Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is often called the “gentle art” because it can be practiced by any age, but like any sport, injuries can happen. Since BJJ is not a striking sport, broken noses and knocked out teeth are not nearly as common. But, BJJ is physically demanding and comes with its share of strains and sprains. At Gracie Barra Mansfield we offer fun for the whole family in a safe environment, but this is a sport and well…stuff happens. So, when stuff happens. When we overdo it or maybe push way too hard, what do we do?
Preventing Injury
As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Since we know we are engaging in a full contact sport, there are some ways we can avoid injury, which is obviously preferable.
Flexibility
Stiff muscles are strained muscles (or torn). I know I work a sedentary job that has me leaning over a computer all day which makes me stiff. This means it is up to me to add in flexibility training (yoga). That 10 minutes of warmup at the beginning of class is the bare minimum to get warm. If you know your flexibility isn’t that great, it would be a good idea to work on this outside of class.
Being flexible will not only improve your rolling, it will help you avoid injury. Supple, flexible muscles and joints have a far greater range of motion and this lessens the chances for injury.
Strength Training
Again, sometimes we need to add in additional training outside of the dojo. When we roll regularly, we are taxing all kinds of muscle groups, but we may not be working them evenly. A good way to keep our bodies injury-free is to make sure we are training all muscle groups. It is easy to overtrain certain areas at the expense of others.
If we work biceps, then we must also work triceps for balance. Work abs? Make sure to work the lower back as well. When I roll I tend to use the right side of my body more (being right-handed). Thus, I need to make sure that I train the left side (at the gym) to avoid overtraining one set of muscles.
Don’t Be a Hero
I’ve talked about this before but it bears mentioning again. When in doubt? Tap out. I used to fight every single submission and, yes, a lot of them I could wriggle free from, but was the pain and soreness worth it? The strained pectoral I have had to baby for months because I didn’t want to admit my opponent had gotten me in an arm bar? Live and learn and move on. This is not the UFC.
Now if I even think someone has a submission, I tap out and war-game how I landed in the bad spot to begin with so I can learn.
White belt is a long…long journey. No need to make it any longer.
Slow Down
Again, we’ve talked about this before, but this is an especially tough lesson for white belts. I am still learning it. When we grapple, we need to learn to do it with control. Going too quickly or lurching or flinging into moves is just a good way to get hurt or hurt someone else.
What to Do When Injured
STOP
I’ve been the idiot who just kept rolling even when I knew I’d probably strained something. In Jiu Jitsu we have to learn to listen to our bodies early. If you think you hurt yourself when rolling, just stop. Better to miss 30 minutes of rolling than a month.
ICE
I HATE ice. It is wet and uncomfortable and whiiiiiiiine. But, ice is key for reducing inflammation. Heat might feel good, but it will make inflammation even worse and when the tissue is gorged with blood and swollen? It isn’t going to heal. This means for a new injury, stick to ice. Wait a good three days before using any heat.
When we injure a muscle, ice shrinks capillaries stemming any blood flow to minimize swelling, and it numbs nerve endings which will help with pain. I use bags of cheap frozen vegetables wrapped in a thin kitchen towel. Peas are my favorite because the bag can be molded to conform to the injured area.
ROTATE ON 5s
If you have a more significant injury, you can use heat after three days, but rotate it with ice. Always start with ice and then end with ice. Five minutes ice then five minutes heat.
5 Ice–> 5 Heat –> 5 Ice –> 5 Heat –> 5 Ice
Heat is good for adding some suppleness back into the muscle. So if you are stiff, feel free to use some heat to get the blood flowing into that area before working out.
We just have to be careful with heat. Heat is going to dilate capillaries and increase blood flow. This is good for getting stiff muscles moving and for getting rid of soreness but if we have a strain or tear we could be doing more harm than good.
ELEVATE
Again, the key to speedier healing is to make sure to contain inflammation. Inflammation is bad juju. So if you’ve injured an area that you can elevate? I.e. an ankle. DO IT.
REST
This is a tough one. Lately, I’ve had a strained pectoral and it has been a serious pain (literally) to rehabilitate. My physical therapist has told me to rest, but I will be the first to admit that I am a lousy judge of when I am okay to get back in the game. I believe I’ve rested enough but…yeah. No.
Take it slow. BJJ will be there when we return.
Natural Remedies
Tumeric can be used to ward off inflammation. I use this for cooking, but it can also be taken in capsule form or made into a poultice to take down inflammation and ease joint pain. I also HIGHLY recommend Dr. Singha’s Mustard Bath for soaking away pain.
Just remember that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a fantastic workout that can keep you lean, fit, flexible and healthy. Like any sport, it comes with bumps, bruises and strains but by being careful and listening to our bodies we can ensure we can continue to enjoy the sport for years to come!
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