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Are MMA fighters in pain?
Hard-striking contests leave their hands, feet and elbows sore and swollen. Grappling-based bouts have their own kinds of soreness, usually in the forearms, shoulders, back and hips. Hard shots to the head might put a fighter in a haze for a few days. They might suffer headaches and neck pain.
How do MMA fighters deal with injuries?
All of the above owies are usually made better with ice, drugs, and rest. A fighter should go home after a fight and ice his injuries (ice baths are great), drink plenty of water, take some anti-inflammatory meds (a fine line between pain killers and anti-inflammatory), and rest.
Do fighters have a higher pain tolerance?
New research confirms that athletes have a higher tolerance for pain than couch potatoes or even weekend warriors, and the finding could help investigators discover better ways to manage pain.
Do MMA fighters feel punches?
In my experience, there are a few reasons why professional/trained fighters do not feel pain as much as a normal person. They are constantly taking hits and their bodies have become accustomed to pain. Fighters know in which situations pain is unavoidable and they may have developed a different response to it.
Do people get hurt in UFC?
It has recently been reported that the UFC is “plagued with injuries.” Media analysts, reporters and fans have questioned whether some of the minor injuries would truly warrant withdrawing from a fight.
How do MMA fighters heal so quickly?
Many MMA fighters also use ice bath/ ice packs to treat the muscle swelling and pain after a fight. Like cryotherapy, it constricts the blood vessels to recover faster.
How do you heal injuries in UFC 4?
In UFC 4, there’s a chance you’ll earn an Injury after a health event, such as a stun or KO. Injuries decrease your Attributes and can only be recovered by spending Evolution Points. If you’re injured at Training Camp, you’ll need to spend time resting, or use Cash to recover.
How do MMA fighters avoid brain damage?
MMA fighters avoid brain damage by minimizing the number of hits they receive to the head. In addition to this, they use protective gear in training and utilize brain scans regularly to assess brain health. Though MMA has its risks, the sport is rewarding and life-fulfilling for millions of people.
How do boxers not get hurt?
The pain during training might be from hard stretching or because you are forcing your muscles too hard. To dampen the pain, you can try to breathe slowly and deeply – this way, your brain will start releasing endorphins. Of course, if the pain is too big – you can stop training and give yourself some rest.
How do you stop a punch from hurting?
Clench your jaw and press your tongue up to the roof of your mouth. This reduces the chance of your jaw getting broken when the incoming fist meets your face. Also, clenching your jaw flexes your neck muscles which will help reduce the whiplash from a punch, and the subsequent sloshing around of your brain.
How do boxers survive punches?
They don’t train their head. They train their ability to dodge out of the way of the punch, block it, or take enough of its force out of the equation as to impact with a lot less force or impact on part of the head or body that is more protected.
Can you train your brain to not feel pain?
With practice, a new study suggests, people can use their minds to change the way their brains affect their bodies. In particular, by watching activity in a brain scan, people can train their brains to process pain differently and reduce the amount of pain that they feel.
Is pain real or in your head?
But the truth is, pain is constructed entirely in the brain. This doesn’t mean your pain is any less real – it’s just that your brain literally creates what your body feels, and in cases of chronic pain, your brain helps perpetuate it.
Is it possible to ignore pain?
It Can Lead to Other Health Problems When nerve pain is ignored, it throws your entire body off. The system our body used to signal and acknowledge pain begins to break down, which can lead to other health problems. You may begin to feel more fatigued and experience weakening of your muscles.
How often do MMA fighters get injured?
The majority of studies on MMA injuries evaluate those sustained during competition, which range in incidence from 22.9 to 28.6 per 100 fight-participations.
Do MMA fighters break bones?
Broken bones are relatively common in MMA fighting. The most common break being the small bones inside of the hand as they aren’t designed for the impact of punching. Most common of all is to break the fourth/last knuckle in the hand which is often called the boxer’s fracture.
How common are injuries in MMA?
MMA is a full combat sport in which severe life threatening or debilitating injuries occur in more than 1 out of every 4th fight.
