“Is Neck Surgery My Only Option?”

Is Neck Surgery The Only Option?

Here’s Some “In The Trenches” Advice Regarding The Choice To Get Neck Surgery From A Fellow Grappler With Experience In This Sort Of Thing

QUESTION (re:  neck injury, neck surgery, training BJJ / grappling):

My Doc says I have herniated my c6 and c7. He told me that I have some small issues that might up my chances of having a more severe injury if I continue to train. He said that I have a smaller spinal column and it ups my risk of paralysis if I injure my neck further. He was also concerned about the burning/funny bone feelings I get in my legs when I go inverted. He said this sensation is rare and it is a syndrome that can cause me temporary paralysis if it gets worse. The syndrome is rare and I can’t remember what he called it. So basically his recommendation is that if I decide to go the physical therapy route is to stop grappling and competing for good. He said if I wanted to continue I would have to get my neck fused, and it would take 8 months until I can get back on the mat. What do you think?

My Response:

I get questions like this all the time. I get them from grapplers, MMA fighters, high school and college wrestlers, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers and every other kind of combat athlete. They tell me their personal story and ask, “Jim, should I get surgery or not?”

First, let me say this. Every single situation is different and the decision on whether or not to get surgery is a very big decision and a personal one at that.

I’ll also say this right off the bat. I am not against neck surgery. Sometimes it’s the only option. What I am against, though, is when people make decisions that aren’t well-informed. In many cases, surgery can be avoided. And sometimes, even when it might seem like your condition is “untreatable,” it might just be that you don’t know everything that’s out there that could possibly help you.

So here is some solid advice on what to do before making a firm decision on whether or not to get neck surgery. If anything, it’ll give you some things to think about that maybe you didn’t before.

The most important thing is that you make a well-imformed decision and that you feel good about it and confident that your choice was the right one so you have the right mindset going into whatever healing/treatment/rehabilitation/training process you choose.

Tip #1:  Get a 2^nd opinion – and get it from a sports doctor – even if you have to travel far to find a reputable one. On top of that, find one that specializes in the neck. After getting a 2^nd opinion, some people might not like what they here and they’ll go from doctor to doctor just trying to find the one who’ll tell them what they want to hear. For the most part, after the 2^nd opinion, it’s a done deal. You’re going to need to concentrate on more pressing matters, like the treatment of the diagnosis instead of the diagnosis itself.

Tip #2:  Communicate honestly with your doctor. Talk to him about your training and let him know what your goals are. Be up front with your doctor, especially if you’re determined to do whatever you can to keep training no matter what. Tell him the whole truth.

Tip #3:  Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions. Many people, when they visit the doctor, just sit there and don’t say a word and let the doctor talk. Listening is important but make sure you ask the questions you need to. Don’t be intimidated by the doctor or the atmosphere. Ask away and make sure you leave with the exact information you need.

Here is a list of questions to ask your doctor:

• What are your preferred methods of treatment?
• How aggressive are you regarding surgery? (Some doctors are quick to put you under the knife while others prefer to make surgery the last option.)
• What are the details of the surgery? (Will there be wires, screws, titanium plates, etc. involved?)
• If I decide to get surgery, what will the rehab process be like?
• How long after the surgery will I have to wait to begin rehab?
• How long will the rehabilitation/physical therapy process take?
• Do you have any case studies and/or success stories of your current or former patients?
• What should I do if I decide not to get the surgery?
• If I don’t get surgery, what are the steps I need to take to eliminate my symptoms as much as possible?
• What are the best and worst case scenarios of getting surgery vs. not getting surgery?
• What are the non-invasive treatments (if any)?
• What would you (the doctor) do if you were in my situation? (If the doctor was never a competitive grappler or any kind of serious athlete, you’ll have to just take the info he gives you for what it’s worth, since it’s not coming from an athlete’s perspective.)

Tell your doctor to be up front about whatever he tells you. You also need to extend him that same courtesy and be up front and honest with what you’re doing and what your plans are.

