As the year winds down...

This past year has been a crazy ride...from nerve-wracking knee surgery and the birth of my son, to a stress filled past couple of months of training for my sandan in a new karate style...needless to say its been one hell of a roller coaster ride!

My knee is slowly, but surely, getting stronger and more mobile. Am now jogging and light bouncing on it. Still have a long way to go....and alot of muscle/confidence rehab to do.

My training is slowly picking up pace and mobility...another year before I will be back to being able to kick with power....but leaves me plenty of time to work on th tiny adjustments needed.

Unfortunately, my test didn't go as planned...
From the results posted on the wall of the Hiroshima honbu-dojo I gather (still not quite sure as stuff gets lost in translation) that my Shukumine Bassai-dai, Koshoukun-dai kata and Kumite test results were a pass....but....my name is listed under 再講習 (saikoushu) for 'nunchaku no kihon kata', this translates as "short re-training of 'nunchaku no kihon kata' "....kinda....I have been instructed to put my blackbelt back on but I am still unsure as to what my rank is....oh well....back to more nunchaku practice!

Have a Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New-Year.

Status...

So it's been 7months since my surgery...

I went for my first 'real' jog today. I managed to do about 1 kilometer, knee held up pretty well. It was a slow shuffle style as I still lack the confidence to push a full jog step as yet.
Post jog and my knee fells fantastic...my new regime will be
Monday-workout (upper body and strength conditioning),
Tuesdays-Karate at the Butokukai Hiroshima Honbu,
Wednesdays-rest,
Thursdays-Jog,
Fridays-Physio,
Saturdays-rest and
Sundays-Karate training.

As for my progress in the dojo. Am able to do light-controlled kicking and can move pretty well in kata and kumite. Still having problems with moving back in kumite...but I am in no hurry so all is good!

My sandan certification/test has been finalized. I am sitting it during the Winter Gasshuku(camp) over the last weekend in November....a month earlier than I thought.
I have managed to learn two of the kata (still committing them to memory) but I still have the nunchaku kata to learn...a month and a bit to go....fingers crossed!!

For those interested the kata I have been learning are linked below...

Shukumine Bassai Dai
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nQVuSckGkM

Koshoukun Dai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0EmnYFohmM

Nunchaku Kata
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUbEPdrNt9I

A little late...

So, I have been away from this blog for awhile....
Fatherhood (now 7 weeks old) will do that!

So my 6month check up went well. I still have 2 to 3cm to make up to achieve balanced muscle mass of both legs. In the strength tests, two tests, there is still a 26% difference in explosive power muscles and a 32% difference in slow power muscles.
Now this may seem alot, but I have been reassured it is quite normal. Normal athletes and even casual ones, generally have a little better numbers, but martial arts places so much strain on the knees that recovery takes longer.

Onto my training...
I have stepped up the training, bit by bit, to a level that my teacher has told me to prepare for a winter grading (sometime during December) at the Winter Gasshuku (training camp). Now this adds some interesting difficulties...one is that being as December puts me 4 months shy of 1year post surgery and the other that one of the required kata contains a Nidangeri (jumping kick), third being I have to learn 2new kata, 1 nunchaku kata and have to face various rounds of kumite....
A challenge to say the least! (Adding the lack of sleep and home training to the mix....but looking at my boy makes it worthwhile!)

Winter Sandan Exam....here I come!

As summer approaches....

So my checkup was not my 6month checkup as previously thought. It was just a consultation for my doctor to check how I am doing and to have a talk about my progress and mobility range.

I am permitted to start light jogging now, this will slowly increase my knees "stress" resistance. Jogging will put a small amount of jarring stress on my knee....this increase will build the knees natural resistance and cushioning up which will, in turn, benefit my karate training allowing me to slightly increase "mock" kumite and kata speed.

I will be having my 6month scans and testing mid August.

A big thankyou to Naitou-sensei for encouraging me and also for telling me to slow down/back off when needed.

