Most uncomfortable place for a bruise

[sue123]

I got a bruise the other day in a very uncomfortable place. And it's huge. I was trying to avoid falling on my recently broken wrist, and so I fell on my hip. The bruise starts in front, on hte bone, and goes all the way back onto the ppart of the body used for sitting. Trying to sleep was very difficult. I could only sleep on one side. I couldn't sleep on my back, my other side, or my front. And right now, I"m sitting on extra cushions. But I didn't fall on my wrist! ANyone else get a bruise in a bad place?

[Hannah]

You are right- a bruise on the hip is better than a wrist injury. Me personally- I still have plenty of "padding" on my hip and butt region, so I do everything in my power to make sure I land there first.

My worst spot for a bruise is my knee- I already fight with my knees, so every time I land on one I have difficulty walking the next day. Or days.

[luna_skater]

You are right- a bruise on the hip is better than a wrist injury. Me personally- I still have plenty of "padding" on my hip and butt region, so I do everything in my power to make sure I land there first.

My worst spot for a bruise is my knee- I already fight with my knees, so every time I land on one I have difficulty walking the next day. Or days.

Me too. I don't fall much, but when I do it's always smack on my knee-bone. Then it's not just bruised, but also swollen, and hurts to move.

[Evelina]

I will have to go with the knees too. Its the most painful and the bruises last for weeks, the swelling is pretty bad too.

[doubletoe]

When I was first starting to land my axel, I kept falling straight backwards as soon as I landed, and I would reach back and break my fall with my palms, especially the right palm. In the morning, I would push myself up off of my mattress (which was covered with a 5" feather bed) and my bruised palms would just kill me!

[Kristin]

I got a bruise the other day in a very uncomfortable place. And it's huge. ANyone else get a bruise in a bad place?

Ouch! I feel for ya!

My worst fall ever was when I was working on the Prelim FM spiral pattern. I went down on a fwd inside spiral and hit both knees, my hands, and elbows (I basically landed on all 4's). Even the back of my neck was sore from a slight bit of whiplash! It was like the fall that kept on giving......

[flying~camel]

When I first started skating as a kid, I would fall on my knees all the time and get such horrible bruises that it hurt to walk.

To make matters worse, I went to a Catholic elementary school, so I had to wear skirts every day! Thankfully one of my teachers had a son who played hockey at the same rink as me, so she'd seen me skate several times and knew the bruises weren't from my parents beating me! :lol:

[Summerkid710]

In middle school, my best friend was working on her doubles and she kept falling on her knees. Our gym teacher pulled her to the side to ask about how her parents were treating her. She totally suspected she was being beaten at home but it was just the double salchows and double toes.

[AndreaUK]

I think the worst one I had was right on the back of my head, I did manage to crack my skull and get a grade 3 concussion with it. I remember it was very difficult to sleep or relax becuase I couldnt rest the back of my head anywhere for about 3-4 weeks.

Andrea xx

[jazzpants]

Tailbone. I have a computer desk job! Nuf said!!! :giveup:

[beachbabe]

right at the tip of the knee, its so annoying b/c it hurts hen you bend the knee.


I have this nasty hardened bruise under my knee right now and its my first hardened one and I'm so scared to go to the doctors cos I'm scared shes gonna try to do some surgery on it or something when its jsut a silly hardened bruise. ughhhh i'm scared but I wanna get rid of it.

How do they get rid of hardened bruises?

[Mercedeslove]

I had one on my hip a few weeks ago, and it sucked. I sleep on my side so when I would lay on it, it felt like I had this weird puffy rock in my bed.

I've bruised my knees too.

my worst bruise came from softball when I was in college. We were warming up and I got hit in the shin with a ball going about 50 mph. The bruise was there for about 6 months.

[Sk8pdx]

The very first sit spin attempts with my coach. I was always falling on my bum. The next day when I got in my car to drive to work, it felt like I was sitting on something hard and pointing up out of the drivers seat. Nothing was there. Then I realized how much I had bruised my bum. My sits bones ached for a whole week 1/2. I felt like I had been spanked forty lashes on my back side. Thanks Coach!:twisted: :lol:

ETA: Oh, and like Jazzpants, I have a computer desk job too.

