{"id":12140,"date":"2019-09-04T06:37:06","date_gmt":"2019-09-04T06:37:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=12140"},"modified":"2021-04-29T14:40:46","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T14:40:46","slug":"14-common-causes-of-boxers-fracture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-common-causes-of-boxers-fracture\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Common Causes of Boxers Fracture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Boxer’s fractures are a break in the metacarpal. In boxer\u2019s fractures, you break a bone at the base of your finger. They are generally very painful and could lead to swelling as well as bruising in a short amount of time if they are left untreated. They are named such because boxers often suffer from this type of injury. That being said, while boxing is definitely a prominent cause for this injury, it\u2019s not the only one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are various other combat sports that might cause a boxer\u2019s fracture along with many non-sport causes. Getting your boxer\u2019s fracture treatment as soon as you sustain the injury will reduce the healing time. Today we\u2019re going to go over eight of the most common causes of a boxer’s fracture so that you can avoid them entirely and keep your metacarpal completely unharmed \u2014 making it easier to perform at peak condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Boxing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start out with the most obvious cause of boxer\u2019s fractures \u2014 boxing. After all, this sport is the namesake of the injury \u2014 and for good reason. When boxers hit their opponents or the heavy bag, they are putting repetitive stress on their metacarpal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If they have a proper form then they aren\u2019t likely to acutely injure themselves while training on the heavy bag, but the repetitive strain <\/a>on the metacarpal can still weaken it over time and make a boxer\u2019s fracture increasingly likely as time passes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boxer\u2019s fractures are more common during live competition when boxers are facing off against one another. In these scenarios, they often forget to use proper form and instead try to hit their opponent as hard as possible. If a punch lands in an awkward angle with a lot of force then it may break the metacarpal and lead to a boxer\u2019s fracture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Muay Thai<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Muay Thai<\/a> has often been referred to as Thai boxing, but it\u2019s much more than that. In Muay Thai, competitors use kicks, elbow strikes, and even knee thrusts in addition to the regular punches that you\u2019d see in boxing. You might think that this makes a boxer\u2019s fracture less common in the sport since there are fewer punches being thrown but it\u2019s actually quite the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are numerous occasions where an elbow strike could intercept a punch and put a large amount of force on the metacarpal. When you factor in the repetitive stress that the metacarpal of fighters endures during training then it should come as no surprise that these elbow intercepts lead to a boxer\u2019s fracture. The boxing glove is also rather ineffective at defending against elbow strikes since there\u2019s a small point on the human elbow making it more like a knife than a hammer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Bare-knuckle fighting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you thought that boxer\u2019s fractures <\/a>were common in boxing and Muay Thai then you clearly haven\u2019t seen any bare-knuckle fights. These fights pretty similar to boxing in terms of the ruleset except that fighters don\u2019t wear gloves but rather use their bare knuckles instead, just as the name would suggest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rules are generally looser in the fights as well since they\u2019re more common in underground fight clubs than actual professional leagues. The reduced production for the fighters means that their metacarpal is more exposed to hits and thus at a higher likelihood of being broken. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if a punch lands properly on their opponent, the fighter could still suffer a boxer\u2019s fracture because the force is too great for their bone to bear. In fact, bare-knuckle fighters generally have multiple boxer\u2019s fractures each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Karate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you thought that sports-based disciplines were the only place where boxer\u2019s fractures occurred then you\u2019re sorely mistaken. They are just as common in karate, but for a few different reasons. First of all, most of the time, karate fighters don\u2019t wear gloves when punching objects. They only put gloves on when sparring with other karatekas. Furthermore, karatekas generally hit harder objects than boxers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, where a boxer might hit a heavy bag, karatekas will instead hit a wooden board and attempt to shatter it. These board-breaking attempts are often performed in a metacarpal-first manner meaning that the bone at the base of their hand makes the first contact with the object that they’re striking. This subjects their metacarpal to very high amounts of pressure <\/a>and thus it makes it very likely that they might suffer from a boxer\u2019s fracture. That being said, it\u2019s still more common in bare-knuckle fighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Dropped objects<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most of the cases of boxer\u2019s fractures are a direct result of the fist hitting something. However, things can also happen in reverse order. Give us a moment to explain what we mean. Your metacarpal can\u2019t distinguish between a force being exerted from a hand-to-object impact or force from an object-to-hand impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means that you could just as easily break your metacarpal and suffer from a boxer\u2019s fracture if something falls on your hand as you might from hitting something. Heavy objects such as bowling bawls, electronics, and even rocks are common culprits for these cases of boxer\u2019s fractures involving dropped objects. If you have a job that puts repetitive stress <\/a>on your metacarpal then it may be weakened and thus already predisposed to a boxer\u2019s fracture \u2014 making you more vulnerable to such an injury if you drop an object on your hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Car accidents<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In addition to sports-related injuries and dropped objects, you might also suffer a boxer\u2019s fracture if you\u2019re driving and get into a car accident<\/a>. When you have your hand on the wheel and suddenly slam into a wall, car, street sign, bollard, or any other heavy object, the rapid deceleration and sudden impact of your metacarpal on the steering wheel can break it and lead to a boxer\u2019s fracture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many cases of people suffering from boxer\u2019s fractures after only minor collisions in their car. This is due to the fact that the metacarpal is comparatively weaker than the other bones in the hand. Broken wrists are also common, but it really comes down to how you were gripping the wheel when you collided. If you were turning then you\u2019ll most likely break your wrist, but if your hands were steady at the standard position then your metacarpal will take the brunt of the impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you thought that boxer\u2019s fractures were a problem limited to striking arts then you\u2019re wrong. Grappling arts can also lead to boxer\u2019s fractures due to the various locks that could be applied to you. In Jiu-Jitsu, various locks of both big and small joints <\/a>are applied to make you tap out, and any single one of these locks could lead to a boxer\u2019s fracture with improper execution or excessive force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, the kimura lock is generally designed to put pressure on the elbow and shoulder. That being said, the grip on the hand can sometimes be so tight that the twisting motion actually breaks the metacarpal as well. This is why those training in Brazilian JIu-Jitsu often have to deal with boxer\u2019s fractures and other similar injuries as a result of their dedication to martial arts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Aikido<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While BJJ is a common cause of boxer\u2019s fractures, it should be noted that Aikido is actually a bigger threat to the safety of your metacarpal<\/a>. This comes down to the differences in each discipline and what they focus on. BJJ generally focuses on locking larger joints such as the shoulder, elbow, knee, and the like. In contrast, Aikido focuses on small joints such as the wrist and fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They apply pressure to these areas to throw their opponent to the ground and make them submit. Certain holds in Aikido such as Gokyo and Sankyo put high amounts of force on the metacarpal bone. While this may not lead to an immediate break, it will wear down on the integrity of the bone. After a few months or years, a boxer\u2019s fracture is pretty much inevitable. Aikidokas generally have a boxer\u2019s fracture once a year or every other year depending on the intensity that they train at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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