I was also given a new goal which will help with my mental game....Sensei told me to make sure I have remembered the required syllabus upto sandan by winter gasshuku (training camp). Febuary will mark 1year which should see me back to 90% so  it will allow me to participate in a grading, of which I thought would be a lower grade. Lots to learn!

6 month post-surgery check up

Next month (July) I will have my 6 month check-up.
This will give me an idea of how far my knee has recovered from the surgery as well as mobility, strength, muscle mass and range of motion tests.

I will also be meeting with my surgeon to discuss the next step of rehab and what/how much I am permitted to do in and out of the dojo.
This will be an interesting talk....my surgeon doesn't like the fact I returned to karate, even though my rehabilitation doctor said it was a good idea!

I am still training with Genseiryu Butokukai and my own training 2 to 3 times a week. My range of motion and mobility is slowly increasing but I still try to hold myself back for safety reasons.

My next post will be after my check up.....

Genseiryu Butokukai Training Week 2....

I cannot stress how good it feels to get back into my dougi and get back into the dojo!!

So, second time round for training (not including my "own" training of course!) was once again kihon followed by kata and of course finishing up with kumite!

Kihon was similar to last weeks training, however this week was concentrating on forward and back shifting movement and KIME. As fast movement is still a "no-no" I merely slowed it up and concentrated on my stance positioning, balance, upper body and kime.

Kata. As always my favourite (and in my honest opinion my worst area) concentrated on "kimochi" or putting feeling and kime into the kata. As I am the only adult training, mostly kids and young teenagers, alot of the students tend to "chat" and/or mingle when it's time to self-practice...."BOOM" sensei blew up! Even though I was self-training it was a good reminder for me as well to step-up my training (within the realms of rehab) and to set some goals for my training rather than "just training".

Kumite, as sensei explained last week I should find my rhythm without bouncing....I think in some ways I did last night. I somewhat reverted to my old Shotokan method of kumite in the respect I stayed light on my feet and didn't bounce, but, internally I felt the rhythm (mine and theirs) and used countering as attacking means putting stress on my knees which is a "no-no".

So all in all......loving training and have set myself a goal....
To participate in this years #2 grading or next years #1 grading (depending on knee) and achieve my Shodan. (Thinking Sandan to equal my Shotokan rank might be pushing too hard)

Back to training

Last night was my first day back training under Naito-sensei at the Gensei-ryu Butokukai Hiroshima Honbu.

Honestly I thought I would struggle a little more than I did at training.
I warmed my knee up completely before doing anything, then continued to stretch it during the entire training session at regular intervals just to be safe.

I had to hold myself back alot, I think I can do more at training but to be safe I take a step back from what I think I can do and take it easy (which is difficult for me as I have always gone 110% when training).

The training session started with some kihon and body adjustments, shoulders, arms etc. Using the Kihongyougi Shihotsuki kata pattern to reinforce and check the adjustments.

Next came kata. Kata is generally ok for me to train in, as long as I remove the kicks, jumps and take care not to go fast. The up-side to training like this is I can focus on the small adjustments and differences between Shotokan and Genseiryu kata.

Then came kumite. This was a little difficult. Rhythm is important in kumite not oly the sport aspect but the self defence aspect as well. I slippped up a few times and without thinking my body automatically threw a kick (luckily with my good leg). So I now know that I have to concentrate completely when training in kumite.
As for the rhythm....Naito-sensei taught me a good training method due to me not being able to perform the rhythm (bounce) with my body. I am to keep my feet light but planted, relax and "hear" the rhythm in my head without letting my body move to it....difficult....but a challenge is what I like!

This morning I thought my knee would have swelled a little from the workout, but to my surprise it hasn't swelled, nor is there any pain! But my leg muscles got a good workout which is what I need!

All in all....progress.
 

3months...

As the title states it has been 3months since my surgery.

