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

Your Very Own Rocky Balboa Story

Unless under the influence of post-Rocky euphoria, or a “big-fight” is taking place, most people never consider boxing as an alternative to their usual health routine. That’s reasonable. Most of us would rather get fit than bruised, and although boxing is one of the best ways to burn fat and stay healthy – it has a tough guy reputation that it’s struggling to throw. But many boxing-gyms are now accommodating “keep-fitters” and box-fit classes to encourage people to engage without fear of being pressured into the ring. Because of this, activities like blue collar boxing have been a great success and raised money for charity while keeping inactive city workers fit and healthy. Let’s jump into the ring and explain how boxing can help you fight a number of health issues and provide a kick-start to a new health campaign.

Boxing is an exercise performed for 15 minutes or longer between (approximately) 60-80% of your heart rate. This means it is aerobic. The longer your exercise and the higher your heart, the higher the capacity you are building for aerobic exercise. This kind of exercise trains your heart and lungs – and, the better shape your lungs are heart are in, the healthier your general health tends to be. If your heart is stronger, it better pumps blood around your body and the more oxygen you can take in –this is experienced in all facets of life from walking up the stairs to running for the train. More importantly, aerobic exercise puts people at less risk for heart attacks and strokes, reduces the chances of type 2 diabetes, joint pain – and improves overall life expectancy. Sure, boxing is tough, but it’s more than worth it.

During boxing training, boxers can burn up to 30 calories per minute. That means that within 30mins of intense boxing training, you could burn up to 900 calories (that’s already over half a woman’s daily calorie intake). That’s why despite boxer’s best efforts, it’s often really hard to put on weight. Training at this level is of course highly demanding and will take time to achieve - but it will allow you to keep your heart and lungs healthy whilst reducing your body weight.

This form of aerobic training has also been shown to help participants sleep at night by exhausting their body and relaxing their mind. Boxing has begun to be seen by people as a stress reliever (as opposed to a stress inducer – no one wants to get beaten up like the Italian Stallion). On the one hand, boxing is therapeutic as it allows people to punch away pent up aggression, but it also triggers dopamine to be released after training. That means less stress and more happiness.

Boxing has always been on the periphery of the fitness industry. Although it has it’s rough and ready back-street reputation that will never go away you won’t find yourself greasy and sliding around a ring getting your lights punched out. Unless of course that’s what you want to do – there’s still ample scope for that.

If you are interested in beginning a boxing programme but are worried about your current physical condition or are unsure whether such a plan would suit your situation, please contact our switchboard at (212) 241-6321