Chad, I work in a Hosp, and have been for quite some time now. I'm so sorry that this overreactive Dr put you through such mental turmoil, as I will call it. No Dr. should tell a patient what he told you. I'm so glad you have a friend who had the sense to tell you to let him go, and see someone else. I'll tell a quick story. I used to work in the Pool at work, doing Rehab. We had a patient we would literally lift from a Power Chair into the Pool Chair. One day, the door opens to the Pool, and who comes walking in, but this guy, using a cane. I was floored. Talk about an emotional time. Never ever ever tell someone they can't do something, because we are not God, and we do not determine what someone's future holds. I say the same for you Buddy.
I am so glad you got a second opinion! I was diagnosed with a severe spondylosisthesis and the doctor told me I needed to quit martial arts. This was as a blue belt. I got a second opinion and learned that by patiently doing PT and certain movements for years I could continue to grow as a martial artist without losing my ability to walk. I am a brown belt now and I am so glad I got a second opinion. All the best to you on your journey, I love your content.
Keep doing pt and even stretching. i don't have severe spondylesthesis, but i got it training no matter what kind keeps your body good being in idle doing nothing wreaks havoc on the back been doing m.a. for 16 years now keep moving and wrkout even if for 10 mins.
My wife was told she'd never be able to lift something over 20# or do a situp again after some complications from childbirth. We had to find a different doctor who would even entertain the possibility of recovery. It's amazing how content some doctors are to tell you a condition is permanent, when it's really just that they don't care to learn about what it might take to move forward.
Chad- I am 3x All American distance runner. Not quite Olympic caliber, but could have ran pro for a few years had I not wanted to get my engineering career going. In my mid 40s I turned to BJJ after getting into a scrap where I concluded it would be good to have some "skills" FF to me at 50. I was experiencing some weird stuff when rolling, my T levels dropping and I was definitely not the bull I once was. Also injury was happening left and right... this is not a gentle sport. Now I am back to chasing times on the running side again. I look at the world records for masters and say--- hey that USED TO BE a slow pace for me. I could do that. My point being- your heart will pull you back to this when your body recovers. I only made it to purple before hanging it up. Very few guys do this well into their 50s. You've got time- let it heal. Your body will heal. Go cross train and let it happen.
50 year old purple belt here. I had a DVT from a clot in my subclavian vein and my arm blew up black and blue one day after the gym - they worked me up for TOS but said I was negative. I was in surgery the next day for massive blood clot and it almost took me down. My arms still feel tingly and numb and I still feel like I may have thoracic outlet syndrome. May go back after this to test again to be sure. Glad you are on the mend, I still train after my clot, can’t live without it but have to listen to the old bones and not overdo it. Best of luck to you and If I’m ever around I’ll drop by your gym.
I am in my mid 50s, got my blue (finally, lol) in a few years ago, and now just roll now and then. I always suggest that if anyone is just wanting to stay fresh, at least do the fundamentals (or combatives) class most gyms offer, no matter your belt.
I am two months into training. Just found your channel and the way you teach really suits the way i pick up things, it's unfortunate to hear about your situation and I really hope you can get it all figured out. For now it looks like i have about 7 years of your videos to catch up on. It sucks that you have to stop but just know you're still inspiring and gaining new students everyday. Sincerely- White Belt Ninja
Thank you for posting this, being in this situation is very lonely. After 8 years, the accumulated damage was too much. Not nearly as severe as your case. But I was exactly where I wanted to be. Gym owner with some badass white and blue belt students and stepping away was like having everything taken from me. In hindsight it's not that big of a deal, I rolled a bit last week and didn't really miss a beat (my cardio is awful). I just was not healing anymore and would get stronger but no muscular growth. Looking back I was completely burnt out but like you said at the peak of my "career". I go through periods where I can feel the nerves growing back (itchy) and my body composition has completely changed. The biggest healing factor has been time and deep breathing. Using the diaphragm to fill inflate the torso has been crucial. Especially around my shoulder/collarbone area. Wishing you all the best in your recovery and thank you again for posting this, means a lot.
I’m glad you found a doctor that was able to help you. Man I’ve been following you for years now, love what you put out and definitely hope to drop in and train some day. Will say a prayer for you to continue recovering!
Dear Chad, I have really liked your videos and personality and humor. I still use your guard pass for taller players as my number one pass. I hope life is going as good as possible and as a 50 year old BJJ guy who has had occipital neuralgia (which still bothers me) and other BJJ related injuries, I empathize and hope you get better. Eventually, this sport will be over for all of us. Take care and best wished.
Your an inspiration man. I did wonder where you went to. Glad to see you back. I've a similar story of numerous doctors telling me I'll never do Jiu-Jitsu again as a white belt at 25 with numerous ongoing issues. Gave it up for a year but I made it back. Purple belt now at after 32 with a few 6 month gaps in there from injuries. Just recovering from the latest surgery (knee) and 2 years on/off. But finally back on the mats in 2 week to continue the journey. "If you can't do what you want, do what you can" is a saying that always helps me in those tough times. All the best in your recovery man. If you need help with the mobility side of things, let me know. It would be a pleasure to help. Take care.
Tore my bicep training and had distal bicep repair, I'm fully healed but have yet to come back to jiu jitsu, my age 41 and being the sole provider for my family is why but I miss it lot. I hope you heal 100 percent God bless.
