neck injury

[judoka x]

I am looking for some advice/feedback on neck injuries due to training. I haven't trained in judo for about 2 years because of a chronic neck problem. It was first injured about 4 years ago when someone put me in a very tight choke hold (one where your own arm is pinned against the side of your neck while you are being squeezed/strangled). I felt a few pops in my neck as I was tapping.

If this wasn't bad enough, about 2 weeks after that, another incident happened while attempting to avoid a pin. The top of my head was flat against the ground when my opponent put all of his enourmous weight on me. This aggravated my neck even more than the first injury. Both events happened when I was fairly green at grappling.

To make a long story short, my abilities got better but my neck didn't. I finally had to quit after the pain kept getting worse (it could last for months). Due to my lack of health insurance, my only medical advice has been from a walk-in clinic where the doctor basically told me my neck had been "hyper-flexed" and that I should take up another activity (you get what you pay for).

A fellow judoka told me to try glucosamine chondroitin (supplement for cartlidge regrowth). After about two months, however, there was no improvement.

Does anyone know what can be done for these type of injuries? How much medical costs would be? I miss judo training and keeping up with the submission fighting world but do not want to make matters worse by stepping back onto the mat in this condition.


Thanks a lot,
Tim

[Bad Karma]

Can't answer your insurance questions, but...

my neck injury, from Judo, had me getting a 'roid shot and a bottle of pills that cost $120! That was $12 per pill! It was some kind of "new" epileptic seizure pill being used for severe neck muscle strain/separation injuries. Dude! I was in bad shape prior to the shot. I couldn't move one inch without major pain. I never realized how much your neck was involved in movement. Guess all that head balance stuff it does. Anyways, your neck muscles do not "push" to hold your head. They "pull down," equally, to hold your head erect. I damaged my left side and now have a "tilt" to the right. LOL! Before the steroid shot, I walked with head resting on my right shoulder for support. I had to hold my head still in my hands before I yawned, sneezed, or coughed.

I still get headaches when I place too much stress on the neck. Prolonged work hours do the same. I can tell you it runs from the left side bottom of my skull down past the inside left shoulder blade. Perhaps, if I had gone back for the MRI...who knows? Doubt it. This has been several years ago and if I remember to "pop" my neck a few times (without a lot of pressure or else the headaches happen) before class and stretch. Not too bad. I still have to take a few motrin pills before and afterwards. Nothing major if you take it very slow and light! Never forget to train your neck correctly. The easiest way is to simply hold your head off the ground for time. Make sure you train all four directions equally, but on separate intervals - no rotating! No spinning around on your head! No wrestler neck bridges! If you need resistance, or build yourself up to it, simply use the couch to press against or have a partner cup their hands for you to press against.

You can continue to train, but you'll have to train smarter and that usually means more safely. Make sure your instructor and training partner are aware of your injury BEFORE training. Instead of randori, perhaps substitute that time for drills. You can NEVER do enough of those, anyway!

However, some instructors may require a doctor release before letting you train. If the instructor is working through an organization, you may not be allowed to train at all due to liability issues involving a known injury or disability.

Never, never, never quit! Any martial art, once it gets in your system, it's like a disease with no vaccine! LOL! Someday, I'll tell you about a submission grappling event I competed in after having stitches from a foot surgery removed the day prior...a disease, man! LOL!

Peace

[SweepEm]

If I were you, I'd find the best chiropractor around, asking a lot of people and finding the state association of chiropractors and find the doctor that the other doctors go to.

A lot of people think that chiropractors are quacks and many are. It was not until I really hurt my back that I went to one and it took about 3 days, but I was much better. I've been going to a chiropractor for a lot of my injuries, especially the neck and lower back. With some strething exercises, I have been relatively pain free in the neck and back. But I have a chronic sore shoulder now and have been taking the glucosmine and chondritin pills which seem to help a bit but it's no overnight cure.

Ask around for help, you never know who know might know a friend who is a sports med doctor, an orthopedic surgeon or a chiropractor.

[yusul]

Judoka X: this advice is only my opinion, use at your own risk.

there are few general things u should do. first of all, get an assessment: what is the exact nature of your injury? x-rays are only really good for finding bone damage (fractures), so an MRI scan is the way to go, plus an assessment by a kinesiologist, pt, or competent chiropractor. any of them should do range of motion tests, probably with some palpation (feeling around the area). there might be some other tests, but those 2 are the main ones. you should also describe the pain in more detail (sharp, dull, when does it occur? etc)

the next step is treatment, around my area, treatment costs around 100 bones a session for a top of the line pt, or 60 for a certified (ie. no kinky sh#t) massage therapist specializing in sports massage. (not all states certify massage, but CA does) If you have certified massage therapists in your area, they work wonders, but i wouldn't overlook a few sessions with a physiotherapist. if it is a chronic injury, it is likely there might be a buildup of scar tissue, in which case you will need ultrasound or laser treatment (used by pt's) to break it down. (some chinese liniments and things like tiger balm might help, but its use at your own risk). you will also need to stretch and strengthen the problem area (under the guidance of a therapist) over a period of time. it goes without saying that you should avoid neck specific grappling activity for a while (unless under the guidance of a competent therapist), since you might be constantly aggravating your injury. I'm sure you can train in judo to some degree, if i was in you shoes, i'd work on sweeps and go light in general.

the last step is feedback; is the pain going away? the treatment should be noticeable after a few weeks, if not completely healed. only you can judge if its working.
good luck.

