For the Love of Mat Time

I am very pleased to announce that despite the "it hurts to exist" pain that commenced four weeks ago, I have not lost any BJJ training time!

This is honestly monumental for me.

Again with the hyperbole, I have been plagued with BJJ injuries. I am actually only two months shy of the third year anniversary of when I started BJJ(!), but it is only as of this past March that I have managed to spend more time training than I have injured. And now I have been training, injury free, for almost a year straight! Hallelujah! Of course, due to school, club scheduling, etc., I have not managed to average more than three times per week. But no matter! Those three times are glorious!

In fact, I think all my forced hiatuses have helped me to appreciate mat time so much that I want to get as much out of it as I can. And I do not want to miss class for anyone (except maybe my mom) or anything. For example, a few weeks ago I experienced my first ever migraine. It was so bizarre. I was eating breakfast when these white splotches sprouted on my fields of vision, as though I hadn't woken up properly. A few minutes later, my head was throbbing, sunlight and sound were downright offensive, and it hurt to move. I quickly sought refuge on my bed in a hastily darkened bedroom. I didn't realize it was a migraine 'til I did some detective work (Wikipedia) 7 hours later since my head was still hurting a bit. Believe you me -- forward rolls are HORRIBLE if you are recovering from a migraine. Powerful sweeps can also be unpleasant. But you can still roll! Whoo-hoo!

You can also do BJJ with a slightly herniated disc in your lumbar spine, which is what was causing me the aforementioned pain. Amusingly, it was certainly caused by poor lifting technique on the squat and/or deadlift (and maybe a lack of recovery); lifts that I started doing to avoid injury in BJJ.

The love of mat time (or rather the fear of potential lost mat time due to physical maladies again) and my gut instinct drove me to the doctor in record time. Less than a week after the pain started, I was sitting in the walk-in clinic for 2.5 hours, reading Harry Potter. The relatively young doctor was actually quite pleasant and I think her diagnosis was apt. But guess what she prescribed...

Rest.

Thankfully, from experience, I knew what I actually needed. So I asked, "Do you think I would benefit from physiotherapy or massage therapy?"

She replies, "Oh, maybe. If you want that because you have coverage, I can write you prescriptions."

How helpful. *Rolls eyes*

During my physio assessment it came up that the doctor prescribed rest. His response? "Resting for back pain is what they told you to do twenty years ago."

So I continued to train BJJ but I was very, very cautious. Stand-up was near impossible, and I had to make a point of being non-chalant about losing position or working a sub if things started to hurt while rolling.

I'm not quite back where I was. I still can't train stand-up comfortably. I am not ready to lift yet. Re-starting work with the bar will be a process unto itself. Massage therapy starts this week to hopefully help speed along the healing that is almost complete but just not quite there. But no matter, I say! I am enamored with the fact that I have been able to train BJJ these past few weeks, despite my other physical limitations, such as bending over.

Eeeeenamored.

For the love of mat time, be grateful simply for the fact that you are there. Make the best out of that time by being proactive with goals and problem-solving. Take care of yourself so that you can train another day.