Dr Nicholas Smith is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and is a certified strength and conditioning coach who helps grapplers own their injuries, develop explosive strength, and build relentless conditioning.
This season I have been interviewing the best coaches, athletes, and specialists about Jiu Jitsu injuries and injury prevention. For this episode I wanted to talk specifically with the doctor about knee injuries, being that the knees are the number one injured area in Jiu Jitsu. According to many studies it is the joint most likely to get hurt while training, sparring, and competing.
The hope is to never get hurt on the mat, but with the dynamics and unpredictability of jiu-jitsu there’s a chance that if you’re on the mats long enough you will get injuries and very likely at your knee. So, in this episode we explore why that is, why knee injuries are so common, what you can do to give yourself the best shot of preventing knee injuries, how to train around them, and the steps to take if you actually do sustain a knee injury.
Dr Smith shares a ton of high-level knowledge when it comes to knee injuries specifically related to Jiu Jitsu and what you can do about them. It’s a phenomenal conversation that I hope will help any of you out there dealing with knee problems or will at some point in your BJJ career.
In This Episode We Discuss:
- Why knee injuries are so common in BJJ
- Why the meniscus is frequently injured in BJJ
- What you can do to avoid surgery if you tear something in your knee
- Tests you can do to determine if you have a knee tear
- Exercises to strengthen the muscles that support the knees to reduce injuries
- How the Doctor determines if surgery is necessary
- How to speed recovery after knee surgery
- The pros and cons of having knee surgery
- Alternatives to surgery and things you can try before going under
- Thoughts on PRP or Plasma Rich Platelet injections for healing
- How to train around knee pain to continue making progress
- Getting ahead of injuries and aging to prolong your time on the mat
- How to structure a good warmup for BJJ to reduce injuries
- The Doctor’s favorite supplements for injuries and BJJ
Take Action:
- If you have a knee injury, what can you do to train around the pain without making it worse? Use lighter weights, only train in a pain-free range of motion, lower the intensity.
- Follow Doctor Nicholas Smith on Instagram here, and check out his website here.
- Download your free BJJ mobility ebook here.