I had 2 bulging discs in my lower back. So severe the doctors were surprised i could even walk let alone train. It caused nerve damage in my left leg. The rehab was alot of nerve flossing, stretching, strengthening and mobility work. A year after the surgery now and i still have some pain but it is dramatically better than it was before but the rehab has been intense. An hour a day everyday for almost 6 months. Now its more like 20-45 minutes a few days a week and its something I’ll have to do for the rest of my life to keep the pain from coming back. There was also some strengthening of muscles and joints that it did affect and ways to protect it. I can say tho now i just have a fatigued lower back but i can train and compete relatively pain free. I would say look into nerve flossing the are then specific strength and conditioning a good physical therapist could be your best friend for this
Wishing you all the best from ireland brother! You and chewy really inspired me when I first started training. You are a great service to people who NEED to learn how to swim on land (grapple). Keep pushing cause people need decent people who coach BJJ such as yourself.
so sorry to hear about out your challenges. have really enjoyed your content over the years. best of luck on your journey and so nice to hear you are able to train and have a way forward
Hey brother, I used to watch you a while ago and it was when I was in medical school. I just wanna say that unfortunately doctors dont really understand the weight of their words when it comes to things that stray from the "conventional" path. like training bjj or trying to compete and stuff. I feel for you as I have also been on that other side of the conversation, albeit not about thoracic outlet syndrome. As cliché as it may sound, you must write your own story. Continue to fight for the life you want, sometimes it wont be as ideal as we would imagine it but we can get close somehow,,,someway. Keep fighting for the life you want and try to make it work. Take care of yourself and your mental. I wish you a speedy recovery. All the best brother.
Bro! I am SOOOOO sorry to hear all that you have had to endure! Thank you for your humility and honesty regarding your physical and mental health. You have been an encouragement to me Chad. May the Lord bless you with a new vision He has for your life and surrounded you with people to support you and remind you that you are LOVED!!!
Hey man good to see you back. Some doctors love to tell people they can’t do this or that. The truth is they are used to people who can’t. The jiu jitsu crowd is a different breed with the oh yeah just watch me mentality. All the best to you and your team. You will be back on the mats killing it again.
So sorry to hear about your ordeal - but glad you found a good doctor - they’re worth a million bucks - I had a brachial plexus injury to my neck from Japanese Jiu Jitsu and the nerve damage made my pinky and ring fingers numb at times - I learned to avoid tricep work with weights, etc., as it exacerbates the problem. Just food for thought 💭 though your issue sounds different.
Peptids are a miracle for me and others. Bpc 157 and tb 500 improved nerve and muscle issues that were bothering me for years in 3 days. Every cycle I feel permanent improvements.
Man, I'm sorry hear this, I always enjoyed your channel Homie, you are a great teacher and content creator. Have you also checked out if possibly connective tissue disorders may be in play? EDS or the like? Wishing you the best my friend.
Thankyou for sharing. Dont sell your gym. Continue doing what you love. May have to make some adjustments. I had to stop due to too many injuries. Also never really too good….therefore more injuries…i gotta pay my bills bro…Question…is it possible to do online juijitsu…Matt Arroyo has one?
Good luck with all of it. I am sure you've been on an emotional rollercoaster. I am sorry for the losses you have. But, at least there was some kind of solution. I am happy to see there is some type of path forward for you. We support you!
You have so much knowledge and experience there's no reason you should quit teach or sharing it. It still has value even if you can't do it like you used to. ❤
Good to see you back man. Even if you weren’t able to get it fixed we still would have watched any content you put out of you talking about training or getting two students to show the moves while you teach them through it. It may not be how you want to present the information but you have a wealth of knowledge and people out there still respect that.
Hope you csn compete again. I know the feeling of never wanting to lose training. Had back to back acl surgeries and 3 meniscus. When you have to take that much time of the mats it puts things into perspective. I'll ner do anything that may jeopardize me being able to train everyday ever again
You're a good one, Chad. All the best on your recovery. Even if you can't compete, you undeniably contribute so so much as a teacher. Keep on keepin on 👊
PRP and BPC-157. Ask your doctor about low dose oxandrolone for a few months too. They use it in burn units and it can help a lot with connective tissue and maybe nerve repair too. I think therapeutic dose for that is typically 2-10mg/day. Quite a lot less than the "steroid monkeys" use. Friend of mine is a swimmer and a few months ago was in his garage and some electrical unit exploded all over his back and arms. Shredded the hell out of his hands and he lost about 90% of the skin on his back. His hands are a mess with many tendons damaged and several fingers curled up. He's getting local corticosteroid injections regularly as well as a bunch of other stuff. He's about 7 months in.
Glad you're feeling better. I'm upset that there are so many shit doctors out there. Always good to get a second or third opinion. It happened to me with shoulder tendonitis. Multiple doctors told me I had no hope, it was going to stay like this. But I finally came a cross physio that showed me exercises that worked.
I've been training for over 20 years and have learned a lot from your video instructionals. You have a wealth of knowledge and I hope you can continue to share that.
I had a bad neck injury from a twister gone too far and it's been 6+ years of ups and downs and fighting to get back to full health and address all the nerve symptoms. I was initially off the mats for at least a few months and then at some point I started making it back but could only handle 1 or 2 classes before I would need to take time off again. Over time it got better but for at least a couple years my neck was sensitive to almost anything that compromised it, so one thing I had to do out of necessity was adjust my game. I made sure to do everything I could to not let people get anywhere near my neck so that meant a lot more guard work and less wrestling up. It helped develop my guard game and that helped to give my neck more and more of a break so it could handle rolling better. Some other things I've had to done to address the issues has been posture related. I'm infinitely more aware of my posture now and the more you can keep good posture throughout the day, the more your body can recover. Those nerve issues will get better but they take time, patience and good posture. Another thing that has helped me immensely has been supported hanging, ie hanging from a pull up bar but with my feet on the ground. At least 5 minutes every day. This should be relaxed and not a feat of strength, in fact you can use a stool and almost sit down while you hang. The idea is to get the full extension of the hang but without having to support all of your body weight. You should be able to stay in your parasympathetic nervous system while you do this and it should be relaxing. This has been a godsend for my neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists and my nerve issues. I don't know if your situation lends itself to this or if the rib removal adds a complication that I'm unaware of, but this 5 minute therapy has been a life saver for me and my jiu jitsu and body. I literally will tell anyone who complains about elbow/shoulder/wrist/neck/nerve issues about this but I think everyone should be doing this regardless, especially if you train. Last but not least, vitamin B12, taurine and lions mane are all good for nerve health and growth. I'm so glad you've found people who are helping pushing you in the right direction, I cried when you said the doctor told you to sell your gym. I felt that pain and I am so happy to hear where the story ended up going. Don't give up.