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- Summary of article content: Articles about Error 403 (Forbidden) As you can imagine, it hurts like hell. Headaches, bumps and bruises on the face and body, and sometimes broken hands can make the day after the fight a real … …
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MMA the Morning After: The Reality of Recovering from Fight Night | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors | Bleacher Report
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How Does a MMA Fighter’s Body Feel the Day After a Big Fight?
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Answer by Nate Moore, fighter, trainer, entrepreneur, combatcircuit.com:
As you can imagine, it hurts…
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How to Ignore Pain – YouTube
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How to Ignore Pain – YouTube
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- Summary of article content: Articles about How to Ignore Pain – YouTube MMA (mixed martial arts) is a contact heavy sport focused on striking and grappling. When two fighters engage in the ring, the goal is for … …
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How MMA fighters deal with pain during and after fighting
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Is MMA Painful? | What Do The Fighters Say? – One Shot MMA
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striking – How painful is it for professional fighters to get hit – Martial Arts Stack Exchange
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MMA the Morning After: The Reality of Recovering from Fight Night | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors | Bleacher Report
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- Summary of article content: Articles about MMA the Morning After: The Reality of Recovering from Fight Night | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors | Bleacher Report At Jackson-Winkeljohn, Hightower says healing can take many forms. It includes soft-tissue work like massage and manipulation to lessen pain so fighters can … …
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How do professional MMA fighters handle so much pain?
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In MMA pain management can take many forms
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MMA the Morning After: The Reality of Recovering from Fight Night
B/R
It’s mid-August, more than five weeks since UFC 226, and Paul Felder still can’t pick up anything much heavier than a spoon with his right arm.
Felder sports a splint on his right forearm, the fallout from an ill-fated spinning backfist he threw at Mike Perry in the first round of their match in early July. The backfist missed Perry’s jaw and landed instead near the top of his skull, breaking Felder’s ulna, the long, thin bone that runs from elbow to wrist. Felder fought through the pain to a split-decision loss, but the injury kept him in the emergency room until 1 a.m. that night.
“It was not only broken,” Felder says, “it was snapped in half.”
Later, surgeons would put the bone back together with a metal plate. A month after the fight, he was able to return to doing cardio and lifting weights with his legs. But on this day, he still can’t pick up anything heavy—or throw a punch—with his right arm. He won’t get the splint off and begin a tedious rehabilitation until a week after his interview with B/R. He estimates it’ll be another three weeks until he regains full strength and six before he can think about hitting something again.
“Mentally, I’m feeling more like myself again,” says Felder, who also works as an on-air UFC analyst for Fox Sports. “I felt very not myself for a couple weeks after that fight. I was on a long win streak, so it was my first loss in a while. Plus, I took some big shots to the head, so I was a little bit out of it.”
Sam Wasson/Getty Images
Felder vs. Perry was a showcase fight on one of the biggest MMA cards of the summer, but most fans likely didn’t think much about it after the lights went out at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Or about Felder. For him, that night was only Act 1. And now, finally, an end is in sight.
That is the strange reality of being a big-time MMA fighter.
Before bouts, their preparations are broadcast in meticulous detail on a variety of platforms, including all-access web series, social media and pre-fight publicity events. On fight night, audiences that sometimes number in the millions tune in to watch.
When it’s over, the athletes disappear from view. Aside from the occasional emergency room selfie, fighters toil through the aftermath in relative obscurity. Weeks or months later, they reappear when new fights are booked, and the cycle starts anew.
Yet many fighters say what happens after the bout, while largely unseen, can be just as impactful as any fight.
It can also be just as dramatic.
Like “Several Car Wrecks”
Ask MMA veterans how the sport affects their bodies, and their answers are nearly unanimous: It depends.
Fighting is a tricky thing. Athletes can spend months preparing for a bout, only to have it end in a few seconds or minutes. When fighters win by quick knockout or submission, they might wake up the next morning feeling no pain at all.
Other times? They aren’t so lucky.
