Blood Injuries in Boxing

Although a physical, high impact (and let’s face it somewhat violent) sport – boxing comes in as having the fewest blood injuries. In American Football or Rugby for example, most players will come out with cuts all over their bodies – some worse than others. The problem with boxing is, when there’s blood there’s a lot of it as there are no middle ground scrapes (usually) as found in other impact sports. Blood in boxing means that someone is going to need towel to clean up after.

When going toe-to-toe, if the head is the target – the nose is the bullseye. If you get a good swing onto the opponent’s nose there is a very high chance you’re in for a win. The same goes with the eyes which can puff up badly and bleed profusely. Without putting you off your favourite sport, let’s take a look at how you can deal with bleeding in boxing.

If someone makes it through your guard and catches you in a groggy state, there will most likely be bleeding. The quicker the blood is stopped the less likely you or others around will be exposed to potential infection. You, or your coach, should have First-Aid supplies at hand to stop the bleeding until you can get to A&E or more help can get to you.

A nosebleed can be dealt by doing the following.

·       Pinch the nose bridge and lean forward – and probably try to avoid expensive equipment. The usual thought is to tilt the head backwards, but this is not recommended as it allows blood to flow down the throat and into the stomach.

·       Plug the bloody nostril with cotton nose plugs or cotton balls to help stop the flow of blood. Replace plugs as needed if blood flow continues. Carefully remove them as large blood clots may stick to the end.

·       If the blood flow continues take a small bag of ice and place it on the nose bridge for at least five minutes. If bleeding continues, the nosebleed may be more serious and need a doctor’s care to be cauterized.

If you’re sweaty a band aid won't stick. Or if the cut is too large (laceration) it may be hard to completely cover it. Keep the cut or laceration clean. Stop bleeding by applying pressure using a towel or gauze to stop blood flow so it can be covered.

Although boxing injuries tend to heal on their own, there are instances in which the injury could become infected, or necessary to receive stitching. Please contact our switchboard at (212) 241-6321 to discuss options if your sustained injury needs looking at.

Head, eye, and body damage from boxing

Muhammad Ali is renowned for many things, from his showman style of boxing, to his stoicism in the face of adversity, and his mind-blowing right hook. The Legend went on to develop Parkinson’s later in life because of the physical trauma his head received throughout his life, or at the very least, antagonised a pre-existing condition. His tragic ending gave rise to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act that seeks to minimise the dangers of the sport. This week, in a concerted effort to maximise safety within the sport we are going to focus on how you can honour the greats by staying safe in the ring.

It goes without saying that any activity that involves blows to the body, and especially the head, is high-risk. This means that boxing can have serious effects on the health of most people who are involved in the sport, and this goes especially for men. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons say that around 90% of boxers at some stage sustain a brain injury of some kind as any blunt trauma to the head can damage the surface of the brain.

The punches boxers spend most of their time perfecting are not usually going to knock someone out, except for in rare and bizarre circumstances, and that is the jab. Jabs are great for set ups and counter-attacked but aren’t exactly “haymakers”. Your brain sits suspended in fluid, when your head whips around, the brain whips around too which means the tissue stretches and compresses. This trauma leads to concussion. Repeated concussions over time eventually lead to serious brain damage, and this has been shown time and time again. Concussion is currently a huge theme in the current sporting climate, with many contact and impact sports focusing on ensuring sportspeople are safe.

What should you do if you become concussed? It depends on the severity of the concussion. Sometimes concussions need emergency treatment and sometimes it will be minor, either way – you need to have specialists around to ensure no long-term damage is done. Signs of concussion usually appear within a few minutes or hours of a head injury – occasionally, they won’t be obvious for a few days, so it’s important to look out for any problems in the days following a head injury.

Symptoms include

Dizziness

Headache’s that aren’t relieved with painkillers

Feeling sick or vomiting

Confusion

Changes in vision

Trouble with balance

Memory loss

If you suffer one or more of these symptoms are a blow to the head, then you should consider it a priority to speak with your coach or anyone nearby as you are at high-risk of long term damage.

If you have suffered from concussion and would like to contact one of Mount Sinai’s dedicated teams, please contact our switchboard at (212) 241-6321

Defending Your Guard

Boxers face numerous risks when training and in the ring. But there’s one injury that rings truly rings bells of fear in the Mike Tysons and Alis among us – that’s right, an injured hand. Not only does damaging these tools mean you can’t box anymore, it is also the least glamourous of all the boxing injuries. And nothing seems like more of a cop-out than missing a fight because your hand hurts. This week, we are going to focus on how to make sure you guard is always up by showing you the best ways of looking after the most undervalued asset of any boxer – their hands.

The most common fracture in boxing is a break between the small bones in the palm of your hand, usually located between the ring and pinkie. This damage is usually the result of punching immovable objects. While the larger bones in the hand absorb blunt trauma well, the smaller, more fragile bones don’t. The sportsman will feel a sharp pain in the hand immediately after the punch before it becomes swollen, discoloured, and immobile.

Another injury we often see here at Mount Sinai is carpal bossing, identifiable by a massing at the back of the palm. Patients tend to report some discomfort depending on the repetitive strain put on your head prior to your injury. Interestingly, this injury seems to occur mostly in males above the age of 20 but under the age of 40.

To prevent these common hand issues, it is imperative that you take care of your hands. Having good equipment will ensure you minimize the risk of severely damaging an area or extremity. This applies mainly to good boxing gloves that appropriately fit your hand and quality wraps (and wrapping) that support your wrists and smaller bones. Finally, ensure you give your body enough rest between sessions and after bouts. You should ice the damaged area immediately and speak to your coach.

In some cases, it may be necessary to seek medical attention and ensure you get an X-Ray to confirm the diagnosis, and the sooner you get this done the better. If you have damaged a few smaller bones in the hand you can be saved with ice and rest and usually broken fingers that are immobilized will be allowed to heal. Most recovery takes between 6-10 weeks. Although you may experience slight loss in grip strength, the rate of recovery is excellent at around 85%.

In extremely rare cases your doctor will prescribe anti-inflammatory medication, steroid injections, and in rare cases surgery.

If you believe you are suffering from one of the problems discussed in this piece and would like to speak to one of our physicians, please contact our switchboard at (212) 241-6321