Recently I’ve fought in regional championships. I suffered an injury, I’ve felt the symptoms before I even found that out: pain in my elbow as severe as if I hit my elbow on the table. The next day I went to a doctor; the pain was already radiating to my forearm and palm.

The trauma doctor of course sent me to get an X-ray. Here are my results:

I was informed right away that something bad has happened to my radial bone. The doctors were all for my quitting armwrestling right away: “you’re going to end up disabled if you go on!” – was the common consensus at the sight of my X-ray. Diagnosis – “bone deformation”. I cried for half a day, but when I was done crying I went to some people who knew armwrestling. The difference in opinion was noticeable.

Alexander Stebeljak, an armwrestler, concurred with the doctor’s opinion, he told me to rest and occupy myself with something else.

My colleague, a professional masseur and sports therapist, and my coach told me something different – by bones were all right, I just had a natural tendency towards elbow pains.

So I took another step – the USG. And here’s where it all became clear to me. Indeed – my bones were all right, as were my tendons and joints. My fastenings were strained, my periosteum was not so well, and so the “deformation” has occurred in my radial bone. The situation with my elbow bone was simple – it was the effect of pumped muscle and pressure on the nerve (hence the elbow pain, the wrist pain and the pain in my palm).

Oleg Pentij, a radiologist, explained to me the strange reactions to the symptoms of my injury: “Apparently, they’ve never seen a sports injury and the resulting changes in bone structure. But I get all kinds of sports people all the time – tennis players have identical problems”.

I’ve decided to consult Igor Mazurenko.

There are not many specialists that deal with hand and fastenings therapy. I’ve often witnessed fighters go to a doctor with a pain in their arm, only to have it put in a cast for 2-3 weeks. I recommend a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to doctors and “experts”. Always study the diagnosis. There are chronic aches and then there are those that we suffer from injuries – something broken, snapped, torn. Doctors often cannot tell the difference. Various forms of examination – X-ray, USG and others can quicken the process of diagnosis, but sometimes doctors insist on surgery. They cut a man only to find nothing, and the person that has been cut notices no improvement, sometimes things even get worse. I cannot say whether we have qualified specialists – surgeons or orthopedists. There are other specialists, ones that can examine only a shoulder for example, because that’s their specialty. The way to avoid injury is proper training and diet. Some sportsmen train one-sidedly and then in tournament they put a lot of pressure on their weak links.

Is this a typically armwrestling problem?

Yes, periosteum problems are common in our sport. I’ve seen it delaminate along with parts of bone. The reason – strains that result mostly from competitions. We seldom hurt ourselves training, the movements being static-dynamic. But in a real fight the movements are plyometric. Even after an injury people still regenerate and go on fighting.

What can help in avoiding these injuries and help them regenerate quicker?

This is not an easy question to answer in one article. Each sportsman needs an individual approach.

All in all, I’ve regained some peace of mind. At the moment I’m regenerating, moving along the old training tracks, but with smaller weights. I also take a lot of vitamins. Soon I’ll start a massage school and I’m changing my plans. But since the subject of injuries is far from over, we’ll still consult with specialists. Want to ask us questions – ask away!

And in the meantime – stay healthy!

Anastazja Kisilyowa.