[looplover]

I have that lovely hip bone bruise (almost gone now and strangely issues) that perfectly complemented the ones on my knee and elbow -- add to that a dash of strained or sprained deltoid muscle and that's tons of fun! :??

[TreSk8sAZ]

The most annoying was absolutely when I bruised/sprained my writing hand.... during finals week at my University. It hurt to do absolutely everything from driving to writing to eating.

[lovepairs]

Okay, you are going to be rolling on the floor LOL from this one, which was worse than the 20 stitches in my chin from going over my toe on a camel:

I must a fallen on a zillion lutzes trying to learn this thing, right?! No problem. However, one night, I take a fall on the lutz and man did something happen. By 12:00pm that night my right ### was the size of Ja Lo's and boy was I in excruciating pain. Rushed to the emergancy ward. I fell so absolutely perfectly that my bone tore into my gluteous maximus muscle, and I was bleeding out in to my royal a**! For the next six weeks when I turned one way, I looked like me, then I would turn the other way and look like Ja Lo! Pairsman2 was on the floor rolling and laughing. If it wasn't so painful, I'd be rolling around laughing, too. :D Oh, it was called a Hematoma!

[Hannah]

right at the tip of the knee, its so annoying b/c it hurts hen you bend the knee.


I have this nasty hardened bruise under my knee right now and its my first hardened one and I'm so scared to go to the doctors cos I'm scared shes gonna try to do some surgery on it or something when its jsut a silly hardened bruise. ughhhh i'm scared but I wanna get rid of it.

How do they get rid of hardened bruises?

I have never heard of this before. I have heard of "bone bruises", I forget their real name- I went home about a year ago and played "Swordfighting" with my little brother- he nearly broke my finger with this stupid plastic sword. My finger and a good part of the back of my hand was black and blue for about a month, and for another 6 months or so I had a painful bump on the finger. Doc said it was a bone bruise (there is a medical term for them, really!) and that it would go away, and it did. I have another on my foot from when I put the kickstand of my bike right into it...

But being that the hardened bruise (or whatever it is) is on your knee, you should at least talk to your doctor. She can't MAKE you have surgery, but it would be good to at least see what's wrong. Knees are important!

[beachbabe]

I have never heard of this before. I have heard of "bone bruises", I forget their real name- I went home about a year ago and played "Swordfighting" with my little brother- he nearly broke my finger with this stupid plastic sword. My finger and a good part of the back of my hand was black and blue for about a month, and for another 6 months or so I had a painful bump on the finger. Doc said it was a bone bruise (there is a medical term for them, really!) and that it would go away, and it did. I have another on my foot from when I put the kickstand of my bike right into it...

But being that the hardened bruise (or whatever it is) is on your knee, you should at least talk to your doctor. She can't MAKE you have surgery, but it would be good to at least see what's wrong. Knees are important!

well its below the knee so it really doesnt affect it, i jsut don't like that my leg looks darker there. One of my friends who play lacrosse said you can egt the hardened bruises sucked out...whatever that means.

I mean, its gotten smaller and it still is getting smaller but I dont wnana wait 6 months for it to go away.

[Sk8pdx]

Okay, you are going to be rolling on the floor LOL from this one, which was worse than the 20 stitches in my chin from going over my toe on a camel:

I must a fallen on a zillion lutzes trying to learn this thing, right?! No problem. However, one night, I take a fall on the lutz and man did something happen. By 12:00pm that night my right ### was the size of Ja Lo's and boy was I in excruciating pain. Rushed to the emergancy ward. I fell so absolutely perfectly that my bone tore into my gluteous maximus muscle, and I was bleeding out in to my royal a**! For the next six weeks when I turned one way, I looked like me, then I would turn the other way and look like Ja Lo! Pairsman2 was on the floor rolling and laughing. If it wasn't so painful, I'd be rolling around laughing, too. :D Oh, it was called a Hematoma!


