It is very common to injure yourself while Boxing due to bad techniques. Here we have outlined some of the common heavy bag injuries and what precautionary measures you people should take to avoid them and improve your boxing techniques.

Sprained Wrist

This is one of the most common injuries and almost every person who uses a heavy bag falls victim to it at some time. This happens when you damage the connective tissues that link your arm to your forearm. Sprains can be mild which can be due to an extra stretch or can be very serious leading to a complete tear of the ligament.

How to avoid it?

An effective way to avoid sprained wrist or the boxers wrist is by using hand wraps. There are numerous ways to wrap your hands but what you need to make sure is that you wrap your hand and wrist securely and have every part covered. You might already be using gloves but while wearing gloves, your wrist is not being supported from the sustained stress so it is advisable to use hand wraps.

Carpal Bossing

This usually involves a knock to the back of the wrist. It is a bump created where the long hand bones meet the small wrist bones. The joint can become swollen or bossed. It mainly occurs due to wrong boxing technique.

How to avoid it?

There is no set procedure to follow to prevent this from happening other than being vigilant about the boxing techniques and taking care of yourself. It is important to take breaks between boxing sessions. Work on the techniques by shadow boxing in front of the mirror. Moreover, a wrist brace can also be worn to prevent this from happening.

Strained Dorsal Muscles

This is easy to occur when throwing hard short punches. The most common mistake made is trying to hit the bag too hard which leads to the body being over-stressed and muscles getting strained. This can prevent you from working out for a few days.

How to avoid it?

One needs to focus on the posture and force with which they are hitting. It is important to control your power. There is a difference between hitting and pushing. To generate knockout power, land the punch when you are near to the full extension of your arms. If you feel any sort of strain, take a break immediately and ease your back muscles with light stretching.

Boxer’s Fracture

A boxer’s fracture is a crack in the neck (below the knuckle) or on ring or the little finger – known as fourth or fifth metacarpal. It is a common injury among boxers as they punch a lot of immovable objects with closed fists. The fracture can result in instant pain and swelling on the affected area.

How to Avoid It?

Boxers should learn to use correct techniques to punch the punching bags. Bone density is another factor that should be kept in mind while punching. When the boxers are young it is more dense and they don’t feel the punches. But when they start to grow old, the density decreases. So, the boxers need to keep up a healthy life by eating calcium supplements and dairy products.

Is Punching the Heavy Bags Bad for Joints?

Yes and no. There is a rare chance that you may get arthritis just by punching the bags. Although if you are not wearing gloves and hand wraps while punching the bags you may fracture your hands, but that doesn’t lead to arthritis.

Many professional boxers and enthusiasts who do boxing on a regular basis say that Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition that coincides with old age, and is something you shouldn’t worry about unless you continually fracture your hands. (Source)

Solution to the problem:

Wear proper boxing kit before you start punching the bag. You need hand wraps and sparring gloves of 14oz to punch the bag. Another thing to note here is that you may get arthritis even just by typing on the keyboard because that also involves mechanical movements. In fact, most boxers do not even get arthritis at all.

Here is how punching bags can avoid breaking joints:

• Use proper punching techniques
• Use the right punching gloves
• Use high quality punching bags
• Strengthen your hands by proper exercise and pre-workout exercises to avoid fractures
• Wait between each punching session so that your body can recover