Also know that most doctors tend to be overly cautious and liability shy. Because of that, they will probably tell you without a doubt that you should stop any kind of combat sports whatsoever. They will just about always recommend you to stop grappling, and especially competing, for good.

Most doctors simply won’t understand where you’re coming from when you tell them how important grappling training is to you and how it’s a major part of your lifestyle. That’s why I recommend going to a sports doctor because at least then, the doc will understand where you’re coming from a little bit more. You are not an ordinary citizen or some kind of sedentary couch potato – you are a grappler, a combat athlete. You need to make sure you are treated accordingly.

When Quitting Is NOT An Option

I’m not a doctor and I’m sure as heck not gonna be the one to tell you “Yes” or “No” with regards to getting surgery. However, I think I can give you some good advice based on my personal experiences and from what I know from coaching, training and working with other combat athletes.

I understand full well that you don’t want to quit training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu because of your injury, whether you get surgery or not. So I’ll talk about this from the perspective that you intend to keep training either way.

One thing I will say, though, is that I will NEVER tell someone they SHOULD “quit” doing combat sports. No friggin’ way. You’ll never hear me say anything like that. The best thing I can do for you is to give you some things to consider in order to make the most well-informed decision possible and to provide you with some options. Then you’ll be able to make the decision for YOURSELF.

It’s a tough decision. You can look at it like this:

Option 1.         You have the neck surgery.

If the surgery is a success, you’ll be out about 6-8 months. So translate that to about a year since you’ll have to be smart and come back slowly, your neck is going to atrophy after surgery and you’ll have to build it up again, which takes time, especially since you’ll have to be super careful.

You’ll have to do rehab after surgery and then once the rehab is finished you’ll have to work to build your neck back up both in size and strength. This is often a long and arduous process.

Then you’ll have to make a decision about what you’re going to do with your BJJ training. You might have to re-evaluate your goals and training plans.

No matter what, you’ll have to get on a neck health & neck strengthening program once you’ve been cleared to do so.

Option 2.         You don’t have the surgery.

If a doctor is recommending surgery, then you have an obvious neck problem that needs to be fixed. If it’s not “emergency” surgery and you have a little bit of time to think about this decision, then you need to really check on what your options are and what ways (if any) you can go about treating your neck problem without surgery. Hopefully, whatever you choose to do will work and you can avoid it.

If by talking to your doctor(s) and doing your research you’ve found out there might be some other options to try before resorting to invasive neck surgery, then you need to get the exact action steps needed to start the healing/treatment process as soon as possible.

You’ll still need to get on a neck health & neck strengthening program (specifically doing things every day for your neck) once you’ve been cleared to do so. You’ll have to work slowly to strengthen your neck more and increase your mobility over time once you’ve treated your specific neck problem.

If you’re in a lot of pain, you’ll have to treat your symptoms as best you can without resorting to dangerous drugs like pain-killers. Do not resort to pain-killers! That’s the easy way out and it doesn’t treat the actual problem. I know too many people who are hooked on pain pills and it’s tragic. Do whatever you can naturally to treat your symptoms while working toward fixing the CAUSE of your problem.

Whichever route you choose, here’s my #1 suggestion for you to check out right now:

Get The “LOSE THE NECK PAIN” System

– Available at http://www.FightNeckPain.com

I have no doubt it will help you out.

Managing A Neck Injury & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Training

Since you’re planning on continuing to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you’re going to have to get your neck to a point where it’s strong enough to at least take a little bit of a beating. You’re going to have to be really careful choosing your partners. You’ll have to start off with light drilling for a while and then build from there before attempting any light sparring. This is a process that’s going to take a lot of discipline.

You’ll have to figure out a safer game plan to keep your neck out of trouble (virtually impossible in this sport, but you have to do “as much as you can” to avoid as much trouble as possible). Only work with partners you can trust. Throw all the risky positions (ones that are rough on your neck, like inverted guard) completely out of your game plan (yes, easier said than done, but it still must be done). During your free time off the mats you need to be contructing this more “neck-safe” BJJ game plan for yourself.

If you can manage to avoid surgery, then great, but the possibility of needing surgery later is still gonna be there unless you fix the actual cause of your initial symptoms. (Again, I recommend taking a look at this “Lose The Neck Pain” system, available at http://www.FightNeckPain.com.)