OOOOO! Ouch:cry:! *But* you deserve a little round of applause for handling it like a pro!:bow:

[jazzpants]

OUCH, JLo... ummm, I mean lovepairs!!! :lol: That had to hurt! :( You handled it like a trooper and, hey, there are women out there w/very small butts who would love a JLo butt!

Well, I got the second most uncomfortable place for a bruise now... on my right knee!!! And it was a badly bruised knee. :cry: I took a nasty trip with a seven year old speed bump in a turquoise dress. Also had a cut that was deep enough to look gross but not enough to need stitches. (Don't know if it's her blade or mine, but either way... :roll: ) I'm better now, but it sure still hurts to go up and down the stairs and get out of the car! OWWWWWW!!! :cry: )

[lovepairs]

It's like we're all the walking wounded, but keep coming back for more. What do they call that "a gluton for punishment?" LOL. Hey, they're all war stories, and what doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger--right? :bow:

Okay, this is even funnier. When I was rushed to the emergancy ward, this heomotoma thing was so painful that all I could do was be on all fours screaming and crying, until they FIIIIIIIIIInally came in and gave me a shot. Sometimes in the emergancy ward they can leave you whithering around in pain for hours...I think they are all in the other room LOL at us :P Thank god for those pain killer shots!

[doubletoe]

OUCH, JLo... ummm, I mean lovepairs!!! :lol: That had to hurt! :( You handled it like a trooper and, hey, there are women out there w/very small butts who would love a JLo butt!

Well, I got the second most uncomfortable place for a bruise now... on my right knee!!! And it was a badly bruised knee. :cry: I took a nasty trip with a seven year old speed bump in a turquoise dress. Also had a cut that was deep enough to look gross but not enough to need stitches. (Don't know if it's her blade or mine, but either way... :roll: ) I'm better now, but it sure still hurts to go up and down the stairs and get out of the car! OWWWWWW!!! :cry: )

Oh no!! I hope you are wearing a nice thick pad on that right knee until the bruise is healed! Get better soon!!

[Chico]

I've had bruises everywhere. I've learned that if you have a bad bruise somewhere it acts like a magnet to make you fall in the same exact spot again. A first whack is bad but repeated whacks in the same place is a killer. Knees and shoulders are the worst. Yes, shoulders are possible when your holding onto your blade with one hand and the other is over your head. =-0 I don't suggest going here.

Chico

[lovepairs]

Chico,

You are dead on with you "magnet" theory! Like it's not bad enough once, you've gotta do it twice :frus:

[Skate@Delaware]

Chico,

You are dead on with you "magnet" theory! Like it's not bad enough once, you've gotta do it twice :frus:
I've fallen on my left hip soooo many times, I've lost count...flips, spins, just getting on the ice....yup, fall onto that durn left hip. Usually happens when I don't wear my pads.

[sue123]

I managed to take not one, but 2 nasty falls in my lesson today. The first, my coach was telling me I needed to get on a deeper inside edge. So I did. Only I went a little too far, and fell on my left side. The elbow, knee, and hip somehow.

Second fall, I was working on toe loops. I did a really good one and she told me so. Then she says do one more. That's when I fall on the right side. Hip, knee, and elbow. And I somehow got my back in there too. But at least I'm symmetrical. My coach said I was going to give her a heart attack because I leave for my Europe trip in a few days, and she said she could just see me walking around europe trying to pull my suitcase with a full body cast. :giveup:

Maybe I should stop skating until I come back from my trip, at the rate these falls are coming.

[kittie067]

the worst bruises I've had were 3 days before competition.

I had bruised my right knee, left hip and left elbow.... All were very pretty looking. And the thing I fell on was a bunny hop!!! I was so mad that it wasnt something harder at least!

Also I always have bruises on my knees. I hate it when its on the inside of the knee because I tend to bonk into things, like desks for some reason!:roll:

~kittie

btw does anyone know how much a good "spinner" costs??(and can I have the brand name too?) thanx!:)

[Casey]

Well I never fall on my knees...but....