“I think the thing that stands out the most is just being so sore that I can’t tie my own shoes,” UFC lightweight Scott Holtzman says. “My wife will have to put my shoes on and tie my laces for me … I can’t touch my fingers to my thumbs. I had a couple fights where my hands swelled up like lunchboxes after.”
Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images
When a tough fight goes the distance—15 or 25 minutes—it often results in painful and debilitating physical repercussions.
“It’s really damaging to the body,” says Dr. Beau Hightower, director of sports medicine for the Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA team. “I would liken it to being in several car wrecks. When fighters get up the next day, they oftentimes can’t walk for a few steps, and then they’re hobbling around.”
Even if fighters avoid injury, it can take weeks or months to feel normal again. Hard-striking contests leave their hands, feet and elbows sore and swollen. Grappling-based bouts have their own kinds of soreness, usually in the forearms, shoulders, back and hips.
Hard shots to the head might put a fighter in a haze for a few days. They might suffer headaches and neck pain.
Body shots leave the ribs and abdominals aching. It might hurt to breathe.
Leg kicks? Yeah, those stick with them too.
“One time, I had my leg so messed up in a fight, I was urinating blood for a while,” says former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans, who’s also an analyst for Fox Sports. “There was so much [bruising], and I was just rubbing the blood out of my leg. My body was filtering it so much that I was just urinating blood for like a week after the fight. It was crazy.”
The Difference Between Winning and Losing
Everyone agrees it’s good to win.
Because of the way UFC contracts are structured, half a fighter’s pay often depends on whether they do. Competitors who find themselves on protracted losing streaks also don’t stay in the big leagues for long.
So if they’re limping around, icing their bumps and bruises and also have to load their aching bodies onto an airplane and fly home the day after a fight? It softens the blow to know they won.
Suhaimi Abdullah – Zuffa LLC/Getty Images
“If you win the fight, you can put up with it because you’re like: ‘F–k it. I’m going home with a fat paycheck,'” UFC flyweight Jessica-Rose Clark says. “But if you lost and you’re hurting and you have to travel and you only made half your paycheck? The whole ordeal sucks. That travel is the really s–tty cherry on top.”
But winning isn’t a magic cure-all. It still hurts. In fact, many fighters say the bouts that hurt the worst were ones they won.
Holtzman says his most difficult fight was a five-rounder in the independent Xtreme Fighting Championships organization. In that bout, he defeated Roger Carroll by unanimous decision, but he says it took months for him to feel 100 percent again.
“I beat the guy up real bad,” Holtzman says. “I barely got hit, but it lasted five rounds, and the next day—and probably for two or three months after that—I was sore. Just my knees, my elbows, my hands. Still to this day, I’ve never been that sore after a fight, even the ones I’ve lost.”
“Fighters Are Our Own Worst Enemies”
For most, medical intervention starts immediately after a fight. Sometimes before fighters even leave the cage.
Ringside doctors typically get the first look after a fight ends. Backstage, all fighters are examined by the UFC’s staff physicians. These are doctors who know the athletes and can provide friendly faces and steady care for those still processing the whirlwind emotions of fight night.
“They’re good at what they do,” UFC lightweight Michael Chiesa says. “Just judging by how you’re walking, they’ll ask you: ‘What did you do to your left foot?’ or ‘What happened to your right hand?’ They’re pretty on top of their stuff. Fighters are our own worst enemies, so they’re looking out for our best interests.”
When fighters need additional care, the UFC’s staff will either recommend a trip to the emergency room or refer athletes to their personal doctors back home. Hightower says an initial fight-night evaluation includes making sure vitals are stable and checking for signs of a brain malady like a subdural hematoma or internal bleeding elsewhere.
For most, the real work of recovery starts at home. Hightower says MMA causes a litany of injuries, but the most common are fractured hands, forearms and toes, as well as shoulder injuries athletes may not notice in the heat of fight night.
“Oftentimes, [fighters] don’t realize how much damage there actually really is until the soreness goes away,” Hightower says. “That can take up to two weeks. Then they realize that they have an injury.”