[Heart]

Having had an injury or two in my time, I would recomend the following.

First, get a good medical analysis. Until you know what the problem is you cant fix it.

Next, check out physical therapy. I've had only good luck with it. You just have to be disciplined and take your recovery slowly.

Hope this helps

[Bad Karma]

Can you tell me more about the laser/ultrasound?

Anything that prevents going under the knife! I just might go back for another check. Are these two methods (laser and Ultrasound) fairly new in neck treatment? The neck specialist guy told me that regardless of what happened, the neck has already healed on its own (he was a little irked about my total refusal of surgery and blowing off the MRI) and I just had to deal with the inconveniences. This has been at least 5 or 6 years ago. Perhaps I will do just that...get checked again. Thanks in advance!

Peace

[yusul]

Bad Karma: surgery has actually gotten more advanced, looking the results of pro-althetes. recovery time is quicker and the proceedure is more accurate and shorter. it might be worth it. even if your neck has healed, if the muscles havent necessarily healed properly. there will still be scar tissue forming around the area if the injury was due to muscle or connective tissue tearing. there might be other problems in the area too (pinched nerves, trigger points, muscle knots, etc.) also, you can re-injury the area, causing micro tears.

ultrasound has been around for a while, probably for over a decade, i used it around 6 years ago with great results. laser is new (maybe a few years) i'm not sure its available to the general public yet, some NBA therapists r using them. laser therapy applies lasers non-surgically to the injured area; there is heat but you aren't being cut open or anything. I just thought of something else, it might help your neck if you wear in-soles like dr scholls, or orthotics (customized expensive molded in-soles); how you walk and the impact you foot takes runs up the spine and could be affecting your neck.

[yusul]

Bad Karma: btw, i've never had ultrasound treatment on the neck, i've had it on the knee and shoulder areas. since it breaks down scar tissue, and i believe it stimulates the body's healing process, i can't think of a reason why they wouldnt use it on your neck, but that's for a therapist to decide.

[tuffguy]

As a person who is dealing with a severe neck injury right now(Car accident) I would really advise you to do whatever you can to get with a doctor. You may be lucky and just have soft tissue damage ie.. muscle, tendon etc... but you could have a more serious problem, especially if it's been going on for a while. I unfortunatly have a ruptured disk, 2 bulging disks and nerve damage in my neck. I've been trying to recoup since february. Neck problems are no joke, if you have a herniated or ruptured disk you could risk damage to your spinal cord. I would advise that you get with a doctor ahve an MRI and a bone scan to see if there is any serious damage. Definatly get with a good chiropractor. I've been trying it for about 2 months and have had a lot of progress in that time, and had zero progress the 6 onths before that with physicle theropy. Make sure you see a chiropractor that does manuel theropy release(basicly it's a real deep massage). Good luck.

[Jim_Kelly]

Neck Training, Neck Exercises and Neck Conditioning for Grappling, MMA and Wrestling

Man, I know how you feel.

Neck injuries are rough and it's tough to deal with, especially in a sport that puts SO much stress directly on your neck.

I've lost way too many friends, training partners and even coaches due to neck injuries from grappling. It really sucks.

I was obsessed with neck training before I injured my neck, and of course after I had to have an emergency C1-C2 fusion, I became even more obsessed with neck training for wrestling, especially after the doctors told me that the only thing that kept me alive was the muscular development of my neck. Without that, I'd be DEAD, or at best, in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. Not my words, but directly from the doctors mouth.

The doctor told me after my first X-Ray, "You can forget about wrestling, kid." And I remember yelling "F*CK YOU!" to him.

And yes, I proved him wrong. The doctors tried as best they can to rob me of a wrestling career, but I'm still training, still wrestling, still doing BJJ (currently a purple belt with Team Lloyd Irvin) and currently training for my first MMA fight.

Neck training SAVED MY LIFE and it continues to keep me able to do what I absolutely LOVE to do. Without it, I wouldn't be able to roll at all on the mats. Instead, because of it, I'm able to train with one of the best teams in the world, and with some of the toughest guys, and I'm able to keep working to be the best myself. It's great.

You can check out articles from my neck injury at www.GrapplingInTheTrenches.com

You can get free neck training tips at www.GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com

THANKS and RESPECT. Protect Your Neck!

Jim Kelly
Team Lloyd Irvin
http://www.NoMoreNeckProblems.com


PS. By the way, if you have any questions, you can ask me here:

http://www.nomoreneckproblems.com/ask