injury challenge

[thaddeus]

I just hurt my sacral area in aikido last night. Hurts like hell, can barely stand and walk. What can I do to get back to training asap..like next week. Normally, this level of injury will take me out three weeks.

I think i've tried everything in the past..anything that you've tried that can get me going?

T

[Leo]

Wow...I just started taking Aikido a couple of weeks ago with the local parks department. It is incredibly cheap, and I was very excited to start taking it. But lately, as I'm aging (35) I've noticed I injure more easily and heal more slowly. I was hoping to learn the stuff about ki, but evidently the style I'm taking is the more martial style. They do joint locks and throws and stuff, and you're supposed to slap your leg or the ground if it starts to hurt too much. Last time they paired me with a kid that seemed to enjoy the pain. It was a little weird...he wanted me to go really far before he would tap. And he was a little rough, and I type for a living, and I was thinking maybe I shouldn't press my luck. This morning I've been debating it, and then I saw your post and I think I've made up my mind!

 

That being said, I've had some lingering unrelated injuries, and I've started taking some enzymes designed to make you heal faster. I've only been taking them for a little while, but so far they SEEM to be working. Here's a link to the kind I wanted to get (they didn't have them at the store I went to because they're so new):

http://www.gardenoflife.com/detail_fyi_restore.shtml

 

And here's a link to the kind I did get:

http://www.enzymedica.com/proteolytic_enzymes.php

 

They're all a little spendy, but if they work it's worth it!

[thelerner]

One thing I learned in Aikido, tap hard, scream loud and early.

 

 

Michael

[thaddeus]

One thing I learned in Aikido, tap hard, scream loud and early.

 

 

Michael

Part of the training is absorbing the technique with your body. If you feel pain from a joint lock, your body mechanics is not right. Alot of this is learned by feel and trial and error. Don't give up a training opportunity because of the occasional freak you might get paired up. The art of taking ukemi is largely about protecting yourself. I got careless and overstretched on a backbend taking ukemi for irimi nage. All my fault for getting careless.

Thanks for the info on the enzymes..gonna try it..

T

[SunDog]

Thaddeus,

 

Anything specific that caused the trouble? Such as a certain drill that had you in flexion a lot? Is this back pain an ongoing thing? Any disc troubles?

 

The sacral area's at the mercy of a lot of muscles. Check your quadratus lumborum, the deep muscles in the back under the superficial layer, and your entire glute area. If the glutes are sore, tight, knotted, get in there with a hockey puck, a tennis-sized hi-bounce rubber ball or Indian rubber ball and work it all out. Especially out to the upper side part of the butt. Tight muscles here will pull tight to the leg bone at the hip joint and cause all kinds of trouble with the sacral area as a result.

 

It's a bit more difficult to get into the quadratus lumborum but any release can be helpful.

 

A caution: No deep work on the bones including the spine at all, muscles only.

 

Also, check your hip flexors. They may have been strained from that back bend. The hip flexores are in front. I suspect you may be having some trouble with these because you're having a hard time standing up. Muscles to focus on--illiacus is easiest, try to edge your fingers under the rim of the pelvis in front. Watch for the ligament that connects from the pelvis to the pubic bone. Don't apply pressure to it. It's like a thick string in dimensions.

 

Also check your calves. Tight and knotted muscle here can cause pain in the sacral area.

 

A good book to check out is Clair Davies _The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook_ available online at most booksellers.

 

Stretches are good, but trigger point release will get you back on your feet much more quickly.

 

Energy work along with is especially good.

 

Sundog

[thaddeus]

Thaddeus,

 

Anything specific that caused the trouble? Such as a certain drill that had you in flexion a lot? Is this back pain an ongoing thing? Any disc troubles?

 

The sacral area's at the mercy of a lot of muscles. Check your quadratus lumborum, the deep muscles in the back under the superficial layer, and your entire glute area. If the glutes are sore, tight, knotted, get in there with a hockey puck, a tennis-sized hi-bounce rubber ball or Indian rubber ball and work it all out. Especially out to the upper side part of the butt. Tight muscles here will pull tight to the leg bone at the hip joint and cause all kinds of trouble with the sacral area as a result.

 

It's a bit more difficult to get into the quadratus lumborum but any release can be helpful.

 

A caution: No deep work on the bones including the spine at all, muscles only.

