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IchiRiKen1
13th December 2001, 05:53
Inquiring as to the number of folks out there that have diagnosed conditions dealing with lower back pain (i.e. herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, etc.).

I have just been diagnosed (officially) with degenerative disc disease in my back and a degenerative condition in my knee, both of which I have had for a VERY long time, and neither of which I am willing to let halt my training.

I am wondering, specifically, what those of you with such conditions find assists you in your training. I have had to modify some stances (have to do some a little higher than I would like, otherwise the knee won't let me stand back up too easily), and can no longer serve as a "toss me about" dummy (though how I LOVE to be thrown... :( ).

Just trying to get some input from fellow budoka.

Thanks

Kit LeBlanc
13th December 2001, 21:37
I have several training partners with bad backs...they have found that newaza is the training method they can do most readily with little or no deleterious effects on their problem.

These are guys that came from standup striking, aikido and judo backgrounds and simply could not take the standing methods anymore, mainly throws and getting back up from them.

Same with knees. I trained with a wrestler who switched to newaza (BJJ) because his knees were so bad they would "pop out" during standing exercises...whatever that means. Supposedly Draeger switched to mostly newaza practice after his knees went, and I hear tell that used to be (maybe still...) the old timers in judo would all work their newaza after bodies had broken down and they couldn't handle the big, beefy youngsters any more standing up.