[grinaJanoDant]

Hello.
I'm new so forgive me if I'm doing something wrong. I'll try to fix it immediately.

I'm posting this because I've been having constant concussions after my classes. I hear this ringing sound and my balance is off. I get mild but splitting headaches running from the top of my nose to the top of my skull.

So far I have been doing this sport for around 5 months and I really enjoy it. I do not want to quit but this kind of thing worries me and is actually affecting school and memory. I have not seen a doctor about this yet because I find it pointless. During practice I am not hit -that- hard, but either I am wearing my armor incorrectly or my skull is just too soft? Does anyone have similar problems? The ringing worries me the most because it is very noticeable.

Although I love kendo I do not want to become debilitated. Is there some sort of shock absorber I can buy?


Any replies are appreciated!


- Melissa

[Shemker394]

First off, you should have seen a doctor about it the first time it happened, brains usually don't grow back.

That said, talk to your sensei, see about getting a men pad, or a if the men fits properly, and most importantly, see a doctor before something real bad happens.

[carpartsho]

Melissa, I think you should see a Doctor if you headaches are constant , I suggest to get a thick pad for your men, it might help , make sure you are well hidrate before doing kendo and keep your head straight, chin up, that way the cut go to forehead instead the head
http://www.e-bogu.com/Men_Pad_p/tak-pro-menpad-.htm

[OvDojQXN]

Melissa,

I can understand your feelings, that you enjoy kendo and don't want to stop practicing. But the symptoms you're describing are serious. I think you should stop kendo and see a doctor, possibly a specialist to fully understand what's going on.

I've had my bell rung a few times, but always because i did something like try to duck, break my posture to avoid a blow and then get the shinai wrapped around the back of my head. Normal kendo strikes should not produce dizzyness, memory loss, long-term headaches etc..

So yeah, don't just see a GP. See a specialist, get an MRI or something, get to the bottom of it before you practice again.

best of luck and hope you heal quickly.

[vasyasvc]

Hi Melissa

Something couple of other things to check up on.
Are you been instructed by someone who know what theire doing.
a) Is the dojo your training at affiliated with the national body. I think this is the link
b) there clubs in the US (and every where) that for what ever are not affiliated for what ever reason but still have experienced instructors. You may need to talk to some of the forums US members about their knowledge of the club if this is the case.

In the likely even you are attending a club with experience instructors
c) The people (or more likely one or two indiviuals) you are training with may be hitting to hard. Especally if you are practing with other beginners.

Hopefully it is 'c' in which case don't be afraid to approach your sensei, so that your partners can moderiate their cuts (eg quite a while ago we had a couple of Japanese join our club in their desire to set a good impression they were hitting everyone a bit to hard, our sensei took them aside explanied the situation. For the next three year they were a real asset to the club )

Anyway in short it may not be all doom and gloom.

[infinkPoode]

Tyler mentioned everuthing you need for your problem.
Hope you will get better soon. Just do all what the doctor ask you to do. You can love kendou, but I'm sure that you love more yourself than it.
Always have that thought inside you!

Best wihses

[Slintreeoost]

I echo the other calls that you go see a doctor and your sensei before continuing on with kendo.

[luffyplayaz]

definitely need to see a doctor.

in anticipation of your doing that, i imagine he'll tell you to give up kendo.

because you've been doing kendo for less than 6 months, I'm assuming you've got club bogu or just some all-around weak/thin/old/bad men...
a men pad might help tremendously...

what kind of bogu are you using? What kind of shape is the men in? How old is it?
You might benefit more from buying a new men (if you can swing it)....

When I started out, I had a brand spanking new 8mm (WoW!)... and I used to have tinitis and headaches, too. It's called poor equipment.

[grofvuri]

As everyone else said.. go see a doctor. I have had several concussions in my life and if you really have a concussion you should limit practice to non-contact until your doctor says it is ok to go back. If you keep getting hit while still suffering concussion (or concussion-like ) symptoms you will only aggravate it and it will not get better.

That said, there is no reason to quit kendo just because you have had a concussion. As I said I have had several concussions (none caused by kendo), some that were very severe (ICU visit severe) but I am still able to do kendo. But you do need to allow yourself to completely heal before you go getting knocked in the head again.

Talk to your sensei as well as it may be that you are leaning forward and the shinai is hitting you too far back on your head where there is not much padding. A men pad will help as will properly fitting equipment, but you also need to have technique and you need to be able to properly receive a men strike.

[QRhnNSg9]

Although a pad might help, no pad can make up for a men that does not fit or is not worm properly. Definitely consult with someone who is well qualified to make sure that your men fits and is tied correctly. A strike to the men should not hurt. If it does, something is wrong.