I was at my old rink with a friend, where the ice is really bloody hard and skiddy. And my skates kind of need sharpened (but they weren't too bad). Well I do this waltz jump where I skate forward fast and then do a barrel roll into it which makes me land on a deeper edge than the normal entry, and when I tried that I lost the landing edge and somehow managed to come down on my left knee (and right hip a bit, but the knee hurt a lot worse. Took a break, kept skating.

Near the end of the session, I plugged my phone into the rink speaker system and started skating my "program" (yeah...so I don't have a program at all, but I know the tune of the song so I put it on and skate around like a loon). Anyways I go into another big waltz jump, and the SAME THING happens again!! :x Only that time, it was worse. But after a moment on the ice, I got back up and finished skating to the song, agony aside! When I got home yesterday, I could barely limp along on it, and for some mysterious reason, the outside of my calf hurt all the way down too (opposite of the side of the knee I landed on). Today was pretty okay though, and tomorrow, I suspect my limp will be gone. :) And on Wednesday, I skate again!! :o :roll: :lol:

Sure did hurt the first day though...

[Casey]

I got a bruise the other day in a very uncomfortable place. And it's huge. I was trying to avoid falling on my recently broken wrist, and so I fell on my hip. The bruise starts in front, on hte bone, and goes all the way back onto the ppart of the body used for sitting. Trying to sleep was very difficult. I could only sleep on one side. I couldn't sleep on my back, my other side, or my front. And right now, I"m sitting on extra cushions. But I didn't fall on my wrist! ANyone else get a bruise in a bad place?
I've had the hip soreness (I don't visably bruise) so many times I can't count...but I don't mind it at all. It's sure better than knee falls and I don't mind sleeping on the other side. One time I had both bruised though, and sleeping was simply not comfortable at all...I had to sleep on my stomach, and I hate doing that so would instinctively roll over in my sleep, which would wake me up! :P

[sue123]

I've had the hip soreness (I don't visably bruise) so many times I can't count...but I don't mind it at all. It's sure better than knee falls and I don't mind sleeping on the other side. One time I had both bruised though, and sleeping was simply not comfortable at all...I had to sleep on my stomach, and I hate doing that so would instinctively roll over in my sleep, which would wake me up! :P

I've got both bruised right now. And I do visibly bruise. Right now, it looks like I'm the victim of some horrible accident. I just bruise very easily. And I don't like sleeping on my other side, it just doesnt feel right and it makes my shoulder hurt for some reason. Sleeping tonight is not going to be fun.

[figur8asandwich]

fell once on bum with skate blade wedged up 'there'...not fun :( freaky. trying triple salchow, failed miserably.

[kidskater101]

are you ok! that is a very bad thing check that out with a doctor. it could be badly sprained. Don't feel so bad You know when you are skating with one leg and the other one is up in back of you, well I did that looked down (when my instructor told me to keep my chin up) and fell on me butt! ouch! right on my tail bone! OUCH! That bruise was as big as at least a........um.........grapefruit! OUCH!

[tidesong]

For me I dread the knee falls the most, they simply love to swell up and just generally get in the way for the next couple weeks, even just leaning over something, if the recently banged up knee gets in contact with a hard surface, it hurts and just makes me feel like I am limited in my movement.

[singerskates]

From my experiences from falling on the ice, the worst bruise I've ever experienced without breaking anything was not on my knees, butt or hips. The worst was in my left rotator cuff. It was from a fall while doing a change edge spiral due to trying to avoid a huge condensation hill on the ice and choosing the wrong direction to avoid it which cause me to catch my toe pick and fall squarely forward on to the ice which was really chewed up and didn't allow me to slid on the impact. The pain was so back I thought that I may have broken something in my shoulder, so I had it x-rayed and found out from my chiroprator that it was just a very, very, very deep bruise. This happened May 29, 2006.

Good thing I get enough vatimines.

singerskates

[Mrs Redboots]

Tailbone falls are awful. I have a large bruise on my left buttock/top of my left thigh, and am just grateful not to have hurt my tailbone. But left buttock is the wrong one from my point of view - it hurts to get out of bed! And no, I'm not going to crawl all over the bed just to get out on Husband's side, it's not that bad! But all the same, I am going to remember that fall for several days, I think. And it hurts to stretch my leg forwards.

