A
female
age
30-35,
anonymous
writes:Hey,I do martial arts training and I'm the dojo's assistant. I've recently become good enough to be used to demonstrate techniques, and although I land safe enough I always end up with bruises in very difficult to conceal places.I use arnicare cream to make them heal quicker. but because of the nature of martial arts; with grabs, strikes, punches, locks etc. the majority of my bruises are in clearly visible places, for instance on my forearms and wrists. I don't mind the bruises, but they are bruises from grabs and strikes, so a lot of people, particularly family, friends and even my teachers, think that I'm being abused. and my denial of that fact only seems to re-affirm their suspicions.How can I stop people thinking I'm being abused? I don't want to have to always wear long sleeve tops because I think that trying to hide it will only make people think more that I'm being abused, but there isn't much else I can do.I bruise easily, unnaturally easy, even though the doctor says I'm healthy as a horse, with no haemoglobin problems or anything, meaning that firm grabs or a firm strike brings up a rather large, black bruise that lasts long after the feeling of pain subsides (if there's any feeling at all) The bruises are a purely visual problem, with everyone who notices them jumping to the wrong conclusion.Due to the fact that I am the dojo assistant i cannot simply tell the instructors not to use me to demonstrate, because then I'm not doing my job and therefore can lose my job.Please help. I don't want to get anyone into trouble for no reason at all.I'm sorry for the length of the question.anon xx
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female
reader, maverick494  +, writes (17 June 2011):
You're very welcome! It was nice talking to someone with the same problem.
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reader, anonymous, writes (13 June 2011): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionthankyou for the link, it appears very useful, i've watched it but i haven't tried the exercises yet (but i shall very soon!)i'm very lucky where i live, i have a judo dojo just down the road, two aikido dojos (both teaching different styles of aikido) in a nearby town and another aikido dojo in the nearest city. theres also some karate dotted around somewhere i think. it's a great martial art, focusing the mind as well as the body (but not disguising the techniques as 'ki' as many martial arts do) but all of the techniques require locking the joints, normally the elbow, in order to control someone. bad news for me haha.thankyou again for all the advice and help it is very much appreciated :)anon xx
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female
reader, maverick494 +, writes (13 June 2011):
Ah sorry about that, it's so hard to tell on the internet what someone may or may not know so I took the safe route of explaining.
Well from the sound of it we really do have the same condition. I recognize pretty much everything you wrote in myself.
When it comes to joint injuries, what helps most is to build muscle to literally keep you together. For example:
- When it comes to ankles, what really helps is to wear shoes that don't support them at all. My dad made me walk on clogs in my free time at home. I cursed him at first because I kept twisting my ankle, but gradually my ankles got stronger.
- When it comes to knees, make these exercises part of your routine: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1272266483?bctid=1138037408
This helped me prevent injuries and made everything a bit stronger.
Ofcourse I'm not qualified to give you advise on joints, so you might want to check with your physiatrist. I'm just passing on what worked for me.
Ah Aikido. Always wanted to try that, but it isn't taught in my area :(.
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reader, anonymous, writes (13 June 2011): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionhey,
i knew what double jointedness really is, but it is far easier to say rather than hyperextention of the joints.
i often get pain in my knees, not quite bending them in the exact way they are supposed to (i.e slightly to the side like over my little toe rather than directly over my big toe) and i'm really prone to twisting my ankles, making them tender for a long time afterwards. likewise with my shoulders and elbows haha.
i partially dislocated my shoulder about 6 months ago and because of me being stubborn and still falling on it it has only recently gotten better so that i can fall on it properly.
and to satisfy your curiosity: i am a 5th kyu (blue belt) in shudokan aikido but i am grading to 4th kyu (orange belt) at the end of this month :)
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female
reader, maverick494 +, writes (13 June 2011):
Indeed, what a small world, haha.
To answer your question:
Double jointedness doesn't exist. It's a myth to explain away why contortionists and rhythmic gymnasts can fold themselves the way they do. The real explanation for their extreme feats is training from youth in flexibility. Their bodies adapt which means that among other things the vertebrae in their spines get farther apart to allow more flexibility.
Like you, my shoulders are very flexible as well, just like my wrists are. I can push my thumb against my wrist without hurting myself. Shoulder locks are very difficult to perform on me because mine can bend very far--just like yours. Last year I dislocated my shoulder after a nasty fall and could pop it back into place by myself. I don't think I would have been able to if I wasn't that loose.
What you and I have is hyperflexibility. This doesn't necessarily mean we can get into splits very easily--I had to train a lot before I could do that because my muscles were not strong enough and too tight-- but that our joints are more flexible than others. Skin is often also more flexible (though that depends per person) which means you might get stretch marks quicker than others. And then there's the bruising. We're prone to it.
