I quit BJJ in early 2006 due to the permanent injuries i have sustained. Not saying i definitely got those injuries from BJJ; i was lifting weights and doing boxing for a little while during my BJJ years too. However, i reckon it probably was the BJJ because i lifted fairly infrequently and boxed only occasionally while i trained BJJ at least 3 times a week and sometimes as much as 6-8 times. Furthermore, i experienced no issues post-lifting or boxing, whilst there were many clear times during BJJ where my injuries would flair up or suddenly get worse.
My legs now are so screwed i can't do what i always wanted to do after leaving university... which is join the military. These days, exercising is pretty tough to do at all and i can never keep it up for more than a few weeks before i have to take an extended break. That's the case even considering my usual approach of training responsibly and 'taking it easy'.
I've seen consultant orthopaedic surgeons, rheumatologists and radiologists, i've had physiotherapy. I'm told nothing can be done and i'll be like this forever.
I have patelo-femural joint dysfunction, and lateral subluxation of the ilio-tibial band. What this means is i have problems with my knees and hips, on both sides but significantly worse on the right. When straightening my knee my patella rubs against my femur causing a click that is usually only mildly painful, though when the joint is weight bearing and i'm trying to straight my legs (say, for a butterfly guard sweep) the click (if it even happens at all before i gave up due to the pain) is so intensly painful that it is disabling. The problem with my hip is that when i move my leg outwards laterally (abduction) i have a rubbing/clicking sensation that feels as though my hip is partially dislocated, and this is the iliotibial band getting stuck on the outside of my femur. It's usually only mildly painful, but again, if it is weight bearing (in the case of me resisting someone pinning my leg against the mat during a knee-through guard pass) or if it is sudden and fast (such as your legs being controlled in any number of guard passes) then the pain is the worst pain i have ever felt and has in the past resulted in my needing to walk with crutches for a few weeks. Overall, i'm in a constant dull aching pain and even walking a long distance makes that pain become noticable.
Anyway, these injuries have already screwed up my hopes of my dream career, and ideally i'd like to at least be able to walk properly for the rest of my life... not to mention exercise at least a little in order to keep in fairly ok shape, and in the future if i have kids i'd like to be able to play sports with them and stuff. You know, we all take mobility for granted, but after having all this going on i've really come to the conclusion that my overall wellbeing is more important to me that BJJ.
At first, i missed BJJ so much. I was really obsessed with it. I used to think about it all the time, watch youtube videos, take private lessons with my instructor, try to get all my friends into it... you know the feeling. I took a week off at first, then a month, then a couple of months. Last time i went was around mid-2006, i went for about 2 sessions and was incapacitated. I decided i'd stay away from it until my joints were better, and at the time i was still seeing consultants at the hospital, having MRI scans and all that, so i was hopeful. I tried to do Judo for a while instead because i did find that the throws were less stressful for my joints... but as it happens the clubs 'round here do a lot of groundwork too and those judo guys are far less delicate in their guard passing! I did boxing for a while too but my joints were already so bad that it just wasn't happening. With BJJ, my months away turned to years and i haven't been there now in almost 6 years!
I'd been doing martial arts since i was 6 years old, and it was really a huge part of my life. But i don't miss it anymore. There is more to life than BJJ obviously, and i have other interests that don't cause me injuries. I still try to do physical activity too; i swim, jog (rarely), cycle (sometimes), and i do stretches and rehab exercises for my legs. These days my focus is on guitar playing, reading more books, scuba diving; i might take up skydiving this year. Gotta get my kicks.
In fact, it's kinda nice to be away from it in some respects. No more dealing with roider meatheads doing illegal moves to 'get the tap', no more having to hear how people are 'fighting' at a local BJJ competition next weekend, no more having to hear of people 'smashing' their opponents and all that other stupid macho talk, no more hearing BJJ guys criticise the belt-factory system of taekwondo/karate only to then be totally cool with the growing trend of 'stripes', no more hearing stupid debates about the effectiveness of BJJ versus trad-martial arts only to see everyone butt-scooting/playing x-guard/etc. There are many aspects of the sport that i don't miss, and it's refreshing to take a break from that.
Anyway, my point is just that you feel at first as those your life would be significantly more empty without BJJ... but that's just not true. BJJ is fairly pointless in the grand scheme of things, as is any hobby or sport really.
My brother also quit, in around 2007 i think. He was also obsessed with it, trained in brazil, went to the euros, etc. Some idiot in the club cranked an armlock on him and injured his arm... every time he went back to training and anyone tried to do something to that arm it would flair up and he'd be injured again. The prevalence of aggressive meatheads combined with this seemingly permanent arm injury caused by one, made him decide to quit. He's a software engineer who needs his hands/arms for his job, and he plays drums too, he doesn't want to be permanently disabled.
Cliffs:
- I quit BJJ due to injury too.
- So did my bro.
- It's no big deal, there's more to life.