are injuries in bjj common
Knee injuries are something I know a bit about, thanks to a combination of skateboarding, snowboarding, judo, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu that has resulted in torn ligaments, torn cartilage, surgery on both knees, and enough hours on a stationary bike to last a lifetime. I’ve touched on knee injuries in a few past articles like: “Leglocks in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu“, “Leglocks for MMA and BJJ“, and my calf crush / calf slicer breakdown. I also published a knee injury series at Suite101 a few years ago and will be linking to those articles here. At any rate, the list of high-level BJJ (and MMA) fighters who have been slowed down by knee injuries goes on and on: Kron Gracie, Xande Ribeiro, David Avellan, Dustin Hazelett, Bas Rutten, Roger Gracie, Tito Ortiz, Romulo Barral, Marco Ruas, Georges Ste-Pierre, to name a few. Sep 05, 2014. In most Jiu-Jitsu schools, one of the traditional warm-ups involves sitting down and pulling the foot in circles to ‘loosen’ up the ankle, followed by knee circles. (Knee circles are where you stand with feet together and try to move the knees in a circular motion first one way, then the other.) Shah believes that you shouldn’t stretch ligaments and tendons. Stretching joints like this increases risk of injury. According to Shah, both examples of knee warm ups should be avoided. Think principles before methods. Meaning avoid any exercise that promotes knee flexibility. Martial arts can result in a wide array of injuries. The injury type is often dependent on the particular form of martial art being performed. Many forms of martial arts are actually non-contact and these tend to result in overuse injuries. Catch wrestling specialist Neil Melanson demonstrates a kneebar – aka “the king of leglocks”. Photo courtesy of MartialArtsNomad. Knee injuries are very common in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, especially since it seems like heel hooks, toeholds, and other leglocks are getting more popular. Is it the Toquinho effect? The rise of the 50-50 guard? The specific injury area I want to address today is that involving the neck. Neck injuries are actually very common in BJJ. We are always getting put in positions that put a strain on the neck, whether it’s a headlock, we are inverted, or even getting stacked. That part of our body takes a beating in this sport. Now obviously the neck is a vital anatomic junction. The most common though that I see in BJJ is the cervical sprain or strain. The cervical spine is the most mobile segment of the spine however it puts it at a high risk of injury. Cervical sprains/strains are soft tissue injuries. A strain is linked to muscle, while a sprain is linked to tendons. Most Common BJJ Warmup: A Huge Risk For Knee Injury. In most Jiu-Jitsu schools, one of the traditional warm-ups involves sitting down and pulling the foot in circles to ‘loosen’ up the ankle, followed by knee circles. Another one is standing up, joining your knees together and circling. Both of these exercises put a lot of pressure on joints to move in ways they’re not supposed to go. Terra Nova Fitness’s Chris Shah is one of the bay Area’s leading authorities on strength and conditioning for Mixed Martial Arts and running athletes.
Yes, for knee injuries and Neck injuries.