If you don’t treat/fix the actual cause of your initial symptoms, you run the risk of running into the same problems over and over again throughout your grappling career. Why risk that? Why not do everything in your power to treat your neck pain and lose the neck pain for good?

Bottom line is, surgery or no surgery, either path you choose will take a lot of work and discipline to get through. That’s just the way it is. I’m not the one to tell you whether or not to get surgery, I wouldn’t do that.

I’ve had neck surgery before, but my situation was different (as is pretty much everybody’s). I had emergency surgery. I didn’t have a choice whether or not to get it – I had to no matter what because my neck was broken. Thankfully, my neck was built up so big and strong from all the neck strengthening I did that it literally saved my life; things could have been a whole lot worse for me.

Your case involves disc herniation and other issues that are causing nerve damage and spinal cord issues. The doctor has told you about the possibility of paralysis. That’s some heavy stuff!

Either way, whatever you decide, surgery or no surgery, you will have to make your neck health your #1 priority… and not just health, but total neck development – that includes building it up and strengthening it to make sure your neck is durable and holds up during battle.

That’s why I’m recommending THIS “Lose The Neck Pain” home study course so you can check it out for yourself and see if it can help you. I have faith that it will. This is the best first step you can take before beginning an actual neck strengthening program. Go to http://www.FightNeckPain.com right now and get your hands on it so you can start this process right away.

If quitting is not an option for you, then you need to do EVERYTHING you can and get a hold of everything you can that might help fix your neck problem.

James Kelly

Founder of GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com

Shoulder Shrugs For Neck Strength & Neck/Trap Size

I’ve gotten a ton of questions from my subscribers about shoulder shrugs to build neck strength and neck size. Lots of people want to know how to get bigger traps (trapezius muscles).

So here’s part 1 of some Q&A about shoulder shrugs . (If you have any questions, email me or leave a comment below.)

QUESTION: “Sometimes at the gym I see people doing shrugs straight up and down and some shrug up and roll their shoulders back before bringing the weight back down. Which way is better?”

ANSWER: Keep it simple. Go up and down. And go LIGHT – at least at first. Once you build your neck up slowly, you can start gradually adding weight and increasing the intensity.

Beginner/Basic Tips For Shoulder Shrugging To Build Neck Size & Neck Strength

QUESTION: “I just got into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and I’m just starting to do some shoulder shrugs because I want to get my traps and neck bigger and stronger. Which versions of shrugs are the best to do? Any suggestions and/or tips for me since I’m just getting into shrugging?”

ANSWER:

There are all kinds of different versions of shrugs you can do, too. Since you’re just starting out, there’s no reason to do all kinds of different shrugs. Just keep things simple.

I suggest starting off with standing dumbbell shrugs, because since you’re a beginner, you can keep your spine more aligned a little more easily with dumbbells (you want to keep your back completely straight) and you can keep the dumbbells at your sides which will help to keep you from hunching over.

Make sure your posture is good and straight. Don’t hunch your back or roll your shoulders or let them tilt forward; keep your shoulders back and your abs tight. Stand about shoulder-width apart and don’t lock your knees; you want to stay tight but keep your knees bent slightly.

As you hold the dumbbells, keep a tight grip on them so you don’t drop them. Your arms should be pretty tight, but just enough to hold the dumbbells in a fixed position.

Then you just raise up the dumbbells as if you’re trying to touch your shoulders to your ears. Exhale as you raise the dumbbells, pausing and squeezing your trap muscles at the top. Inhale in as you lower the weight slowly back down. Don’t keep your elbows locked straight, bend them slightly, but don’t bring the weight up with your arms; lift the weight straight up with your trap muscles.

IMPORTANT: Make sure to get a good warm-up before starting your actual neck/shrug workout!

Start out with 3-4 sets of shrugs, with your reps in the 8-12 range. Rest about 45 seconds to a minute in between sets to start off.

Later on, we’ll work on upping the intensity, but now, you need to build a firm base, so pick a weight you can use comfortably for the first few shrug workouts. Don’t go to failure yet on any of your sets.

