By Dr. Pamela Fernandes  |  14 February 2025

In June 2021, the world watched in horror as Danish footballer Christian Eriksen suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 match. This shocking incident highlighted the importance of recognizing cardiac emergencies in sports, including martial arts, where athletes push their bodies to the limit. Sudden cardiac arrests during [...]

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By Christina Major  |  21 September 2024

Competition season doesn't wait for you to feel ready. Cards get booked, stadiums fill, and you're suddenly in contact with more people in a week than most folks meet in a month — training partners, opponents, officials, crowds. That's the part nobody puts on the poster. Every hand you touch [...]

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By Dr. Pamela Fernandes  |  9 September 2024

Nearly half the martial artists observed in various studies have orofacial injuries. In particular dental injuries. It's one of the top questions on martial artist forums. Do martial artists have fake teeth? How often do MMA fighters lose their teeth? Martial Arts and Dental Injury Risk There’s a host of [...]

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By Dr. Pamela Fernandes  |  10 August 2024

When Conor McGregor’s picture appeared on social media with a nasty bruise on his elbow, everyone took notice. They all suspected he had a nasty staph infection. The furor was so large that Connor had to take to social media himself to deny the allegations. What are Staph Infections? Staph [...]

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By Dr. Pamela Fernandes  |  15 June 2021

One of the most common shoulder injuries in martial arts is related to the rotator cuff. In karate, the shoulder is the most often injured joint as seen in various world championships. Can rotator cuff injuries be prevented? Let’s see. What is the Rotator Cuff? A rotator cuff is a [...]

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By Dr. Pamela Fernandes  |  2 June 2021

When COVID first struck, dojos were practically shut down. The more robust gyms and dojos adapted quickly and offered online classes. And martial artists and students trained at home to keep their skills sharp. Fast forward a year, dojos and gyms are slowly but cautiously opening up to in-person training [...]

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By Dr. Pamela Fernandes  |  10 April 2021

Groin injuries are no joke. Ask Peter Stanonik, who was brought to his knees during a kickboxing fight. He winces in agony and utters a guttural cry that you would seldom hear from a man. Yet, it was one of several bazooka spins kicks that accidentally landed on his groin [...]

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By Dr. Pamela Fernandes  |  21 March 2021

Neck injuries are an unfortunate possibility in the dojo.  Especially in certain martial arts like jujitsu, judo, and mixed martial arts because they allow choking techniques. However, neck injuries can be debilitating and life-threatening. UFC’s Tatiana Suarez has been experiencing disc issues but now has left-sided atrophy due to neck [...]

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By Dr. Pamela Fernandes  |  24 February 2021

Lung and chest injuries are rare during martial arts but when they do occur, they make the news. Rory Markham’s fight against Dan Hardy is a crazy example. The UFC fighter fought his entire match with a collapsed lung. And he didn’t even know he suffered an injury except for [...]

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By Dr. Pamela Fernandes  |  15 February 2021

It was shocking to watch the recent fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. Even more surprising to realize that a calf injury can nearly paralyze a man and cause him to stop moving. Calf injuries are common, especially among martial artists who kick a lot. Calf Injuries In martial [...]

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