If you train Jiu-Jitsu, you are sure to have some spinal problems.The spine is the life center of the human body. It controls every human function, such as, digestion, hormonal balance, muscle contraction/recovery, gallbladder and liver function.

With a tough sport like Jiu-Jitsu you will very often get your neck cranked, get stuck in a triangle or a guillotine or get stacked. There is a big chance that you have a misalignment.

Back pain can be a major issue for many people.  It affects about 80% of the population.  Having back pain can make it difficult to train or compete.  One of the main causes of back pain is poor posture and poor muscle balance.  This can happen from our everyday activities.  Most of us sit at a desk for a living or have long commutes to work.  While not realizing it, most of us sit in a hunched position instead of straight like we should be sitting.

Problems with Back Pain

Back pain can be a sign of a herniated disc, disc degeneration, or it could be bulged.  If you have pain past your knees, you could possibly have a herniated disk, or a pinched nerve.  The discs in your back act as shock absorbers.  They are composed of cartilage which is a squish kind of substance which helps absorb any movements.  If it was disc on disc it would be very painful.  A herniated disc is when the soft center of the disc leaks out and can irritate the nerves in the lower back.  Disc degeneration occurs because of aging but also because of the stress you can put on them.  The disc wears down and becomes less flexible.  Discs are supposed to be soft and flexible.  As you age or put excess stress on them, they dry out and become less flexible.  When a disc becomes bulged, the soft inside of the disc pushes out on the outer area of the disc.  You will need an MRI to determine if you have one of these issues.

Some have predisposed issues to back pain because they have a muscular imbalance.  This happens when the muscles do not have equal distribution or functioning.  This can be the cause of poor posture.  Being involved in MMA or Brazilian jiu jitsu can make this worse.  Most of the drills you do for these sports require repetitive movement of the same area – this causes the other muscles in that are to not get the required workout to keep up.

Here are some ways to crack your mid-back and low back by yourself just like a chiropractor would do and relieve some of the pain.