This week I was told I am able to go about my daily life "without" the aid of my trusty knee brace. I have kept it as I will probably use it for the next few weeks/months when I am doing karate, just for peace of mind.

Still no jogging or such, however, my regular exercise routine has increased in intensity and range of movement exercises. Speed, jumping or any exercise that could "jolt" or "jar" my knee is still a NO NO. Light jogging will be ok after another month and a half, and soft jumping after my 6month check-up.

My knee is healing well, all tendons etc. are healing as they should. I have almost full extension of my leg (5°) and flexing (140°, still needs work). 
My muscle mass was measured during the check. My calf muscle is still -2cm and my thigh -5cm, so I still have a way to go before stage 3 of rehab can begin.

Stage 1 of rehab is getting your leg up to the level of being able to support you strength and muscle wise.
Stage 2 is bring your leg to match your good leg is respect to size, strength etc.
Stage 3 is bring both your legs to an even balance in respect to all movement, strength, balance etc.

I talked with my rehab doctor and was given the go-ahead to resume training with Butokukai Hiroshima from June.
There are more than a few restrictions though....
My training is to comprise of slow, controlled movements. NO jumping, No fast movements and NO power kicking. 
I asked my teacher, Naito-sensei, if this was ok as I do not wish to disrupt the other students' progress and training, and was given the ok to return to training.
The other up-side to returning is Zenkutsu-dachi etc. are great stances for getting my thigh muscles to build up some more!
Still unable to sit in seiza....so that will be an interesting experience!    

First day back...testing time

First, to my surprise, my knee held up fantastically well!

Balance was the best it has been since before the injury. Strength still has a way to go as I am still building my muscle mass back up. General movement was fine with the exception of turning.

Kicks...still a NO GO. (Slow, controlled and movement only was fine. Still a little unsure mentally on putting excessive weight on my left leg)

Blocks and punches...while being conscious of my left knee blocking and punching is fine. As karate involves using the entire body for punching etc. I have to take care and be aware of "pulling" the power and "snap" out of my blocks and punches (only to a degree) to stay safe.

Movement...straight foward and back movement is great! I am also able to put a fair amount of weight on my leg as the rehab comprises of a "lot" of squats! So in essence its the same as rehab. side to side is do-able but only if done at 30% speed and I have to super conscious of my balance "centre". Turning is a NO NO!

Kata...As turning etc. is still a problem, I am only able to "walk through" my kata. However this has an up side....I am able to focus more on the "little" things like placement an angles. It also offers me the opportunity to work on getting my Gensei-ryu kata firmly placed in my memory.

Kumite....NOT GONNA HAPPEN! This was a strict instruction from my surgeon, doctors and rehab docs!! It will probably be winter before even "light" kumite will be allowed!

I had my 3month MRI last week and have my 3month check-up this Wednesday. This will give me a better idea of how far my knee has come and how far I have to go.

Will post the results with my update of next weekends training!

A shout out to my Gensei-ryu teacher Naito-sensei and Kamohara-sensei from Shukokai. Their conversations and guidance have helped me keep a positive mindset to rehab and not giving up! 

 

5 days to go...

Teaching will resume in 5 days. I will post how it goes next week. Not just the teaching aspect, but how my knee feels before, during and after.

I also have my MRI this Friday. Following this my 3month check on the 13th.

I am hoping my doctor will give me the OK to go back to training at the Butokukai Hiroshima Honbu. Of course it will only be very light training and mostly only upper-body.

Update

My daily regular training has increased in intensity, repetitions and weight.

I am walking unaided and can now scale and descend stairs as normal without trouble. I have added new exercises to my routine to boost my thigh muscle mass to help support my knees by strengthening my patellas.

Teaching karate will resume on the 10th of May.

I will post after my first day back and give insight into how it goes.

Regular life

It’s been almost two weeks now and I am slowly getting back into regular life. 

Still no karate yet, I am re-opening the school in May, but only in an instructional capacity.

