Shoulder injuries in combat sports
Why does my back ache when standing up after Jiu Jitsu?
Anatomy: The back (lumbar spine) is similar to the neck (cervical spine) in regards to anatomical makeup. The spine is designed to provide bony support for muscles and a stable base from which the limbs can move. Nerves exiting the lumbar spine send and receive signals from the legs. A compromise in the ability of the nerve to do so can cause pain, weakness or loss of movement. Like the neck, there are two groups of muscles- those that act to stabilize (stability, aerobic, “tonic”) and those that are more active (mobility, anaerobic, “phasic”) with changing the position of the hips in relation to the ribs.
Injury: Combat sport athletes should be cautious of and take care of injuries in the lower back. Most back pain injuries involve soft tissue- tendons, muscles and ligaments. However, fractures of the pars interarticularis, herniated discs and degenerative disc disease in more seasoned athletes are typical as well. These injuries can present in many different ways. Some may have pain with movement, others may have relief with movement in certain directions. The pain might feel better with standing or worse with sitting. It is important to accurately identify what structure might be causing pain and to treat it accordingly.
It is interesting to note that a large portion of the population have herniated discs but do not suffer from any pain or limitations when training or competing.
An onset of numbness or tingling, a rapid loss of muscle strength should raise an alarm that you are suffering from a serious injury. These signs suggest that a nerve is compromised and require immediate medical attention.
Aching discomfort when standing after being in a crouched position, like newaza, can be a symptom of ligaments stretching then returning to its resting position. The tissue becomes slowly stretched over the period of time you are in that posture and then returns to resting length rapidly.
Prevention: Similar to the neck, designing a strength a conditioning program to address the different fiber types is important. As mentioned before, the back needs to brace to stabilize, and move when mobility is desired. If the underlying disc or ligaments are compromised, the exercise program needs to be tailored to both sport and pathology-specific demands. The back is quite a resilient system and is primarily designed to withstand compressive and some rotational forces. Injuries can occur when the training program focuses on a single plane and does not stress the need for rapidly changing environments. Dead lifts are a great exercise for the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, lumbar extensor group), but they fail to address any rotational component that you may find yourself in (throwing a punch/kick, passing guard). Cable chops would be a good addition to an exercise program to protect the disc from rotational forces that might cause tissue damage, if properly dosed.