Cervical Herniated Disc (C7)

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MyBodyHurts

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Hi,

About a month and a half ago I was rolling and started to feel a shooting pain through my shoulder. Figuring it wasn't that big of a deal, I rolled about four more times before heading home. About two hours later I began to get intense pain in my neck and shoulder until eventually I was in the ER all night hunched over holding my arm. Fast forward to now and I have a herniated disc at C7, have taken more percocet and vicodin than any human should, and haven't been able to do jiu jitsu since.

The reason for my post is I'm trying to see if others have had the same type of injury/condition and if you were ever able to return to jiu jitsu. My one doctor told me I can resume light cardio now and weight lifting in the future, but I should stay away from any activities that might cause my neck to bend. Of course, my other orthopedic surgeon said it should be OK to start jiu jitsu back up in a month or so.

I realistically can't afford to be hurt like this again if I can avoid it, both due to the amount of pain I've felt and the amount of work I've missed, but at the same time jiu jitsu has largely been my entire life outside of work and studying.

Has anyone had a similar injury and recovered fully or resumed jiu jitsu training?

Thanks.
 
I had almost the exact same thing happen (my herniated disk is c6 not c7). I had two doctors tell me never to do bjj again. They almost had me convinced. Instead I took about two months completely off from any training. I had the steroid injection to my neck. And, most effectively for me, I got a great physical therapist and really worked my PT.

With a herniated disk you know you have a problem that will be with you for life, but eight months after the injury I now believe I can manage it (and still train).

Just a disclaimer: I've been doing jiu jitsu for about a decade. By and large I can control what happens to my neck during a roll. YOU MUST NOT SPAZZ OR YOU WILL REINJURE YOURSELF -- this may be easier said than done if you're newer to the sport. Good luck!
 
sorry to hear about that, stretching is important. I haven't dealt with this in the past, thank god.
 
That sucks. I have messed up my neck pretty badly. I have degenerative disc disease from C3-C7. I herniated my discs, and then wrestled for a season, which F$%&ed them up, something fierce.

Get some injections, and do some PT, and don't do BJJ, for a solid 3 months. Otherwise you'll aggravate your neck, and possibly make it worse.

I never liked taking pain pills. They just made me tired.
 
MyBodyHurts - Be careful, on both issues. The neck & medication. I too injuried my neck, had surgery and developed a WICKED Perceit addiction.

Listen to your Doctor!
 
I have a similar issue, C6 and C7. Antinflammatories are a necessity for me. Physical therapy, and being smart about the positions I put myself in has become a way of life.

1. I still train. That doesn't mean you should, but it's been done.
2. It will likely never go away completely.
3. You'll get out of your neck what you give it. Rest, keep down the inflammation, don't abuse it, and you'll have better results than if you try to train right through it like it's not hurt.
 
My C6-C7 is herniated, and I have degenerative disc disease with a few other discs dessicated (loss of nucleus pulposis without rupture of the annulus fibrosis). This was diagnosed in 2006 via MRI after getting neck pain and shooting pain down my right arm during jiujitsu practice. A neurologist told me never to do BJJ again, as it would likely cause further damage and need for more intrusive management down the road (epidurals, spinal fusion, disc replacement, etc.).

I have been continuing to train since then. Big thing is to let your training partners and instructors know so they can help you watch out for it. Stretch and hydrate yourself properly. Strengthen your neck and upper back muscles. And if you have pain again, take the time for it to go away. I rarely get that terrible pain radiating down my right arm like that initial event, but I do have aches in my neck.

Watch out for d'arce chokes and other neck cranks. I actually also have difficulty inverting or doing tornado guard, just doesn't feel secure on my neck and shoulders.

Ultimately it's up to you. Neck and back pain in later life is horrible, as a med student I have seen alot of chronic pain patients who were not candidates for disc surgery (due to other comorbidities), whose pain is no longer controlled by meds. It is not a fun existence. And honestly the disc surgery is hit or miss, some patients come out of it in worse shape and still in pain. It's a decision you have to make for yourself.
 
Basically. you are screwed for the most part. I have disc herniation in L/5 and S/1. It will be with you for the rest of your life. Its very unlikely that you can continue to train like you did before. You might be able to manage some training, but you'll likely re injure it again.

I know that is very pessimistic, but it the truth for the most part. Sorry to say.
 
Thanks for the responses. I've definitely gotten better over the last month. Initially, my one doctor told me he didn't want me to start physical therapy because he was 90% certain I would need surgery. But, he wanted me to see one of the top surgeons around, which took about a month to happen. He recommended physical therapy so I should be starting that next week. Ideally I can start jiu jitsu again in the beginning of September. Looking back, I probably had a herniated disc already and the night I mentioned earlier just brought it all crashing down where I actually felt it.

I really don't think I can stop jiu jitsu. Rather, my plan is to probably train a lot less (maybe three days a week) and just tap really early (probably annoyingly so with my partner) to anything involving my neck. I'm sorry what some of you have gone through, especially the amount of pain you must have felt.

Sucks.
 
MyBodyHurts said:
Thanks for the responses. I've definitely gotten better over the last month. Initially, my one doctor told me he didn't want me to start physical therapy because he was 90% certain I would need surgery. But, he wanted me to see one of the top surgeons around, which took about a month to happen. He recommended physical therapy so I should be starting that next week. Ideally I can start jiu jitsu again in the beginning of September. Looking back, I probably had a herniated disc already and the night I mentioned earlier just brought it all crashing down where I actually felt it.