I am going to a nearby clinic for rehab twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. I am also doing the same rehab exercises (plus a few of the hospital rehab ones) and with the exception of a few, due to my knee, I have also returned to my upper-body training 4 to 5 times a week.

I was asked to do some exercise in the evenings as well as the mornings by my rehab doctor, however due to my average work day finishing at 8pm it is difficult, so I will have to talk to my doctor about a different training schedule.

My leg is recovering well, I am walking un-aided and also able to navigate stairs with the aid of a hand rail. Work is the hardest as I am often on my feet for extended periods of time which causes the swelling to flare up. That and the little kids who don’t quite understand and want to play and push me….oh how I am getting good at hiding the pain on my face!! (and NOT swearing!!)

My everyday home routine currently takes 1 to 1.5 hours and consists of:

50x front leg raises with 1kg leg weights

50x side leg raises with 1kg leg weights

50x calf curls with 1kg leg weight

5x Gravity heel slides with 10sec holds (bad leg only)

5x Standard heel slides with 30sec hold (bad leg only)

30x squats 5sec hold

30 standing heel raises 5sec hold

30sec front plank (bad leg crossed on top of good leg)

30sec side plank (right side only so not to put side pressure on my knee)

Various knee and leg massage and movement exercises after hot-pack treatment.

75 push-ups (bad leg crossed on top of good leg)

30x bicep curls + upward push 5kg weight

30x triceps extensions with 5kg weight

30x chest extensions with resistance band

30sec hold the 30x hand closures with 25kg weight

The end of the hospital stint.

One month of hospitalization is finally at an end.

My rehab is on track and even a little ahead of schedule. I have regained about 40-50% of strength in my bad leg, have a range of motion (bending) of 30° to 115°…of course there is pain and discomfort but it has lessened over time and as my leg gets stronger the pain subsides bit by bit.

I am able to climb stairs, remain in a seated position for an hour or so before the swelling gets bad, walk with one crutch (hoping to change to a walking stick) whilst putting 60% of my body weight on my bad leg and am able to do some basic exercises to help strengthen the muscles (and hopefully regain some semblance of muscle mass…..leg is well skinny!!).

I am getting dis-charged this Saturday and will be starting rehab at a clinic near my home from next week. I still don’t know how many times a week I will be doing rehab, that is up to the rehab doctor, but I hope  it will be 3 to 4 times a week. The sooner my knee repairs, the sooner I can start sports rehab which will help prepare my leg, and body, for my return to karate.

I will resume teaching from May this year, it will be a purely verbal and upper body explanation/teaching role, but my personal training will have to wait until I get the ok from my rehab doctor. Unlike my past injuries, where I went back to training while still injured, I will definitely wait for my doctor’s ok because I NEVER want to experience an injury like this EVER again!

In my overall hospital stay I lost an initial 15kg (first two weeks) from the sever allergy to medication and over the past two weeks have gained 7kg (it probably would have been more, but there was/is a sever lack of meat/protein foods in Japanese hospital meals.). The initial 15kgs was probably 10kg worth of muscle mass which I am working on getting back. (The tummy didn’t shrink as much as I would like but it shrank so there’s a win!)  

This is the last post of my hospital stay.

The next chapter will be about rehabilitation and teaching.

Part one of three is almost done....

Only a few days left and I can finally check-out of hospital.

My rehabilitation has been going well. I have lost 10kg but I have started to regain my muscle mass and my control and muscle-function in my bad leg is slowly returning.

I am able to walk on crutches whilst putting 30-60% of body weight on my bad leg. The target is to be able to put 60% and only use one crutch to support myself. I think with my current progress, I should be able to achieve this by Friday.

The swelling has mostly subsided, there is still some yellowing around my knee and a little swelling/stiffness around the inside calf muscle area.

I was given the ok to start resuming upper body training and strength training. The lay-off of my training is physically noticeable, that and the lack of protein and dairy in Japanese hospital food has affected the rate my muscles are returning.

