Does your child feel joint pain after their karate practices? If yes, it may likely be caused by Osteoarthritis. For those unaware, Osteoarthritis is the scientific way doctors use to say chronic joint inflammation.
While it was first common for only people older than fifty to be diagnosed with this condition, it is now a common condition for young people to get it when they participate in a contact sport.
Now you know that Karate is not an exception to this pain. When a kid is enrolled in any of these martial arts schools in Las Vegas, the most popular joints affected by Osteoarthritis are the hips and knees.
For those whose knees and hips hurt from high kicks and deep stances, there is a possibility of having Osteoarthritis. However, it would be best if you did not worry, as there is a solution for this.
Causes Of Osteoarthritis
Like we mentioned earlier, Osteoarthritis used to be common in older people, but as it stands, age is no longer the deciding factor. Osteoarthritis is caused by heavy impact and rotational forces on the joint.
For this reason, those who practice contact sports and are enrolled in some martial arts schools in Las Vegas get to have this pain. In simpler terms, the joint cartilage breaks down faster than how it recovers. With this, the damages tend to add up.
- Some of the reasons for Osteoarthritis are:
- The repetitive moves that tend to stress the joints
- Past injuries on the joints
- Heavy or high impact and torsional loads on both the hips and knees
- Genetic abnormality found in the joint structure
- Poor muscle stabilization around the joint region
- Hard training styles that leaves little to no time for recovery, and finally;
- Stress on a specific side of the joint as a result of muscle imbalance
Practicing Karate With Joint Pain
Even if your kid has joint pains and their dream is to hold a black belt in Karate, they can be enrolled in any martial arts school in Las Vegas. The reason is that there are ways to practice Karate even with joint pain. These ways include:
- Strengthening of the muscles that fully support the joint
Once your kid has weak surrounding muscles, they will have to depend on the joint to bear the full load. This can be disastrous for the cartilage. However, the solution here is to strengthen the muscles that support the joint structure.
The karate practitioners must depend on them for any form of stabilization. This can be done by carrying out double or even single leg bridges. Doing this entails laying on your back with bent knees.
You are to keep your feet flat on the floor, and as you keep your back straight, you are to lift your butt in an upwards direction. As you do this, you will need to go back down slowly.
These moves should be repeated about four to six times after the first try. If you feel okay, you can try another set and do it on one leg.
- Engage in mobility exercises
It is vital to move your joint during karate training. While people may think the solution to this problem is stretching, it is far from being enough. The real issue has nothing to do with flexibility but mobility.
If you never knew, mobility is the capability to move your joint through its complete range of motion. It can be called dynamic or active flexibility.
- Utilize joint support
There are lots of tools you can use to help support your joints. One of such tools that will be amazing for this purpose is the elastic sleeves. You can also make use of compressions garments.
The reason for these tools is that they help the muscles that fully protect the joints. You can also wear a brace that assists in maintaining the ideal joint structure and alignment, and it will not matter if you are tired.
However, you must avoid wearing it at all times. The muscles will need to be trained without support as well.
- Be active and fit
Your kid can be in any martial arts school in Las Vegas, even with joint pains, as long as he or she stays active and fit. Note that being overweight will incredibly speed up the cartilage wear, especially when it blends with karate practice.
If your kid is already in great shape, he can take on low impact exercises such as walking or swimming. Gradually they can be reintroduced to karate training while simultaneously maintaining an active lifestyle.
- Discuss with the sensei, physical therapist, and doctor
When dealing with joint pains, it entails making some adjustments to the child’s training in the karate studio. It will mean that you will need to talk with the sensei and communicate with either the physical therapist or the doctor.
The need for this communication is so that everyone can be on the same page.
- Upgrade or avoid karate techniques
You may likely need to alter your karate techniques depending on how critical the joint pain is. For some, they will need only to tone down their intensity. However, if deep stances make the knees hurt, the kid will need to take on a stance that is not so deep.
As for some other people, they will need to avoid specific techniques in general.
- Warm up the joints
Before the karate training begins, it is ideal that the child warms up his or her joints. Note that, regular warm-ups carried out before the class begins surely not enough. A longer time is needed.
The child must focus on easier versions of techniques that will cause discomfort normally. This means that if kicking causes discomfort, the child should draw little circles with their foot instead.
Note that the rotation around the hip socket will prepare for more range of motion. Furthermore, he or she should swing their leg in a larger circle and do a gentle kick. The key is to take baby steps.
- Avoid training through the joint pain
It is always a bad idea to walk the pain off. It does not make you cool or strong to train until your whole body falls apart. Do you want to never train again? Understand that the joint pain is a way your body communicates to you that something is off.
As a student of martial arts, you are not meant to be pain induced in any way except you were hit or you are experience soreness of muscles.
Conclusion
As your kids’ practice in any of the martial arts schools in Las Vegas, they must learn to maintain ideal form and posture and perform their techniques even with joint pains. Managing joint pains during training can be quite sad, and changing how you practice tend to be frustrating.
However, never look back to the times before the joint pains began and take each opportunity to allow your Karate to evolve into something more sophisticated. Your pain can be used as a source of growth and transformation. Students learning Kumite and wearing safety gear during their session. Having a safe environment to learn this skill can be challenging but rewarding.