Dude, just wishing you the best. I learnt moves from you that I use to this day, and was always happy to see you grow so much from the chewy days. I'm glad you still get to roll with your students and hope you will get better and compete. Good luck!!
Damn bro sorry to hear it. I suggest yoga as a sort of more gentle, solitaire form of BJJ to help work the body and keep in shape. I had bad neck problems, doctor recommended cervical fusion surgery (game over for BJJ and any sports), but yoga and a lot of patience fixed me back to where I could roll again.
You should investigate mat pilates if you like yoga. I had sciatica really bad and couldn't really exercise put I could do yoga and later I switched to pilates because it got me better results.
I get it...I teared up when I left my neurologist's office after I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I'm glad they were able to fix the issue that afflicted you champ, and I wish you all the best for the future. 🙏
I would recommend trying the carnivore diet for at least 90 days. Do a slow transition first. Plenty of carnivore doctors here on UA-cam to help, e.g. Dr Ken Berry, Dr Anthony Chaffee (neurosurgeon), Prof Bart Kay. Sounds very tough what youve been through. I'm wondering what caused it in the first place, and the first thing that always comes to mind with modern health problems is a modern, unnatural diet.
Sounds like you've been through the worst of it and now are coming out the other side. Cannot stress the importance of daily PT on the areas most impacted. Not just BJJ training. Get yourself connected to a PT specialist who puts you on a long-term, daily stretching/flexibility/strengthening protocol that gradually bullet proofs the imbalances you have now. Don't lose sight of the goal of competing, but be PATIENT. It will be there for you when you're ready. Good luck and stay strong.
Oh man, sorry to hear about your health issues! Since others are sharing inspirational stories, I have two metal plates in each foot due to an accident. I was told that my running days were over, and for a while they were, until I spoke to a doctor that specialises in sports therapy that read through my PT assessment. They told me that more often than not when a doctor says "you can't do x", what they mean is "if you want to do x you'll need to work 10x harder and learn to work around your limitations". To cut a long story short, I adjusted, and I've now run two marathons and several half marathons. I can run a 5k in less than 20 minutes, and with enough stretching and ice baths I'm able to walk again the day after. I'm not gonna say to ignore the doctors. They're the experts. What I will say is that if you want to do a sport, speak to someone that knows athletes and what it takes to get back to a specific sport.
Chad, I've been training for about 8 years. I started watching your videos while you were still with chewie. You have always been one of my favorite online instructors. I'm glad to hear that you are going to resume training. Good luck!
Sometimes when I feel down, one thing I’ll watch is the video of Chewy promoting you to black belt, and it never gets old. I hope you’ll get back to being able to train without major limitations. But if not, I hope you can find a way to work around them. Look at Jean Jacques Machado, for example. You are and can continue to be an inspiration. I believe in you, buddy. 🙏
I was wondering were you went. I been out too though. Going through a divorce, don't have a place with a shower so I can't shower before/after. Don't have steady work that I can pay that every month, got a big old bill at the end of every month now. It sucks. Likewise too I had just gotten a purple belt and felt like I got the point that I was aiming for short term and it sucked to quit.
You're lucky you knew that guy. Most specialists are good at treating known issues. But getting properly diagnosed is always a gamble. As you start to recover, remember that there is a huge mental aspect to pain (and also muscle tension). Nerves are real, nerve damage is real, but your brain is a giant ball of nerve and how people perceive pain in the long term--after the acute stage is over--can change tremendously depending on mental outlook, without any relevance to the physical damage that may or may not exist. You don't seem to have an issue with that, but it's just something I've learned. I appreciate your videos; hope you recover well.
Miss your videos Chad. Sounds like you had neck ribs. I usually work on scalene release. I big component I see besides cervical ribs is overactive scalene muscles. Myofacial release helps. Keep it adjusted too. That helps calm than muscle group down. Look at you cervical curve too. Typically I will see it reversed on TOS. Most time I see that the person is also very wired and has a hard time relaxing. Chest breathers, always tight traps and frequent migraines or headaches They have an overactive sympathy nervous system. Almost like anxiety. Not saying that's you but it's just what I tend to see. If any of that helps it's my payment for showing some of the best side control escapes!
