About a month ago I went and did something that I thought was going to be a great idea, but it was DUMB! I went and trained with a collegiate judo team here in Busan at Dong-eui University. Now to some that may seem like a cool, interesting and fun concept and you know what? It was. But it was dumb. These are some of the best, most serious players in the city. They are no joke and they train at one speed, and one speed only - FULL BORE!
It was indeed and eye opening and interesting activity for sure. I even did a blog and video about the University program and looking back it was well worth the time. Korea is a country that loves judo and approaches it with deadly focus. If a country has university curriculums that award bachelor's degrees in a sport, they are serious. And this is just what you can get in Korea. A degree in judo.
Being both impressed and intrigued by this concept I really needed to check it out. A fellow judoka and friend who works in the Korean defense industry set it up for me.
At the end of the day, I went away with what I thought was a torn ACL or LCL. I couldn't even lift my leg out of bed the next day. I had a cast on for 2 days which helped a lot by immobilizing the joint completely allowing it to heal. The pain, however, was still intense. My co-teacher brought me to a natural medicine hospital by my school where they practice acupuncture. Because I'm covered by universal health insurance, the visits only cost me 4,000 won (about $3.67). After 3 visits there was a marked improvement in the mobility of the joint, likely caused by the reduction in pain. For that kind of money, it would be foolish not to give acupuncture a try each time an injury occurs, unless you actually broke or separated something.
The therapy session consisted of an initial analysis by one of the doctors, followed by the acupuncture procedure. In this case, I had maybe 6-8 needles inserted in and around the knee joint, in my toes, and in my hands. A red lamp was set above my knee and allowed to sit for about 15 minutes. From there, these suction cup, electrical stimulators were attached to my knee joint. This apparatus is called an "interferential current stimulator". It pulses subtle electric current into the tissue to stimulate blood flow and promote healing.
Once the poking, prodding, and electrocution was completed I moved to another floor where my knee was wrapped in kinesio/spider-tech tape. It has some sort of analgesic heating medication that helps make the knee feel good. I then laid on a massage bed where my entire body was vibrated and beaten for about 15 minutes.
As soon as I laced up my sneaks, I could feel the relief. I must say that the therapy worked incredibly well, and for the price it was well worth it.
I'm well on my way to getting back in the saddle. I'm now working out at a certified CrossFit gym to get everything back into shape again. The knee is still a bit weak and has some pain when too much stress or range of movement is applied. However, each week that goes by shows greater improvement.
The question now is whether or not I'll return to judo anytime soon. Likely not. With my online teacher certification course now in the mix, it's a good idea to stay pain and injury free until it's done. I think CrossFit is the right fit for now.
Heeeeere's the VIDEO!
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It was indeed and eye opening and interesting activity for sure. I even did a blog and video about the University program and looking back it was well worth the time. Korea is a country that loves judo and approaches it with deadly focus. If a country has university curriculums that award bachelor's degrees in a sport, they are serious. And this is just what you can get in Korea. A degree in judo.
Being both impressed and intrigued by this concept I really needed to check it out. A fellow judoka and friend who works in the Korean defense industry set it up for me.
At 40 years old, I realized later it was not wise to train with these "kids". My knee tells the tale...
At the end of the day, I went away with what I thought was a torn ACL or LCL. I couldn't even lift my leg out of bed the next day. I had a cast on for 2 days which helped a lot by immobilizing the joint completely allowing it to heal. The pain, however, was still intense. My co-teacher brought me to a natural medicine hospital by my school where they practice acupuncture. Because I'm covered by universal health insurance, the visits only cost me 4,000 won (about $3.67). After 3 visits there was a marked improvement in the mobility of the joint, likely caused by the reduction in pain. For that kind of money, it would be foolish not to give acupuncture a try each time an injury occurs, unless you actually broke or separated something.
The therapy session consisted of an initial analysis by one of the doctors, followed by the acupuncture procedure. In this case, I had maybe 6-8 needles inserted in and around the knee joint, in my toes, and in my hands. A red lamp was set above my knee and allowed to sit for about 15 minutes. From there, these suction cup, electrical stimulators were attached to my knee joint. This apparatus is called an "interferential current stimulator". It pulses subtle electric current into the tissue to stimulate blood flow and promote healing.
Once the poking, prodding, and electrocution was completed I moved to another floor where my knee was wrapped in kinesio/spider-tech tape. It has some sort of analgesic heating medication that helps make the knee feel good. I then laid on a massage bed where my entire body was vibrated and beaten for about 15 minutes.
As soon as I laced up my sneaks, I could feel the relief. I must say that the therapy worked incredibly well, and for the price it was well worth it.
I'm well on my way to getting back in the saddle. I'm now working out at a certified CrossFit gym to get everything back into shape again. The knee is still a bit weak and has some pain when too much stress or range of movement is applied. However, each week that goes by shows greater improvement.
The question now is whether or not I'll return to judo anytime soon. Likely not. With my online teacher certification course now in the mix, it's a good idea to stay pain and injury free until it's done. I think CrossFit is the right fit for now.
Heeeeere's the VIDEO!
