Guy with drop foot disability interested in BJJ

[James Loretan]

Hi 10th Planet.

I am someone who has a drop foot injury associated with a bone cancer i had removed when i was 19. A long story short, about 45% of my lower right leg was removed during the surgery to remove the cancer. This included the main nerve, ligaments, muscles and tendons and approximately half of my right fibula bone because the Surgeons wanted to get wide margins to make sure the cancer was gone.

I have also had ligament transfer surgery to stabilize my right foot, which means that my drop foot isn't as pronounced as it once was., but i am quite protective over my leg now as i am sure you can imagine.

My main question to you all is this.

Can i train in BJJ? and are there any ways i can protect my ankle/drop foot from accidental injury.

Kind regards from New Zealand.

-James

[Tom Carbone]

People train with all types of issues. Unfortunately, injuries can happen to anyone but having good/aware training partners helps.

[pete sias]

James!

It sounds like I had a very similar cancer surgery on my left leg. I had my surgery when I was 17 but haven’t had any ligament stability surgery so my foot just flops around... I am currently a 10th planet Blue belt. I train 5/6 days a week. I do try to stay away from doing a bunch of takedowns and am usually pulling guard. But besides that 10PJJ has be a life saver. Just be cautious when you start and find out what works for you. I’ve found that because of my missing Fibula my lockdown game is much more uncomfortable for the other person and Most of what I try to do in my game starts there. I hope this is helpful and I hope jiu jitsu impacts your life in a positive way!

Pete