The physiotherapist and kinesiologist Salvatore Germano explains the importance of laser therapy for the treatment of injuries typical of boxing
It is one of the oldest combat sports and, in recent years, has found great popularity among amateurs thanks to the benefits of the basic training necessary to practice it. Boxing, “the noble art of defense”, as it was defined in the early 1700s when the first boxing school was born in London, is a sport that, among other things, contributes to increasing self-confidence, reducing stress and stimulate the production of endorphins, as well as helping those who practice it to switch off from the outside world because it requires great concentration and attention. A predominantly male discipline until a few years ago, lately boxing has also “captured” the interest of many women, as shown by the numbers of the Italian Boxing Federation which estimates the pink share of over a million practitioners (in 2007 they were just over 1,500), with an age of access to sport that is getting lower and lower. And the Olympic bronze conquered in featherweight by Irma Testa in Tokyo 2020 is just the tip of the iceberg of a movement that sees the base consolidate more and more.
commonplaces and risks
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The biggest misconception about boxing is related to violence and fighting. The spirit of boxing, however, is precisely to unload aggression and teach respect for the opponent. And, anyway, you usually only start fighting seriously after a couple of years of training, when you are prepared for this step. When you practice boxing at an amateur level, then, the risk of breaking your nose or returning home full of bruises is practically nil because, when you get into the ring, you wear a helmet, gloves closed on your hands, mouthguards, groin guards and para-breast for women and, among other things, we arrive at this moment prepared to dodge the opponent’s blows and to be fast, thanks to an important athletic program carried out until then.
COMMON INJURIES
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However, when you start throwing your first punches into the bag, you still need to be prepared and pay attention to your body’s signals. In fact, every sport has its own injuries and, in the case of boxing, the most frequent are of a traumatic and muscular nature relating to the wrists, elbows and shoulders. “The technique – explains Salvatore Germano, owner of the Mediperson physiotherapy clinic in San Martino Siccomario, in the province of Pavia – is the main prevention tool”. Technical errors, in fact, can lead to incorrect twisting of the wrist which, for example, could cause lesions of the triangular fibrocartilage, a tissue located between the ulna and the radius that gives stability to the wrist complex and helps to cushion the load on the wrist. same. “In this case – continues Dr. Germano – diagnosis by a doctor is even more important. More generally, however, the most frequent injuries are those caused by overload and therefore tendonitis and inflammatory pathologies. “In addition to the overload of the radio-carpal joint and therefore of the wrist, common injuries of the elbow are epicondylitis and epithrocleitis or of the shoulder are inflammation of the rotator cuff or of the long head of the biceps”.
LASER THERAPY
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In all these cases, therefore when the injury is not bone, but related to muscles, ligaments, tendons or joints, laser therapy is a particularly useful aid. “I have been using it for a long time – concludes Dr. Germano – and the results are excellent. The anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of laser therapy are documented and evident on both professional sportsmen and amateurs. In the first case, laser therapy can also be useful to put back in the ring (in the specific case of boxing) in the shortest possible time, injured boxers with an ongoing inflammatory state; in the second, combined with rest, which remains the main road, it helps to recover more quickly “. However, it is essential to have a clear clinical picture before starting the therapies: “Instrumental examinations are the basis on which to modulate the therapy and knowing well what needs to be treated is essential to establish how to treat and, in the case of laser therapy, how to set the tool for therapy to be effective “.
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November 15, 2021 (change November 15, 2021 | 17:33)
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