"Dead" arm from kicks?

[Higus]

While sparring a few days ago, I took a kick to the elbow. It his in a spot right where the forearm connects to the elbow on the outside of the arm. As soon as it happened, my arm went numb and I couldn't lift or make a fist. I figure it must have hit a nerve or a tendon for my arm to just go limp like that. Luckily, its getting better pretty fast and I should be ok to practice by tomorrow.
This incident got me thinking about a couple of things: First, you hear about people breaking their forearms from kicks every now and then in MMA, but rarely in MT or K1. Is it because the athlete's there are better conditioned to blocking kicks or is there a better technique to blocking them that they are using that MMA guys aren't? Second, has anyone else felt something like this either in practice or during a fight? I can't think of a time where a fighter was able to continue fighting for without the use of a limb.

 

[SteelHammer]

the more you fight the more used to using the right and not the wrong parts of your arm you'll get. The ulnar nerve is the wrong part

 

[dtravis92]

If you block with your arm, you have to have your arm positioned in a certain way, otherwise your arm might get broken. Also, K1 fighters are usually skilled enough that they move slightly when they block the kicks. If you stand still and block your opponent is going to hit with all the power that they have, thats why in K1 you will see many fighters move forward,side,diagonally, or backwards when they block a kick. If you move forward you take most of the power out of the kick by stuffing it.

Here's a video of Ramazan (k1 fighter) showing what i am talking about with the arm positioning. Skip to around 2:50

 

[shootermcgavin7]

There is a major nerve that runs between the two sharp points on your elbow. It runs up under your armpit as well. When doctors want to completely numb the forearm ( or entire arm) they target that nerve. You probably got hit exactly in it. It clears up in about a day.

I am not affiliated with the medical field but have had multiple arm surgeries. So my post is speculation based on experience.

 

[chaospfa]

There is a major nerve that runs between the two sharp points on your elbow. It runs up under your armpit as well. When doctors want to completely numb the forearm ( or entire arm) they target that nerve. You probably got hit exactly in it. It clears up in about a day.

I am not affiliated with the medical field but have had multiple arm surgeries. So my post is speculation based on experience.

This. You most likely blocked with your "funny bone", a nerve running from your arm pit to the tip of your ring finger. A basic rule of thumb is to ignore numb feelings during a fight. If it is a problem, start blocking kicks with your ribs or chin.

 

[SpineBreaker]

This. You most likely blocked with your "funny bone", a nerve running from your arm pit to the tip of your ring finger. A basic rule of thumb is to ignore numb feelings during a fight. If it is a problem, start blocking kicks with your ribs or chin.

That sounds like a bad idea. I'd rather move away from the kick, but that's just me. *shrug*

 

[TwoFour Lowkick]

You can def break your arm in muay thai. I guess it just happens less because in MT people actually know how to check. I was taught to the bring my check up nice and high and kept my elbow on the outside of my knee to block and if I must take a kick on my arms rotate a bit in order to take kit more on the upper arm, or my back

 

[Higus]

This. You most likely blocked with your "funny bone", a nerve running from your arm pit to the tip of your ring finger. A basic rule of thumb is to ignore numb feelings during a fight. If it is a problem, start blocking kicks with your ribs or chin.

Yeah, I read up on the ulna nerve after the first post. This sounds like what happened. The funny thing is that I tried to ignore it, but I flat out couldn't lift my arm. It wasn't even a matter of pain so much as it was my arm just not responding. After about 10 minutes I could feel it, but it had lost a lot of mobility. I'm fairly new to MT, but I'd be scared out of my brain if I was in a fight and right at the beginning I lost the use of my power arm and still had 2.75 rounds to go.

 

[chaospfa]

Yeah, I read up on the ulna nerve after the first post. This sounds like what happened. The funny thing is that I tried to ignore it, but I flat out couldn't lift my arm. It wasn't even a matter of pain so much as it was my arm just not responding. After about 10 minutes I could feel it, but it had lost a lot of mobility. I'm fairly new to MT, but I'd be scared out of my brain if I was in a fight and right at the beginning I lost the use of my power arm and still had 2.75 rounds to go.

I know what you mean, in my case my arm kept flexing so I couldn't punch with my left arm. Just be happy this happened during sparring and not you first MT fight.

 

[surfer dude]

First time it happened to me was freshman football. Coach asked if it hurt, so I told him no but I could not move it. He smiled and quipped "stinger, go sit down for a 5 minutes." I was doubtful, because it was completely limp with zero ability to move it. But sure as shat, I was ready to play again shortly.

 

[Cannon_6]

I've actually kneed myself in the funnybone while clinching.

Yeah, I do stupid things sometimes.

 

[Slater]

I would recommend that when you block head kicks you keep your elbow tight to your body and use more of a head shield as opposed to a forearm block.

I was getting ready for my first amateur Muay Thai fight, had been dieting and preparing for about ten weeks and was one week out from the fight. I was going to get one more hard sparring session in before the fight and take it easy with technique and light sparring tapering off until the fight. I was supposed to spar three rounds with a fighter from the gym who weighed about 160 (I was walking around at 145). I caught one of his kicks and rang his bell pretty good with a cross in the 1st, and he wanted to sit out a round. The only other fighter there weighed 200, and in his rush to get into the ring to fill in no one noticed that he forgot to put on shin guards. I blocked a head kick with my forearm angled out and had a clean break through the right ulna. I went the next round and a half jabbing and kicking. It surprising only hurt when I tried to throw with it, otherwise it was just numb. Afterwards I felt it grinding when I rotated the arm, and I knew it was messed up. It didn't really start to be painful until about an hour later. That put me out of any contact for about five months, luckily I didn't need any plates or surgery.