Accidents can and do happen as you train longer and harder or teach others the martial arts you love.  We all have complex lives, and sometimes an outside worry or hoped-for outcome can pull away one’s focus during a workout.  Injuries can result from that loss of focus, and you need to know how to deal with these quickly and safely.  Prompt and proper first aid can lessen the severity of an injury, and that in turn will shorten the recovery time and help retain students.

For severe injuries, most clubs and studios are fortunately near enough to urgent care centers for rapid crises response.  The judgment call about severity, however, is more difficult in today’s economy.  Some people can not afford emergency medical care of any type, so their preference would be to get sent home for care by family or friends.  Maybe just a few martial artists you have met prefer to tough it out and not even admit to pain or seek out help.  This mindset is not as common among the senior teachers and students,  survivors take better care of themselves than tough guys.

This article describes some basics of home and street-level trauma care.  Hopefully, it will encourage you to include trauma care and pain management in your school’s curriculum and your personal training.  The more ancient temple arts from which many modern styles and traditions derive prioritized health, healing, and the avoidance of unnecessary pain and trauma. Martial skills were only one aspect of Life Mastery.  Along with teaching a student a lethal move, masters were required to teach them how the resultant injuries could be treated and healed.

In your studio or practice area, have some first-aid supplies stored and clearly labeled.  If you have a refrigerator and can keep ice, blue ice bricks, or frozen gel packs on hand, do so.  If not, know where to get some nearby if they’re needed.  The more effective natural medicines I will mention here can be found in your local health food stores or even local drug store chains now.   Many local doctors, veterinarians, and even massage therapy practices sell these or can direct you toward them.

Along with the cold packs, get some Ace bandages and a variety of stretchy Band-aids, bandages, and tape.  A pre-packaged first-aid kit from a department store or auto parts store can simplify this process.  Make it known to everyone and encourage its use for any situation.

Also learn about and have available, (possibly for sale) the following medicines:

• Homeopathic Arnica

• Traumeel Ointment and tablets

• Rescue Remedy, both liquid and spray

• DMSO Gel

• Bromelain capsules as anti-inflammatories

• Dit Dah Jiao , aka “Hit Medicine” (many brands are available)

• White Flower Oil

• Tiger Balm Sport

• Warm blankets, robes, and wool socks.

First, immediately when the injury happens, treat for the shock and distraction that almost any unforeseen pain and injury can cause.  Sit the person down, make eye contact with them, and wrap them up to keep them warm.  Any perspiration can chill the person quickly as soon as the activity stops.  Describe exactly what you are doing to the injured person and follow this sequence, unless the person is unconscious or has suffered a neck, spine, or low-back injury.

For most impact trauma and sprains or strains to soft tissue, memorize the “RICE” method:

Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation

Rest: Stop the movement that caused the injury.  Stop any risk of re-injury or worsening of an injury.

Ice: Cold is an important quick anti-inflammatory and anti-pain treatment.  Some ice packs can be colder than ice, so be sure to not over-freeze the injured tissue.  Wrap the ice pack with a towel or pad it with a garment and check the skin surface every few minutes to be sure it isn’t terribly cold.  Every 15 minutes, let the area warm up again for a few minutes, then repeat the cold for another 15 minutes or so.

Compression: When a muscle, tendon, or ligament is sprung open, over-stretched, or even torn, put it back where it should be and squeeze it firmly.  Have the injured person help with this. Steady pressure, and later binding with bandages or tape will shut off the accumulation of blood and lymph from where it shouldn’t be.  Don’t overdo it and cut off the circulation, so ease off for a couple minutes every 10 minutes or so to let things normalize.

While compression is happening, have the injured person breathe steadily and place his or her attention on the injured area, encouraging it to relax, flow normally, and get better. Martial artists usually understand the power of the mind and breath on the physical body. See the list above of liniments and lotions to rub in during this phase.

Elevation: Use gravity to help avoid the pooling of blood and lymph around an injury.  The first few hours after the trauma are very important to minimize the swelling.  After 12-15 hours, try to gently return to some slow activity and functions using the injured area.  To speed recovery, try to minimize any limp or favoring motions.

Broken Bones and Spines

These can be diagnosed by a doctor or therapist by compressing from either end together against the injured area.  The injured person will express themselves clearly if this is done to a broken bone.  If the RICE procedure doesn’t help, take it easy on the compression phase and get them to an Emergency Room or Urgent Care facility for an X-ray or CAT scan.

If the spine or neck is possibly broken, pack the injured person with warm blankets tucked in at all sides and minimize any movement until the paramedics arrive.  If you need to make a stretcher, peel off a couple shirts and tie the sleeves around two poles held a couple feet apart with a partner.  Wrap this with a blanket or robe and gently roll this under the injured person and move them to a hospital or doctor’s office.  Then describe to them in detail the mechanism of injury.  They will pack and transport the patient appropriately.

If your club is plagued with injuries, locate skilled providers in your community.  Retired doctors or therapists, military veterans with medical backgrounds, or nurses skilled in emergency room techniques can make good workshop presenters.  The more you and your community are informed about emergency treatment skills, the safer and more relaxed your training will be.  It might help reduce your insurance rates, too.