Issue 154
Watch out for turf toe, one of the most frequent MMA injuries.
One injury that has affected almost all fighters is the dreaded ‘turf toe.’ It’s a small, seemingly insignificant nuisance that is often ignored, but left untreated it can become a crippling problem and a serious setback to your training.
Turf toe’s caused when your big toe bends upwards too roughly: of course in MMA one can spend a generous amount of time back and forth between various levels of tip-toe, making fighters a soft target for the condition.
Chronic cases of turf toe can seriously affect your career.
Strikeforce fighter Josh Thomson had to take an alarming amount of time off for various leg injuries, one of which was turf toe.
There’s a reason fighters chop at each other’s legs with low kicks. Taking away your opponent’s footwork is a sure-fire way of shutting down both their offensive and defensive capabilities.
The ability to move around the cage is as essential as breathing. Without footwork, you’re a sitting target for punches, kicks or takedowns, so look after your feet and your feet will look after you.
The bottom line
Turf toe is so named because it’s often seen in sports played on a field, like soccer or rugby. Artifical surfaces though are even worse for contracting turf toe, as soft-soled training shoes can stick to them as the body pushes forward. The joint where your big toe connects to your foot becomes inflamed, stiff and painful.
Forget driving off your foot, bouncing on your toes or kicking a Thai pad when you’ve got turf toe you might as well be fighting with one foot.
The knuckle of your big toe is a relatively small and weak joint that has to deal with an incredible amount of abuse on a daily basis.
Every step you take, every takedown you shoot and every kick you throw puts it under extreme pressure.
What to look for...
Is the joint inflamed and painful to touch?
Do you have difficulty wiggling your big toe? Both are classic signs your feet hate you. If the knuckle is particularly red and swollen you shouldn’t take it for granted it’s just a sprain.
Learn from the amateur fighter who, after years of recurring turf toe, finally got an X-ray on his foot only to find out he’d broken it numerous times without realizing! If symptoms last longer than a few days after complete rest, a trip to the hospital is necessary just to rule out serious problems.
What to do if you’ve got it
Ice is a magic cure for turf toe the numbing effect of the cold helps deal with the pain and will tackle the inflammation.
Unfortunately, the only thing that can completely heal turf toe is rest.
You need to stop putting it under pressure for it to be able to heal.
You can work around turf toe if necessary. Close to fight night, it’s not always practical to take a few days off.
Proper strapping can help support it during training. If it’s really bad, consider wearing wrestling or boxing boots for stand-up sessions.
It’s easier to look after the toe during grappling training, but be careful you don’t get it caught between the mats or in the cage fence.
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