Recovery is just as important as the workout itself.

You need to give your body ample time to recover. I wouldn’t do shrugs more than 2 times a week starting off. You want at least 3 or 4 days rest in between shrug workouts, at least in the beginning.

In addition, if you’re on the mats wrestling or doing any kind of grappling, you’ll be working your neck during practice. So if your traps are really sore and you have a shrug workout scheduled, don’t worry about using an extra day for recovery. Make sure you’re fully recovered for each shrug workout.

Make sure you’re thoroughly warmed up then start light and work your way up in weight slowly. I don’t suggest you go heavy for while though until you get your form down and build a good foundation of strength in your neck and traps.

Shoulder shrugs are a great way to build a lot of size and strength in your neck and traps.

Remember, keeping things simple and slow is the best way to go when you first start training your neck.

If you have any more questions or suggestions, just email me or leave comments here on my blog.

Protect Your Neck!

James Kelly, Founder of GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com

Free PDF Download: “The Herniated Disc Healing Guide”

Whether or not you’re suffering from herniated disc pain in your neck or back, this FREE PDF titled, “The Herniated Disc Healing Guide” can help you out big time!

Herniated discs are one of the most common conditions of back and neck pain.

In this helpful guide you will learn…

• The causes and symptoms of herniated discs
• A “3 Step Recovery Plan” you can begin using immediately to help relieve your pain
• Helpful advice to others with herniated discs who’ve “tried it all already”
• How to treat the cause and condition of a herniated disc
• How to get lasting neck and back pain relief even when nothing else works
• 3 rules you must follow to help you deal with herniated disc problems

Here’s a disturbing FACT: Many people who aren’t even suffering from neck pain already have bulging or herniated discs and don’t even know it!

Personally, I’ve seen way too many wrestlers, BJJ & submission grapplers and MMA fighters have their careers severely affected by herniated disc problems. Over the years I’ve seen a ton of wrestlers have to get neck surgery in the midst of their prime. I’ve lost coaches and training partners as a result of them not being able to train because of the pain and damage cause by herniated discs in their neck and back.

My reason for providing you with this free PDF is simple. If you are suffering from a herniated disc in your neck or back, I want you to be able to fix the problem as fast as humanly possible without having to resort to dangerous surgery. If you don’t have any symptoms of a herniated disc, I want you to be able to prevent possible problems in the future. I know this “Herniated Disc Healing Guide” will help you.

To get this free PDF, just click the link below or right click and “save as” to save the file to your computer…

Herniated Disc Pain Guide PDF – No More Neck Problems

Download it now, go to a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted, read it over and follow the action steps immediately. It’s a quick and easy read (my favorite).

Another thing… if you have any friends or training partners that you know could benefit from this, please email them the PDF document or send ‘em here to my blog.

Take care,

James Kelly,  GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com

P.S.  Here’s the link again to the “Herniated Disc Healing Guide” PDF:

Herniated Disc Pain Guide PDF – Click Here

Message From Lloyd Irvin of Team Lloyd Irvin MMA in Maryland

Lloyd Irvin: “I was paralyzed from a judo throw and you should….”

As I laid on the ground and couldn’t move my arms or legs, I started thinking about my family, my life, my son and what it was going to be like to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair.

This is exactly what I was thinking after I got thrown on my head in a Judo tournament in 2003.

Talk about a scary experience!

Doctors telling me I needed to have spinal fusion the very next day (don’t forget this was in 2003). Even after spending the next year off the mats, doctors told me that life as I knew it would never be the same again.

After my injury, the entire martial arts community reached out to me and the support was tremendous. People from all over the world were sharing their neck injury stories with me, what they did to recover, what different types of procedures they had and all kinds of alternative strategies.

Then I started to realize how many people in the grappling world get neck injuries. No one shared this with me when I first started. I then started asking myself questions…

“Why don’t people in the grappling/MMA world condition their necks more?”

“Why don’t grapplers and fighters make neck training a PRIORITY?”

