Most Common Injuries in Muay Thai and How To Avoid Them
Muay Thai has become very popular in the western world in recent times, mainly thanks to the rapid rise of modern MMA where Thai boxing plays a key role.
But before you decide to sign up for the classes, bear in mind that Muay Thai remains a brutal form of combat that carries a really high risk of injuries, both when it comes to training and competition.
The most common injuries in Muay Thai training are bruised shins, shin splints, bruised ribs, thighs, sprained wrists, ankles, or feet. When it comes to severe ones, training carries a high risk of concussion, fracture of the limbs, and torn ligaments.
This is just a brief explanation of the most common injuries in Thai boxing so be sure to read this article to learn about it.
Shin Splints
Shin splints are one of those frustrating injuries that happen due to the overuse of leg muscles. It is a frustrating injury because it is not that serious, but on the other side, it causes sharp pain whenever you put weight on the injured leg. Even people who do not train in Muay Thai must deal with shin splints in other sports such as soccer or running.
When it comes to Muay Thai, shin splints are a common injury and it is easy to see why. The entire concept of the system relies too heavily on leg strikes so expect to throw hundreds of kicks per class. On top of that, you will be asked to throw each one with a lot of power which will damage your legs pretty quickly. Some other causes are:
- Wearing bad shoes
- Too much running or a bad running form
- Skipping ropes
The most common symptoms of shin splints are:
- Swelling in your lower legs
- Pain along the inner side of your shinbone
- Tenderness
- Sharp pain when you are walking or exercising.
How to avoid and treat shin splints in Muay Thai?
In most cases, shin splints take a couple of weeks of rest to recover from. Of course, this depends on how severe the damage is. Take a couple of days off the training, and try to reduce the pain and swelling by applying ice packs. When you get back to the gym, be sure to stay off the running and skipping ropes for a week or two. You can wear bandages to add extra support and maybe change your shoes.
Bruised and battered shins
When it comes to Muay Thai, shin injuries are, in some way, impossible to avoid. You may get away and avoid other injuries, but it would be foolish to even think that your legs won’t hurt. Throwing hundreds of kicks per class and receiving hard kicks to the leg will at some point likely damage your shins.
Unlike western kickboxers who land kicks with their foot, Thai boxers land their powerful roundhouse kicks with the shin, and they also check the kicks with this part of the leg. Whether you are working on a heavy bag, hitting the pads, or sparring, you will put a lot of stress on the shins, and this comes at a certain price.
How to condition bruised shins?
The problem is that you have to fight your way through it. The only way to avoid pain is to condition your shins, and you do that by throwing even more kicks. Over time, you will condition your shins to feel less pain. In the meantime, you can use ice packs to ease up the swelling and pain, and oils that reduce inflammation and pain.
Why Muay Thai is So Effective in MMA?
Muay Thai is among the most popular and effective striking martial arts. It is known as a very hard style that puts a…medium.com
Rib Injuries
Rib injuries are more present in Muay Thai, maybe even more than in other similar martial arts. Apart from vicious punches and kicks to the rib cage and liver, there are notorious knee strikes that are often the cause of rib damage. Rib injuries are quite common among beginners who, due to the lack of technique and ability to control power in their shots, often end up with bruised ribs in the best-case scenarios. The worst ones result in a rib fracture.
Muay Thai training is really hard on your body because of the kicks and knees. One of the most important aspects is the “Thai clinch,” a standup grappling position that allows you to unload with vicious knee strikes to the rib cage and head. It leaves the opponent’s body exposed, and just one well placed knee to the rib cage can break multiple ribs.
How to prevent rib injuries in Muay Thai?
The key is to always keep your guard tight and your elbows tucked in to your sides to protect your rib cage. Next, you need to learn how to flex your stomach muscles and breathe out quickly right before you receive a body shot. But that comes with experience. Last but not least, you have to improve abdominal muscles by doing core exercises.
Foot and ankle injuries
Foot and ankle sprains are quite common among beginners who are yet to learn how to kick the right way. In most cases, foot and ankle sprains happen when you twist your ankle while running, kicking the bag, or sparring. In most cases, instead of landing a kick with their shin, a student would land a hard kick with their foot. This combined with a lot of power behind the kick often results in foot or ankle injuries such as sprains or even micro-fractures. Some of the symptoms are:
- Tenderness
- Swelling
- Decreased range of motion
- Bruising
- Pain when walking or training
How to avoid and treat foot and ankle sprains
First thing first: focus on developing proper techniques. Next, you can dedicate some of your free time to strengthening your calves and ankles with various exercises. In case you feel any pain, be sure to take a couple of days off, apply ice packs, and if the pain becomes too big or lasts for too long, visit a doctor’s office. But of course, always consult a doctor first if you can.
Neck injuries
Neck injuries that you may sustain in martial arts training can be quite bad. However, severe neck injuries that result in spinal injuries are common in grappling martial arts like wrestling, BJJ, or MMA. The ones you sustain in Muay Thai are usually not even considered “injuries.” It’s more of a stiff neck from intense clinch fighting where there is a lot of grabbing and pulling on the neck while battling for a head position. There is also a lot of leaning on the neck which over time may result in a sore neck. It’s nothing serious, just an unpleasant feeling.
How to prevent neck injuries in Muay Thai?
The key is to stretch your neck muscles before and after each Muay Thai session. This will make the neck more flexible and improve the range of motion. You can also do a lot of neck exercises with or without resistance bands to strengthen the muscles.
Wrist injuries
Wrist injuries are common in all martial arts that include full contact striking with your hands. To be honest, Thai boxing puts more emphasis on leg strikes and punches are often seen as a secondary weapon. You will rarely see pro fighters use punches as the main weapon to knock the opponent out. No, they use these strikes to set up the kicks or entries for a clinch. However, this doesn’t change the fact that wrist injuries are common.
For example, sprained wrists are common among beginners who are learning how to punch. Their wrists are not used and conditioned enough to absorb the force of the punch. All of this would result in micro-fractures in your knuckles and wrists, which will make your hands much stronger over time.
How to prevent and treat wrist injuries in Muay Thai?
Be sure to never punch the bag without hand wraps and gloves.
If your hands start swelling, be sure to apply ice packs multiple times per day to ease up the pain and inflammation.
avoid punching the bag or putting stress on your wrists and knuckles for as long as the pain lasts.
