Some common injuries in Boxing

Dr Calvin Inalsingh M.B., Ch. B. Aberdeen, Scotland.

Chairman, WBA Medical Advisory Committee

There is a lot written on the serious injuries in Boxing such as concussion, brain injuries, and fracture of the skull and facial bones. I would like to present to you some of the other injuries in Boxing such as cuts of the face, haematomas, eye injuries, hand injuries and strains and sprains.

Boxing is the only sport in which the objective is to render blows to the head and body of the opponent so as the cause the opponent to be incapacitated. Regardless who wins the fight; both boxers can have serious injuries at the end of twelve (12) rounds of boxing.

Drugs in Sports

by Dr Calvin Inalsingh M.B., Ch. B. Aberdeen, Scotland

Chairman, WBA Medical Advisory Committee

It is apparent that the usage of performance enhancing drugs is increasing by the elite athlete.

This is because of 3 factors: -

1. Testing for drugs has increased in frequency.

2. The laboratory testing has improved.

3. Most of the tests for drugs are performed on the athlete who has reached the finals of                     the event or the athlete who is competing against a champion.

Before the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, when the 100 meters Gold Medalist, Ben Johnson, was found positive for steroids, the adage of “participation, and not winning, was the only thing” was the theme among competitors.

Today, because of the financial rewards an athlete can receive from winning an Olympic Gold Medal, the saying is changing to “Winning is the only thing”.

Preparation of the Boxer according to the sensor vestibular system

The boxing is a combat sport that, and no matter its physical structure, technique, tactics and its psychic demands, its main actions are attack and defense. In other words, boxing actions are hitting and try no to be hit, which are very complex actions that demand a great development of the boxer's coordination. The coordination is the boxer's ability to determine the preparation, direction capacity or good regulation of the motive action. This capacity is reflected by the choosing and execution of the needed actions that will allow him to solve the motive tasks in a correct, quick and ingenious way, specially those that arise unexpectedly as it usually happens in boxing.

In the sportsman physical preparation, there are six (6) basic motive qualities that are not shown in their pure state before a combat, but in complex interaction, which are force, speed, power, resistance, flexibility and coordination.

Nevertheless, at the moment the boxers and trainers focus their training toward the development and improvement of the power (force-quick), the resistance and in very low frequency towards flexibility, obviating the coordination as the basic element for a combat sport (box), that presents high demands on the analysis of both boxers movements in the space and the time. These analysis demands of his own movements as well as the opponent’s are the bases for the wonderful art of attack and defense.

THE KNOCKOUT IN BOXING

The knockout remains the most spectacular manifestation in the sport of boxing, thrilling the public and seemingly satisfying some deep primeval urge, but this has always been a worrying element to ringside physicians. I hope to explain some of the neurological knowledge on the subject of concussion and unconsciousness, and relate this to what one actually sees at the ringside when a boxer is stopped.
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REDUCING LONG TERM BRAIN TISSUE TRAUMA :-

EXPLORING THE BENEFITS OF CLINICAL REFLEXOLOGY AND CRANIO SACRAL THERAPY AS POST BOUT CARE  FOR BOXERS

by Shivana Inalsingh, Clinical Integrative Reflexologist

A report done as part of the Brain Injury Program at the Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, New York, found that the degree of head injury suffered by a boxer is determined by his professional status reflective of increased exposure (i.e., duration of career, age of retirement, total number of bouts), poor performance, increased sparring, and apolipo protein (APOE) genotype all of which can contribute to Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury.

The risk of head injury in boxing is high, and fortunately, developments in the field of medicine, research, recommendations and implementation of regulations by sanctioning bodies working together with government and sporting bodies are serving to reduce the risk of injury to the boxer.

International boxing sanctioning body, World Boxing Association (WBA) has the 3 Knock Down rule in effect for all sanctioned fights. In addition, there is the 6 week suspension of a boxer who has suffered a Knock Out so as to provide a safe net for recovery from a possible head injury, along with medical assessment and evaluations. Some ringside Physicians have also recommended that annual brain scans be done on active boxers as a good safety measure for the protection of boxer from aggravating an existing head injury as well as an effective means of monitoring tissue health and evaluating possible brain tissue deterioration. While the scans will be highly valuable, not until it becomes more affordable and accessible, will it be available across the board.

What safety considerations can be made for the boxer who is not knocked out and who appears normal outside of the neuropsychological tests?  History has shown that it is possible that a boxer can sustain an undetected head injury and while there are a few scientific medical and psychological diagnostic systems available for identifying these, there is a need for further development for more conclusive medical assessments for identifying minute trauma.

Rankings January 2012