Oh well, that's what you get for being a skater, and it will heal.... lots of arnica, and maybe some topical ibuprofen.

[blue111moon]

I'll agree with the tailbone being the most painful. I've broken mine twice now and the pain takes forever to go away. Last time it was almost six months before I could sit in the bucket seat of my car without wincing.

[Mrs Redboots]

This last fall is still sore, three days later. I can skate, thankfully, but as well as getting out of bed being sore, I can't sit on the loo with any degree of comfort, and walking up the steps out of the rink was painful, too...

[shellabelly]

everytime i fall, i seem to fall on my tail bone. it hurts REALLY BAD for days, it's hard not to, though. i CANNOT fall on either one of my wrists (mostly my left, i broke it about two months ago ice skating) because i've broken them three times (left twice, right once). i feel your pain. :lol:

[singerskates]

From my experiences from falling on the ice, the worst bruise I've ever experienced without breaking anything was not on my knees, butt or hips. The worst was in my left rotator cuff. It was from a fall while doing a change edge spiral due to trying to avoid a huge condensation hill on the ice and choosing the wrong direction to avoid it which cause me to catch my toe pick and fall squarely forward on to the ice which was really chewed up and didn't allow me to slid on the impact. The pain was so back I thought that I may have broken something in my shoulder, so I had it x-rayed and found out from my chiroprator that it was just a very, very, very deep bruise. This happened May 29, 2006.

Good thing I get enough vatimines.

singerskates

It's been two weeks and half later and I'm still sore and can't use it much and when I do use it it aches. Yet there's no ripped muscles or broken bones (x-rays and stuff). Been seeing a chiropractor for this and it's taking a long time to get over it.
I think I win so far.

[pWnzOrz x]

Tailbone. I have a computer desk job! Nuf said!!! :giveup:

Tailbone. FTW!

[Casey]

It's been two weeks and half later and I'm still sore and can't use it much and when I do use it it aches. Yet there's no ripped muscles or broken bones (x-rays and stuff). Been seeing a chiropractor for this and it's taking a long time to get over it.
I think I win so far.
You know I don't mean to be rude, but it's not about "winning" or who's suffered the most - it's just about laughing at ourselves and the misfortunes that come along with this happy sport we choose to obsess over. It would be nice if you posted more stuff that wasn't a personal pity party... :twisted:

Good luck with your healing though, regardless.

[lovepairs]

This morning--my left hip. Just doing circles with double 3's on my weak side. I must have been leaning too far into the circle--edge went out from under me and I went straight down. You know one of those really hard falls. Now I feel like I'm catching a cold from my waist down, and want to go to sleep. Know what I mean? :cry: :frus:

[Mrs Redboots]

Now I feel like I'm catching a cold from my waist down, and want to go to sleep. Know what I mean? :cry: :frus:Totally! I wonder if you'll be able to get out of bed tomorrow - I couldn't, when I landed on my hip the other day. Fine after that, but completely collapsed that day... shock, I suppose. And I've had other falls I've had to go to sleep after. Very odd!

[sk8_4fun]

Me too. I don't fall much, but when I do it's always smack on my knee-bone. Then it's not just bruised, but also swollen, and hurts to move.


A bang on the knee is definatley no joke, the last time I did that I ended up on crutches:cry: I was off ice for a month, and two months later I'm still having physio on it, and it still hurts!

[lovepairs]

Mrs. Redboots,

I thought it was just me, and that I was pecurliar, which, of course, I am, but I thought it was strange that I always felt like I had to go to sleep after a bad fall. I guess that makes perfect sense when you think about it...

Please where crash pads for banged up knees. They work really well...you can fall on your knees a millon times and not feel a thing while wearing the gels! :P

[jazzpants]

Please where crash pads for banged up knees. They work really well...you can fall on your knees a millon times and not feel a thing while wearing the gels! :PI certainly felt *something* the last few times I fell on my "gels." 8O :x (But OTOH, it didn't take me out for more than a few minutes off-ice.)

