Possible tendon/ligament injury?

[weiknarf]

I have a pain that has cropped up recently. Well, not really a pain but a dull ache, discomfort. It does not hurt while I am walking so I don't think it's a muscle. Also, I cannot find a sore spot by pressing in and around the area. It only hurts in certain ROM.

I do not remember doing anything that specifically injured me. I woke up Monday morning with it. The only thing I did Sunday that I think may have done anything was I did WW for the first time.

About the pain:

Left leg, at the back. Up top where the femur meets the femur meets the pelvis, I think. It is in the lower portion of the buttock. (Yes, it's a real pain in the ass :roll: )

I can feel it when:

I pull my knee to my chest.
I put my weight on my left foot and push my left hip back.
I am sitting and cross my left leg over my right.

Any suggestions?

[rbibbs]

Frankie, you might have slightly strained something. If you can put your leg in those positions (and it doesn't "kill" you), you're not "injured". From your description, you may have pulled a tendon. Now, "pulled tendon" is not a definitive diagnosis. I highly recommend Jarlo's adjacent post in the RRL forum, The Dangers of Diagnosis (http://www.circularstrengthmag.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1378). And bearing in mind that internet diagnosis, much more so than clinical diagnosis, is never definitive.

Back to tendons. There's the bone end, and the muscle end. With variations between individuals, these are supplied with nerves that are part of the kinesthetic sense. The "first degree" of a tendon pull might be thought of as a localized muscle overexertion near the place where muscle ends and tendon begins. That's most likely what you feel, and it should resolve itself within roughly 5 days, like most overexertions.

Further degrees of "tendon pull" can stretch the bone end of the tendon at its attachment, or partially tear the muscle end attachment; these take longer to recover, but they still will, without medical intervention. Oh, and this is a lay-level explanation of these structures, simplified and abridged (and with possible inaccuracies, I'm not a physician). For the next-level of technical explanations, please visit Bob's post under the topic Connective Tissue (http://www.circularstrengthmag.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1310).

If we're familiar with "exercise", we tend to think of it as exertive. WW is an "exercise" in relaxation and coordination, not exertion. Let the motions happen, don't force them. We're developing/recovering range-of-motion, not testing it. Continue doing WW, but only to the extent it doesn't cause overt discomfort. In this mode, WW can help you recover from athletic injuries.

Oh, and if you're using the signature feature of the forum, and it's not otherwise apparent from your login name, please include your full name, thanks.

Rick

[weiknarf]

Rick, thanks for the reply.

I didn't think I was overexerting but I will be more careful to pay attention while doing the movements.

The pain doesn't kill me, it is more like muscle soreness, except it doesn't feel good like muscle soreness.

Should I refrain from jujutsu while I recover?

[bob_stra]

> Should I refrain from jujitsu while I recover?

See the rehab plan in the connective tissue thread.

You can keep doing your jujitsu under 3 circumstances -

(1) Cut down your total "sets" (if current is 4 times a week, cut down to 1 or 2 sessions a week)

(2) Cut down total training time (if current is 2hrs per session, cut down to 30 mins)

(3) Cut down rate of perceived effort (if practice is currently "8 out of 10" on the difficulty scale, cut down to 2 out of 10. Drill more, spar much less. Go slowly and avoid the class spaz).

If you do all that and it still bothers you, then yes, refrain from jujitsu while you heal up. Remember, learning is a marathon, not a 100 meter sprint. A few weeks out is nothing in the grand scheme of things. IOW, Now's a good time to review all those instructional videos gathering dust on the shelf ;-)

[rbibbs]

Bob's right Frankie. Lighten up until you're "whole". You don't have to stop though, I've trained through lots of localized strains-- rib separations and shoulder dysfunctions-- might tell your partners you're "working wounded", I'm sure they've been in the same place.

Rick