Boxing is a full-contact combat sport that gets incredibly demanding on your body. Injuries can happen inside a ring or while training on a heavy bag. You can only sustain boxing injuries or avoid them significantly by wearing premium boxing training gloves and other boxing gear. Getting hurt can impact your ability to continue practicing the sport, and even more, if you’re making it your career.
Whether a hobbyist or professional athlete, you must know some common and worst boxing injuries. It’s also better to know how to recover fast from them. The best advice would be to prevent them from happening in the first place.
The Most Common Boxing Injuries
When facing an opponent inside a ring or hitting a punching bag, you use your hands, wrists, fingers, head, and other body parts to get the most impact. It’s no surprise that when boxing, you’re at risk for many injuries. Here are the common injuries and ways to treat them-
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Lacerations or cuts. These boxing injuries happen more frequently during a match than during training. When cuts happen in the middle of a fight, remember to clean the wound quickly and apply petroleum jelly.
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Bruises. When you sustain repeated hits, you’re going to sustain bruises. Body shots will cause the soft tissue of the rib cage to get bruised. After training, apply a cold compress on your bruises to ease the swelling and pain.
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Nosebleeds. Repeated, heavy impacts to the face cause minor lacerations inside the nose, making nosebleeds one of the most common boxing injuries. Some fighters apply petroleum jelly on the inside of their noses before a match as a prevention.
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Concussion. Blunt hits on the head can shake the brain, causing a concussion. The symptoms of concussion are loss of consciousness, dizziness, headaches, disorientation, vomiting, and short-term memory loss. If you endure a concussion, it is important to consult a neurologist for immediate treatment.
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Sprains. You can sustain sprains in the muscle and ligament when you’re in a ring for a match or doing strengthening exercises in training. These boxing injuries occur when there are frequent rapid movements. Consequently, boxers strain their back, arms, ankles, knees, and shoulders.
How To Prevent Boxing Injuries?
Since boxing is a full-contact sport, you must protect your body from debilitating injuries. Here are a few simple and effective ways to prevent boxing injuries:
Always wear the proper protective gear
Even if you’re only sparring, always wear the proper protective gear. Ensure to use high-quality boxing gear for superior protection. Check out the list below for tips on choosing essential boxing gear to buy and use.
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Sparring gloves: Sparring gloves have more padding than training gloves. However, the size of the gloves matters, too. Choose sparring gloves of 14 ounces if you and your sparring partner weigh below 147 lbs. Pick 16 ounces and more if you and your partner weigh more.
You can check out the best gloves for boxing training from Hit N Move, which are tailored to your training style and needs.
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Training gloves: Use a separate pair of boxing gloves when hitting a heavy punching bag. Choose larger gloves for better protection. Do not hesitate to invest in top-quality protective training gloves for boxing for enhanced training sessions.
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Head guard: When shopping for a quality boxing head guard, look for one that’s properly cushioned, comfortable, and breathable.
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Mouthguard: Never enter a ring without wearing a mouthguard, as it ensures proper jaw protection.
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Hand wraps: Hand wraps are essential whether you’re doing bag work or ring sparring. Follow proper hand-wrapping techniques and avoid wrapping your hands too tight. Wrap between the fingers for superior support, preventing severe hand injuries.
Master the correct punching and defensive techniques
It may seem obvious, but you must learn to throw a punch correctly. Remember that your hands and fingers are the most susceptible to injury when fighting. Spend time on defensive training, too, so you can slip, block, and duck punches and protect yourself better.
The bottom line
Think ahead, invest resources in proper boxing gear and training, and spend ample time resting. For premium boxing training gloves and headgear, browse our product collections at Hit N Move. As the favorite boxing glove store for professional fighters, we use the best materials and techniques to develop products that protect you from common boxing injuries. Check our online store now!