Oh the bruises!

Natalie started this discussion · 4/9/2009

So since getting my own pole and being able to practice every day, I have to say I look like I got beaten around the legs with a large chain! 🙄 Now don't get me wrong, I consider them my battle wounds (I can tell exactly what move caused most of them too haha I even have a climbing bruise right on my foot) but with shorts season coming up I have to ask - will this improve? Will my body adapt and bruise less, or will I just acquire the skill necessary to move in such a way that I don't get the bruises? I think I do bruise more easily than the average person... someone recommended arnica or a multi-vitamin with iron in it, are these pretty much my best bet? Just to illustrate the point, it is pretty bad: http://isabellacat.com/battlewounds.jpg I'm also bruised on my sides and a little on my lower arm. Oof! But I'll tell you what, I've made more progress this one week than in the past two months put together 😀 Will this pass or is it just part of the sport that I'll have to embrace?

20 replies

benicebehappy · 4/9/2009
Lol, oh my god my legs look just like that atm !! XD Obviously chunnkier than yours but all the bruises are in the same places XD Cant wait to find out if this gets easier or if the bruises are a permanent feature in dancing 😀
RoxyPink · 4/9/2009
Good news! they will get better. 😀 That is because you will become more confident in the moves, you'll know where your body is supposed to be so no more banging (or at least not as much) and you won't have to hold the pole with your body nearly as much as you do now. That being said....every new move comes with new bruises. I personally love arnica! I use the gel right after a practice and many times through out the day. It works wonders on helping the bruises heal faster. It also is fantastic for sore muscles! I also take arnica tabs. They dissolve in your mouth (kinda sweat tasting). I usually take one before practicing and directly afterwards. The ones that I take are taken every 30 minutes as needed. It seems like a lot, but for how well they work...it's so worth it. I keep a bottle of the gel at home and one in my purse so if I start getting sore I can just rub it right in! I also recently realized too that when you switch different type of finishes on pole you can re-bruise (is that a real word?). I have a chrome x-pole and recently started going to a studio that has brass( my new favorite!) and I have bruised all over again. My legs look much like your pics! 😀 There is makeup out there that does wonders at covering bruises and blemishes. I've used one called Dermablend. I used it to cover my tattoo's when I got married. I am casper the ghost white and you couldn't tell there was makeup on my back or arms and you definitly couldn't see any ink showing through! I always joke with my husband that people probably think I get beat up because of all my "finger tip" looking bruises!:)
Trena · 4/9/2009
LOL my legs have bruises in the exact same places!!! Ive been poling for quite a while now but I bruise ridiculously easily and Ive been doing a lot of new moves recently!! I havent tried arnica but I will have to because its almost 'skin showing season' here in Ireland and also Im getting married in June!! Dont wana be a bruised bride! 😀
Rouge_LAmour · 4/10/2009
Arnica is the best thing you can use. Rub it on and take the drops or tablets. Bruising does diminish. As you get better muscle memory, you learn how not to bang into the pole so much. I'm a natural klutz and my bruising diminished pretty quickly. (I'm the one who brings down the poles, falls down stairs, trips over when walking on flat ground in barefeet and that's when sober! I broke my arm walking down the street and falling over my feet, backwards! I put it down to being ambidextrous, I have no idea which side to use!)
Aliira · 4/11/2009
Sorry, but what's Arnica?
Rouge_LAmour · 4/11/2009
Sorry, but what's Arnica? Arnica is a great homeopathic / naturopathic remedy for reducing bruising and soft tissue injuries. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnica http://www.naturopharm.co.nz/products/classical_remedies/Arnica.asp Most frequently used as a cream / gel. I also have drops and tablets. When I get a good injury, like kicking a pole, I instantly take 15 drops and take those every 2 hours for the next 4 hours. Also rub cream into the affected region. There's also another treatment that uses St Johns Wort and some other stuff too, works well in conjunction with arnica. Hope this helps.
en.wikipedia.orgArnica - Wikipedia
Aliira · 4/11/2009