I know I didn’t make neck exercises a priority before I injured my neck and was forced off the mats for what seemed like forever. Big mistake.

Then I met a guy named Jim Kelly whose neck injury was just downright sad!

Jim BROKE HIS NECK at a wrestling camp – amazingly, finishing the camp and earning the “Most Dedicated Wrestler” and “Outstanding Wrestler” awards (not knowing his neck was broken). Before his emergency C1-C2 neck fusion surgery, the doctors told him that if his neck wasn’t so big and strong, he would be “dead.” The docs said the only thing holding Jim’s neck stable were his dense neck muscles. (You have to see the story written in the newspaper about him — click HERE to see it.)

The doctors also told him he’d NEVER be able to train on the mats again. But now they call it a “miracle” that he’s back on the mats training BJJ, submission grappling and wrestling — he’s also the head wrestling coach here at my MMA academy and assistant coach of our youth grappling team who are the 2010 IBJJF Juvenile World Champions.

So the reason I’m writing this article is because you need to know the truth about the sport you’re involved in. You need to understand that protecting your spinal cord all starts with protecting your neck. It’s critical.

Jim recently set up a website where he’s giving away information on how to protect your neck, how to use simple neck exercises to make sure you don’t end up in a wheelchair, how to build neck size and strength in your neck to make you a better stronger grappler, and more.

I sure wish I knew about this when I first started!

I never knew the importance of building a strong neck until I suffered my injury and was forced to.

Neck training saved Jim’s life and also allowed him to come back to the mats stronger than ever.

Now Jim is on a mission to help as many people learn how to protect their necks. If you grapple, fight MMA or are involved in any contact sport, you owe it to yourself to see what Jim is teaching.

It won’t cost you a single dime and Jim is really passionate about this topic.

I’ve been using Jim’s neck training tips, and I feel great!

“Discover How To Protect Your Neck” right now. Just use your name and valid email to get access to this valuable neck training information – then click the “Get A Strong Neck” button to get it along with a report titled, “3 Killer Mistakes Almost All Grapplers Make In Training” – and he’ll send it to you completely FREE. (All information kept 100% confidential and you can unsubscribe at any time).

I can’t recommend this enough! As Jim says, you gotta “protect your neck!”

Lloyd Irvin

Head Coach of Team Lloyd Irvin MMA & BJJ Academy in Camp Springs, MD

Back Pain? Neck Pain? Sciatica? “Must Have” Free Book

I want to tell you about a book called “The 7-Day Back Pain Cure”…

It was written by a friend of mine, Jesse Cannone. My BJJ coach Lloyd Irvin introduced me to him a while back. Jesse is recognized as one of the leading back pain relief experts in the world right now (he definitely knows his stuff about how to eliminate back pain and neck pain).

Jesse is one of the most sought-after back-pain experts due to his natural approach (which I love). He’s been featured in dozens of newspapers and magazines, such as Miss Fitness, Natural Bodybuilding, and Visage, numerous radio programs, thousands of websites and has even appeared as an exclusive back-pain expert on NBC!

And for a limited time… he wants to give YOU a real, physically shipped-to-your-doorstep copy of ‘The 7 Day Back Pain Cure’… absolutely F-R-E-E.

As soon as he told me about it I grabbed a copy and read it. Great stuff! Really makes you think about how back and neck pain comes about… and more importantly, he gives “action steps” on how to eliminate back pain.

Click here to grab a FREE copy

Not only is the book loaded with back-pain-reducing info, but he’s done such a great job in taking complicated issues like back pain and the many things that cause it, and he’s broken it down into an easy to read and understand book. (I hate reading all that boring, fancy medical mumbo jumbo stuff!)

I found it very eye-opening and after reading it, I made some changes to my daily routine from how I sit, to what I eat (or don’t eat), to how I exercise and more… and I don’t have back pain! But I DO want to prevent it. I really need to, considering I’ve already had a major neck injury along with some surgeries. I want to keep training hard on the mats until the day I die!

