let me first start off by saying im new to this board and ive recently started taking jkd in indianapolis under instructor gary hoyd. im 20 years old and as a rebelous teenager i use to skateboard a lot. paying for it now, i have two problems stretching in different areas. one i tore ligaments on my inner left thigh, i believe thats what i did, i couldnt walk for about a month. ive been stretching pretty regularly for 4-5 times a week and ive noticed its getting more flexible, where as before itd reach a certain point and wouldnt go any farther. but do you know if it will ever be able to stretch at full capacity??
my other one is i broke my right wrist (which is my lead) and a bone in my hand over a year ago. and it limits a little, for instance, when i hold my arm out like as in performing a jkd punch and moving my hand vertically up. i can move it down all the way but almost all the way up, and once it reaches a certain point if i try and push it farther it starts to hurt.
man thats so funny, i also beleive i tore ligmiments in my inner left thigh from forced stetching!
does your left hip feel real weak compared to your right hip?
does it sometimes crack or creak or feel like it slips or something?,
does it hurt when trying the splits when you go down to a certain degree?
and slso does it feel like the muscels are real tight around the hip when stretvching?
Welcome to the forum. I'm sure you'll be able to get your flexibility up to full capacity but it will take some time. I had an injury I received once, back when I was doing TKD, while stretching. I was out of commission for about a month. I never went to a doctor so I'm not sure if I tore anything. My flexibility suffered by I was able to get back to my full capacity after some time. You may want to invest in a good stretching video or book. One tip I'll give you on stretching is to never bounce. Bouncing is counterproductive. Just ease into your stretches.
As far as the injury to your wrist, you may want to consult your doctor. The last thing you want to do is reinjure your wrist. It may also help to tape up your wrists (like boxers do) to protect it while sparring, hitting the pads or punching the bag.
but no my hip seems to be ok. i dont get any cracks or pops. like i said ive been getting more flexible in that area, but the progress is much slower than on the other leg because of the injury so i was worried about it just not being able to stretch any further. its in my left leg which is not my lead leg, and i dont really plan on doing to many high kicks either, but ive realized through sparring how important flexibility is when it comes to ground fighting and using like bjj. but hopefully yeah like you said it should be able to stretch at full capacity and ill be ok.
and thanks for the tip on wrapping my wrist, ill have to look into it.
gary
No problem. When I was talking about wrapping up your wrists I was talking about the way boxers wrap them up. However, I did a little search on google and found a product that might help, it's called the "Neoprene Wrist Wrap Support".
The thing about stretching particularly after a bad injury is that you should take your time. Do not stretch to kick higher for instance but instead to relax and help the blood flow through your body. In this way your body will naturally become more flexible without causing further damage.
As for your wrist, do check it out with the doctor, however in most cases where the injury is not recent there is very little the doctor can do. I am assuming you can still use your wrist but thhere are certain limits that you find you can not break. This is normal. There are plenty of wrist exercises that will help compensate for the damage, although repaired is never as good as new, it will improve over time. Take it easy and allow nature to heal itself. It can be frustrating as it does take years to fully heal, although you may feel better in months. I always recommend being mindful in training.
Hope that helps.
Question everything, Know nothing.
Current Topic - problems with stretching from prior injuries.
