Bruises

"That looks worse than it did at suppertime," Bruce said when he saw my arm last evening.

Suki had commented on it during ballet, too. "Do you need an intervention?" she joked.

I'm a bit annoyed by this bruise on my forearm. I did not break the board with this part of my arm--I couldn't have. This bruise popped up the next day, as a small black and blue knot. The area of my arm that broke the board, back closer to the elbow, is fine.

Only thing I can figure is that this is where my arm dragged through the broken board.

I posted a question about it on Karate Forums the other day:
Can you get lasting injuries from board breaking?

I ask because that's what worries me when I break. I'm small and have small, not-very-dense (according to my doctor) bones. (I am 44.) Even if I break correctly, am I in danger of a lasting injury? Not the usual bruises or scrapes that I usually get, but an injury to bone, joint, etc. I ask because I broke a board with an elbow strike the other day--correctly--and a day afterwards, a black-and-blue knot appeared on my arm, near my wrist, probably where the board hit it as I broke through.

Several people answered. One post:

If you bruise really easily, you might ask your doctor if there are vitamin supplements that will help with blood vessel elasticity.

Hmm. Are my blood vessels un-elastic? This makes me feel old and fragile :-(

Another post:

I would be very careful about breaking boards with your condition. Is it needed in your martial art to promote in rank? What does that mean to you? What does your health mean to you? While a single board, if held and broken correctly, probably won't cause you harm, I'm not about to speculate on what repeated breaks will do. I would also avoid breaking multiple boards/bricks/etc. Best piece of advice? Talk to your doctor about it, and be honest with him.

My condition? Wimpiness? I guess my condition is "close to osteopena." (Osteopena is close to osteoporosis.)

I wonder if I could get very far as a martial artist if I don't break multiple boards and don't break with my hands or my joints. I wonder if I could still continue toward the black belt if I take this (sensible-sounding) advice.