middle knuckle pain

[ranman12]

i have been boxing 3 years but only recently started getting very bad knuckle pain in both my middle knuckles. It is not a regular bruise and would get worse as i hit the bag. i let it recvoer till the pain goes away but as soon as i hit the bag it comes back. the pain is on the top of the knuckle and unbearable not something i can push through. Anyone else also experience this? any reccomendations on whats going on. Interestingly, if i dont wear gloves or wraps the pain is less, this tells me its something in the way im wrapping my hands or my gloves but have really tried a bunch of gloves and wrapping techniques but made little to no difference. i need help identifying the cause of this. any help is greatly appreciated

 

[Jonny Ninja]

i have been boxing 3 years but only recently started getting very bad knuckle pain in both my middle knuckles. It is not a regular bruise and would get worse as i hit the bag. i let it recvoer till the pain goes away but as soon as i hit the bag it comes back. the pain is on the top of the knuckle and unbearable not something i can push through. Anyone else also experience this? any reccomendations on whats going on. Interestingly, if i dont wear gloves or wraps the pain is less, this tells me its something in the way im wrapping my hands or my gloves but have really tried a bunch of gloves and wrapping techniques but made little to no difference. i need help identifying the cause of this. any help is greatly appreciated

First and foremost I’d get it checked by a specialist, just to make sure there isn’t a fracture.

For wrapping your hands, there are numerous ways. I would speak to a couple of experienced boxers at your gym and get them to wrap for you or at least check your wraps. It probably won’t be the gloves as if they are Ill fitting (or just poor gloves) you normally have issues with your wrist or thumb

Another option is investing in gloves with really good wrist support. I generally don’t use wraps as my gloves have great wrist support but also have a structure to the back of the hand that acts as a shock absorber so I don’t get any pain in my hands hitting the heavy bag. The gloves I use are hyabusa T3s, imo the best mid priced boxing gloves by a fair distance. They’re about $150 dollars, but if you know someone at your gym that uses these, give them a try, they certainly stopped pretty much all of my hand injuries, and I’ve had loads over the years

 

[moosaev]

You got AIDS!

Jk, it’s probably bursitis…..inflammation caused by friction in the joint. Just needs a bit of rest.

 

[mozfonky]

i have been boxing 3 years but only recently started getting very bad knuckle pain in both my middle knuckles. It is not a regular bruise and would get worse as i hit the bag. i let it recvoer till the pain goes away but as soon as i hit the bag it comes back. the pain is on the top of the knuckle and unbearable not something i can push through. Anyone else also experience this? any reccomendations on whats going on. Interestingly, if i dont wear gloves or wraps the pain is less, this tells me its something in the way im wrapping my hands or my gloves but have really tried a bunch of gloves and wrapping techniques but made little to no difference. i need help identifying the cause of this. any help is greatly appreciated

sorry can't be of more help. I've rarely had hand problems, not to any serious degree unless it's from actually hitting a skull. As a teen, had wrist pain from the bag but other than that, rarely problems from hitting the bag. I know you're wrapping your hands and using gloves, possibly use those heavier types of bag gloves (which aren't really bag gloves in my mind but might offer more protection) or maybe add more padding to your wrapping. I never needed special wraps so I wouldn't know how that's done but I do know some fighters use extra gauzes of some sort. Hand problems are generally an occupational hazard though and very common, I can only count myself lucky. I've heard stories of former pros my age who will not even hit the heavybag anymore because of the pain, I still have no problems like that. Just lucky I guess. So, sorry no ideas. Of course you can always do the usual things like Ice or rest or even just not even hitting the bag, if push comes to shove, you can go long spells without hitting anything and you won't lose much. As soon as you go back to hitting a bag, you won't all the sudden not be able to punch.

 

[Ara tech]

To swim is good for the joints, and cold water is good to reduce inflamation.

Don't hit the bag and mitts for a month, shadow boxe a lot instead. Eat healthy, rest, recover, then try to hit a softer heavy bag, if not at least use 14 or 16 OZ gloves with wrapping.

That's how I did back in the days when I boxed in Russia. Make a plan, figure it out, and move on.

Good luck.

 

[HuskySamoan]

sorry can't be of more help. I've rarely had hand problems, not to any serious degree unless it's from actually hitting a skull. As a teen, had wrist pain from the bag but other than that, rarely problems from hitting the bag. I know you're wrapping your hands and using gloves, possibly use those heavier types of bag gloves (which aren't really bag gloves in my mind but might offer more protection) or maybe add more padding to your wrapping. I never needed special wraps so I wouldn't know how that's done but I do know some fighters use extra gauzes of some sort. Hand problems are generally an occupational hazard though and very common, I can only count myself lucky. I've heard stories of former pros my age who will not even hit the heavybag anymore because of the pain, I still have no problems like that. Just lucky I guess. So, sorry no ideas. Of course you can always do the usual things like Ice or rest or even just not even hitting the bag, if push comes to shove, you can go long spells without hitting anything and you won't lose much. As soon as you go back to hitting a bag, you won't all the sudden not be able to punch.