The hospital-stint is almost over, next comes the challenge of rehabilitation. Keeping to a regular training regime without karate will be a mental challenge more-so than a physical one. But one that I hope to overcome and conquer.

My karate is waiting for me to return….and I intend to return with avengance!

3 Weeks done and dusted....

Well it’s been 3 whole weeks of good, bad, depressing and exhilarating hospitalization.

If all goes according to plan and there are no more problems, I should be outta here by next weekend! Rehab is progressing nicely, I am able to walk with crutches while applying 30% weight on my bad leg. I am having rehab everyday now, except weekends, and am able to do stretches etc. on my own as long as I keep it within reason and without pain.

My wheelchair life is over, living on crutches now. AND I am able to, finally, shower everyday!! Muscle density is still a bit of a problem, my rehab doctor is using muscle defribulators to help enhance muscle rebuilding whilst performing usual rehab exercises.

I have lost a total of 15kg in these past 3 weeks, mostly muscle mass, but the tummy has shrunk a bit so I am happy about that! I am allowed to start upper body training now, in my own time, so I am currently working on rebuilding my upper body muscle mass and strength in the afternoons. My mornings are rehab so have been asked NOT to train in the mornings.

I have become quite friendly with Tsutomu Kamohara Kancho (see previous post) and spend a good part of my free time in the afternoon talking, discussing and “geeking out” over various karate topics and differences between Japanese, Australian and European styles of training and mentalities toward martial arts. He is extremely friendly and easy to talk to, never ever does the “politics” of styles/organisations/grades ever come into conversation.

I have attached pictures of my knee as it is now, so please excuse the “white” leg! 

Day 17….Progress and Co-incidence.

Today is the best I have felt since checking into hospital today.

All allergies are taken care of, still have a sore lower back but this is taken care of by applying a heat-pack, have moved on to a standard wheel-chair instead of the one-leg stuck out chair and I have started walking rehabilitation.

I am able to bend my knee to a full 100° (105° if warmed up), still have bruising around the ankle area but this is normal. Apparently, the blood from post-op moves down the leg, settling around the ankle while hardening and bruising. It slowly dissipates over a few weeks.

Stitches have been removed, I forgot to take my phone/camera when they were removed, so photos will follow at a later date.

Swelling has almost subsided, still have a slight yellow/pink swirly colouration on my calf and when I lower my leg to a normal sitting position, my foot and lower calf swells slightly. This too will decrease over the next week….so I am told.

Now that I have all the allergies and problems under control I can get back to building my upper body mass back to where I was pre-op. I have been told to not push too hard, pilates style training is ok. Planking, hand strengthening, forearm training, back training…..basically anything from the torso up is fine, lower than that has to checked and if ok, proceed with caution so as not to impede an/or cause any secondary damage to my leg.

Am limited to stretching and “isolated” muscle training on my legs, this training has to be overseen by the rehab doctor and not to be done outside rehab unless given the ok.

I can finally see the end of my hospitalization and being able to return home.

On an unrelated note, I was making a coffee in the common room and was drawn into a conversation with a slightly older gentleman over my “jersey” (for those non-japanese accustomed, my Jacket). I was wearing my Australian Bugeido Karate jersey. He introduced himself as Tsutomu Kamohara, a Karate instructor living in France. He came to Hiroshima University Hospital to undergo complete knee reconstruction (cartilage, meniscus, tendons etc.) because they wouldn’t perform the surgery all-in-one in France. We talked about the stress karate places on knees etc. (especially Shotokan) and rehab. He even invited me to seek him out, should I ever travel to France for a holiday.
Ok, not so strange….until I “Googled” him….he is the 9^th Dan Kancho of the World Shito-ryu Shukokai Karate Union!!!

The world is large as is the number of karate-ka….but no matter how large the karate world is and regardless of style, karate-ka are “family” of sorts and we should strive to behave as such.