Muay Thai is a popular sport in Thailand and has gained international recognition as it is now practiced in several other countries in the West. Although Muay Thai is undoubtedly an amazing martial art that helps you to train your body and build fitness, it can be quite strenuous on your body. So, if you are getting introduced to the combative sports, you may want to know whether it is bad for your knees or not.
Simply put, there is no straightforward answer to this question as everything depends on your specific stance during practice or fight. If you always maintain a good stance, Muay Thai is not bad for your knees. As stated on Muay Thai Freak, if you have a poor kicking technique or stance, your knees will be too extended; hence, Muay Thai will hurt your knees.
In general, there are numerous professional Muay Thai fighters with regular fights that don’t experience any form of knee issues. This is because they ensure excellent kicking technique; thus, their knees are never overextended to cause any knee problems. Nevertheless, we will explain some essential things you need to know about Muay Thai and your knee health.
What leads to knee problems in Muay Thai?
Are you suffering from knee problems because of Muay Thai? If yes, it should be noted that improper alignment of your knees is the main cause of the problem. While you may not notice the effect of the misalignment immediately, it will cause injuries to your knees in the long run.
Anatomically, the knee joint is found between the ankle joint and the hip joint. It is important to know that ankle and hip joints are exceptionally mobile as they can be moved easily without any issue. The knee joint, on the other hand, can only be extended and flexed.
When flexing and extending the knee joint, the kneecap must point in the same direction as your toes to prevent injuries. Therefore, if it does not maintain straight alignment during your Muay Thai practice, your knees will be more prone to injury.
During a Muay Thai fight, you must rotate the hip joints so that your kneecap can point in the direction of the toes. Unfortunately, many individuals don’t observe this simple rule. Over time, wear and tear will occur to the knee; hence, it may develop into excruciating knee pain.
It is noteworthy that this improper alignment of the knee joint can also affect you when practicing other martial arts. It also applies to walking, squatting, running, and other activities that may cause overextension of your knees. The Full Potential Martial Arts Academy provides more information on this.
Can you prevent knee injuries with some tricks?
If you are practicing Muay Thai, there are some astounding tricks you can master to prevent knee injuries. Here are two tricks for both front and back knees:
- The trick for your front knee
When you are about to kick in Muay Thai, you should bear in mind that the move will be made by your hip, not your knee. Therefore, you must make sure that you don’t rotate your front knee externally or internally throughout the period.
When checking out your feet, it must be easy for you to view your toes from your stance. Once your toes cannot be seen, you should note that you have bent or overextended your knee. This will lead to excessive pressure on your patella; thus, causing a knee injury over time.
- The trick for your back knee
In general, your back knee is meant for controlling your defensive movement and football as you practice Muay Thai. However, if your back knee is not properly placed, it can also lead to a knee injury. You must make sure your back knee also stands properly. Your leg must not extend too backward as this will put too much pressure on your knee; thus, causing knee injury.
Overall, the most important thing is to ensure a balance in your pose. You must ensure that neither your front nor back knee takes too much pressure or overextends as you continue practicing Muay Thai.
Can you prevent knee problems with knee braces?
Knee braces are usually worn by lots of Muay Thai fighters and students. They are cheap, easy to wear and don’t disrupt your stance during a fight. Generally, knee braces can help you in two ways:
- Offer structural support
If you already have an ACL tear or other knee problems, knee braces can come in handy for you. These braces will support your knees; thus, ensuring that you can recover easily and smoothly.
- Alleviate pain
Another way through knee braces can help you is by alleviating pain. Since they will support your knees, these braces will ensure that you don’t feel as much pain as before.
However, if you don’t have any knee injury but want to prevent it from happening, you should go for prophylactic braces. These braces have special designs that ensure that they can lower your susceptibility to knee problems.
Nevertheless, the function of prophylactic braces is limited; hence, you may still hurt your knees if you are practicing Muay Thai. Therefore, you still need to maintain a proper stance and avoid overextending your knees. By mastering the tricks for maintaining a proper knee stance and wearing braces, you can improve your chances of preventing knee issues.
Most common injuries in Muay Thai
Even though knee injuries might have caught your attention in Muay Thai, it may interest you to know that there are more common injuries in the sport. Muay Thai involves lots of contact between two fighters; hence, it is not surprising that the most common injuries are from contacts.
Check out the list of the most common injuries in Muay Thai:
- Bruised shins
- Bruised thighs
- Stiff neck – in some cases, it may also be very sore
- Sprained wrists
- Bruised ribs
- Sprained foot
- Sprained ankle
Conclusively, you need to learn the right stance in Muay Thai if you don’t want to be at risk of having knee injuries.