Hand and wrist injuries are common for sure, but I also never had issues with them. I think my wrists being large (8.25inches) and having thick hands helps a lot. Some people have huge physics but their fingers are really long and skinny, a lot of guys much bigger than me have much smaller wrists too. For anyone who doesn't understand circumference, it's kind of exponential, a 7in wrist is considerably smaller than an 8in wrist. I was also told that hand grippers help strengthen the muscles and ligaments/tendons in your hands.

@ranman12 id stay off the bags and pads for a few weeks and avoid any heavy strain on your hands with lifting too. Shadowbox, jog, use the speed bag, skip rope but give it time to rest. If the pain isn't gone or atleast getting better after 2-3 weeks maybe get it checked out, there's a chance you tore something...hands are complex and fragile. I'd always recommend using 14-16oz gloves for pads, bags and sparring, get something of decent quality like 80+ dollar range. I would wrap your hands whenever you train, sometimes I skipped but for the most part I was always disciplined about wrapping my hands. If you aren't super familiar, have someone show you or look up videos on YouTube...or both.

 

[mozfonky]

Hand and wrist injuries are common for sure, but I also never had issues with them. I think my wrists being large (8.25inches) and having thick hands helps a lot. Some people have huge physics but their fingers are really long and skinny, a lot of guys much bigger than me have much smaller wrists too. For anyone who doesn't understand circumference, it's kind of exponential, a 7in wrist is considerably smaller than an 8in wrist. I was also told that hand grippers help strengthen the muscles and ligaments/tendons in your hands.

@ranman12 id stay off the bags and pads for a few weeks and avoid any heavy strain on your hands with lifting too. Shadowbox, jog, use the speed bag, skip rope but give it time to rest. If the pain isn't gone or atleast getting better after 2-3 weeks maybe get it checked out, there's a chance you tore something...hands are complex and fragile. I'd always recommend using 14-16oz gloves for pads, bags and sparring, get something of decent quality like 80+ dollar range. I would wrap your hands whenever you train, sometimes I skipped but for the most part I was always disciplined about wrapping my hands. If you aren't super familiar, have someone show you or look up videos on YouTube...or both.

I've heard stories over the years about hands being swollen to twice their normal size or guys who were actually decent punchers but hand problems turned them into guys who stopped knocking people out. Guys like Tommy Hearns who hit like a heavyweight broke his hand many times, Gerrie Coetzee had his vaunted "bionic right hand" that was supposedly fused together from surgery after being broken. Muhammad Ali had severe hand problems during his comeback, they say that he did have calcium buildup in his hands that went soft during his exile and when he came back he had awful problems. That couldn't have helped his already ordinary punching power. the boxer i referred to above, the one who doesn't hit bags anymore was named Joey Belinc, a pro from my area who never made it that far as a pro after an illustrious ammie career. Said he can't hit the bag anymore and I just wondered why not.

I don't think hitting bags and pads cause most of the problems, I think sparring/fighting, hitting bones and what's more hitting bones that are moving. You hit stuff that in motion you're not gonna hit square on all the time and that must be what causes a lot of pain. No real easy answers for any of it, it's a contact sport and broken ribs, hands, noses, cuts all are pretty common.

 

[thecoldbloodedone]

Ive broken my right hand multiple times, and every time, it was with fully wrapped/bandaged hands, sometimes in 16oz gloves for boxing sparring (usually against larger Polynesian opponents with hard heads).

When I was doing MMA, I would have 4-6oz gloves with no wraps or just a little wrist tape, and NEVER hurt my hand, even when I KO'd opponents or hit the heavy bag.
One thing I noticed, I was way more precise with how I connected with my first 2 knuckles and a fully engaged wrist when I was training or fighting MMA, plus less overall volume in punching. Quality over quantity.

 

[Trabaho]

Options

Fraction. You damaged bone tissue or cartilage

Bad gloves. When I use cheap gloves some of them give me pain in my knuckles. You said it hurts more with gloves.

It's bruised and you didn't rest it enough. 3 days might not cut it.

Diet. Your diet might be insuficient in some nutrients and your hand doesn't recover.

Doctor - talk to a doctor and possibly get a scan.

 

[Trabaho]

You got AIDS!

Jk, it’s probably bursitis…..inflammation caused by friction in the joint. Just needs a bit of rest.

he did the butt sex and contracted AIDS. Told you it was a bad idea.

 

[Ara tech]

I'm curious to know what the poster of this thread did to fix this issue and the extent of it's efficiency for all of us to benefit from.