The initial medical consultations are doubly important, Hightower says, because the UFC only pays for medical procedures on injuries that occur within 30 days of a fight. That makes it imperative that doctors diagnose things quickly and don’t miss anything.
Fighters also typically receive standard medical suspensions from state athletic commissions, which are designed to prevent them from returning to training until their injuries are healed.
At Jackson-Winkeljohn, Hightower says healing can take many forms. It includes soft-tissue work like massage and manipulation to lessen pain so fighters can sleep. Compression recovery boots combat swelling, while a regimen of stretching, cold laser therapy and cryotherapy help heal soreness and minor injuries.
In the weeks after a fight, Hightower also monitors for serious conditions like rhabdomyolysis, where kidneys are overworked processing excess waste from the bloodstream.
Of course, individual fighters handle their recoveries differently. Some are cautious about returning to training, while others can’t wait to be back in the gym, working out around people who understand the ups and downs of the fighting life.
As former Pride champion and UFC tournament winner Dan Henderson tells it, recovery from every fight is a little bit different.
Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images
“A lot of [the recovery] just depends on the fight,” Henderson says. “… Obviously, if you get injured in a fight, it takes a little longer to come back from that. Honestly, though, after most of my fights, I felt like I could’ve fought again the same night.”
(What was that about fighters being their own worst enemies?)
“Emotional Roller Coaster”
Nearly 10 years later, Julie Kedzie still remembers what it felt like to lose to Sarah Schneider.
Their fight was at an independent MMA event in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in March 2009. It was one Kedzie knew she should win. Early in the first round, however, she made a mistake during a grappling exchange, and Schneider took her back.
While trying to escape, Kedzie turned the wrong way, scraped her face along the chain-link around the cage and let Schneider secure a rear-naked choke. She lost via submission in just two minutes, one second.
“I had cage imprints on my face after that,” she says. “I remember my sister was in town, and I had a one-room apartment. She had my bedroom, and I was sleeping on the couch. I was just crying and crying and crying all night. I remember waking up the next morning and thinking: Well, s–t. That sucks. But what do you do?”
Another near-unanimous truth among MMA fighters: The fallout from a big fight isn’t strictly physical. It can hurt emotionally too. And once again, it doesn’t always matter if you get your hand raised at the end.
“I would always get depressed after my fights,” Evans says. “Win or lose, I would get depressed. It’s something that psychologically happens after you have your fight and go through that emotional roller coaster.”
To understand how depression sets in after fights, you have to look at the boom-and-bust workflow of the typical fighter.
For eight to 12 weeks before a fight, the task is all-consuming. A fighter trains, diets, does media and shuts off family and friends, all with the single-minded focus on beating their opponent.
Fight night passes in a blur. Maybe the bout takes 25 seconds; maybe it takes 25 minutes. Maybe they win, maybe they lose. The only sure thing is that when it’s done, it’s done. Everything disappears, including the lights and the attention but also the structure that has insulated the fighter’s life for weeks and months. Many say it can be a lonely feeling.
Getty Images, Courtesy of Julie Kedzie
“For weeks, you’re building up the fight, and then you fight and—boom—it’s all over,” Holtzman says. “It’s almost like an hour after the show, the tumbleweeds are rolling through the parking lot. It’s like a circus packs up, and it goes, and it’s all over. You’re like a rodeo clown. The UFC is all packed up and onto the next town.”
Fighters like Clark say they’ve made changes in their lives to combat depression. She says she sets goals that have nothing to do with the outcome of the fight. That includes going right back to running or strength-training as soon as she can. She also focuses on her job coaching others at the gym in order to provide some structure after a fight is over.
“I used to take two or three weeks off, just to get drunk all the time and be sad,” Clark says. “Because, what do you do? You have nothing else. All of a sudden, there’s nothing to work toward. Now, I don’t drink anymore, and I’ve realized the way for me to combat that depressing phase is to set other external goals.”
