, it would benefit from the input of a medical professional, both to make a proper diagnosis, speed recovery and make sure you actually do get to heal.

    If you are getting injured like that and not seeing a doctor then yes, you are sooner or later going to find parts of your body that will always hurt.
     
  14. Hapuka

    Hapuka Te Aho

    Err, Hospital? Public health services? Health insurance?
    Surely America isn't that stingy...
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2011
  15. Hapuka

    Hapuka Te Aho

    If you're having problems with money, you should probably skip training until you can afford to get a check up done by a doctor.
     
  16. Chimpcheng

    Chimpcheng Yup... Giant cow head... Supporter

    Ages ago during a multi-partner sparring session, one of my club's heavy hitter, caught me with a lovely chap choy to the ribs. I just assumed that they were bruised from the pain afterwards, however, once I had 'healed' there was always a niggling little feeling, but I didn't bother seeking medical advice.

    Fast forwards an undisclosed amount of time, and I'm sat in my car, turning my body round to look behind me, when 'SNAP'!!! A painful drive to work, followed by a painful lift to hospital saw me limping away with broke ribs (medical term) - the underlying cause was, arguably, me not seeing a doc ASAP after being battered by my friend.

    The medics couldn't do anything other than give me painkillers, I was told never to bind/wrap them, as Slip says, I would've opened myself up to respiratory issues, and they gave me a little leaflet on how to hold my chest if I needed to cough.

    There then followed many weeks of downtime, trying not to laugh, cough, take deep breathes, as it just hurt like a mother when I did these things. Heck, sitting, lying and standing was a chore.

    It's worth seeing your doc if you can, there may not be a lot they can do to speed up recovery, but they can make sure you're on the most appropriate painkiller (if necessary) rather than rely on generic over-the-counter rubbish... :)
     
  17. Osu,


    Can you afford not to see one? :)


    Osu!
     
  18. SPIKE THE RAVEN

    SPIKE THE RAVEN Valued Member

    Unfortunately I understand what S.H. is saying about not being able to afford a doctor visit....it can cost a small fortune to go see a doctor here,with or without health insurance.And say he does - doc will probably say yeah,you probably cracked a rib or two,or maybe displaced them (which still absolutely hurts like crazy)..get a couple x-rays,there's at least a few hundred dollars more..then he tells you to go easy on 'em for 6-8 weeks.Really,what can the doctor tell you that you don't already know?If you have bad rib pain,don't spar for a couple months...build up your core muscles when you can..only time is gonna heal sore ribs,and make sure what's under those ribs is healed too.
     
  19. Hummmmm.... he'll tell you if your broken and displaced rib is going to perforate a lung and kill you! :cool:
    Xray = 7.5 dollars here
    MRI = 78 dollars
    If you group your injuries, it might be worth a trip... :D


    Osu!
     
  20. SPIKE THE RAVEN

    SPIKE THE RAVEN Valued Member

    O.K. you must have some awesome medical coverage!And I must say- if S.H. has that much damage he's one tough s.o.b. to be able to get out of bed,never mind spar!I'm pretty sure he's not that bad off by the tone of his posts,I was thinking soreness not agony.But I am sure as heck no doctor,so...
     

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