The Armour Archive

Hi all,
Last sunday I was lucky enough to catch a full power shot on an unpadded bicep (narrowly avoided getting hit on the collarbone tough), which promptly shut down my fighting for the day.

Since then, I've been icing it and taking ibuprofen (applying heat sometimes too). My problem right now is it stiffening up while I sleep. It's bad enough that when I wake up, it hurts to try to extend my arm more than say 130 degrees. Though this stiffness goes away after about 3 hours, it's still pretty debilitating until then since my right arm is useless for everything besides holding a pen.

So my question is this: What can I do during the day, or at night before I go to sleep to reduce muscle stiffness?

I ask because I really won't be able to fight this sunday if it continues (and potentially at FFF next weekend as well)
Thanks

Your upper arm may be broken.
-V

I suggest seeing a Doctor.

After two days on a soft tissue injury apply heat to stimulate blood flow for healing instead of cold which is good in the first 48 for reducing inflammation.

The smart thing to do is forget about fighting for a few weeks and drop by your local convenient care for an x-ray and medical advice.

But, what I would do (the stupid, I hate medicine approach) is take ibuprofin for the inflammation, get a heating pad, turn it on it's lowest setting, and sleep with it laying on top of your arm at night. You can get burned. Every warning ever written on a heating pad says NOT to do this. Notice I call it the stupid approach? So don't lie on top of it or tape it on there or anything. But when I got the crap beat out of my quad and couldn't walk a couple of years ago, that is how I got through it.

Vitus von Atzinger wrote:Your upper arm may be broken.
-V

Sounds unlikely to me although there may be a green-stick fracture or other bone damage under the muscle damage. I'd guess either a serious muscle strain or maybe some partial tearing. It would be worth seeing a doctor for a professional diagnosis.

Sean

Sean Powell wrote:

Vitus von Atzinger wrote:Your upper arm may be broken.
-V

Sounds unlikely to me although there may be a green-stick fracture or other bone damage under the muscle damage. I'd guess either a serious muscle strain or maybe some partial tearing. It would be worth seeing a doctor for a professional diagnosis.

Sean

A green-stick fracture is highly improbable at your age. A week later and you are having the symptoms you described means a trip to the doc. Sir Vitus may very well be correct, With the torn bicep being a bit more likely. Go to the doc and save the future use of your arm.

I believe you may want to adjust your idea of a 'minor' injury and go see a doctor.

I like tigerbalm.
It may be anything from a deap muscle bruise, hematoma or worse.
Sir Cristopher may have a bit more insite if he's local.

Dude.. you TOTALLY have an alien zygote thingy in your arm.. it's going to eat into your chest and feast on your liver.

SRSLY!

Well I've been saying 'minor' because I don't have any visible bruising. It's sort of a family trait, no visible bruises unless it's really bad (like falling off my bike at 15mph due to a patch of ice)
I've scheduled an appointment with the university health center, so I'll know in a few days.
In the meantime, further advice (from a nursing teacher with double masters), even a hairline fracture should leave some massive swelling.

What exactly is a greenstick fracture?

a greenstick fracture is characteristic of the very young. Instead of clean fracture lines, the bone bends substantially before breaking, and then breaks oddly.

It's named that because the x-rays look a bit like what happens when you try to snap a green sapling in half.

Whatever it is, you've got something banged up pretty good.

I had my completely unarmored bicep hammered on multiple times at practice a few weeks ago. It looked like I had been bull-whipped.
However, it didn't stop me from fighting. It stung like a SOB, but I didn't have lasting difficulty. Like you, I don't bruise easily at all, but my bicep did bruise.

The fact that you had to quit fighting from one such shot worries me a bit. The continued difficulty a couple days afterward is also a bit unnerving.

The measures you're taking to prevent swelling & stiffness may also be masking the true extent of the injury. Its good that you're going to get seen. Take this injury seriously, and keep your arm rested. Don't lift any weight with it until a doctor "OK"s it.

It's been almost a week. Go to the doctor and get an xray. There's no point in sitting around trying to diagnose from the internet because there are some injuries that can't be seen and nobody here can take a look at your arm anyway.

Isabella E wrote:It's been almost a week. Go to the doctor and get an xray. There's no point in sitting around trying to diagnose from the internet because there are some injuries that can't be seen and nobody here can take a look at your arm anyway.