 

Also, check your hip flexors. They may have been strained from that back bend. The hip flexores are in front. I suspect you may be having some trouble with these because you're having a hard time standing up. Muscles to focus on--illiacus is easiest, try to edge your fingers under the rim of the pelvis in front. Watch for the ligament that connects from the pelvis to the pubic bone. Don't apply pressure to it. It's like a thick string in dimensions.

 

Also check your calves. Tight and knotted muscle here can cause pain in the sacral area.

 

A good book to check out is Clair Davies _The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook_ available online at most booksellers.

 

Stretches are good, but trigger point release will get you back on your feet much more quickly.

 

Energy work along with is especially good.

 

Sundog

Thanks Sundog, really like your name!

I'm not sure exactly how it happened, I was getting up and realized I felt something like a tear in my sacral area and now it hurts.

I've been loading up on vitamin C, proline, bromeline,chondrotin sulfate, glucosamine, meditation/visualization to jump start the healing process. Also just trying to sleep alot.

I do think I have tightness in the ilacus that probably made me more suscesptible to this injury..how do i work that one again?

Thanks,

T

[SunDog]

Thaddeus,

 

Thanks! When I was young I'd never heard of a sundog before. Imagine my surprise when I learned what they were--Sun rainbows.

 

To stretch the iliacus get yourself into a stride position with a decent base of support. Both toes point forward, especially on the back foot, otherwise the muscle disconnects and doesn't get stretched. Get a stretch going in the groin on the side of the leg that's behind you. Keep your back in the tai chi flatish back position, then bring the arm up on the same side as the behind leg. Keep stable and secure, raise that arm over your head and arch that arm over to the opposite side with some torso movement. Your pelvis stays stable, but all of the torso mucles on that side get stretched. This is one of the few stretches that really get into the iliopsoas, which is comprised of the psoas, very deep, and the iliacus.

 

To get into to release physically, first find the pelvic bone, which is in front but lateral. Work the abdominal tissue on the inside edge until it releases and you can comfortably get you finger under and against the inside of the pelvic bowl. The iliacus lines the pelvis. So get in there and get pressing on the sore spots. Not much to worry about except for that ligament.

 

But not knowing you, I don't know how far you'll get, so just know that deep in the pelvic floor there is a nerve you should avoid, though it's not likely that you should get that deep.

 

The easiest way to go about the releasing is to lie on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor or bed or couch. Take your two thumbs and press them nail to nail so they support one another, then slip them under the pelvic bone on one side until you feel like you've released all you can for the time being, then the other. Often, one side is worse pain-wise and tightness-wise, because of muscular imbalances that can occur for many reasons.

 

A short glucosamine note, great stuff, but you need to take it for at least a month straight before the effects can be felt. And it's not a problem to continually take the stuff, good for joints and discs and stuff, just watch for contraindications, I seem to recall diabetes in relation to blood pressure, but a quick internet check can give you that info. Also, for some people the chondrotin molecule is too big to absorb. If it's taken with the glucosamine in such a person, both end up unuseable by the body.

 

Pineapple (bromeline) is awesome. Also awesome, an epsom salt soak, 2 cups in the tub, though not with heart or kidney troubles or if you're that rare person that gets aggravated rather than physically relaxed by, also arnica cream or gel. On the latter, shop around, there are some really overpriced arnica products out there.

 

Freeform, that sounds cool. What kind of tree is it the pycnogenal from?

 

Sundog

[karen]

Thaddeus,

 

Homeopathic Arnica. In a 30C or 200C potency. Works wonders for speeding healing from any injury. The more acute the pain, the more often you can take it.. even a dose every hour in very acute situations, otherwise once or twice a day for a few days or until you're feeling better. If there is considerable injury to nerves, then Hypericum can be added.

 

Best,

Karen

[thaddeus]

Thaddeus,

 

Thanks! When I was young I'd never heard of a sundog before. Imagine my surprise when I learned what they were--Sun rainbows.

 

To stretch the iliacus get yourself into a stride position with a decent base of support. Both toes point forward, especially on the back foot, otherwise the muscle disconnects and doesn't get stretched. Get a stretch going in the groin on the side of the leg that's behind you. Keep your back in the tai chi flatish back position, then bring the arm up on the same side as the behind leg. Keep stable and secure, raise that arm over your head and arch that arm over to the opposite side with some torso movement. Your pelvis stays stable, but all of the torso mucles on that side get stretched. This is one of the few stretches that really get into the iliopsoas, which is comprised of the psoas, very deep, and the iliacus.

