Foot drop from Jiu Jitsu injury

What’s up 10P?

So back in June I was training with a small gym here in my small town Texas. We have a pretty good group and everyone is competing at white belt already. So we are training one night and me and this dude start to roll. The guy decided to jump gaurd(caught me completely off gaurd lol) and annihilated my right leg. The doc said he thinks the knee came completely out of socket, moved around and went back into the socket. In the process my peroneal nerve was stretched so bad I now have a condition called foot drop. It means I can’t pull my foot up or push it out towards the right. Pretty crazy shit. I was wondering if anyone in the community has heard of this happening in JJ and hopefully someone who has made it back in the mats after this injury. Basically with a nerve it’s seems to be a wait and see situation but I would love to hear a success story. Or even just someone else this has happened too. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

you need physical therapy bro. doesnt matter if it happened in JJ or other sports, any spinal cord or peripheral nerve injury may lead to a foot drop. whether or not it could recover through exercises - its hard to tell. but worth a try prior to surgery.

Yeah man I had to have surgery already lol. I started with a nerve decompression surgery than a few weeks later had basically a knee reconstruction. It’s been a crazy ride. I do physical therapy twice a week. We do a lot of stuff aimed at getting the foot back. I’m as optimistic as can be. There is a Dallas cowboy Jaylon Smith who had almost the same injury with foot drop. He had surgery January 2016 and is starting this season without any braces. I just haven’t been able to find anyone have this happen directly from JJ. Thanks for the reply man

Hello to a fellow Texan and very sorry about the injury. I'm a PT who's seen a few injuries like this. Those things can have a pretty variable course but it sounds like you are on the right path. Having happened at the knee is a good sign for return as the injury is relatively close to where the nerve interfaces with the muscle. Generally speaking, the further away the nerve injury is from where it innervates the muscle, the more difficult the recovery. Sounds like you are doing all the right things. Good luck man.

It’s cases like this that John Danaher has proposed completely banning guard jumping in all of Brazilian jiu jitsu. There’s no practical reason why you’d want to do it. Some of the most catastrophic injuries you see on YouTube come straight up from guard jumping. . Hope you get better fast.

Thanks for the support guys. It means a lot. I’ve definitely had my frustrations with how it happened. But my coach hadnt shown him the move. I guess he picked it up from watching videos. I’ve done other martial arts in the past and I think the dude just doesn’t have an understanding that this can actually fuck someone up. He’s a good guy, shit just happens sometimes. One good thing is it wasn’t my rubber gaurd leg!

I’m so sorry about your injury, bro. I was a guard jumper for years until I almost broke an ankle on a student. Never have done it again. I actually had my ankle broken with a horrible leg trip gone wrong back in 2006 & I’m not sure if Foot Drop was the diagnosis on the nerve injury but it sounds like it. Luckily my PT was extremely good, up on all the latest trends and got me back training in about 6 months. The nerves eventually reconnected and got better with time. Sounds like you are on the right path ����

Thanks man I appreciate it. I’m still working hard. I’m getting all kinds of “sensations” in the foot and leg. I’m still holding strong that this isn’t the end of my JJ journey. I really appreciate all the support though. 10P4L

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Originally Posted by Otis

Thanks man I appreciate it. I’m still working hard. I’m getting all kinds of “sensations” in the foot and leg. I’m still holding strong that this isn’t the end of my JJ journey. I really appreciate all the support though. 10P4L

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Hi, I am a new guy here and in JJ with 10thP San Mateo, if the nerve was not severed you are ok. The problem with nerves is that it takes a long time to fix. I suffer from drop foot on both feet due to a neurological illness called Guillain-Barre, there are many tips to work on rehab, if you can afford it, don't skip Physical Therapy and Medical supervision.

Things you can do to prevent the Achilles tendon from shortening is to wear a drop foot brace, sleep upside down with your foot hanging down, exercise your foot in a cold (non-heated) pool. Heat=bad for nerves. Wear ultra light shoes, Hooka OneOne or Crocks etc. Be patient.

Good luck in your rehab.

MrSandsman

Both feet!? Man that’s wild. Can you walk with two braces on? My nerve wasn’t severed just stretched so I think I got lucky. And I am fortunate enough to be able to see professionals to help with recovery. I’m taking it day by day and staying positive. I do have braces to walk so I’m getting around pretty good. Thanks for the reply brotha..your the first person I’ve talked to with foot drop

yes sir, I was paralyzed head to toes for 6 months, took me 1.5 years to walk again, I managed to walk by learning to compensate with my hip, I now hold both feet at 90 degrees but cannot do full dorsy flexion (like pointing toes and feet up) I don't walk with braces anymore, a cold pool did wonders for me. Drop feet basically means that your Achilles tendon shortens, you need to fight this, therapy is key! nerve damage could take years to fix, learn to modify whatever you do and just look forward!

Good luck man!

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Originally Posted by Otis

Both feet!? Man that’s wild. Can you walk with two braces on? My nerve wasn’t severed just stretched so I think I got lucky. And I am fortunate enough to be able to see professionals to help with recovery. I’m taking it day by day and staying positive. I do have braces to walk so I’m getting around pretty good. Thanks for the reply brotha..your the first person I’ve talked to with foot drop

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Wow man that’s really crazy. I’m glad to hear your out of the braces. Sounds like you really got dealt a heavy blow. My knee is feeling really strong and I’m thinking about trying to maybe tape the foot up or something to get back to light drilling. My doctor actually told me not to expect getting 100% pull back on the foot but that I could get out of the brace with 50 to 60%. How does this all effect your Jiu Jitsu? Hopefully someday we can get on the mats together!

Man, my reason for bjj is for weight management, wellness and learn how to defend myself on the ground, as you might guessed, I cannot run, I am that guy you want to have when mugged or chased by a lion or a gorilla.... you know the joke, "you don't have to be the fastest just not the slowest" well, I am always the slowest... on how it affects my JJ? well a lot, but I am learning to compensate and modify... I watched that guy with no arms or legs doing BJJ and I had no more excuses... Just look forward and modify/compensate... don't rely on a brace too long, them fuckers are addicting... I burned them with my last 3,600 milligrams dose of Neurontin years ago....
Good luck man!
mr sandsman