Most Common Injuries During Boxing Training and How to Avoid Them?

Boxing is an intense sport. Training includes some of the toughest workouts, from high-intensity drills to power punching, cardiovascular exercises, and weight training. Workout sessions can last two or three hours a day, five times a week for professional boxers.

Whether you’re just doing fitness boxing to get into shape or aspiring to become a real boxer, you should learn about the most common injuries during training and how you can avoid them.

Muscle Strain

Muscle strain is normal in most workouts, but it can be particularly more serious in boxing. This type of injury can happen in your wrist, feet, calves, knees, back, and neck. If you're new to boxing, you're likely to experience strain injuries since your body isn't used to extreme workouts yet.

Here are some things you can do to speed up the recovery of your muscles from boxing training.

●      Always start a workout with warm-up stretches.

●      Apply ice pack on sore body parts to alleviate inflammation and soothe the pain.

●      Incorporate a steam bath or hot water bath into your post-workout routine.

●      Consider deep massage therapy.

●      Do light cross-training between your boxing workout sessions.

●      Follow a nutrition-dense diet aimed at muscle recovery.

●      Make sure you are well hydrated.

Wrist Injury

Wrist injury is a very common injury that even professional boxers experience during training, sparring sessions, and actual fights.

Repeated trauma to the hand during boxing training can cause wrist soreness. Other forms of a wrist injury can boxers are at risk of. These include carpal bossing, which is characterized by a lump on the back of your hand and can be very painful. 

As a boxer, you should take good care of your wrists because you won’t be able to throw powerful punches when they are injured. Follow these steps to prevent wrist injury during training and sparring sessions:

Wear the right protective gear.

Unless you are shadow-boxing, do not perform punching workouts without properly wrapping your hands and wearing gloves. Make sure to speak with a coach to ensure that your glove size is correct. It shouldn't be too small or too large for your hand.

Learn the proper way to punch.

Keep your wrist straight and arm extended when throwing a punch. It's important to make contact with your first two knuckles. Do not rotate your hand and punch with your outer knuckles.

Check your boxing equipment.

If you’re experiencing pain in your knuckles and wrist, consult with your coach to ensure that you're using the right equipment for your training. If you're a beginner, you should opt for a boxing punching bag that is lighter, supple and absorbs impact well.

Shoulder Pain and Dislocation

It's no secret that boxers use their shoulders more than any other athletes. Long, strenuous workouts can put so much strain on the joints and muscles, increasing the risk of injury.

Many forms of a shoulder injury can happen to you when you're training for boxing. These include:

Rotator cuff injury - this is often caused by overexertion of the shoulder joint, resulting in pain, weakness, and reduced mobility.

Rotator cuff tears - this is caused by a missed punch or over-rotating of shoulders.

Subacromial bursitis - this injury is caused by the inflammation of a small sac that cushions the shoulder joint. It results from overexertion and overuse of the shoulder joint.

Here are the things you can do to prevent shoulder injuries:

●      Strive for structural balance. Incorporate workouts and stretches that increase your flexibility. Stretch tight muscles and work on strengthening your rhomboids.

●      Make sure you're punching properly. Learning the proper biomechanics of punching will greatly reduce the stress on your body.

●      Stop if it hurts. If a movement pattern causes pain, pause and discontinue the exercise if necessary. If the pain continues, consult a physical therapist. While your shoulder heals, you can focus on lower-body workouts, such as squats, lunges, heel raises, and high knees.

Carpal Bossing

This condition is a condition that leads to a lump or a hard and firm mass of bone on the back of the hand. It is caused by repeated or direct trauma or mechanical stress on the wrist.

Prevention and treatment methods:

The best way to prevent carpal bossing is by taking care of your hands and not straining your wrist. This means wearing the right type and size of gloves and learning the proper punching techniques.

Carpal bossing can be addressed through surgical and non-surgical treatments. Unless it's treated, your punching power will not be as good as you expect it to be.

Conclusion

Boxing is an intense sport and training for it can put you at risk of many injuries affecting your arms, shoulders, and hands.

Luckily, there are ways to avoid these injuries. The most important steps are using the right equipment and protective gear, performing stretches before workouts, and giving your body time to rest and recover. Don’t forget to fuel your body with the right nutrients to speed up your recovery.

For more information, Contact the author of this article: maral@nazoboxing.com