Herniated lumbar disk - have seen multiple back specialist of one variety or another with no relief. Have still trained 3x+ a week for 9 years. There are specific movements that cause pain that I avoid, but there is enough to this game I can keep training actively. It has prevented me from competing, and I had to quit judo. Stand up is too hard on the back.

I never got my neck checked, but most likely there is some minor damage after all the years at lower belts. What helps to recover is the time off and rehab. What helps after that is strength & conditioning, mobility and most of all technique work and avoiding positions where the neck is at risk. Like other more experienced people have said, focus on your posture, protect that neck and tap early and often. Health should be number one. A friend of mine has like 5 fucked up discs in his neck and he is still rolling, so there is most definitely hope for you too.

I had a severely herniated L4/L5. I had decompression surgery almost 4 years ago. I dealt with mild sciatic pain for over a decade, I tried rehab, cortisone, inversion tables, chiropractic, acupuncture, anything that I thought would give me relief, and some things worked for a little while, eventually, I was recommended for surgery and it was one of the best decisions I ever had, the sciatic pain was gone almost immediately and i got back to training five to seven times a week. I'm 51 and I feel great. I'm also a lifetime martial artist who's been doing this for almost 40 years and have dealt with MANY injuries including a rotator cuff tear, torn groin, three ACL tears, and a 3rd degree AC separation. My only regret is that i waited as long as I did to get surgery.

Hey, I might be late to the party but wanted to throw in my 2 cents. I started having pain in my back (around the rhomboid muscle) that got worse over a period of five months. Two separate doctors couldn't figure out what it was, until I went to an orthopedic specialist after the pain got unbearable. He did an MRI and found a fully prolapsed C6-C7 disc compressing not just the nerve but the actual spinal cord, with a minor bulge at the C5-C6 level. He couldn't believe I had no tingling or weakness in my arm, but I never did, and I trained the whole time preparing for competition. So with it being ongoing for a long time we decided to do a surgery immediately. As I'm young (well, 30...) and otherwise healthy we opted for a DISC REPLACEMENT and NOT a fusion. It was the best decision ever, I woke up from the surgery and never had any pain after. Started lightly training 2 months after the surgery and rolling after 3. At first I only rolled with 2-3 selected people, then started expaning. Now it's 6 months after surgery and I am back to 100% (well let's day 90%) - I roll hard but I'm still trying not to get my neck cranked. I was so afraid I'd never be able to train without fear again, but luckily that's not the case! Hope you are doing well now? Best of luck. I'm attaching an X-ray of my neck.

Wow what a success story. Thank you for sharing. I was recuperating well for. Good 18 months and then started back on the mats but after about 6 classes something didn’t feel right. I gave it a month off again just doing low impact stuff in the gym and then boom the pain hits all over again. I didn’t have another MRI but I didn’t need to as I recognised the pain was from the disc herniating again. Honestly it’s so disheartening. I know your surgery went amazingly well but I am so worried it won’t be the same for me and also they talk a lot about being left with a choking sensation following the surgery and that scares me the most. I am recovering conservatively again the last 9 weeks. I am back to physical training but low impact still. Returning to the mats just seems like an impossibly right now. We will see… by thanks for your input. It will help a lot of people I am sure. Osss

I herniated c6/c7. I decided against surgery. Results of others I knew who had surgery were definitely not promising, so that's why I went the conservative route. My symptoms were pain radiating down through my shoulder blades, and some numbness in my thumb and index finger. Whenever I rolled, I sure I could feel bone on bone movement any time someone was manipulating my neck. I stuck it out until I got my blue belt because I was so close. At the time I figured my only alternative was to quit once I got promoted, and that's what I did. It took over five years to lose all symptoms. Disc injuries are very slow to heal, but it did heal in my case. After 16 years off, I decided to take a chance on a new gym that opened near me. It's been about a year of training, and I only seriously agitated it once. It took about three weeks to get better, but it feels solid now. I always pick my partners, and set a light pace. Of course, a lot of that has to do with being in my 50s now. My big problem currently, is recovering from a broken ankle. Sucks, but sure beats a neck injury. I wish you the best. Give it time, and you will get better.

I have delt with cervical issues for over 30 years. My recommendation for anyone that's training in any grappling art, especially if they have cervical issues. Is invest in traction. It literally has kept me on the mats, with minimal reoccurring issues helps to reduce pressure on nerves, help to oxygenated and hydrate the disc's, not to mention help improve blood flow. All which is needed to assist in the healing process. INVEST IN TRACTION!

of course. well i have 2 types of traction. i don't like the over the door Traction because of the TMJ risk. i have a Sauders sled traction. and a neck stabilizer type Traction. i like this one the best because i can sit up and watch TV. when you apply the traction within the first 15 seconds or so you will fell the decompression. but the neck muscles will need more time to relax. about 15 minutes works best for me. some times if a have a flare up i will do traction for longer periods. now with that being said. in the past my Doctors have given different protocols depending on how bad the flare up is. sometimes they have told me to do twice a day three time a week, others times its been twice a day everyday. now when i have a flare up i can gage on what i need to do. once symptoms subside i continue for another couple of weeks mostly i now do i once a day 5 times a week for maintenance seems to work the best for me. i have not had a flare up in a while doing this method.

of course. well i have 2 types of traction. i don't like the over the door Traction because of the TMJ risk. i have a Sauders sled traction. and a neck stabilizer type Traction. i like this one the best because i can sit up and watch TV. when you apply the traction within the first 15 seconds or so you will fell the decompression. but the neck muscles will need more time to relax. about 15 minutes works best for me. some times if a have a flare up i will do traction for longer periods. now with that being said. in the past my Doctors have given different protocols depending on how bad the flare up is. sometimes they have told me to do twice a day three time a week, others times its been twice a day everyday. now when i have a flare up i can gage on what i need to do. once symptoms subside i continue for another couple of weeks mostly i now do i once a day 5 times a week for maintenance seems to work the best for me. i have not had a flare up in a while doing this method.

I’ve recently started the sled traction. I’ve only done it a couple times but it seems to be helping.