Boxing is a contact sport, and contact sports can lead to impact injuries.

Researchers support that improving your boxing techniques results in less frequent boxing injuries. However, boxing injuries can occur to your various body parts.

Common Boxing Injuries

Head or Brain Injuries

The most concerning boxing injury is a head impact resulting in a potential brain injury. The punch impact shakes the brain within the skull and causes the brain to act abnormally for a brief period. A concussion can result in the following symptoms:

• Unconsciousness
• Loss of short-term memory
• Nausea
• Loss of coordination
• Confusion
• Headache

Wearing headgear can reduce the impact of stress and shock that could reverberate through your brain.

Jaw & Facial Injuries

Punching impact to your jaw can cause jaw, nose or facial fractures. Jaw injury resulting in TMJ dysfunction may arise with either a fractured, subluxated or dislocated jaw a possibility.

• Common Jaw Injuries

Shoulder Injuries

Shoulder injuries can occur through repetition of impact. Common injuries include rotator cuff injuries or shoulder dislocation.

• Common Shoulder Injuries

Hand and Wrist Injuries

Your hand and wrist are vulnerable to impact injuries. Milder injuries include soft tissue bruising or joint sprains.

Finger, thumb and hand fractures may also occur.

• Common Hand & Wrist Injuries

Ankle, Knee & Leg Injuries

Lower limb injuries can occur with overuse, e.g. stress fractures, tendonitis or with trauma, e.g. ankle or knee sprain.

• Common Leg Injuries

Neck, Back & Rib Injuries

Boxing can injure your spine or ribs through impact or overstraining. An impressive set of core stability muscles will not only protect your spine from injury but also improve your punching power and ability to absorb the impact of a punch.

• Common Neck Injuries
• Common Back Injuries

Cuts & Bruises

Cuts and bruises are the most common boxing injuries. These injuries occur from contact with an opponent’s gloves or head.

• Common Soft Tissue Injuries

Kidney Damage

Punches to the kidneys are illegal at all levels of boxing. This rule protects boxers from the severe damage that a kidney punch can cause. A massive blow to the kidney can cause kidney failure.