The Most Ignored Injury in Jiu Jitsu
We are constantly talking about knee, shoulder, and neck pain in jiu jitsu and forget the small bones that make up the hand. Our hands have 27 bones and countless soft tissue structures stabilizing them.
Almost no one talks about hands… until they cannot grip anymore.
I had an injury to my middle finger last week after a post went wrong. I hyperextended it and could no longer make a fist. It swelled up like a marble. A decision had to be made… compete and potentially worsen it, making me unable to operate or bail on the competition and let it rest. I chose the latter and here I am. Able to type this newsletter with my rested finger.
Why Hand Injuries Are So Common
Your hands are your primary connection to your opponent. And in Gi, these connections are often gripped for dear life.
Your fingers are constantly being bent, twisted, and loaded in awkward positions. Unlike larger joints, the fingers are small structures taking on repeated high stress. And the problem is not usually one big injury, although it can be the initiator. It is typically thousands of small ones.
The “Jammed Finger” That Never Heals
One of my PAs wisely told me last week: “there is no such thing as just a jammed finger”.
Your finger gets caught in a grip or bent the wrong way. It swells. It hurts. You tape it and keep training, but it never fully settles because you didn’t let it.
Weeks turn into months. The joint stays enlarged. It feels stiff in the morning. It aches when you grip hard.
What was likely a sprain to the ligaments or capsule becomes a chronic issue because it never had a chance to calm down.
What Is Actually Getting Injured
The fingers rely on a complex system of ligaments, pulleys, and tendons to function.
In jiu jitsu, we commonly see injuries to:
Collateral ligaments from sideways stress
Volar plate injuries from hyperextension. This is what happened to me. Luckily, the joint did not dislocate and I thank my taping job for saving me a bit there.
Flexor tendon and pulley irritation from constant gripping
These are not always dramatic injuries, but they affect performance significantly. Over time these changes become permanent. Have you ever looked at an older jiu jitsu athlete and thought “wow how did their hands get that bad?” This is why.
The Long Term Changes
If you train long enough without managing these injuries, your hands will start to change. The knuckles become enlarged and range of motion decreases. Certain grips become painful or impossible.
Many older grapplers accept this as “part of the sport.” The truth is that some of it is, but other parts are preventable.
Training Smarter With Your Hands
You do not need to stop training every time your finger hurts, unless there is a big trauma leading to pain and significant swelling. Then I recommend seeing a hand specialist, just as I did. Get advice and return back safely.
If a finger is flared up, adjust your grips. Use no gi style grips even in the gi. Focus on position instead of squeezing harder. As always, train with trusted partners who won’t kill your hands.
Taping can help, but it is not a solution if you are continuing to overload the joint.
Sometimes the best decision is to give that finger a short break from hard gripping so it can actually recover.
For Doctors and Physical Therapists
Hand injuries in jiu jitsu are often minimized or overlooked.
When an athlete presents with finger pain, swelling, or stiffness, consider ligamentous injury or volar plate involvement even if imaging is normal.
Assess stability, range of motion, and functional grip.
Rehab should include controlled motion, progressive loading, and sport-specific grip modifications, not just rest.
Final Takeaway
Your hands are your tools in jiu jitsu and in life…. Especially if you are a surgeon. If you do not take care of them, your game may eventually reflect that.
You do not have to accept constant pain and loss of function as the cost of training.
Let go of grips in training. There is no need to have death grips every single time you train. Let it go…
Manage the small injuries early, adjust when needed, and you will give yourself a much longer time in the sport.
____
Dr. Megan Lisset Jimenez
Connect with Me
Let’s keep the conversation going:
📱 Instagram: @dr.meganjimenez
📘 Facebook: Megan Jimenez, DO
💼 LinkedIn: Megan Jimenez, DO
