Managing Shoulder Pain for BJJ Athletes

Shoulder pain is a common challenge for many practitioners of jiu jitsu. The intense physical demands and repetitive movements can strain the shoulder joints and muscles, leading to discomfort or injury. Obviously, that is something we want to avoid!

Managing these issues, effectively, is crucial in order to maintain performance and avoid long-term damage. As a Physical Therapist in Reno who also trains BJJ, I understand what it's like to get in a really great roll with one of your favorite training partners and how important it is to keep grappling athletes on the mats. This post explores practical strategies to help jiu jitsu athletes reduce shoulder pain, recover faster, and train smarter.

A photo of myself getting back to jiu jitsu, almost 12 months after a shoulder surgery from a ligament tear while wrestling.

Understanding Shoulder Pain in Jiu Jitsu

The shoulder is one of the most mobile joints in the body, which makes it vulnerable to injuries during jiu jitsu training. Plus, think of all of the submissions that involve torquing someone's shoulder! Americanas, kimuras... not only that, but falls and landing on the shoulder can also cause damage.

Common causes of shoulder pain include:

• Overuse injuries from repetitive grappling and submission attempts

• Rotator cuff strains due to sudden or awkward arm movements

• Shoulder impingement caused by inflammation of tendons or bursa

• Dislocations or subluxations from forceful impacts or falls.

  
  

Recognizing the type of pain and its source helps in choosing the right management approach, since not all shoulder pain is the same. Pain that worsens during specific moves or persists beyond a few days should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.

If you're looking for someone who understands BJJ, contact us!

We don't just want to help the pain, we want to get your shoulder STRONGER and more durable so it can keep on training for as long as you want to!

What Could Be Going On With My Shoulder?

There a many types of injuries that can happen to the shoulder. The most common ones are:

• Rotator cuff strains:

  • A rotator cuff strain is where there is some damage to the tissue of one, or a combination of, the following muscles:

    • Supraspinatus: assists with lifting the shoulder out to the side and stabilizing the shoulder joint

    • Infraspinatus: assists with stabilizing the shoulder and external rotation

    • Teres minor: assists the infraspinatus with stabilization, especially when the shoulder is overhead

    • Subscapularis: internally rotates and stabilizes the shoulder.

• Labral injuries:

  • The labrum is a ring of fibrocartilage that lines the shoulder joint. It acts like a "seal" to help keep the head of the humerus (arm bone) in contact with the glenoid (part of the shoulder blade).

• Bursitis:

  • Bursitis is when the bursa (fluid-filled sac that helps prevent friction) gets inflamed.

• Myofascial pain:

  • Pain that can develop from irritation or injury to the fascia. Fascia is a vast network of connective tissue that is found throughout the body, contributing to sensation of movement, strength, stability, and overall function.

• Scapular fractures:

  • A bone break to any part of the shoulder blade, usually from a fall.

Preventive Measures to Protect Your Shoulders

Prevention is the best way to avoid shoulder pain. Here are some key steps to protect your shoulders during jiu jitsu:

• Warm up thoroughly before training with dynamic stretches focusing on shoulder mobility. This is especially important for older athletes.

• Strengthen shoulder muscles with targeted exercises such as external rotations, scapular stabilizations, and rotator cuff workouts. As the shoulder condition improves, we also start to incorporate heavy strength training and plyometric training for the shoulder.

• Practice proper technique to reduce unnecessary strain on the shoulder joint.

• Use taping or supportive braces if you have a history of shoulder issues.

• Listen to your body and avoid pushing through sharp pain during training.

• TAP EARLY!!! Many injuries happen because people let a submission (kimura, armbar, americana...) go too far, resulting in over-straining of the tissue and injury.

• Choosing the right jiu jitsu training partners: Let's be real... some people always roll, hard. Make sure to choose the training partners who aren't going to always want to rip off your arm.

  
  

Building shoulder strength and flexibility, warming up, tapping early, and rolling at an appropriate intensity reduces the risk of injury and improves overall performance on the mat.

When shoulder pain occurs, proper recovery is essential to prevent worsening the injury and to help speed healing. Consider these recovery strategies:

• Rest and modify training to avoid moves that aggravate the shoulder.

• Perform gentle range-of-motion exercises to maintain mobility without causing pain.

• Incorporate physical therapy if pain persists, focusing on strengthening and correcting movement patterns.

  
  

Avoid self-diagnosing serious injuries. If pain is severe or accompanied by weakness or numbness, seek medical evaluation promptly. We want to make sure you can get back to, and stay on the mats for as long as possible before your injury gets worse.

