I’ve had my share of injuries. Each time, the same thought pops into my head “I’m an orthopaedic surgeon. I should know better. Am I insane for doing this?” As quickly as that thought enters my head, it is met with another “Jiu-jitsu is my passion. It is like asking me to stop breathing.”
Last month, I was presenting at a conference when a medical student came up to me. She told me about a hand injury she sustained recently training Muay Thai. She said that her parents were upset and demanded she stop training. She told me how she went to instagram and showed them my page saying “look… this girl is an orthopaedic surgeon and black belt.” They went quiet. All I could do was smile.
My First Big Injury (Age 25)
I was a white belt, just a few months in, paired with a teenage white belt. He cranked an americana and I didn’t even have the reflex to tap. I had a symptomatic labrum tear and ended up undergoing my first surgery.
Afterward, I convinced myself it was over. I had to become a surgeon or train jiu-jitsu, and I couldn’t do both. At my final follow-up, my surgeon said, “Okay, time to get back to training.” I looked at him like he’d told me I could fly. I responded that I couldn’t get hurt like that again, that my family wanted me focused on being a surgeon.
Over the next few months, I realized... How can I take care of my patients if I’m not taking care of myself?
The Dichotomy
Jiu-jitsu is one of the ways I take care of myself. The community, the challenge, the growth. So every time I get injured, stepping away completely is the last thing I want. For me, the risk is worth it.
And, the answer was never to quit. It was to train smarter.
Final Thoughts
Do what you love. Weigh the risks and benefits. Then, be smart about it.
Ten years ago I thought I could do competition rounds everyday and I definitely tried. Now, I pick my partners wisely and I train for longevity on the mats. And each one makes me a sharper surgeon and a more technical grappler.
So no, I’m not going to stop. I’m just going to keep getting smarter about how I keep going.
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Dr. Megan Lisset Jimenez
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