Two suggestions: 1. Chiropractor treatment 2. Massage treatment. Sorry, i do not know this condition, just a thought... Sending you positive thoughts and healing vibes 🙏🏽📈✌️
Totally get it, I was in a car accident that completely destroyed my body. Hip broken, sacrum fractured, brain bleeding, was in a coma for a while. I didn’t get rehabilitation even though I needed it, I was forgotten about by the health care system, & my family. It took me awhile to walk without smashing into walls. That was about 9 years ago, now I’m starting Jiu Jitsu, mostly training techniques, but I want to do more sparring. This might seem weird, but I would actually recommend looking into somatic processing for trauma, & other trauma healing techniques, surgeries are major traumas to our bodies. I have seen major shifts in my body from trauma healing techniques, getting to expressing the unexpressed emotions trapped in the body. It’s is real healing, from the Inside-Out. The trapped emotions literally manifest disease & physical issues. I have directly experienced healing emotional wounds & it having an instant effect on physical issues, usually it’s more gradual which it’s why it’s hard to study, hard to gather evidence for. This stuff gets labeled as fantasy a lot, & we go through life trying to find a physical solution as we think the root cause of the issue is physical, but that might just be (and usually is in my opinion) a symptom of an emotional disconnection. We all have trauma, or unprocessed emotions, stuff we think we “Don’t have time for.” The physical focused healing stuff is great too, not saying to throw that out keep searching that way, but focus on the other end of the duality too, the emotional. Wishing you good health, & thanks for your Jiu Jitsu videos! 😊
Pregablin (Lyrica) can help with nerve pain. Can defo help with the neck pain you're experiencing and reduce the pain and horrible nerve pains from the surgery. It can make you more sleepy too, so you might find that you don't get as much done in a day. The drawback is withdrawing off of it is meant to be hard (I'm yet to come off of it though so can't tell you my experience) but I can tell you it is helpful dealing with a neck injury or nerve related pain, especially if you feel pain is a factor that holds you back in training/competing and getting your mental health right. If you aren't doing them already cervical snags help you restore that mobility in your neck when looking left to right, UA-cam it, you'll need a towel. Getting the neck mobility back is essential, if not you will find that the problem won't go away so don't get lazy with PT. Get your upper traps and neck dry needled too, if you've never had it done or never had massages after training for years and years, you probably have crazy tight muscles and knots which don't help the situation and contribute to pain. I've unfortunately crushed my little finger down to the bone (broke it too) and had that restitched up. Plus had another hand surgery on my knuckle. I thought the nerve pain wouldn't go away and it was horrible. Over time it has lessened soo much, including the scars which were once hypertrophic, although sensation is still a bit weird (these surgeries were within the last like 4 months for me). Maybe get some bloodwork done generally. See if there is anything you are deficient in. I would say generally add in high quality Magnesium, omega 3's and either supplement or eat foods high in all the various types of B vitamins as these help with nerve pain and help when you're training. With supplements if you buy cheap, you're usually getting a ass end product, Thorne and pure encapsulations are very reputable companies and for essential supplements I normally only go with them (if you care about your health expensive supplements might seem like an drag but it can save you money in the future in terms of diminishing health). You could look into PRP injections. I don't want to write a lengthy essay, but in short compared to longer term steroid injections that doctors sometimes use to relieve pain (that if you keep having it in the long run ruins your collagen production) it might help speed up the healing process by using your own blood in the effected area. Neck pain can cause migraines, if you're unfortunate enough to get them too. Dark room, sleep mask, ear plugs, good pillow and Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) all helps. I'm from a different country to you, so I know this would all likely be an expensive endeavour potentially and it depends what way you want to go. Good luck with the healing process, I'm recovering from post concussion syndrome that killed my dream of going pro in MMA and then two hand surgeries later I'm in a similar situation to you, so I understand how it feels. All the best !
I recouped from a bad neck injury through Pt, a Saunders cervical traction machine at home, and the iron neck. I don’t know about your particular syndrome but for the neck those I highly recommend
I’ve thought about buying the iron neck I’ve heard great things. I’ll look into the traction device! I love when they do it in PT I can feel the blood going back into my hands.
I had a nerve compressed in my left arm and was not able to straighten my wrist. The doc doing the surgery said that visually it was not damaged. So he prescribed me some meds for the nerve and it to 6+ m for it to heal and get the movement in the wrist back. At this point there is nothing you can do besides waiting doing the rehabilitation and hoping for the best. You are a young dude and I'm sure it will get back to where it was.
Try intermittent fasting, the body will heal itself if u give proper care. Good sleep, breath work, meditation , good food , no alcohol all is in sync. All goes together by the hand. Keep at it💪
I think Bass Ruten had this…. Same arm shrinkage etc…. And he was at joe rogan podcast and he told his story….. went to the rogan doc and he is quite back on track. Been cpls years but i think it is easy to find….. Oss n respect beast. 👍🏻🙏🏻
Hopefully not what I have! My arm would go numb and get really cold. There is a test you can do if you raise your arm up and squeeze it over and over. My arm went limp about 15 seconds in to the test. My rib was cutting off all blood flow to my arm.
I'm so sorry, bro. You were one of my son's first inspirations in jiu jitsu. Definitely take care of yourself above all else.
Glad you found the right doctor!
I have been a follower of yours many years !
Wish the best for you !!
Chad, I work in a Hosp, and have been for quite some time now. I'm so sorry that this overreactive Dr put you through such mental turmoil, as I will call it. No Dr. should tell a patient what he told you. I'm so glad you have a friend who had the sense to tell you to let him go, and see someone else.
I'll tell a quick story. I used to work in the Pool at work, doing Rehab. We had a patient we would literally lift from a Power Chair into the Pool Chair. One day, the door opens to the Pool, and who comes walking in, but this guy, using a cane. I was floored. Talk about an emotional time. Never ever ever tell someone they can't do something, because we are not God, and we do not determine what someone's future holds. I say the same for you Buddy.
Love this! Thanks for sharing!
Best comment to me. Humility before God is importantly for a healer.
❤ don’t worry. Just enjoy your training. If you get better, it’s a bonus.
I am so glad you got a second opinion! I was diagnosed with a severe spondylosisthesis and the doctor told me I needed to quit martial arts. This was as a blue belt. I got a second opinion and learned that by patiently doing PT and certain movements for years I could continue to grow as a martial artist without losing my ability to walk. I am a brown belt now and I am so glad I got a second opinion. All the best to you on your journey, I love your content.
Keep doing pt and even stretching. i don't have severe spondylesthesis, but i got it training no matter what kind keeps your body good being in idle doing nothing wreaks havoc on the back been doing m.a. for 16 years now keep moving and wrkout even if for 10 mins.
My wife was told she'd never be able to lift something over 20# or do a situp again after some complications from childbirth. We had to find a different doctor who would even entertain the possibility of recovery. It's amazing how content some doctors are to tell you a condition is permanent, when it's really just that they don't care to learn about what it might take to move forward.
Wishing for your speedy recovery! Stay hopeful.
