After heading back to jiu jitsu three times in the span of a week, I got broken. My hips were absolutely killing me. Husband has this AM/PM beginner yoga dvd and literally me just sitting cross legged was TOO PAINFUL. I eased into it, then experienced GREAT PAIN just changing which leg was on top/bottom. I normally experience hip pain, but it’s just a “whoa I’m sore.” This was much more excruciating. Husband suggested I call a doctor.
Me, but much less whiny
I waited an hour for the doctor, and when he came in and saw me, I described the pain as FRAKKING AWFUL, like BONES GRINDING ON BONES. Doctor said, “Well, it’s a trade off – people who sit around on a couch don’t generally develop arthritis, but they get horrible heart disease, and vice versa. So, do you want to be the old person hobbling around with a walker, or the person in the wheelchair with an awful heart.” I voted for arthritis.
He thought I might need an x-ray, and he tapped on the bones – no pain. Then he tried to rotate my legs. “Wow – you are REALLY inflexible” he noted. It’s not arthritis, but rather the soft tissue connecting legs to hips. Tomorrow I will call to schedule my appointment with a physical therapist. For now, I’m popping (no, autocorrect, I’m not pooping) horse pills of ibuprofin before class, as well as gently doing that beginner yoga dvd.
Jiu Jiu’s Question: What pain has your sport exacerbated? What has it helped with? How do you manage your pain?
Ouch!
I keep getting injured. I broke a toe 6 months ago so I stopped running and jumping for a while. Then as soon as that recovered I found myself with epicondilithis, so no punches and lifts for now.
I train around the injury but now I’m working with a physical therapist to develop a maintance routine for my joints. I realized that having a good ROM and taking care of joints and back is super important to avoid other injuries and have less suffering when old.
The resistance band is my new best friend.
Ouch!! I rolled my ankle in class once when we were jumping rope. 🙁 I looked up what epicondylitis is – Americans call it “Tennis Elbow.” 😀
ROM is soooo important. My legs can only spread MAYBE 45 degrees. 🙁 Sad sad. Hopefully the physical therapist will be able to help with that.
So awful to have so much pain. As we get older we have to make sure we follow up with extra maintenance. We need to be mindful of stretching and actually do the exercises that are prescribed by PT, even when we are starting to feel better. Being on the mats as an older BJJ practitioner is a gift for me and I need to make sure I take care of myself. I hope you feel better soon.
Please invest in a foam roller. This will aid in your overall flexibility and muscle soreness. Roll out your legs, hips and back for 30 minutes prior to rolling in the gym and for 30 minutes after. It will hurt like hell the first few times you do it but after a while you will find yourself doing it randomly throughout your day because “it feels good”.
Hi Z. I have a foam roller, but don’t really know how and where to use it. I also have a WOD pain ball (not the real name). My first PT session is Tuesday, so hopefully they’ll advise me on what to do and how to do it.