Pretty much any doctor is going to say "stop boxing". It's the go to answer when it comes to injuries incurred during martial arts training. That's going to go double for a 9 year old girl.
It sounds like something I've experienced through some of the more questionable training methods I used in my youth to "toughen up" the striking surfaces of my hands. I'd bet on micro-fractures and check the bag she's hitting for hard spots. Since she's so young, if she's hitting one hanging from a standard rack or ceiling, she may be hitting areas that are much more solid than intended. It only takes hitting a spot like that once to cause some damage. Even if it's a floor-based bag with sand or water, the padding can get thin over time and you end up hitting the hardened plastic core. Definitely recommend getting a physician to look at it though, any injury should be looked after, but hands and feet are rather intricate, small amounts of damage can have a big long-term impact.
So a nine year old girl with pain in her hand shouldn't go to a doctor, because they might advise against continuing the activity that is causing her pain? That is reckless and irresponsible advice. Personally, I don't think it's a good idea for kids that young to be hitting a heavy bag. If they're to be hitting anything it should be focus mitts, where the resistance can be adjusted to the individual.
I definitely didn't say that, but I am saying that the advice you are going to get from a doctor is going to be coloured by the way the injury was caused and that said advice will almost certainly be to stop training. I agree, but I don't think the OP has said they've been hitting heavy bags. If they are, I'd hope they are 'heavy' relative to their age and not actual heavy bags, where a 9 year old might as well be punching a brick wall.
So final word, as a few things contributed. 1. She prefers her hands wrapped a little tighter then they were generally being wrapped. (Only a little.) I started wrapping her hands myself and she said they felt great. 2. Got her new gloves. She is now using 16 OZ gloves as opposed to the 10 OZ she was using. They are considerably softer and "poofier". She loves them. 3. I had to review with her what portion of her hand to strike with. Once we did this she hit the focus mitts bare knuckled and felt no pain. (Not something we make a habit of, but still.) Her coach says she is abnormally strong for a girl her size. I would probably credit this to the fact that she has been wrestling twice a week or more since last December. This is her during a private lesson. [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd-9JKJSTa4&list=UUKgm9h-Fo2RHLD9TNJ_xSDQ"]Morigan training for upcoming Silver Gloves Boxing tournament. August 2014 - YouTube[/ame]
My kids started boxing at ages 8 and 10 and kept it up for over two years ( hopefully, they'll be starting at a new club soon ) and never had problems with joint or bone issues - despite regular use of heavy bags. One of mine did have a micro-fracture about the wrist/forearm area but that was traced to a gymnastics-type of activity. You're always going to have specialities in pediatric bone development say that kid's bones are still in development, could do this, could do that... Their pediatricians were fine with them boxing - ironically as was their dentist! She actually made their custom mouth guards and has a son who boxes in college. I see ALOT of adults having bone/joint issues; however
So the final, final word this time. So just to be ABSOLUTELY sure as my daughter asked me to take her to boxing 5 days a week until her tournament so she could be prepared I went ahead and took her to the doctor and had her hands X-Rayed, no fractures of any kind. He assumes that it's just some bruising. To ice it, take Ibuprofen and use the hand as comfort allows. Nice to get that off my shoulders. The whole time I was worried that all the hard work she did in the months leading up to this would of been tragically lost with one injury.
No it isn't... a doctor who knows anything about boxing or any combat sport might advise what has already been said above to just not hit the heavy bag, or add more padding.
How many doctors do you think know anything about combat sports? The answer is basically none. If you want an opinion from an expert on sports injuries, you need to seek out an expert on sports injuries and pay the extra cost that their expertise demands. General practitioners are just that - general - and when you tell them that your head hurts after you got punched in the head, expect them to tell you to avoid situations where you get punched in the head.
My doctor actually... and she's never told me to not keep doing what I was doing. You are generalizing all doctors based on a limited knowledge of them and you're incorrect.
Really? So your Doctor's advice was not to stop training when your knee issues were diagnosed? I've seen maybe...6 doctors over the years for injuries directly related to martial arts training - that's a fractured collar bone (Judo), broken fingers (judo), a soft tissue injury on my forearm (Karate), possible concussion after a KO (Karate), a partial MCL tear (Muay Thai) and achilles tendinopathy (various). All of them basically said that I should consider other hobbies and in two cases the doctors were openly irritated with the fact that they were dealing with 'self inflicted and easily avoidable' injuries. So that's 100% of my 'limited' experience of medical professionals. It's perhaps worth noting that since I didn't have to pay for any of this treatment, my presence there wasn't putting money in their pockets. Those of you in less developed societies might find for-profit healthcare systems more welcoming.
My doctors advice was to not do any pivoting for a few months, but not to stop training altogether. Perhaps your magical doctors there in your more "developed societies" are just idiots. It's not a doctors place to advise one to stop doing something that they love to do, or perhaps is their job. If they advise taking time off that's more understandable and even common sense. and I lol at your little pathetic wisecracks btw.
Something else I figured out recently about what was up is I picked up her old gloves and put one of them on my right hand. (The one that was bothering her) and punched my left palm a few times and it actually stung rather then feeling soft. Never buying a pair of Century Brand boxing gloves again. The ones she has now are some awesome Ringside gloves. UPDATE: I went and put on the left glove, and it was worn a bit but not as much. I guess she was punching so hard with her right she managed to destroy them.
Perhaps she is doing something inside of the glove that caused it instead of her Tysonlike massive punching power?
Prevention is always better than cure and the best way to prevent martial arts injuries is to stop doing martial arts. Glad you like them.
I'm just giving you a hard time man... yeah, I've heard that about Century stuff... but I've also used some of it and it wasn't really to bad. There are of course better options out there, but not always very cheap for those who don't have the added cash. Glad you all got it worked out.