“Like a Junkie for That Feeling”
Fighters mark the passing of a big fight in a variety of ways. As the emotional and physical recovery begins, most say they need to decompress, to live as normal people for a while and spend time with family and friends.
“The first thing I want to do is just get home,” Clark says. “I want to get home to my house, to my bed, to my dog, you know?”
One constant in the process? Food. Lots of the tasty food they denied themselves during training camp and while making weight.
“There’s usually some kind of dessert that I’ve been dreaming about for eight weeks,” Felder says. “I’ll stock the house with absolute junk for about a week. I like to go out with my brother and get cheeseburgers. That’s usually the first order of business. I’ll take my daughter out to get cupcakes.”
Chiesa admits, “[I’d] be a liar if I said I eat great outside of camp.” Holtzman says he always looks forward to sitting in his recliner, sipping coffee and maybe going out for hot wings and beer.
Clark says she’ll invite a couple of close friends over and cook them a quiet dinner as a way to let them know she appreciates them and to reconnect after the “switched off” feeling of her fight prep.
Perhaps the most unique post-fight celebration belongs to Kedzie, though.
“Honestly, you know what I would do?” she says. “For a win, I’d go to the mall, and I would say, ‘Find me a pair of jeans that make my ass look great.’ And I would buy a pair of jeans that made my ass look great.”
After some time to recuperate, however, it’s time to get back to business. Either a fighter’s bank account demands it, or UFC matchmakers call with another bout or they are compelled by a force they can’t quite explain.
Then it’s time to do it all over again.
“If you win, it’s such a rush, and you feel great,” Evans says. “That stays with you. There have been times that I’ve been so emotionally high after a fight. I don’t drink alcohol. I don’t even really eat food. I’m not even hungry. I’m not really sleepy. It’s just this euphoric drug, and you just feel amazing. You’re higher than any drug could ever make you. That’s the most addictive part of fighting, because you start chasing that feeling. You become like a junkie for that feeling.”
Athletes Better Equipped to Play Through the Pain
May 18, 2012 — Sprains, strains, and worse injuries are unavoidable in sports, and playing through the pain comes with the territory for most athletes. So how do they continue to excel with pain that would leave others sidelined? New research confirms that athletes have a higher tolerance for pain than couch potatoes or even weekend warriors, and the finding could help investigators discover better ways to manage pain.
No Pain, No Gain? Researchers in Germany reviewed findings from 15 studies comparing pain threshold and pain tolerance among athletes and non-athletes. “Pain threshold” refers to the point at which pain begins to be felt in response to stimulation (heat, pressure, etc.), while “pain tolerance” is the maximum amount of pain a person can stand. Athletes and non-athletes in the studies had similar pain threshold levels, but athletes consistently reported higher pain tolerance than normally active adults. And the amount of pain athletes were able to tolerate varied by their sport, with those involved in game sports like football or soccer generally more tolerant of pain than those who participated in endurance sports. But this was not always the case. One study found that cross-country skiers were among the most pain tolerant, along with football players.
How do MMA Fighters Deal With Pain?
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MMA (mixed martial arts) is a contact heavy sport focused on striking and grappling. When two fighters engage in the ring, the goal is for one of them to either KO their opponent or get them to tap out through a submission.
Naturally, injuries can occur and if you’re an athlete yourself, you may be wondering how do MMA fighters deal with pain? MMA is not an inherently dangerous sport and safety has come a long way since the first UFC. Back then, we even saw one fighter get two of his teeth kicked out.
In this article, we’ll go over the types of injuries an MMA fighter may experience. After, you’ll learn more about how to deal with pain, injury, and get on the road to recovery. While OTC pain relievers are common, there’s much more so keep reading to be better prepared.
How Painful is MMA as a Sport?
We’d be lying if we said you won’t experience any pain while training MMA. Naturally, as with any contact sport, some level of pain and discomfort is to be expected but serious injuries are rare. Not all injuries occur in the ring either.