Glad you’re doing ok! Keep pushing and train safe 🫡
Chad- I am 3x All American distance runner. Not quite Olympic caliber, but could have ran pro for a few years had I not wanted to get my engineering career going. In my mid 40s I turned to BJJ after getting into a scrap where I concluded it would be good to have some "skills" FF to me at 50. I was experiencing some weird stuff when rolling, my T levels dropping and I was definitely not the bull I once was. Also injury was happening left and right... this is not a gentle sport.
Now I am back to chasing times on the running side again. I look at the world records for masters and say--- hey that USED TO BE a slow pace for me. I could do that.
My point being- your heart will pull you back to this when your body recovers. I only made it to purple before hanging it up. Very few guys do this well into their 50s. You've got time- let it heal. Your body will heal. Go cross train and let it happen.
50 year old purple belt here. I had a DVT from a clot in my subclavian vein and my arm blew up black and blue one day after the gym - they worked me up for TOS but said I was negative. I was in surgery the next day for massive blood clot and it almost took me down. My arms still feel tingly and numb and I still feel like I may have thoracic outlet syndrome. May go back after this to test again to be sure. Glad you are on the mend, I still train after my clot, can’t live without it but have to listen to the old bones and not overdo it. Best of luck to you and If I’m ever around I’ll drop by your gym.
I am in my mid 50s, got my blue (finally, lol) in a few years ago, and now just roll now and then. I always suggest that if anyone is just wanting to stay fresh, at least do the fundamentals (or combatives) class most gyms offer, no matter your belt.
I am two months into training. Just found your channel and the way you teach really suits the way i pick up things, it's unfortunate to hear about your situation and I really hope you can get it all figured out. For now it looks like i have about 7 years of your videos to catch up on. It sucks that you have to stop but just know you're still inspiring and gaining new students everyday.
Sincerely- White Belt Ninja
Praying for you buddy! Thanks for all the great content. God bless
Glad to hear you are back on the mats brother👊hopefully everything continues to get better and I'll get to watch you compete again🔥
That's gr8 news your recovering Chad...winners nvr quit....Stay strong Bro
Had no idea! Keep going, you’re the man.
Thank you for sharing. Am glad you are not closing down your dojo. Keep on keeping on.
Praying for you brother. Praise God you’re doing better. Hope you get 100% better and get to keep on grinding. 👍
I'm praying for you brother, you are going to heal
Appreciate you man. I learned a lot from your videos and I still use your techniques that I learned as an early white belt.
Hang in there man.
Sorry that happened, hope you feel better
Best of luck with the recovery mate.
Thank you for posting this, being in this situation is very lonely.
After 8 years, the accumulated damage was too much. Not nearly as severe as your case. But I was exactly where I wanted to be. Gym owner with some badass white and blue belt students and stepping away was like having everything taken from me.
In hindsight it's not that big of a deal, I rolled a bit last week and didn't really miss a beat (my cardio is awful).
I just was not healing anymore and would get stronger but no muscular growth. Looking back I was completely burnt out but like you said at the peak of my "career".
I go through periods where I can feel the nerves growing back (itchy) and my body composition has completely changed.
The biggest healing factor has been time and deep breathing.
Using the diaphragm to fill inflate the torso has been crucial. Especially around my shoulder/collarbone area.
Wishing you all the best in your recovery and thank you again for posting this, means a lot.
I’m glad you found a doctor that was able to help you. Man I’ve been following you for years now, love what you put out and definitely hope to drop in and train some day. Will say a prayer for you to continue recovering!
I'm sorry to hear that fren. I'm glad you are training again :)
Dear Chad, I have really liked your videos and personality and humor. I still use your guard pass for taller players as my number one pass. I hope life is going as good as possible and as a 50 year old BJJ guy who has had occipital neuralgia (which still bothers me) and other BJJ related injuries, I empathize and hope you get better. Eventually, this sport will be over for all of us. Take care and best wished.
Goodluck!! Happy that you’re training again
Don't give up Chad I'm 54 been injured for 3 years I'm still trying to get healed . Stem cell therapy bcp 157 peptide. Good luck youngen.
Your an inspiration man. I did wonder where you went to. Glad to see you back. I've a similar story of numerous doctors telling me I'll never do Jiu-Jitsu again as a white belt at 25 with numerous ongoing issues. Gave it up for a year but I made it back. Purple belt now at after 32 with a few 6 month gaps in there from injuries. Just recovering from the latest surgery (knee) and 2 years on/off. But finally back on the mats in 2 week to continue the journey. "If you can't do what you want, do what you can" is a saying that always helps me in those tough times. All the best in your recovery man. If you need help with the mobility side of things, let me know. It would be a pleasure to help. Take care.
Tore my bicep training and had distal bicep repair, I'm fully healed but have yet to come back to jiu jitsu, my age 41 and being the sole provider for my family is why but I miss it lot. I hope you heal 100 percent God bless.
I had 2 bulging discs in my lower back. So severe the doctors were surprised i could even walk let alone train. It caused nerve damage in my left leg. The rehab was alot of nerve flossing, stretching, strengthening and mobility work. A year after the surgery now and i still have some pain but it is dramatically better than it was before but the rehab has been intense. An hour a day everyday for almost 6 months. Now its more like 20-45 minutes a few days a week and its something I’ll have to do for the rest of my life to keep the pain from coming back. There was also some strengthening of muscles and joints that it did affect and ways to protect it. I can say tho now i just have a fatigued lower back but i can train and compete relatively pain free. I would say look into nerve flossing the are then specific strength and conditioning a good physical therapist could be your best friend for this
Glad you're back my friend. Been watching you since i was a white belt.
