Correlation Without Causation: 10 Health Issues I’ve Had Since Re-entering the World of Martial Arts

Any intense sport is not without its risks, especially when you’re not a spring chicken anymore, but this is ridiculous. Since I started back to taekwondo in April of 2013 I have had the following health problems that I’d never experienced before. Coincidence??

1. Tendonitis where my glute meets my hamstring. Classy.
2. Strep throat
3. A massively thrown out back
4. Two chipped teeth
5. A torn rotator cuff
6. A pulled groin. Even classier.
7. Perpetually bruised shins
8. A jammed toe
9. A concussion
10. A burst varicose vein

Five out of ten of these injuries occurred outside the dojang although I swear jumping around in a sweaty gym with a bunch of kids is what gave me Strep. (And don’t start on me with “Strep isn’t an injury.” The headache that accompanied it made me cry from the pain.)
Can you guess the non-TKD injuries?

I’ll give you a freebie: the first chipped tooth was from a Kind bar eaten between meetings at work, and the second chipped tooth happened just now when I bit into a soft chewy post-workout Powerbar. Sigh…