 

To get into to release physically, first find the pelvic bone, which is in front but lateral. Work the abdominal tissue on the inside edge until it releases and you can comfortably get you finger under and against the inside of the pelvic bowl. The iliacus lines the pelvis. So get in there and get pressing on the sore spots. Not much to worry about except for that ligament.

 

But not knowing you, I don't know how far you'll get, so just know that deep in the pelvic floor there is a nerve you should avoid, though it's not likely that you should get that deep.

 

The easiest way to go about the releasing is to lie on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor or bed or couch. Take your two thumbs and press them nail to nail so they support one another, then slip them under the pelvic bone on one side until you feel like you've released all you can for the time being, then the other. Often, one side is worse pain-wise and tightness-wise, because of muscular imbalances that can occur for many reasons.

 

A short glucosamine note, great stuff, but you need to take it for at least a month straight before the effects can be felt. And it's not a problem to continually take the stuff, good for joints and discs and stuff, just watch for contraindications, I seem to recall diabetes in relation to blood pressure, but a quick internet check can give you that info. Also, for some people the chondrotin molecule is too big to absorb. If it's taken with the glucosamine in such a person, both end up unuseable by the body.

 

Pineapple (bromeline) is awesome. Also awesome, an epsom salt soak, 2 cups in the tub, though not with heart or kidney troubles or if you're that rare person that gets aggravated rather than physically relaxed by, also arnica cream or gel. On the latter, shop around, there are some really overpriced arnica products out there.

 

Freeform, that sounds cool. What kind of tree is it the pycnogenal from?

 

Sundog

Thank you for all the great info! I'm going work on releasing tonight.

Karen, thanks for the info on arnica, i heard of it topically, but not taking it internally..so that's cool.

T

[karen]

Karen, thanks for the info on arnica, i heard of it topically, but not taking it internally..so that's cool.

 

Yup. Arnica is quite toxic in crude dose, so you don't want to eat arnica ointment . But in diluted, potentized form, works wonders.

 

Take care.

[VCraigP]

Yup. Arnica is quite toxic in crude dose, so you don't want to eat arnica ointment . But in diluted, potentized form, works wonders.

 

Take care.

 

 

Karen

 

you recommended homeopathic internal arnica. Your knowledge of Homeopathy far exceeds everyone on this board I would guess, but...

 

I would recommend Arnica gel for external also, in conjunction with your recommendation or Traumeil which is a combination of Arnica and something like flower remedy for emotional support along with the Arnica. Good stuff.

 

Regular application externally for this type of injury, especially when done immediately after the injury is really effective in the long run.

 

Also, if you are involved in any type of impact sport you should have Arnica in your gym bag so you can leave the mat and apply it immediately. I found it essential in my earlier taekwondo play.

 

Some people would even put it on their shins before sparring to reduce the potential injury which is inevitable in TKD fighting.

 

Also about AIKIDO.

I highly recommend reading "Angry White Pajamas" which is a very funny and very fascinating tale of an expatriot journalist living in Tokyo and training Aikido with the "Tokyo Riot Police".

A great perspective on what AIKIDO is to hardcore people in Japan, as compared to the way it is perceived/marketed here in the US.

Aikido is TOUGH on the body. Bouncing off the mat uncounted times every class is NOT EASY!

 

Craig

[karen]

I would recommend Arnica gel for external also, in conjunction with your recommendation or Traumeil which is a combination of Arnica and something like flower remedy for emotional support along with the Arnica. Good stuff.

 

Excellent point, Craig. Both can be used simultaneously, the potentized Arnica taken internally and the topical treatment. Traumeel also contains a bunch of other remedies that address various other aspects of injuries, like skin damage, fear and anxiety, nerve damage, redness and swelling. It's the complex homeopathy approach, the "throw everything on the wall and see what sticks" approach .

 

Arnica itself really covers all the aspect of injuries, and generally you don't need to treat for those symptoms individually, but if Traumeel is available, it's fair to use that.

 

One caveat with Traumeel is that you should NOT use it if you have a fractured bone that needs to be set, because it contains Symphytum (comfrey), commonly known as "knitbone." You would use that only after the bone has been set, and then it's wonderful!

 

-Karen

[SunDog]

Thanks for the info, Freeform.

 

Thaddeus, let me know how the releasing goes.

 

And homeopathics are awesome too. May want to take something for the tendons and ligaments as well, depending on your specifics some possibles may be ruta, rhus tox, or bryonia. A handy little book on a this big topic is by Asa Hershoff, ND and it's called _Homeopathic Remedies._

 

SunDog