I really don't think I can stop jiu jitsu. Rather, my plan is to probably train a lot less (maybe three days a week) and just tap really early (probably annoyingly so with my partner) to anything involving my neck. I'm sorry what some of you have gone through, especially the amount of pain you must have felt.

Sucks.
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Yeah I doubt you herniated it that specific night. I did a rotation with a chronic and behavioral pain specialist a couple months ago and he told me that if you MRI'ed spines of a random sampling of adults, most likely some of them will have herniated discs and not even know it, apparently there are alot of people who walk around with them and have no symptoms. Although I'm sure if you threw them into a BJJ traning session, they'd have an episode like you described in the original post.

Again, it's a totally manageable condition, but it will get worse over time. How quickly it degenerates is up to you, and how responsible you are with your training. I don't think its the end of your BJJ career by any means, but prepare for some blowback in your twilight years.
 
My hernia has been controlling most of my sport based life for about 8 years now, every training is built around it and about 200+ times a day i think about it or feel it burn in my neck/back. I have spend countless hours in therapy's and also insane amounts of money and time.

So the only thing id like to advice you is to spend as much effort and time on it in the beginning. Do everything right , work a ton on good posture for relief etc.

If i could redo things i probably would've taken months or even a year more of revalidation , rest etc.
 
I have had Herniated Discs in C3, C5, & C6 it got so bad i lost quite a bit of muscle in my left Tricep and left Pec i couldnt even do one push up...pretty much my whole left side shrunk in size went on with it for about a month till i went to an Acupuncture and he had me feeling better that day..I just recently had them slip out again...went to the Acupuncture and he had me back on the Mat with in a week..soreness always remains but the sharp burning pain is gone. My streangth is coming back too. I've been to an Orthepedic Surgen all he did was give me a steriod pack and send me on...No one has ever told me i should not do bjj anymore, the acupuncture doctor said jiu-jitsu is good for me to stay active just to fix my injuries right and on time.
 
i had a cervical fusion on c6 c7, took 2 years off and now i'm back. look up my post history to find the thread.
 
Man this thread is serious. There's a guy at our gym, who is a total badass both BJJ and Muay Thai, who herniated a disk. He's been out a very long time, and now apparently needs surgery. So lousy to get an injury like that.
 
Herniated l4, l5 last year. Terrible back soreness for a year and a half now but its manageable with lots of stretching, icing, and anti inflammatory.

My back like clicks every once in a while and I'm koed for a few days. Hurts to sit, bend over, and sleep. Really interferes with my training especially when I am about to fight.

I had a fight two weeks ago and my back slipped 3 times the month before and it was terrible trying to train and lose weight. Made it through though and I got the win.

Really its about constant vigilance in stretching, strengthening and finding the routine to get you back to normal as fast as possible. Usually when my back clicks I can't bend over a few hours later. I immediately walk for an hour, ice, ib profen, and stretch as hard as I can. After a few days its sore but I can move around again.
 
Been back training for about three weeks now. Only went once three weeks ago and then three times each the last two weeks. Like a previous poster, I'm having the same experience with my tricep. I can maybe do four push ups at this point whereas I could do 100 in a row before being injured.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank everyone for their stories/advice. I'm very happy to be back.
 
Hi,
I have a herniated disk. It sucks and, to quote Bubba Clinton, I feel your pain. Do your rehab and strengthen everything in the area. I did rehab, thought I had made the area stronger and slacked off a tad and it ruined my summer. I
 
I'm just curious, in addition to the arm pain, do you have weak arm extension (like week triceps) and shoulder abduction (like weak deltoids)?

I'm learning about the brachial plexus in school and the C7 nerve root gives of the radial nerve (innervates extensors of the arm and forearm) and axillary nerve (innervates deltoid).
 
Mine was car-accident related from many years ago. In my case my spine is fused in the upper vertebrae (C-1 and C-2). One thing to be aware of is to be super clear to *every* training partner that you have a bad neck. Sometimes people get aggressive without meaning to. I know that stacking is a no no in most cases. Interestingly I had this injury before I discovered BJJ. Still, I'd say be very careful and don't be afraid to tap even if you're tired or in a bad position. Tap to train another day. That's my motto.

I also seek out partners who are careful and technical. That's helped a lot. You may have to remind your instructors and partners from time to time. People sometimes forget injuries they can't see openly. I try to be careful with anything involving the clinch in particular. Good luck!
 
shades001 said:
Mine was car-accident related from many years ago. In my case my spine is fused in the upper vertebrae (C-1 and C-2). One thing to be aware of is to be super clear to *every* training partner that you have a bad neck. Sometimes people get aggressive without meaning to. I know that stacking is a no no in most cases. Interestingly I had this injury before I discovered BJJ. Still, I'd say be very careful and don't be afraid to tap even if you're tired or in a bad position. Tap to train another day. That's my motto.

I also seek out partners who are careful and technical. That's helped a lot. You may have to remind your instructors and partners from time to time. People sometimes forget injuries they can't see openly. I try to be careful with anything involving the clinch in particular. Good luck!
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They fused your top two vertebrae? Can you look from side to side?
 
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