Wishing you all the best from ireland brother! You and chewy really inspired me when I first started training. You are a great service to people who NEED to learn how to swim on land (grapple). Keep pushing cause people need decent people who coach BJJ such as yourself.
so sorry to hear about out your challenges. have really enjoyed your content over the years. best of luck on your journey and so nice to hear you are able to train and have a way forward
Glad to hear you’re on the up and up and getting better man. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with all this shit man!! Stay strong bro!❤
Hey brother, I used to watch you a while ago and it was when I was in medical school. I just wanna say that unfortunately doctors dont really understand the weight of their words when it comes to things that stray from the "conventional" path. like training bjj or trying to compete and stuff. I feel for you as I have also been on that other side of the conversation, albeit not about thoracic outlet syndrome.
As cliché as it may sound, you must write your own story. Continue to fight for the life you want, sometimes it wont be as ideal as we would imagine it but we can get close somehow,,,someway. Keep fighting for the life you want and try to make it work. Take care of yourself and your mental.
I wish you a speedy recovery. All the best brother.
Bro! I am SOOOOO sorry to hear all that you have had to endure! Thank you for your humility and honesty regarding your physical and mental health. You have been an encouragement to me Chad. May the Lord bless you with a new vision He has for your life and surrounded you with people to support you and remind you that you are LOVED!!!
Take care dude!Love from Europe
Hey man good to see you back. Some doctors love to tell people they can’t do this or that. The truth is they are used to people who can’t. The jiu jitsu crowd is a different breed with the oh yeah just watch me mentality. All the best to you and your team. You will be back on the mats killing it again.
All the best to you and your Chad, glad you figured out what it was and that you are moving forward.
Glad to hear you’re back on the mats!! 🙏🏻🤜🏻🤛🏻
So sorry to hear about your ordeal - but glad you found a good doctor - they’re worth a million bucks - I had a brachial plexus injury to my neck from Japanese Jiu Jitsu and the nerve damage made my pinky and ring fingers numb at times - I learned to avoid tricep work with weights, etc., as it exacerbates the problem. Just food for thought 💭 though your issue sounds different.
Peptids are a miracle for me and others. Bpc 157 and tb 500 improved nerve and muscle issues that were bothering me for years in 3 days. Every cycle I feel permanent improvements.
that sounds so tough, glad you are slowly getting better and training again
Man, I'm sorry hear this, I always enjoyed your channel Homie, you are a great teacher and content creator. Have you also checked out if possibly connective tissue disorders may be in play? EDS or the like? Wishing you the best my friend.
Thankyou for sharing. Dont sell your gym. Continue doing what you love. May have to make some adjustments. I had to stop due to too many injuries. Also never really too good….therefore more injuries…i gotta pay my bills bro…Question…is it possible to do online juijitsu…Matt Arroyo has one?
Good luck with all of it. I am sure you've been on an emotional rollercoaster. I am sorry for the losses you have. But, at least there was some kind of solution. I am happy to see there is some type of path forward for you. We support you!
Really happy to hear you’re on the right track Chad. Wishing you all the best in the future.
You have so much knowledge and experience there's no reason you should quit teach or sharing it. It still has value even if you can't do it like you used to. ❤
That sucks man. I'm glad things are going better. I had thoracic outlet syndrome in 2015 and they removed the rib and scalene muscle.
They left my muscle said it wasn’t damaged enough to take out but the rib had grown 3x the size it was supposed to
wish you best recovery man. I watch you since years ago when you still making video with Chewy. Really wish you all the best man.
You are an inspiration brother, keep your head up xxx
Get better. Get stronger and healthier. Take it from there. You’re still the Man!🤙🏻😎🥋
Good to see you back man. Even if you weren’t able to get it fixed we still would have watched any content you put out of you talking about training or getting two students to show the moves while you teach them through it. It may not be how you want to present the information but you have a wealth of knowledge and people out there still respect that.
Glad to hear you are doing better! 🙏
Hope you csn compete again. I know the feeling of never wanting to lose training. Had back to back acl surgeries and 3 meniscus. When you have to take that much time of the mats it puts things into perspective. I'll ner do anything that may jeopardize me being able to train everyday ever again
You're a good one, Chad. All the best on your recovery. Even if you can't compete, you undeniably contribute so so much as a teacher. Keep on keepin on 👊
PRP and BPC-157. Ask your doctor about low dose oxandrolone for a few months too. They use it in burn units and it can help a lot with connective tissue and maybe nerve repair too. I think therapeutic dose for that is typically 2-10mg/day. Quite a lot less than the "steroid monkeys" use.
Friend of mine is a swimmer and a few months ago was in his garage and some electrical unit exploded all over his back and arms. Shredded the hell out of his hands and he lost about 90% of the skin on his back. His hands are a mess with many tendons damaged and several fingers curled up.
He's getting local corticosteroid injections regularly as well as a bunch of other stuff. He's about 7 months in.
Good luck to you, man.
Glad you're feeling better.
I'm upset that there are so many shit doctors out there. Always good to get a second or third opinion.
It happened to me with shoulder tendonitis. Multiple doctors told me I had no hope, it was going to stay like this. But I finally came a cross physio that showed me exercises that worked.
All the best on your journey 🙏
Hope you get better. First seeing Rokus' injury and then yours.
I've been training for over 20 years and have learned a lot from your video instructionals. You have a wealth of knowledge and I hope you can continue to share that.