Many MMA fighters will engage in other related activities such as conditioning, weight lifting, and stretching. These also have the possibility to result in injury or you may experience delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Not every MMA or martial arts practitioner is going to fight professionally either. Some will train more recreationally or as a hobby. Therefore the risk of pain and serious injuries for that group will be lower.
The bottom line though, regardless of your level, you’ll likely experience pain at some point. Next, we’ll go over specific kinds of pain and their potential impacts.
Dissecting the Impact of Pain
Pain can go beyond just the physical feeling. In the case of a physical impact, for example, you may have a lower range of motion for the affected area. However, there can be psychological effects too which are important to understand.
Psychological
Pain can have some major psychological effects which we’ll cover first. For example, fear or uncertainty are very common, especially in your first few fights. If you get hit repeatedly, it may cause you to change your game plan or you may be stunned at first.
Other injuries can also lead to feelings of frustration. For example, you may want to get back to the gym but can’t due to your injury. Perhaps you’ve strained your shoulder while lifting weights or maybe stretched too hard.
Feelings of fear aren’t uncommon either. Maybe early on into your training you get hit really hard leading to hesitation on your counters. We’ve all heard of flight or fight which is the natural reaction to an external threat. Some people however may freeze instead of react, which can be a real issue in such a fast paced sport. Through training and repeat exposure you can get better control over your reactions and thoughts.
Certainly, not everyone is going to be successful in the sport, but it’s important to note all these reactions above are valid and normal. If you’re experiencing difficulty, it’s okay to reach out for help or let your coach know. After all, that’s what they’re there for.
Physical
Now let’s look at the more well-known impacts of pain, the physical. There are immediate reactions to being struck, for example in the liver, and then there are more long-term effects. Physically, you may immediately feel dizzy and nauseous. The pain and soreness could last for days though if not longer.
A common tactic in MMA fights is also to kick the opponent in the legs using low kicks. The primary purpose of this is to reduce their use of their legs and footwork. If hit hard enough, they may even buckle, giving you a quick opportunity.
This is one reason why all martial artists go through a high level of training and conditioning. It’s important to be able to handle the pain and raise your tolerance threshold. During a fight, it’s vital that these shots don’t limit or unsettle you and that you can keep fighting at your best.
How do MMA Fighters Deal With the Pain?
One aspect we touched on above is the training and conditioning to improve your thresholds and pain tolerance. It’s important to train your reflexes and speed as well. After all, it’s best if you can avoid the hits in the first place by moving out of the way, ducking, bobbing, slipping, and more.
In Muay Thai, the practitioners take an interesting approach. For example, you’ll see them striking the heavy bag with their shins and other areas. This toughens up that part of the body, makes it stronger, and also increases your pain tolerance. Part of this has to do with killing nerve endings in the shin area, which is why it’s slightly controversial. Proper warm-ups and stretching beforehand also reduce the chance of any injuries later on.
For after the fight, taking medications like Advil or Tylenol might be helpful. These reduce both pain and swelling and can help you heal more quickly.
Rarely, we see some fighters with almost superhuman levels of endurance and pain tolerance. Tony Ferguson is one notable example of this as he appears to take groin shots very well, and with little noticeable reaction. We’ve also seen him not tap out to armbars and leglocks, even when the pain should have been extremely high.
Ultimately, people’s pain thresholds and tolerance can vary greatly. Some just naturally have it, but it can be improved even more through training. Sometimes people imagine something far worse than it actually is. Early on as you begin, it should be clear what your own abilities are.
Do MMA Fighters Get Sore After a Fight?
With their level of training and athleticism, you may wonder if they feel any pain or soreness at all. MMA fighters, however, are still human and will naturally experience soreness after a fight. Many fights can be grueling affairs, taking up a large amount of energy and stamina.
For some short fights that end quickly, there might not be much need for recovery afterward. However, we’ve seen some fights which go for several rounds. During the fight, both MMA participants have high levels of adrenaline and endorphins pumping. This keeps them going and limits any discomfort they’re feeling.
However, when the fight is over, those hormones go back down, and the true magnitude of any injuries or effects from the match will begin to set in. This is where the post-fight recovery begins and we’ll look at that next.