This, in short explains Ehlers Danlos syndrome type 3. It's completely harmless so you won't have to worry about blood clotting problems or any of that. It just means you have to take more care in not injuring important joints like your knees, because like other joints, they are looser than others. Do you have weak ankles as well? Thanks to martial arts training, I strengthened mine, but as a kid they were very weak.
I've had to help with demonstrations as well and sometimes it was too hot to get away with wearing sleeves. So sometimes at the beginning I would make an announcement, explaining why I had these bruises and others didn't so people wouldn't get the wrong impression. Any remaining doubts were erased by the demonstration itself. I only did that when my bruises were so obvious they could be distracting to the audience.
And just out of curiosity: what level are you at? Are you training in Kyokushin Karate?
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reader, anonymous, writes (13 June 2011): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionhaha, talk about small world.when you say lose joints do you mean like flexible joints or double jointedness? because i have extremely flexible shoulders that only the nidans and higher (2nd black belts) can lock.thankyou for the help, the information seems to fit me perfectly, so thankyou ever so muchanon xx
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female
reader, maverick494 +, writes (13 June 2011):
Well it's not often I encounter someone with the EXACT SAME problem as I have. I've been doing martial arts for about 10 years and I bruise very quickly as well. My joints are also very loose and my doctor has confirmed I have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Look it up, it explains everything (well, in my case it did.) I usually don't like putting myself in a box but in this case it's nice to know what exactly is going on so you don't have to worry about the possibility of something severe.
Anyway, I just tell them the truth, that I have Ehlers Danlos and that I bruise quicker than others and that martial arts doesn't really help in that department. When I work at the store and my arms are bruised I wear long sleeved tops because there's no room to explain myself and I don't want being frowned upon. I also cover up when I'm doing presentations or other occasions where the distraction my bruises cause could impact me negatively.
I guess that's the price to pay for such a sport. I happily do. As for the instructor, I remember well when we had a new guy (transferred from another city) to help teach he got bug-eyed when he saw the bruised he'd caused during training exercises. He kept apologizing I almost felt bad for him.
But most people are used to it now. Everyone knows I bruise quickly and as it doesn't hamper my progress or performance, no-one is bothered by it.
All that said, I do take extra care in protecting my face, even if that means taking a blow somewhere else, because it's so hard to cover up facial bruises and boy do I bruise when I get hit there!
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reader, anonymous, writes (12 June 2011): I used to have a similar issue, having a variety of colorful bruises all over my arms and legs from practicing mma. People used to question it and give me raised eyebrows whenever I wore shorts or short-sleeved tops.
I think it would help if you told as many people as you could that you practice martial arts and eventually most will stop asking. Don't try to hide it, that will alert more suspicion.
(Otherwise you could always carry a little photo of yourself in the middle of some complicated technique and impress the living daylights out of them) :)
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reader, anonymous, writes (12 June 2011): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionyeah i get that too. even my instructor who often causes the bruises, is surprised about how badly i bruise. i might go to the doctor again to have the bruises looked at, see if it is a blood problem or something. i know i've been before already but the bruises are disproportionate to the strength of the grab or the strike that caused them. and if it is a clotting problem or something then i don't want to find out after i've smacked my head or something hahaanon xx
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reader, anonymous, writes (11 June 2011): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionthanks for the advice, a common thread is to tell people i'm a martial artist. i have tried this but it doesn't change their opinion; their argument is that nothing that lands me an injury should be done. also that work is not worth injuries (but then again the people who say that are often my friends who have never had a job, and nor do they plan to either)my teachers understand that i'm a martial artist, as do my family; but they all still say that what's happening is wrong, i say i've got a job, but it's technically a scholarship/apprenticeship thing, meaning i don't get paid. so people think that my instructor is abusing my trust in him, using me as his punching bag/rag doll to vent his own feelings.my friends wont turn up to an open day because of the bruises i've got, they're afraid they'll get injured too.the martial art i do is non competitive, meaning that people assume that you don't get hurt from it, so they assume that any injury i get is intentional.thankyou again for the advice, i know the response isn't exactly positive, but i am grateful :)anon xx
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female
reader, GeeGee255 +, writes (11 June 2011):
 The fact that you are into martial arts should be answer enough to explain your bruises and that you are more than capable of defending yourself.
Knowing all this about you, why would anyone that knows you assume you are being abused?
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A
male
reader, Dodds  +, writes (11 June 2011):
 Thats prett cool..the karate n all,any way you are doing something that you are passionate about,id bring them along one day to a practice session n let them see you in action,it should change their opinion
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male
reader, anonymous, writes (11 June 2011): Just tell everyone you're a martial artist! I am now 33 yo but when I was your age I was doing mma and it was a brand new thing. I'd go home with a broken nose or a swollen face, and would go to school classes looking the same way too. Whoever would ask me I'd PROUDLY say I'm a martial artist and I compete. Just do this! I don't see a problem at all.
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