*sigh* I still am NOT allowed to wear knee pads after that last knee injury I had, except on stuff where I have to drag my knee thru the ice!!! :frus: (C'mon coach!!! I'm damn well near 40 and I certainly would like to keep my knees well into my 40's... :roll: :twisted: )

[sk8_4fun]

Mrs. Redboots,

I thought it was just me, and that I was pecurliar, which, of course, I am, but I thought it was strange that I always felt like I had to go to sleep after a bad fall. I guess that makes perfect sense when you think about it...

Please where crash pads for banged up knees. They work really well...you can fall on your knees a millon times and not feel a thing while wearing the gels! :P

I have some pretty heavy duty pads but they are quite bulky (Id rather look silly than do that again!!!!!8O ) but i'm interested in what you say about gel pads. whre do I get them and do they work as well as the thicker type? bearing in mind i'm not as light as i could be:roll: .......

[jazzpants]

I have some pretty heavy duty pads but they are quite bulky (Id rather look silly than do that again!!!!!8O ) but i'm interested in what you say about gel pads. whre do I get them and do they work as well as the thicker type? bearing in mind i'm not as light as i could be:roll: .......Here's their website:

http://www.skatingsafe.com

Needless to say, I'm not allowed to even wear those now!!! And they're really not that thick! The only problem you might have is if you sweat a lot that the pad may "slip." Sometimes even wearing two pairs of tights wouldn't work well. But overall, I LOVE these gel pads!!!

[aussieskater]

I certainly felt *something* the last few times I fell on my "gels." 8O :x (But OTOH, it didn't take me out for more than a few minutes off-ice.)

*sigh* I still am NOT allowed to wear knee pads after that last knee injury I had, except on stuff where I have to drag my knee thru the ice!!! :frus: (C'mon coach!!! I'm damn well near 40 and I certainly would like to keep my knees well into my 40's... :roll: :twisted: )

Jazzpants, you've posted about not being "allowed" to wear your kneepads before...and I have to say that your coach's attitude makes me see shades of red :roll: . If you need them, or they will help prevent an injury for you, why does your coach say you can't wear them? I mean to say, if you get injured, will your coach come look after your family, home, job etc, while you spend maybe up to a year recovering? No? I didn't think so.

I do understand that there are times when protection can become a crutch, while on the other hand, we adults (mostly) realise that we could be run over by a bus as we leave the rink, but surely adults should be able to decide for themselves within reasonable limits what level of risk they're willing to accept, and what protection they feel is necessary.

As an aside, the Skatingsafe ones are so thin and discreet that if you wear them under jazz pants - which I guess from your username you do wear! :) - your coach would never know!! If you tape them directly to your skin with paper tape by the bottom half edges only, leaving the top half untaped, they won't affect kneebend at all.

Just my 2c worth, and I apologise if I've trodden on anyone's toes. Maybe there is some good reasons why your coach is acting as s/he is?

[lovepairs]

*sigh* I still am NOT allowed to wear knee pads after that last knee injury I had, except on stuff where I have to drag my knee thru the ice!!! (C'mon coach!!! I'm damn well near 40 and I certainly would like to keep my knees well into my 40's... )

My darling coach (all of 30 years old) made fun of me the other day when I said I wanted to wear my knee pads while trying a new pairs element on the ice. It was all in jest, and I told him to "piss off! I'm 49 years old for godsake, and would really like my knees for, at least, two more days!" It was all in fun, and I love this guy to death. However, I think the young coaches really don't understand this, because they haven't, yet, experienced their bodies falling apart and growing older, firsthand. Can't blame them...when my own body started to age, it came as a shock to me, too. Even if they understand it, theoretically, there's nothing like experiencing this up close and personal--don''t you agree?

[Isk8NYC]

I wiped out last night while teaching. I was doing perimeter stroking with a student and exaggerating the "together and push." Caught my toe pick on my pant leg, couldn't get it out and I was already leaning to the left -- I knew I was goin' down! LOL

I banged my hip, elbow and then slid a bit, stretching my shoulder. Apparently, it looked really bad -- everyone stopped to see if I was all right. I got right up and continued the lesson, when our russian coach brought his student over and said "See? This is professional. She falls, but does not hurt herself. You must be like that, too." I laughed and told him he owes me a shoulder massage.