Plus, what I like most about the book are the “7-Day Action Plans” that he has at the end of the book… so based on your situation or condition, you choose the action plan that’s best for you… then all you have to do is follow the steps. For example, if you have a herniated or bulging disc, then use that action plan…. Neck pain? page 172… Sciatica? page 178

Here’s just a TINY taste of what Jesse reveals inside his book…

The REAL reason you “threw your back out” (Hint: In 95% of cases it has NOTHING to do with what happened when it first started hurting!) Page 14

The 3 hidden, underlying causes of all back pain – If you don’t understand and correct these mistakes – it’s literally impossible to experience back pain relief without heavy medication! (Chapter 3)

How to easily and quickly eliminate the problem caused by sitting all day - This “quick-n-easy” fix takes just a few seconds per day… and for many people can relieve back pain nearly instantly! (Chapter 4)

Revealed: The real reason your doctors do NOT have YOUR best interests at heart (Warning: This “hush-hush” doctors-only secret is something your doctor will not… and can’t…  ever admit to!)

The #1 most overlooked cause of back pain which has NOTHING to do with muscle imbalances, back-blow-outs, diet, or genetics… yet can’t be fixed with drugs, doctors-visits or even surgery. Chapters 5 and 14 reveal how to conquer this little-known back-killer!

How to reduce the #1 dietary cause of back pain – Make a few EASY changes to your diet to reduce this back-pain causing “evil” and you’ll not only reduce your back pain… you’ll also drastically reduce your chances of developing heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s… as well as nearly any other degenerative disease you can think of! (Chapter 6)

The 6 types of “professionals” you’ve most likely dealt with already (or will in the future)… and why… if you’re like most people… NONE of them can give you any long-term back pain relief by themselves (Chapter 8.)

6 easy-to-implement lifestyle changes you can make TODAY – Start these the day you read the book and you can begin watching your back pain disappear just a few days later! (Chapter 10)

Why your irritating “trigger points” are causing much more damage than you think… plus… I’ll reveal which of the top 3 solutions for banishing trigger points actually work! (Chapter 13)

A little-known technique for “fighting gravity” – This 2,000 year old technique developed by Hippocrates is a time-tested and PROVEN solution for fighting and even eliminating back pain… in both the short-term AND long-term! Plus…  7 “add-on” extra benefits you’ll experience with this technique (Chapter 13)

Chapters 18-25 reveal specific “7-Day Action Plans” you can take to free yourself from the torment of lower back pain, upper back and neck pain, herniated discs, sciatica, scoliosis, spinal stenosis, sacroiliac joint dysfunction… as well as many others!

So, if you suffer from any type of back pain, I highly recommend you go grab yourself a free copy of his book now…

Click here to grab a FREE copy

I’m sure you’ll find it as helpful as I have, especially if you are in pain now.

I get a ton of messages from my “Neck Training For Combat Athletes” ezine, telling me about their neck pain and back pain, herniated discs, all kinds of stuff. I don’t like it when fellow grapplers tell me about how they can’t train because of back pain or neck pain – I hate it!

I always tell my subscribers who send me emails, “If you have neck pain, you really need to find out what might be causing it and address that first before you go into a full blown neck strengthening routine. (And if you don’t have pain, great, but it’s still good to check this book out just to “make sure” you don’t get it in the future! Prevention is key!)

After you get your book, let me know what you think of it! Just leave a comment or shoot me a message via email or on my Facebook.

Again… this is a limited-time offer and I have no idea when he’s going to take it down. I suggest you grab your copy before he does.

You’ll be happy you did – I promise.

Protect Your Neck!

Coach James Kelly

Founder of GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com

P.S. If you don’t have back or neck pain, but you know someone who does, please be sure to forward this to them… I’m sure they’ll thank you greatly.

P.P.S.  Make sure you ask me your questions about how to develop a big, strong neck so I can supply you with exactly what YOU want regarding neck strengthening info. I love it when my subscribers keep in touch with me and let me know how much my neck strength development tips are helping them!

If you’re not yet subscribed to my “Neck Training For Grapplers & Combat Athletes” free ezine, enter your name and valid email in the box below and hit the “Get A Strong Neck” button (All information kept 100% confidential and you can unsubscribe at any time)

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