Pain

Although intense Taekwondo training may decrease your sensitivity to pain, genetics mostly determines your pain threshold. Therefore, the best choice in pain reliever and the dosage required to relieve pain will vary from person to person.

We can learn to adapt to pain. People with chronic pain learn to deal with a certain level of pain every day. Also, when our minds are preoccupied in deep thought or our bodies are involved in intense physical exertion, our sensitivity to pain diminishes. Many times while sparring you do not release you have cut until someone points it out to you. A study at the University of Wisconsin found that people could withstand painful pressure on their index fingers significantly longer after a vigorous 30-minute workout than before the workout. Our pain receptors tend to “dull” during long periods of training. It is only when we finish, and start to cool down and stretch, that we feel the full effects of our activity.

Over-the-counter pain relief

For fever or pain, use aspirin or acetaminophen. For joint pain, use ibuprofen or naproxen. Each of these pain relievers have the ability to ease muscle and joint pain, however, each has characteristic risks. The same can be said for the natural alternatives.