I always take ibuprofen before I skate/teach, at the sports ortho's suggestion. I think that's why I'm sore, but not bruised, today. Except my elbow, which is a bad spot for me - I tend to be an "elbows ON the table" person. Guess I'll have to work on manners.

Healing hopes to all who need them.

[cutiesk8r43]

one time i was working on my footwork sequence and i tripped and landed on the side of my head. well not quite my head, i had put my arm out. so the only thing between the ice and my head was my arm. it hurt :cry:
~cutie;)

[Kelli]

Jazzpants, you've posted about not being "allowed" to wear your kneepads before...and I have to say that your coach's attitude makes me see shades of red :roll: . If you need them, or they will help prevent an injury for you, why does your coach say you can't wear them? I mean to say, if you get injured, will your coach come look after your family, home, job etc, while you spend maybe up to a year recovering? No? I didn't think so.

I do understand that there are times when protection can become a crutch, while on the other hand, we adults (mostly) realise that we could be run over by a bus as we leave the rink, but surely adults should be able to decide for themselves within reasonable limits what level of risk they're willing to accept, and what protection they feel is necessary.

As an aside, the Skatingsafe ones are so thin and discreet that if you wear them under jazz pants - which I guess from your username you do wear! :) - your coach would never know!! If you tape them directly to your skin with paper tape by the bottom half edges only, leaving the top half untaped, they won't affect kneebend at all.

Just my 2c worth, and I apologise if I've trodden on anyone's toes. Maybe there is some good reasons why your coach is acting as s/he is?

Totally agree. I know I've said this before, but I literally will not step on the ice without my knee pad (only for one knee). It's one of the Skatingsafe pads, and after 5+ years at my rink, there are still coaches who don't even realize I wear one. I test with it as well, and I've never heard a word about it from the judges. If you need to wear it, just wear it; your coach might not even notice.

Since it's sort of relevant to the thread, I wear the knee pad to protect a cyst/some sort of loose tissue on top of my knee cap. Forget falling on it, if I even bump it wrong I can't think straight. I'm pretty sure the tissue is scar tissue from many, many, MANY Axel falls years ago. So that's the most uncomfortable place for a bruise for me.

[Skate@Delaware]

I wear the thin skatingsafe gel pads when I skate. Not all the time, but when I'm working on jumps, or if it's been a while and I'm working on certain moves. Although I will admit I have gone down doing nothing in particular!

My chiropractor always asks me if i've fallen (he can tell) and then asks me if I was wearing my pads. He saw my last hip bruise and wasn't too happy (neither was I as it hurt like the dickens for weeks!)...

My coach doesn't care if I wear pads or not, as long as I try hard!

[aussieskater]

I wear the thin skatingsafe gel pads when I skate. Not all the time, but when I'm working on jumps, or if it's been a while and I'm working on certain moves. Although I will admit I have gone down doing nothing in particular!

My coach doesn't care if I wear pads or not, as long as I try hard!

I'm like you - I wear the gel pads sometimes, depending on what I'm doing. Due to advancing age, past injuries (and two little kids, and a job, and a mortgage... :roll: ), I need to protect both knees and one hip. Because I don't wear them all the time, they haven't become a crutch and I can skate comfortably without them (although in their defence and when properly applied, the gel ones are so unintrusive that when I'm wearing them, I don't even know I have them on. Nor do the coaches - and I wear a skirt.)

I know I should be wearing the knees more often..but I forget them, and am then too lazy to go back and put them on. :) I do make a point of wearing them in synchro training once we have the program set and are training it at speed - being flung out of a circle (because you forgot to hold your shoulder straight and lost your grip) leads to nasty hip and tailbone bruises!!! 8O OTOH, the worst falls are the ones where you're doing nothing at all, and pads don't tend to help those ones anyway! :P