Common Injuries
Let’s look at a few common injuries that an MMA fighter may experience with a quick description.
Bruises/contusions
A bruise will be due to a direct impact on your body. This will commonly occur from your opponent’s strikes such as a punch or kick. Sometimes it can be self-inflicted if you happen to be striking the heavy bag or other objects especially hard or beyond your current level.
Pulled muscle/strain
With new exercise, it might be possible to overdo it. Start out slowly and gradually work your way up. Remember to always properly stretch and warm up beforehand to reduce the risk of any pulled muscles during training. It’s also important to be properly hydrated with enough electrolytes as well.
DOMS
Delayed onset muscle soreness can be common after weight lifting. One theory why this occurs is that lifting heavy weights causes small tears in your muscle which are then repaired. Usually, this shouldn’t be severe and typically resolves itself in a few days.
Bone fracture
A bone fracture is fairly rare but there is one kind you should watch out for. A boxer’s fracture is a break in the fifth metacarpal in your hand. This is a result of punching the heavy bag too hard and also not wrapping your hands correctly or using gloves. Therefore, this injury can easily be prevented with proper care, but should it happen to you it’s important to see a doctor.
How do MMA Fighters Deal With Pain?
In this section, we’ll look at how to treat pain or injury after the match. While we already discussed pain during a bout, this will be more about the days and weeks that follow. There are several options from OTC medications, physical therapy, massage therapy, and other home treatments to aid your recovery.
OTC medications
Over the counter medications are the most common and readily accessible treatment option for pain. These however fall into some different categories, so we’ll explain that too in order for you to know what’s best.
NSAIDs
NSAID, which stands for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, lowers both inflammation and pain. These can be quite useful, especially if you have any swelling with your injury. However, even without any specific inflammation, it’s still effective at reducing pain. Common examples are Ibuprofen (Advil) and Naproxen (Aleve).
Analgesics
Analgesic medication is used to reduce your pain, however, it’s important to note it may not do anything to affect the nature of the injury (such as reducing swelling). Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is one of the most common medications in this class. One advantage over NSAIDs is that Acetaminophen can be less irritating to the stomach and GI tract.
Combination products
In some cases, you may be able to take Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen together. In fact, some brands already use both medications as ingredients. Be careful however that you are not taking two different brands which use the same active ingredient.
Topical medication
There are various creams and gels which you can apply directly to the area where you’re feeling pain. Common ingredients can include things like menthol or camphor which create alternating burning/cooling sensations. This effect distracts from any pain you’re feeling.
Salicylates are another ingredient that can be absorbed through the skin and provide relief from joint pain. There are also various herbal products that promise pain relief and you can ask your doctor about prescription products too.
Ice
Ice is a very common method for dealing with sprains, swelling, or pain in various settings. Ice is best used right after the injury, to try and reduce potential swelling and the cold also has a pain-relieving effect. Recently, there’s been some debate about whether ice is always good. In some cases, heat may be preferred over ice. Heat can be used later on, for sore muscles as it can increase blood supply to the area and speed up recovery.
Physical therapy
Moving past medications, let’s now look more at physical therapy. This can be important especially if you have more serious injuries, long-term problems, or repeat injuries to the same area. There are even clinics that specialize in sports or martial arts related recovery.
A physical therapist and physical therapy clinic typically have several different tools at their disposal and even other kinds of practitioners likely work there. For example, it’s not uncommon to find a massage therapist at these locations as well.
A physical therapist will assess the extent of your injury and provide a tailored program for you. This can include a combination of massage, adjustments, a TENS machine, and exercises that you can perform at the clinic and at home.
Conclusion – Staying on Top of Pain
If you decide to start MMA it’s likely you’ll experience some pain or injury at some point. However, the good news is serious problems are extremely rare and MMA continues to be a safe sport. From OTC medications, exercise, and physical therapy, MMA fighters can manage their pain in many ways. Be sure to check back soon as we regularly have new articles on various topics relating to martial arts.
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