We should start this article by saying that chiropractors differ from place to place. Much like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, it depends where you go to and some are much worse than others. As a result, sometimes chiropractors can universally suffer from a bad reputation because of this. However, it should also be noted that some are good and can help fix and prevent injuries.
Online, there’s a number of arguments for and against chiropractors so make sure you do your own research before getting work done.
Table of Contents
What do chiropractors do?
Supposedly, the work of a chiropractor is to realign parts of your body. For instance, if you’ve got a damaged back, the chiropractor can put pressure and manipulate your bones and muscles. Let’s say you’ve got a bad back, you can then get it looked at by a chiropractor. Here, they can work on putting the correct bones and muscles back into place.
Some argue that this provides short-term pain relief, whilst offers say it helps with long-term problems. Others will go as far to say it doesn’t work and with a bad chiropractor, they can risk injuring your bones so be wary.
Sometimes as well, chiropractors will act almost as physios too – and suggest a number of stretches to do outside of their work.
How do chiropractors apply to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
If you’ve trained BJJ for a number of years, then the chances are you’ll have certain parts of your body that are damaged by it. Whilst BJJ probably won’t give you a concussion, over time it does chip away at the body and can damage you muscles and joints.
The result is that some BJJ practitioners will use a chiropractor to combat their growing aches and pains for common injuries such as the neck and back. Imagine badly hurting your neck but then potentially fixing it through chiropractor therapy. It sounds very tempting and some forums claim that it actually works.
Is BJJ bad for your neck?
One of the biggest injuries in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the neck. After years of getting stacked doing triangles, inverting, tapping to neck cranks, and getting crossfaced – BJJ can be pretty hard on the body. Even with a strong, muscular neck this will give way over time and so it’s fair to say that overall BJJ can be bad for your neck.
At the same time, there’s an element of style that will dictate how well your body does. For example, if you play a top game and a guard like butterfly then your neck may do better than someone who often plays guard – and in particular half guard. Similarly, avoiding rolling too hard or training with overly aggressive opponents will also lessen your injuries.
It’s not just the neck either. Another culprit is the back as these body parts are linked. Often, people will get back injuries due to the same reasons that the neck can get damaged too. In brief, if your body gets compressed then there’s a chance that your neck or back takes the damage. Therefore, the bulk of chiropractic work for BJJ is done for your neck and back.
Should I use a chiropractor for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
Ultimately, this answer needs to be done by yourself. In brief, do your research and you should only use one if you’re comfortable. For every good chiropractor story, there’s also tales of how they’ve injured clients due to being clueless about their work.
Therefore, if you are to use a chiropractor make sure they’re reputable and have a good amount of positive reviews behind them. Using similar logic, just because they’re the cheapest – it doesn’t mean it’s a bargain either. Sometimes it’s good to shop around and pay a little extra for assured quality, especially where your physical health and body are concerned.
Conclusion
If you do chose to use a chiropractor – then make sure you know what you and they are doing before you begin. As mentioned, usually these are used for neck and back problems – but can also be used for the knees and other joints too. In short, it could repair your body which is often what BJJ players are looking towards when they’re injured.
At the same time, don’t neglect other remedies such as a good diet, physio work and other methods such as yoga. Overall, there are several methods to help improve your body’s health, and chiropractic treatment is just one of many.
