June '24 - Arm and Shoulder Injury 4

Arm and shoulder injury prevention and rehabilitation part 4

The second last post in this series will talk briefly about treatment and rehabilitation. This is standard sports injury stuff and there is plenty of info available as well as known treatment methods and professional care paths.

Acute injuries in shurikenjutsu are rare and show up when something goes wrong with how you throw as a once off. For example a lack of concentration could lead to hyper extension which pulls a muscle or tendon.

More generally injuries are chronic where repetition of the throwing action causes overuse strain on muscles and tendons. During the activity they stay warm and soreness is delayed until after damage is done, often hours later. Like all strains and sprains, heat or cold packs and rest in the beginning followed by massage, movement and stretching later is common treatment. Recovery allows you to go back to throwing or if the issue persists professional medical help should be sought.

I've personally found that heat packs are good if I have soreness the following day or so. The heat loosens up tight muscles and tendons very quickly and can be very effective when followed up with gentle massage and very light stretching. Ice packs help more with impact injuries, swelling or management of pain in tissue injuries that are more serious.

https://federation.edu.au/news/articles/hot-pack-or-cold-pack-which-one-to-reach-for-when-youre-injured-or-in-pain

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