[icedrakona]

Hello.


I'm posting this because I've been having constant concussions after my classes. I hear this ringing sound and my balance is off. I get mild but splitting headaches running from the top of my nose to the top of my skull.

I have not seen a doctor about this yet because I find it pointless.

That's the best attitude to have. After all, how important are balance and properly working brains? Not as important as working through the pain! Who cares if you end up with brain damage, at least you didn't miss kendo.

And if you've already killed enough brain cells to miss the sarcasm above: Stop. Right. Now. Concussions are not normal. Continuing kendo like this is foolish. GO SEE A DOCTOR. Once you're cleared for normal physical activity, then re-evaluate kendo.

[OvDojQXN]

Some things to consider after seeing the doctor: are you a shorter person? Many women need extra padding because they are shorter than their male training partners and so tend to get hit more strongly. Also, check that your posture is OK and you are not ducking - this leads to getting hit in the back of the head. Finally, what do you mean by not getting hit "that hard"? If everything is fitting correctly and your partners aren't trying to club you to death, it should not hurt to get hit. You should know that you've been hit, and that's about it.

[Inonanialry]

Ok, I went to a doctor when this happened to me and he said, "this is because you are receiving too much and too hard strikes on your head", so I did had to quit using my men for a couple of months and then put a men pad and some layers of foam rubber too and talked to my sempai cos this strikes were bad kendo, too much right hand and some kenshis thinking they were Connan The Barbarian. After all this the headaches stoped and now I feel better and my kenshis improve their kendo. So it was a win, win situation.

Good luck and I hope is just only that

[Scukonaher]

Assuming you see a doctor of course (maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't consider memory loss, concentration problems and ringing in the ears, plus headaches to be too trivial for a doctor to look at??!!) you definitely want to have a sensei or sempai look at how you are tying your men. I had some issues a long while back where men strikes were hurting a bit more than I thought they should. One of my sempai pointed out that my men wasn't tied nearly tight enough. Tying it tighter in combo with better posture made a huge difference. Just my 2c.
Good luck.

Dan Weber

[seosoftseo]

I couldn't agree with Tyler more.

Judging by the things you've listed as affected - your memory, balance, hearing things, school work, recurring nature of the problem, etc. - your need to see a doctor about this is greatly, greatly increased. These aren't minor things that need addressed (one huge concern is the number of areas affected - the brain is the brain, but you're talking about things that are controlled by different parts of the brain).

So yeah, you may not even be to the point where you can consider a men pad or something else until you get the OK after visiting the doc - which in this case, is very, very far from pointless. (and this coming from a guy who has suffered head trauma in the past, but refuses to take tyloneol).

[Roker]

my son had a similar problem when he started at six years old... we were all big guys, he was very short, and some of the others didnt hold back on their cuts.... I was not impressed so got him to do iaido until he was a little taller, had some decent technical ability, and could hold his own with the idiots who hit him too hard. Padding the top and back of the men seemed to be the best answer though...

Other than that you could always wear a men and get them to stop hitting you with bokken!

[gogona]

Hello.
I'm new so forgive me if I'm doing something wrong. I'll try to fix it immediately.

I'm posting this because I've been having constant concussions after my classes. I hear this ringing sound and my balance is off. I get mild but splitting headaches running from the top of my nose to the top of my skull.

So far I have been doing this sport for around 5 months and I really enjoy it. I do not want to quit but this kind of thing worries me and is actually affecting school and memory. I have not seen a doctor about this yet because I find it pointless. During practice I am not hit -that- hard, but either I am wearing my armor incorrectly or my skull is just too soft? Does anyone have similar problems? The ringing worries me the most because it is very noticeable.

Although I love kendo I do not want to become debilitated. Is there some sort of shock absorber I can buy?


Any replies are appreciated!


- Melissa

Sounds also like it could be a problem with your neck, maybe you could ask the doctor about that.

[AriaDesser]

Ok, I went to a doctor when this happened to me and he said, "this is because you are receiving too much and too hard strikes on your head", so I did had to quit using my men for a couple of months and then put a men pad and some layers of foam rubber too and talked to my sempai cos this strikes were bad kendo, too much right hand and some kenshis thinking they were Connan The Barbarian. After all this the headaches stoped and now I feel better and my kenshis improve their kendo. So it was a win, win situation.

Good luck and I hope is just only that

I thought it was becouse you had an injured back...

anyway I had the same problem and I made a super men pad and now I dont have any problems... well, at least none that I can remember... I often oget things... erhmmm... Ill I cant keep writing, this headache is killing me....