What sort of damage do armbars do?

**Vile** · Posted On: 6/24/2004 4:59am

Okay, first things first i AM NOT saying armbars (or any other joint lock) are not good. What I specifically want to know is, when you get "popped capsules" in your tendons and/or ligaments as a result of not tapping from an armbar, or the same sort of thing in your ankle from an ankle lock what are the ongoing effects?

I realise for sports competition tapping is the only way to go, but for a self defence situation, is it worth keeping fighting? Can you keep fighting/using the arm if someone has armbarred you and not let you out in a street confrontation?

How long term is the damage? Are we talking surgery, or permanent loss of strength/joint fragility (like a seperated shoulder) or a few weeks with a painful weak arm (maybe in a sling) and a return to pretty much full effectiveness afterwards?

I could always get myself armbarred and just not tap, but from what I have read here, people have either had popped capsules or done it to others, so I figured I'd save myself the pain and ask first.

**SamHarber** · Posted On: 6/24/2004 5:09am

Last week I had a few armbars go on fast so I didn't tap in time. One week later, I still have restricted mobility in it and it causes pain when extended.
If any of them had gone on hard, it would be much worse. If someone didn't release when I tapped, my elbow would be absolutely fucked. I'd be expecting surgery and/or permenant loss of strength/mobility.

**Hannibal** · Posted On: 6/24/2004 6:04am

Arm bars are institutions which allow your arms to drink too much and become intoxicated to the point where they are unable to function properly. Your arm should not be in a bar unless it is a minimum of 18 years of age and it should never drive home if it is going to drink.

**MrMcFu** · Posted On: 6/24/2004 6:16am

Originally posted by SamHarber
Last week I had a few armbars go on fast so I didn't tap in time. One week later, I still have restricted mobility in it and it causes pain when extended.
If any of them had gone on hard, it would be much worse. If someone didn't release when I tapped, my elbow would be absolutely fucked. I'd be expecting surgery and/or permenant loss of strength/mobility.

I feel like a real dick for that . . . sorry Sam . . .

**SamHarber** · Posted On: 6/24/2004 6:51am

Don't stress about it, it not as though you were doing it deliberately.

You wern't doing them deliberatley, were you?
</gentle dig>

**Ronin** · Posted On: 6/24/2004 7:09am

Minor injuries - pulled muscle, stressed tendons and ligaments, torn tendons and ligaments
Major - dislocted joint, along woth all the above
Worst case- arm is ripped off and you are beaten with it.

**Beatdown Richie** · Posted On: 6/24/2004 7:34am

Lol @ Hannibal, that was actually kind of funny.
I've tapped a little too late to a few armbars, the worst one had my elbow pop once (supposedly it has three pops in it before it's completely dislocated). The arms were sore for several weeks and were completely back to normal after 2 months or so. I think what happened was a mildly stretched and inflamed ligament.

Dislocated joints, on the other hand, are bad for you. They are a lot more susceptible to followup damage for several months, and they can give you trouble for the rest of your life (my mother still has pain from a shoulder dislocation she suffered when she was a college student).

As we learned this weekend, arm bards can also cause bone fracture. Also not a good thing to happen.

**mikus** · Posted On: 6/24/2004 9:08am

You won't be feeling too hot after an armbar. If you're in a fight and the person goes as far as they can, it'll get snapped backwards. In training if you don't tap early enough, it's likely that you'll "just" suffer a dislocation (which I'm quite sure still sucks like hell, I hear it generally makes you take about two months off training). In a fight if you're armbarred to the breaking point, you're fucked. Run away. If they armbarred you while you had two arms, what makes you think you'll do any better with one? Your other arm will be even easier to get.

**OneWingedAngel** · Posted On: 6/24/2004 9:23am

Ask Tim Sylvia.

***Omega Supreme*** · Posted On: 6/24/2004 10:56am

Originally posted by Hannibal
Arm bars are institutions which allow your arms to drink too much and become intoxicated to the point where they are unable to function properly. Your arm should not be in a bar unless it is a minimum of 18 years of age and it should never drive home if it is going to drink.

Wow that was actually hillarious.

Of course when I run it through my Hannibal decoder ring it reads like this:

Knock knock

Who's there?

Hannibal

Hannibal who

Exactly.