If you bleed during a wrestling match, standard competition rules start a two-minute injury clock. Play continues once you stop the bleeding, but if the bleeding starts again, your two minutes are cumulative. Once time runs out, you forfeit the match. Nosebleeds are particularly problematic for wrestlers, since stopping the bleeding is much more difficult than bandaging a scrape or abrasion on visible and accessible skin. Perhaps surprisingly, some of the decisions you make before the match begins can help you control a nosebleed during play.
Step 1
Use only healthy diet practices when cutting weight for competition. Malnutrition -- especially lack of iron -- can exacerbate nosebleeds and make them more difficult to staunch during competition.
Step 2
Take vitamins or nutrition supplements that contain iron, vitamin K and vitamin C. These vitamins and minerals are important to the processes that cause blood clotting and will help your body stop a nosebleed within the time frame available during competition.
Step 3
Sit down and breathe deeply as soon as injury time begins. Restoring a normal heartbeat will slow your blood flow, helping it to clot faster and stop the bleeding.
Step 4
Lean your head forward while you rest. Tilting your head back might mean getting less blood on the mat, but it increases your risk of choking on the blood as it drips down your throat. A coughing fit will not help you control the bleeding.
Step 5
Pinch your nose firmly between thumb and forefinger at the top of your nose near the bridge. This applies direct pressure to the blood vessels in your nose, the same way you would press with a dressing on an exposed and bleeding injury.
Step 6
Apply ice to you face above your nose. Cold causes your blood vessels to dilate, further reducing the blood flow to your nose and making it easier for the blood to clot. Apply the ice over the hand that's pinching your nose so you can maintain the pressure.
Step 7
Resist the temptation to blow or pick your nose until after the match is over. It's going to feel strange there for a while, but picking at risks dislodging the clotted blood and starting the nosebleed again.
Things You'll Need
- Ice
References
- "The Sports Injury Handbook: Diagnosis and Management"; Christer Rolf; 2010
- Jason Brick; Grappling Coach; Bushido Martial Arts; Hillsboro, Ore
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