Non-Contact Boxing Workouts
A physician reflects on the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, punch drunk syndrome and non-contact boxing as an aerobic exercise.
I was not bothered by the judges’ decision in the “Fight of the Century”. But when I heard about a judge’s 118 against 110 in favor of Mayweather, I started to think like a medical doctor. I immediately went to talk to my son, who is in medical school, and asked him to divide 118 by 12 (the number of rounds of the fight). The quotient, which is 9.83, may be rounded up to 10. This means that on each and every round, Pacquiao received more or less 10 blows to his head.
Post-fight interview, or about a day or two after the fight, here comes our own Manny Pacquiao, claiming that he was suffering from a sore right shoulder. Sore loser? Sore shoulder? Or is it both? That’s not my concern. My concern is: While he may be preoccupied with his pain on his right shoulder that may affect his future bouts, I hope I am not so judgmental to say, as a physician, that he should learn from Muhammad Ali’s fate. Muhammad Ali suffers from neurologic or brain condition brought about by his so long career in boxing. A long career in boxing means so much blow on the head.
Punch Drunk Syndrome
One of the causes of dementia is punch drunk syndrome. Professional boxers may develop dementia due to neuronal damage caused by repeated blows to the head (Pathology Textbook, 5th ed, 2000). Blows to the head can result in the jarring of the brain or concussion of tissues inside the skull, including brain tissues. This can result in an ischemic condition or a decrease in blood flow and circulation in the brain. Decrease in blood flow amounts to death of brain cells or neurons. Death of neurons leads to brain loss that can result to dementia. Too many blows to the head may also result to multi-infarcts in the brain that may result to similar consequences — Dementia. Loss of more than 100 ml of brain correlates with dementia.
Boxing as a form of aerobic exercise
The recent boxing match surely has inspired millions to take up boxing as a form of physical conditioning. When my son went to Elorde Gym to have some boxing and he came home with painful hands, I was almost inclined to tell him to take care of his hands that are vital in his future career as a medical doctor. There’s an instant solution to that. Boxing can be a non-contact sport because there is such a thing as non-contact boxing.
Non-contact boxing is an aerobic exercise inspired by Ali’s life. It was earlier referred to as “Punching Out Parkinson’s”. Actually, it’s the same banana as shadowboxing. The only difference is that nowadays, there are researches on this type of exercise. Non-contact boxing, as a strenuous and aerobic exercise improves physical strength. It improves gait and balance. It increases your heart rate and makes you breathe heavily. It results to better mental and physical functioning in daily living. Just remember to warm up and cool down. Consult your doctor before going into it. Encourage and motivate an exercise partner if you do not have a trainer. Know your limits and always stay safe. This exercise gives the same results as with tai chi and yoga.