Shoulder Mobility Exercises for Jiu Jitsu Athletes

A healthy shoulder for BJJ starts with having good mobility. Mobility is not just flexibility. Mobility is having good strength and control through the range of motion. Oftentimes, areas around the shoulder get extremely tight, limiting the range of motion of the shoulder. These techniques can help to reduce that tension and allow the shoulder to get more range of motion.

Note: It is not recommended you undergo any new exercises or a new program until you consult with a medical professional. This is for information purposes, only. Some of you may have conditions that render these techniques, contraindicated. Read the full disclaimer at the bottom of the newsletter.

• Trigger point release to infraspinatus

• Trigger point release to the pectorals

  
  

• "Open the book" thoracic spine rotation

• Latissimus stretch

Shoulder Strengthening Exercises for Jiu Jitsu Athletes

Building a strong shoulder complex supports the demands of jiu jitsu and helps prevent pain. Here are some exercises I have used for myself, and with patients:

• End range IR and ER to target rotator cuff muscles

• Scapular push-ups to improve shoulder blade stability

• Face pulls using cables or bands to strengthen the rear deltoids and upper back

• "Wrestling" Row

  
  

Depending on the patient's tolerance for strength, I usually have them perform these exercises 2-3 times per week with proper form. RPE (rate of perceived exertion) is kept 7-8/10 and symptoms are kept below a 3/10.

Over time, we gradually increase resistance as strength improves via "progressive overload." Progressive overload is increasing the amount of stress on a tissue, over an appropriate amount of time, to allow for the body to adapt and get stronger.

Modifying Training to Reduce Shoulder Stress

Sometimes, we need to adjust the training routine. This can help manage the shoulder pain without sacrificing progress or re-injuring the shoulder:

• Focus on technique drills rather than intense sparring when experiencing discomfort.

• Avoid positions that place excessive strain on the shoulder, such as certain armbars, americanas, or kimuras.

• Use positional sparring or flow rolling to control the intensity and reduce the risk of injury.

• Communicate with your training partners and coaches about your shoulder condition.

• Incorporate cross-training activities like cycling to improve cardiovascular endurance, while decreasing the amount of load on the shoulder.

  
  

These modifications allow continued development while protecting your shoulder health.

When to Seek Professional Help

Persistent or worsening shoulder pain requires professional assessment.

Here at Clinch, we can:

• Help you get a better understanding about what's going on through physical exams and Ultrasound imaging if needed

• Get down to the root cause of the problem

• Develop a personalized rehabilitation plan to fix it, so that we can keep you on the mats

• Provide manual therapy and advanced treatments such as dry needling

• Help get you back to full training.

  
  

Early intervention improves recovery outcomes and prevents chronic problems, so the sooner we figure out what's going on and get you on a plan to fix it, the better!

Besides, no one wants to be sidelined from the mats!

Here at Clinch Performance and Recovery. we work with a ton of BJJ athletes. It's where the logo and name come from! That means we are passionate about getting people back on the mats.

If you are a BJJ athlete experiencing a shoulder issue, reach out to us and we will help get you squared away!

Disclaimer:

Any information on diseases, injuries, and treatments available on this blog is intended for general guidance only and must never be considered a substitute for advice provided by a doctor, a physical therapist, other qualified medical professionals. Clinch Performance and Recovery, LLC will not be liable for any damages or injuries that you performed exercises or advice on this blog.

Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care professional with questions you may have regarding your medical condition.

Although this blog provides the best available information for the general public and all reasonable care to ensure that the contents of this blog are accurate and up to date, all information contained on it is provided ‘as is’.

Clinch Performance and Recovery, LLC makes no warranties or representations of any kind concerning the accuracy or suitability of the information contained on this blog.

Clinch Performance and Recovery, LLC may at any time and at its sole discretion change or replace the information available on this blog.

To the extent permitted by mandatory law, Clinch Performance and Recovery, LLC shall not be liable for any direct, incidental, consequential, indirect or punitive damages arising out of access to or use of any content available on this blog, including viruses, regardless of the accuracy or completeness of any such content.

Clinch Performance and Recovery, LLC disclaims any control over, relationship with, or endorsement of views expressed by other Wix users/readers.

Any links to other websites are provided only as a convenience and Clinch Performance and Recovery, LLC encourages you to read the privacy statements of any third-party websites.

All comments will be reviewed by Clinch Performance and Recovery, LLC and may be deleted if deemed inappropriate. Comments which are off-topic, offensive or promotional will not be posted. The comments/post are from members of the public and do not necessarily reflect the views of Clinch Performance and Recovery, LLC.