I had a bad neck injury from a twister gone too far and it's been 6+ years of ups and downs and fighting to get back to full health and address all the nerve symptoms. I was initially off the mats for at least a few months and then at some point I started making it back but could only handle 1 or 2 classes before I would need to take time off again. Over time it got better but for at least a couple years my neck was sensitive to almost anything that compromised it, so one thing I had to do out of necessity was adjust my game. I made sure to do everything I could to not let people get anywhere near my neck so that meant a lot more guard work and less wrestling up. It helped develop my guard game and that helped to give my neck more and more of a break so it could handle rolling better. Some other things I've had to done to address the issues has been posture related. I'm infinitely more aware of my posture now and the more you can keep good posture throughout the day, the more your body can recover. Those nerve issues will get better but they take time, patience and good posture. Another thing that has helped me immensely has been supported hanging, ie hanging from a pull up bar but with my feet on the ground. At least 5 minutes every day. This should be relaxed and not a feat of strength, in fact you can use a stool and almost sit down while you hang. The idea is to get the full extension of the hang but without having to support all of your body weight. You should be able to stay in your parasympathetic nervous system while you do this and it should be relaxing. This has been a godsend for my neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists and my nerve issues. I don't know if your situation lends itself to this or if the rib removal adds a complication that I'm unaware of, but this 5 minute therapy has been a life saver for me and my jiu jitsu and body. I literally will tell anyone who complains about elbow/shoulder/wrist/neck/nerve issues about this but I think everyone should be doing this regardless, especially if you train. Last but not least, vitamin B12, taurine and lions mane are all good for nerve health and growth. I'm so glad you've found people who are helping pushing you in the right direction, I cried when you said the doctor told you to sell your gym. I felt that pain and I am so happy to hear where the story ended up going. Don't give up.
Well done Chad, glad to see you move forward through this challenge.
Dude, just wishing you the best. I learnt moves from you that I use to this day, and was always happy to see you grow so much from the chewy days. I'm glad you still get to roll with your students and hope you will get better and compete. Good luck!!
Damn bro sorry to hear it. I suggest yoga as a sort of more gentle, solitaire form of BJJ to help work the body and keep in shape. I had bad neck problems, doctor recommended cervical fusion surgery (game over for BJJ and any sports), but yoga and a lot of patience fixed me back to where I could roll again.
You should investigate mat pilates if you like yoga. I had sciatica really bad and couldn't really exercise put I could do yoga and later I switched to pilates because it got me better results.
I was wondering what happened to you. Wishing you a full recovery, OSSSS!
I get it...I teared up when I left my neurologist's office after I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I'm glad they were able to fix the issue that afflicted you champ, and I wish you all the best for the future. 🙏
Wish you the best dude!
Heal up soon, bud!
Speedy recovery bud.
Hope u feel better!
Good luck on your healing journey Chad - and just know that you already made an impact with your content.
Never heard of this. Curious so will read up. Thinking of you man really enjoyed your channel
I would recommend trying the carnivore diet for at least 90 days. Do a slow transition first. Plenty of carnivore doctors here on UA-cam to help, e.g. Dr Ken Berry, Dr Anthony Chaffee (neurosurgeon), Prof Bart Kay.
Sounds very tough what youve been through. I'm wondering what caused it in the first place, and the first thing that always comes to mind with modern health problems is a modern, unnatural diet.
Sounds like you've been through the worst of it and now are coming out the other side. Cannot stress the importance of daily PT on the areas most impacted. Not just BJJ training. Get yourself connected to a PT specialist who puts you on a long-term, daily stretching/flexibility/strengthening protocol that gradually bullet proofs the imbalances you have now. Don't lose sight of the goal of competing, but be PATIENT. It will be there for you when you're ready. Good luck and stay strong.
Oh man, sorry to hear about your health issues! Since others are sharing inspirational stories, I have two metal plates in each foot due to an accident. I was told that my running days were over, and for a while they were, until I spoke to a doctor that specialises in sports therapy that read through my PT assessment. They told me that more often than not when a doctor says "you can't do x", what they mean is "if you want to do x you'll need to work 10x harder and learn to work around your limitations".
To cut a long story short, I adjusted, and I've now run two marathons and several half marathons. I can run a 5k in less than 20 minutes, and with enough stretching and ice baths I'm able to walk again the day after.
I'm not gonna say to ignore the doctors. They're the experts. What I will say is that if you want to do a sport, speak to someone that knows athletes and what it takes to get back to a specific sport.
They can never keep the beast down 🙏
Chad, I've been training for about 8 years. I started watching your videos while you were still with chewie. You have always been one of my favorite online instructors. I'm glad to hear that you are going to resume training. Good luck!
Sometimes when I feel down, one thing I’ll watch is the video of Chewy promoting you to black belt, and it never gets old. I hope you’ll get back to being able to train without major limitations. But if not, I hope you can find a way to work around them. Look at Jean Jacques Machado, for example. You are and can continue to be an inspiration. I believe in you, buddy. 🙏
I was wondering were you went. I been out too though. Going through a divorce, don't have a place with a shower so I can't shower before/after. Don't have steady work that I can pay that every month, got a big old bill at the end of every month now. It sucks. Likewise too I had just gotten a purple belt and felt like I got the point that I was aiming for short term and it sucked to quit.
Damn man hope to see you training and competing again. I remember being a white belt watching you on chewys channel
You're lucky you knew that guy.
Most specialists are good at treating known issues. But getting properly diagnosed is always a gamble.
As you start to recover, remember that there is a huge mental aspect to pain (and also muscle tension). Nerves are real, nerve damage is real, but your brain is a giant ball of nerve and how people perceive pain in the long term--after the acute stage is over--can change tremendously depending on mental outlook, without any relevance to the physical damage that may or may not exist. You don't seem to have an issue with that, but it's just something I've learned.
I appreciate your videos; hope you recover well.
Do you homie!We here for ya!
Sport BJJ unfortunately is an extremely reckless culture. So many people prioritising competition over their own health and longevity.
its funny because sport jiu jitsu isnt even that great for actual fighting
@@booglog whats funny is how a sports jiu jitsu fighter would still wipe the floor with 99.9999% of untrained "fighters".
Miss your videos Chad. Sounds like you had neck ribs. I usually work on scalene release. I big component I see besides cervical ribs is overactive scalene muscles. Myofacial release helps. Keep it adjusted too. That helps calm than muscle group down. Look at you cervical curve too. Typically I will see it reversed on TOS. Most time I see that the person is also very wired and has a hard time relaxing. Chest breathers, always tight traps and frequent migraines or headaches They have an overactive sympathy nervous system. Almost like anxiety. Not saying that's you but it's just what I tend to see. If any of that helps it's my payment for showing some of the best side control escapes!