Oh right on! I grew up with the natural stuff. 🙂 But I hadn't heard of this one yet... (mostly because my grandmother is the herbalist that mixes stuff for the whole family lol.) First time I ever saw a doctor was when I was preggo with my son.
islandeyes · 4/12/2009
dang girl. i just started yesterday and thought i was getting battered up. i was showing off the bruises to my fiance earlier. lol. the majority of mine are on the insides of my calves followed by inner thighs. how long have you been poling?
Beccagirl · 4/21/2009
so where can you get this stuff??
Rouge_LAmour · 4/21/2009
Healthfood shops, homeopaths, pharmacies. It's pretty mainstream now. The bruising won't stop, as you get onto more advanced moves, you'll get more bruises. I have some great ones on my arms from practising elbow holds.
adamseve · 4/21/2009
I purchased mine at Earth Fare. I was told that the 9c was better than the 30c. Hope this helps.
Neke · 4/21/2009
We should consider ourselves lucky! A girl started at my club a few weeks ago with some kind of disorder.. I can't remember what it's called, but her skin is really sensitive and she bruises really easily. She came back the next day for her second night and her knees were swollen to twice their size and they were bright purple. Her legs had BLACK (like... BLACK) bruises all over them, each one about as big as a whole hand, and the backs of her knees were black as well. I thought mine were bad... I'd never seen anything like this, I was stunned. I should have taken pictures. I had bruises almost that big when I started skiing, but they weren't even comparable to these. They even sent her home for a few days because it was just that bad she could hardly walk (I made her take my bottle of arnica!) A week later they were all still there, just a lot lighter. So no matter how annoying the bruising can be, at least I know it can be worse!
Natalie · 4/21/2009
Thanks everyone, I found some arnica and arnica cream at Whole Foods a few days ago and I've started using that. Hopefully it will help my bruises fade quicker 🙂 I won't be poling much for a day or two though because with warm weather comes running season and I am just too darn sore after my first run of the spring to move! Haha.
Beccagirl · 4/21/2009
I will have to look for that stuff, I have a big one on the inside of my leg right now. I bruise easily too, but they have never swallowen!! 🥂
balletgurlie · 5/20/2009
oh my gosh I'm going through the same thing. I even have a few on my arms. If people didn't know about the pole...they would probably be organizing an intervention! My legs look awful!
Rouge_LAmour · 5/21/2009
Hee hee. Girls I know who've gone to A&E / the ER, even their Doctor have had the nurses sit down and seriously ask if they were ok, were they really ok, are you being abused etc, did they need some help for the bruising: you know, the concerned medical professional and the badly bruised patient routine... Then when they find out it's pole related, the staff can't help but laugh. We've got a few nurses that way.
maddieLines · 9/14/2009
When do u stop getting bruises?ive been poling for about 5 months and i still get them everytime!
miss fern · 9/15/2009
When do u stop getting bruises?ive been poling for about 5 months and i still get them everytime! You never stop getting them but it does get a lot better. When you're much stronger, you won't be using your skin so much to hold on, but your muscles instead - so your skin won't be under the same pressure any more. Also, certain areas become desensitized or tough eventually, but when you get more advanced and learn a different move, you may use a NEW area which is fresh and ready for bruising hehe! Take me for example, my biceps got bruised when I was learning the flag and the caterpillar climb a few weeks ago, but the backs of my knees never bruise any more.
MilienElayne · 12/7/2010
Wish I'd seen that one post on this thread recommending Dermablend much MUCH earlier. Just discovered it and it's a LIFE SAVER. I'm a stripper (new to that, not to pole) and bruise very easily from pole... Bruises lose me money.
JBStarryEyedGirl · 12/7/2010
Haven't seen it mentioned, but you should try using icepacks for 15 to 20 non after you pole. You could monitor your diet to ensure you have enough iron in your system. You can also get your dr to test your blood levels. Do some very light self massage 48 hours after any major bruising making sure to use gentle slow strokes moving up the legs starting at the toes. I also highly recommend airbrush tanning for events where you want to wear a dress or shorts but have coverage, plus you look tan and great!