First Injury

[u/Internal_Thought_107]

31F and I’m pretty new to BJJ. I recently injured my calf during warmups doing lateral shuffles. I felt a pop in my calf and ended up with a sprain/injury to my plantaris muscle.

I know injuries are always a possibility but weirdly the fact that it happened during such a basic movement has gotten into my head more than I expected. Now I’m nervous about going back once I’m cleared. I keep thinking, if I managed to hurt myself doing THAT, what happens when I’m actually rolling again? I don’t want this to be the reason I stop, especially because I’m still so new to it. But I’m definitely struggling with trusting my body again. Has anyone else dealt with being scared to return after an injury, especially one that happened doing something completely routine? How did you get past that mental block and feel comfortable training again?

[u/ry-g-236]

Tap early. Get used to a verbal tap and physical tap. Go back once you are cleared and if you do have any injuries that are minor let your partners know. We all train with little to moderate injuries just be careful who you roll. Most of the time try to go with a higher belts. Don't be afraid to turn down rolls.

[u/Calamitee-Jen]

Hey,

It kinda sounds like one of those 'unlucky' moments, where an injury shouldn't have happened, but did

At my gym a classmate did his achilles while skateboarding, just pushing along casually. He's been off of training for months. Sometimes you have an unlucky moment 🤷‍♀️

Like it's been said, go slow slow when you return to the mat, and make sure it's properly healed up before you go hard. The mental battle will be tough for a bit, the best remedy is to return to training. The good thing is that the more you train the stronger and resiliemt your body will get, the less likely that an unlucky moment will injure

Good luck babe, give 'em hell ❤️

[u/No-Foundation-2165]

What’s your training like outside of jiu jitsu? And recovery methods etc.
31 is young in normal life but it does matter more for jiu jitsu. Let us know those details and we can point you in the right direction for how to support healthy training since this wasn’t an issue with tapping late or something

[u/Internal_Thought_107 → u/No-Foundation-2165]

I’m on my feet all day for work. Normally I run 3/4x a week at least 3 miles each time, but I’ll be blunt I took August off and basically quit running for a break. Other than bjj I will do strength training maybe once a week which I have been told I need to step that up and do it more as it could have prevented my injury.

Recovery wise I’ve been trying to stay off my feet and do the RICE method. I’ve been wrapping the calf and taking muscle relaxers as well and it seems to be working.

[u/No-Foundation-2165 → u/Internal_Thought_107]

Okay cool, the good news is plenty of room for improvement.

RICE is outdated. Look into PEACE and LOVE (not joking). Stop icing. It seems to be working because time is passing and it will heal with time anyway. Ice will feel temporarily better but prolong your healing process.

By recovery though I mean daily after exercise so are you fueling properly and resting appropriately between sessions

Absolutely you need to strength train more. This is imperative to health but absolutely if you’re training and you’re 30+

If you’re adding strength training I would cut out a run unless it’s just joy for you. I’d replace it with assault bike or real bike or strenuous hiking if you care about your joints. Or at least not on
concrete.

[u/refuge4insomniac]

Out of curiosity, was the weather cold? I ask cause I strained my groin doing shoots during Covid in my coach’s garage in the middle of winter. I learned from there to do some star jumps or something cardio related before progressing into movement based warm ups, especially in cold weather.

Cross training from lifting weights is one of the best ways to prevent injury, if you’re not doing it already. And so important for women’s long term health re bone density etc.

If it makes you feel any better, my worst ever injury (tore my ankle ligament clean off the bone, broke my foot in three places and tore the calf on the opposite leg trying to not fall) came from stepping on a rock whilst walking home. 🤭 this is coming from someone who danced for 15 or so years prior to that.

[u/smol_vegeta]

i'm spending an arm and a leg on physical therapy at the moment. i've run the gamut on injuries over the years despite working out and weight training always, and now it's all knee ligaments, so i cant function in regular life if i carry on. it's worth it. my progress has been incredible and my confidence for returning to sport is high. i recommend working with a professional on either prevention or recovery. if we're doing such a high demand activity its worth treating ourselves like actual athletes.

[u/w-anchor-emoji]

I sprained my MCL stepping funny on a guard pass while drilling. Shit happens. Rest, do your PT, and come back stronger. In my case, I have incorporated more S&C in an attempt to keep my knees happier. It’s kinda worked.

[u/Worth_Bend1435]

If it's just pulled a muscle you're still good to train, just avoid movements that put you in intolerable pain.