I've got an appointment, the only way I can get in faster is to head to the ER. I won't do that, this is not worth clogging up emergency services. Don't worry, I'm not being a total idiot just sitting on my computer talking to people.
Though repeated statements that I broke my arm are unnerving me a bit.

Sorry I missed the part where you said you'd already made an appointment. I've just seen a ton of people try to diagnose from the internet instead of going in.

herrhauptmann wrote:

Isabella E wrote:It's been almost a week. Go to the doctor and get an xray. There's no point in sitting around trying to diagnose from the internet because there are some injuries that can't be seen and nobody here can take a look at your arm anyway.

I've got an appointment, the only way I can get in faster is to head to the ER. I won't do that, this is not worth clogging up emergency services. Don't worry, I'm not being a total idiot just sitting on my computer talking to people.
Though repeated statements that I broke my arm are unnerving me a bit.

Short term solution: See a doctor
Long term solution: Don't fight Thorvaaldr when he has a polearm
Even better solution: Tuck that arm in

Also a bit off topic, Dave, are you coming to 13th night?

"Don't fight Thorvaaldr when he has a polearm "

Ah...someone got pegged by Stinky when he was using a big stick?
I have some experience in that area....

My personal advice for dealing him is to close quickly and swing hard for tender areas, if you have a sword and sheild...

If you have a longer weapon, remember, all those years of clean living means that he isn't as mobile as he used to be....it's a girth=mirth kinda thing....

Ewen, I actually got whacked by Geoffrey from Meduseld.
When/where is 13th night?

And? What did the Doc say?

No broken bone. Some tissue damage, take lots of ibuprofen. Don't fight this weekend, and don't lift anything heavy.
That last is gonna be a problem. The doc picked up my mostly empty backpack (it's usually a lot heavier) and said it was more than twice what I should be lifting. To give you an idea of size, I had 3 spiral notebooks, an iced tea, a 3ring binder, and a calculator in my bag.


We've got FFF tomorrow, so I'll see how I feel when I arrive, and decide whether I'm gonna fight or not. I want to though, so badly.

Let me give you some completely unsolicited advice: IF YOU'RE BROKEN, TAKE SOME TIME OFF, LEST YOU BREAK YOUSELF FOR GOOD.

My Grand-Warder may have broken himself for good for not doing that.

herrhauptmann the pack should be easy enuff to deal with just use your off hand.

Useing it when your on restriction can prolong the recovery greatly.

AvM, I didn't fight today, despite wanting to. A lot of good fighters were there today, and while I learned talking to them, I could've learned so much more if they actually saw me fight.

The backpack, I do lift it with my off hand. But it's a huge habit to break, so I keep catching myself midway through slinging it onto my back. By then, unless I let go and let it drop, it's less stress to just continue the motion.

I know you don't want to hear this...but if you are young (I'm guessing my age or slightly younger if in college) you have 15+ years before age will become a true factor.

Point being...you have plenty of time to learn and get better and enjoy fighting IF you take care of yourself now.

Give yourself time to rest man. I know it sucks. I've done it too...my knee hurts *just* a little bit...and I tried to fight on it. That didn't go so well.

Anyway, take some time off...learn to watch fighting and marshall the fights. It's a great time to actively watch a fight and break down the combatants.

Much sympathy. I took an ugly fall at Gatalop (dark room, wet stone floor, sand) and tore my legs up enough that I never got to see the rapier field for the weekend - but for the bruising, if you're a fan of the Tiger Balm, you might (in all seriousness) look for a product called Dr. Hess' Udder Ointment (yes, it started as a livestock product too, back in the very early 20th c.) - it's another ancient cosmeceutical like Tiger Balm and Bag Balm that's now available again.

Their PR firm sent samples to me at work, and it has actually done a world of good for my healing wounds and bruises.

another "ointment" for bruises is China Gel www.chinagel.com my chiropractor swears by it and I use it for aches and pains.

Warning - it smells HORRIBLE. It has that nice mentholburningtheeyesalittleheythisisn'tsobadohmygodwhatdied smell. First time I put it on driving home from an event I started searching my car for the two day old BK bag thinking something was rotting, until I realized it was just my shoulder that smelled like that!

REST!!!! Bone spur in my elbow, torn bicep, cartilage damage in my shoulder, hip flexer, arthritic knee/torn ligament and I'm 38, plan on still doing this when I'm 50 so when I need to take a couple weeks off I do and it really does work better to get healthy then get back into it rather than pushing yourself injured and not actually getting anything from the fighting anyway and prolonging the recovery time.

YMMV
Will