Two suggestions:
1. Chiropractor treatment
2. Massage treatment.
Sorry, i do not know this condition, just a thought...
Sending you positive thoughts and healing vibes 🙏🏽📈✌️
Totally get it, I was in a car accident that completely destroyed my body. Hip broken, sacrum fractured, brain bleeding, was in a coma for a while. I didn’t get rehabilitation even though I needed it, I was forgotten about by the health care system, & my family. It took me awhile to walk without smashing into walls. That was about 9 years ago, now I’m starting Jiu Jitsu, mostly training techniques, but I want to do more sparring. This might seem weird, but I would actually recommend looking into somatic processing for trauma, & other trauma healing techniques, surgeries are major traumas to our bodies. I have seen major shifts in my body from trauma healing techniques, getting to expressing the unexpressed emotions trapped in the body. It’s is real healing, from the Inside-Out. The trapped emotions literally manifest disease & physical issues. I have directly experienced healing emotional wounds & it having an instant effect on physical issues, usually it’s more gradual which it’s why it’s hard to study, hard to gather evidence for. This stuff gets labeled as fantasy a lot, & we go through life trying to find a physical solution as we think the root cause of the issue is physical, but that might just be (and usually is in my opinion) a symptom of an emotional disconnection. We all have trauma, or unprocessed emotions, stuff we think we “Don’t have time for.” The physical focused healing stuff is great too, not saying to throw that out keep searching that way, but focus on the other end of the duality too, the emotional. Wishing you good health, & thanks for your Jiu Jitsu videos! 😊
Pregablin (Lyrica) can help with nerve pain. Can defo help with the neck pain you're experiencing and reduce the pain and horrible nerve pains from the surgery. It can make you more sleepy too, so you might find that you don't get as much done in a day. The drawback is withdrawing off of it is meant to be hard (I'm yet to come off of it though so can't tell you my experience) but I can tell you it is helpful dealing with a neck injury or nerve related pain, especially if you feel pain is a factor that holds you back in training/competing and getting your mental health right. If you aren't doing them already cervical snags help you restore that mobility in your neck when looking left to right, UA-cam it, you'll need a towel. Getting the neck mobility back is essential, if not you will find that the problem won't go away so don't get lazy with PT. Get your upper traps and neck dry needled too, if you've never had it done or never had massages after training for years and years, you probably have crazy tight muscles and knots which don't help the situation and contribute to pain.
I've unfortunately crushed my little finger down to the bone (broke it too) and had that restitched up. Plus had another hand surgery on my knuckle. I thought the nerve pain wouldn't go away and it was horrible. Over time it has lessened soo much, including the scars which were once hypertrophic, although sensation is still a bit weird (these surgeries were within the last like 4 months for me).
Maybe get some bloodwork done generally. See if there is anything you are deficient in. I would say generally add in high quality Magnesium, omega 3's and either supplement or eat foods high in all the various types of B vitamins as these help with nerve pain and help when you're training. With supplements if you buy cheap, you're usually getting a ass end product, Thorne and pure encapsulations are very reputable companies and for essential supplements I normally only go with them (if you care about your health expensive supplements might seem like an drag but it can save you money in the future in terms of diminishing health).
You could look into PRP injections. I don't want to write a lengthy essay, but in short compared to longer term steroid injections that doctors sometimes use to relieve pain (that if you keep having it in the long run ruins your collagen production) it might help speed up the healing process by using your own blood in the effected area.
Neck pain can cause migraines, if you're unfortunate enough to get them too. Dark room, sleep mask, ear plugs, good pillow and Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) all helps.
I'm from a different country to you, so I know this would all likely be an expensive endeavour potentially and it depends what way you want to go. Good luck with the healing process, I'm recovering from post concussion syndrome that killed my dream of going pro in MMA and then two hand surgeries later I'm in a similar situation to you, so I understand how it feels. All the best !
I recouped from a bad neck injury through Pt, a Saunders cervical traction machine at home, and the iron neck. I don’t know about your particular syndrome but for the neck those I highly recommend
I’ve thought about buying the iron neck I’ve heard great things. I’ll look into the traction device! I love when they do it in PT I can feel the blood going back into my hands.
I had a nerve compressed in my left arm and was not able to straighten my wrist. The doc doing the surgery said that visually it was not damaged. So he prescribed me some meds for the nerve and it to 6+ m for it to heal and get the movement in the wrist back. At this point there is nothing you can do besides waiting doing the rehabilitation and hoping for the best. You are a young dude and I'm sure it will get back to where it was.
Good news that you got fixed up! Thanks for the update!
Happy to hear you are back on the mats
Why do some of the best coaches and competitors seem to fall to health issues? My coach has back and nerve issues
I hope you get better, brother
god bless bro good luck
Try intermittent fasting, the body will heal itself if u give proper care. Good sleep, breath work, meditation , good food , no alcohol all is in sync. All goes together by the hand. Keep at it💪
I think Bass Ruten had this….
Same arm shrinkage etc…. And he was at joe rogan podcast and he told his story…..
went to the rogan doc and he is quite back on track.
Been cpls years but i think it is easy to find…..
Oss n respect beast.
👍🏻🙏🏻
my prayers with you 🙏
Yo Chad. I have a strange neck issue as well. About 3.5 years ago it really got worse.
Your story sounds like mine.
Hopefully not what I have! My arm would go numb and get really cold. There is a test you can do if you raise your arm up and squeeze it over and over. My arm went limp about 15 seconds in to the test. My rib was cutting off all blood flow to my arm.
The first doctor needs his head looking at, piss poor advice. You got this, fuck em and go get em
I'm sorry man. I noticed you dropped off the map. I hope you can compete again. If not just teach. At least you're alive. Heal up the best you can.