Injury: A Neglected Subject in My Tai Chi Training

Injury is part of living and common in any form of training. Tai chi and multiple sclerosis give it a different twist.

Almost everything I’ve learned about injury associated with tai chi is firsthand. The subject was barely touched upon by my instructors and is not written about in the tai chi books that I’ve read and scanned.

In managing multiple sclerosis with tai chi, I have personal experience with four types of minor injuries. I am not medically qualified in any way. I relate only my experiences with injury and those changes I have made to minimize recurrence.

Of course, when I attribute an injury to tai chi I am acknowledging that my tai chi movement was not being done correctly. And when I attribute an injury to MS, I am saying that I have not adequately learned how to cope with an aspect my MS.

1- Injury caused by my tai chi practice

The Knees. In my first few years of tai chi practice, I often found myself wearing an ace bandage over one or the other of my knees. It was not uncommon to find four five people out 20 in my class wearing an ace bandage on the knee. Knee injuries are common with tai chi and I’ve met a number of people who quit because of knee problems.

My instructors cautioned us about the knees but I did not receive or understand any correction that made a difference. I finally figured out what worked for me and have used that understanding in my teaching.

Most tai chi instruction begins with some thing like “bend your knees slightly.” Unless you really know what you are doing with your body, this instruction puts one on the path of knee problems by shifting weight into the knees. Alternatively, if the hip joints open first, the knees flex like a hinge, there is no extension and consequently no injury or pain. The biomechanics are straightforward. The depth of a squat hinges on the degree of openness in the hips. Consequently, I have no knee problems and if I get a twinge in one of my knees, I know immediately what I’ve done wrong and how to correct my movement.

Shoulders. I should have known better. I was demonstrating a foundation movement to a friend of mine. 24 hours later I found myself checking into the Emergency Room at 3 AM with acute pain in my right shoulder. A cortisone shot fortunately did the trick. I had over-rotated my shoulder when demonstating. I know what I did incorrectly. I had lost focus and was not rotating from the elbow. Rotating the arm by turning the elbow reduces the torque in the shoulder. Teaching can be hazardous if I am not in the moment.

2- injury sustained as a consequence of not adequately adjusting to my MS

MS reintroduced me to the hazards of tripping and falling. It seems like I fall a couple of times a year. I can stumble over a flat piece of paper. Not knowing where my foot is in space, or dragging my foot, are things to be aware of all of the time. All of the time is the catch.

Yet I have never come close to falling when I practice tai chi. To the extent I incorporate tai chi, both movement and attitude, in my walking, I minimize the instances where I fall. However, this crossover effect is difficult in social situations because it makes my walking even slower. If I don’t override the social expectation which I have internalized, I increase my chances of stumbling.

One of my MS students delighted herself when she discovered how to semi-automatically recapture her balance by assuming a tai chi posture.

3- Injury in which MS and tai chi both play a role
There is a gray area in which MS limitations and tai chi make me susceptible to injury. Recently, I have been working hard on further opening my hips. Ligaments may have been stretched. Consequently, when I shoveled snow, I caused an injury in the vicinity of muscles on the side of the hip. I think the remedy involves strengthening the abductor muscle grouping.


4- Ordinary injury
If the injury involves a joint, after applying ice, I do reiki. When the acute pain phase is gone, I look for specific tai chi forms to rehabilitate the joint. I slow down and soften my practice as much as I can. I try to call up a tai chi attitude and gratitude for having the form to assist me. Even when I am only partially successful, I feel calmer and more centered.

Shoulder pain attributable to adhesive capsulitis is fairly common in middle age. My left shoulder brought me to physical therapy for 6 weeks and much pain from Rita PT. The PT was successful. When I began having similar symptoms in my right shoulder, I was fortunate to have a tai chi lesson which showed me how to raise my arm. Within days of making the change in my practice, the shoulder pains disappeared. Range of motion in both shoulders was further increased with a year of body work.