r/judo • u/According_Job4911 • 3d ago
Other judo and herniated disc
Could you please share your experience with practicing judo while having lower back problems, such as a herniated disc. I'm 23 with L4-L5 6mm herniated disc and i want to practice judo so badly. I have some judo experience from my younger years.
edit: thank you all for sharing your experiences! i learned a lot
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u/Uchimatty 2d ago
There’s a multiple time national champ in my country who is still competing internationally with a herniated disc. Consult a doctor and PT, but just know people have trained judo very intensely with this condition before.
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u/JoeBreza-grappling 3d ago
My spine is terrible! I have bulging disks and spinal stenosis. I train regularly, but I listen to my body. If it is telling me that I have had enough, then I listen to it. I am 45 years old and wrestling killed my back. You shouldn’t train when it is currently really bad. But you can continue to train as you age. I have had many times where I thought I was done and I am grateful to still get it done
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u/yoshiaki15 3d ago
Just my 2 cents. I have been doing Judo for 9 years. I was injured by a fellow judoka who was particularly unsafe. Long story short, I have a herniated disc in between C3 and C4 now. Thankfully asymptomatic 99% of the time. What I have been told by my surgeon and what I live by is: Do what is best and safe for you. Know your limits. The exercise is great but listen to your body.
To me, that means I never randori with anyone I do not 100% trust. I disclose that I have an active neck injury to people I do not know. I do not randori with white belts. I do not actively compete anymore. If my body tells me enough, that is enough. I still love to teach and uchikomi is a form of meditation now for me. I will still take and receive throws in a controlled environment.
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u/KosotoGari 2d ago
Don't you think that receiving throws controlled is sometimes worse than in randori?
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u/yoshiaki15 2d ago
I get numbness and tingling in my hands and fingers. Bad stiffness in my neck and shoulders.
The controlled throws are dependent on the throw and who is doing it. I would rather know what is being thrown and control more of the variables.
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u/Party-Relationship41 3d ago
Wait for at least 3 months after the initial pain. By than the prolapse should have dried up. It should be consolidated, start Training slowly! Otherwise you will have a recurrent prolapse!
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u/According_Job4911 3d ago
i got my hernia 5 years ago. i went to physiotherapy for like a week and then just didn’t take care of it.
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u/Party-Relationship41 3d ago
In that case don’t worry! Asymptomatic does not count! Training is the best treatment!
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u/According_Job4911 3d ago
yeah, it’s mostly asymptomatic, but sometimes i get a little discomfort/pain if i sit for a long time or walking or running etc. i guess i need to lose fat and get in shape first
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u/GlobalSelection152 3d ago
That’s very fucked up, go to a proper specialist so they can give you advice.
Most i can say as daily habits, would be to always procure some cold and warm therapy to relief soreness and stiffness, HEAVY FOCUS on mobility & flexibility drills before and after training, and ALWAYS stay hydrated before and after training as well.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Arm8835 3d ago
I have l5-s1 spinal stenosis and arthrosis, and I found that lifting has helped immensely with being able to return to judo after many years. In particular strengthening the glutes, hamstrings etc with deadlifts, and hip thrusts as well as stabilising work such as pallof presses and Copenhagen planks have personally helped me. Prior to starting lifting I would get unbearable back spasms after judo training.
Your mileage may vary with this of course, and you must listen to your body very carefully and avoid activities that might worsen it - for me that would be high rep nagekomi as it's a lot of impact for the back and spine to absorb.
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u/KosotoGari 2d ago
nagekomi
do you ever feel like it's worse than randori when it comes to injury risk? I do
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u/chubblyubblums 2d ago
I'm pretty sure that 30 years of judo are what gave me a lower back that's like a bag of gravel. The core strength helped a lot though, since that's kind of the ultimate solution to the sciatic pain from a lower back herniation.
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u/L1NTHALO 3d ago
Well, I've been unknowingly doing Judo for the past year with a herniated L5-S1 and bulging L4-L5 so it's definitely possible. To be honest though mine has been mostly asymptomatic and only you know your case.
Try to stay as healthy as possible, do as much exercise as possible and work on strengthening your core and lower back as well as fixing possible posture, hip or other related issues.
If you're not in a particularly bad state right now I'd recommend LowBackAbility. I've been doing his program for the last 2 or 3 weeks and already feel way better than before. He has tons of free YT videos, and if you want to take it further his program is only 2$ per month. I think if your lower back is strong enough, you can do Judo no problem.