# Experiencing pain as a new Jodo practitioner



## tamir302 (May 7, 2017)

Hi all, just wanted some advise.

 I started training at Jodo over a month ago (with no experience in similar marial art before), and after about two weeks of twice a week training I started to experience pain immediatly after trainings. The pain felt like my entire hands were sore which I guess is normal, but also pain around the elbow and in the wrists.

The pain got progressively better, until the next training when again it started to hurt. So I took a two weeks break, iced my hands, took some Advil, etc, and the pain was almost gone. But then last week when I came back to training, no surprises- it came back. Not as bad as the first time, and it seems like the recovery time has improved, but still I can feel my hands. No wrist pain though; mainly around the elbows (not in the elbow itself, like around it).

So basically my question is: is this kind of pain normal? Has anyone else experienced anything similar? I asked my Sensei about it and he corrected some issue I had with my gripping of the Jo. My senpai told me it sounds normal to him, since I'm using muscles I've never used before.
But still, I'm a bit worried about it, and not sure if It's normal to feel pain after every training session. I actually made an appointment with my doctor, though I'm not sure what can he tell me besides "stop training".


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## drop bear (May 7, 2017)

I got that lifting boxes. It can mess you up.

Train lighter with better technique. Strengthen your arms up. Make sure you do good recovery.


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## hoshin1600 (May 7, 2017)

I would guess the pain is from the vibration caused from impact.  Your teacher would be best to address your technique. You could not be properly aligned or holding the weapon too tight or too loose. If the pain gets to the point where you have to stop training you could ask your teacher about wearing some gloves. They make impact absorbing  gloves for carpenters and other work. It wouldn't be my first solution but if all else fails then I would try it.

One other thought ,,do you have a good weapon? Different woods will transfer vibration differently


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## drop bear (May 7, 2017)

hoshin1600 said:


> I would guess the pain is from the vibration caused from impact.  Your teacher would be best to address your technique. You could not be properly aligned or holding the weapon too tight or too loose. If the pain gets to the point where you have to stop training you could ask your teacher about wearing some gloves. They make impact absorbing  gloves for carpenters and other work. It wouldn't be my first solution but if all else fails then I would try it.
> 
> One other thought ,,do you have a good weapon? Different woods will transfer vibration differently



Tennis elbow?

Tennis Elbow


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## hoshin1600 (May 8, 2017)

im not a doctor and i dont play tennis but i think tennis elbow is from the exertion of force in the arm that stresses the ligaments.  and that could very well be a problem but i was describing something that i think is or is related  to HAVS  hand- arm vibration syndrome.  
as example the other day i was using a brass head mallet hammer with a solid wood handle to knock apart a cast iron fitting.  by the time i got home my hand was in a lot of pain. it was so bad that night i couldnt fall asleep.  all the joints of my fingers and wrist hurt really bad.
HAVS is usually found in guys that run jack hammers that vibrate a lot.  hammer manufactures are now making framing hammers that absorb the vibration.  Stanley tools actually makes a hammer with a tuning fork inside that is supposed to absorb the vibration so it doesnt go into your hand.

banging two large pieces of wood together again and again can have the same vibration shock that goes into your hand.


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## JP3 (May 13, 2017)

tamir302 said:


> So basically my question is: is this kind of pain normal? Has anyone else experienced anything similar? I asked my Sensei about it and he corrected some issue I had with my gripping of the Jo. My senpai told me it sounds normal to him, since I'm using muscles I've never used before.
> But still, I'm a bit worried about it, and not sure if It's normal to feel pain after every training session. I actually made an appointment with my doctor, though I'm not sure what can he tell me besides "stop training".


Sounds sort of like tendonitis to me, but it may only be post-workout muscular soreness.  Re-reading your post, if it is slowly diminishing in severity each time it comes back, probablyt he latter. If, however, it stays the same or gets progressively worse, more likely the former.

Monitor your perception of how it feels, at about the same time after the workout -- on paper -- so you are sure to recall what's going on. Trick I learned from a physical therapist when I had shoulder surgery.


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## jobo (May 29, 2017)

tamir302 said:


> Hi all, just wanted some advise.
> 
> I started training at Jodo over a month ago (with no experience in similar marial art before), and after about two weeks of twice a week training I started to experience pain immediatly after trainings. The pain felt like my entire hands were sore which I guess is normal, but also pain around the elbow and in the wrists.
> 
> ...


yes, you putting massive amounts of effort though your fore arms, bicep and triceps and the connective ligatures' in you wrist and elbow. Of course you are sore. You need to a) give your body time to heal and adapt which may well take longer that the gap you have between training, as a rule of thumb, it however long it takes for the soreness to go and your strengh to return , it takes the same time again for your body to adapt . So maybe once a week for now and b) once you can do both classes build up your strengh in this area through exercises


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## hoshin1600 (May 29, 2017)

JP3 said:


> Sounds sort of like tendonitis to me, but it may only be post-workout muscular soreness.  Re-reading your post, if it is slowly diminishing in severity each time it comes back, probablyt he latter. If, however, it stays the same or gets progressively worse, more likely the former.
> 
> Monitor your perception of how it feels, at about the same time after the workout -- on paper -- so you are sure to recall what's going on. Trick I learned from a physical therapist when I had shoulder surgery.





jobo said:


> yes, you putting massive amounts of effort though your fore arms, bicep and triceps and the connective ligatures' in you wrist and elbow. Of course you are sore. You need to a) give your body time to heal and adapt which may well take longer that the gap you have between training, as a rule of thumb, it however long it takes for the soreness to go and your strengh to return , it takes the same time again for your body to adapt . So maybe once a week for now and b) once you can do both classes build up your strengh in this area through exercises



the OP has not replied but just for clarification.  the Jo staff he is probably using is the equivalent of a broom stick.  4 ft in length and not weighing much more than one either.  so it doesnt use much muscle strength to use.  you also dont hit very hard weapon against weapon, it would break the sticks.  he could be griping the weapon too tight in the hand or tensing the forearm muscles when he shouldnt, but in my experience training with wooden weapons most of the time people have issues with the vibration. sometimes the impact vibration can be enough to make people drop the weapon.


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## JowGaWolf (May 29, 2017)

drop bear said:


> Tennis elbow?
> 
> Tennis Elbow


One of the most irritating injuries ever. It takes forever to heal


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