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Will Jiu-Jitsu Destroy Your Body? Insights on Longevity and Injury in BJJ, Inspired by John Danaher
TL:DR- identify your overcompensation patterns and work actively towards fixing them to reduce risk of some painful injuries
If you train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu long enough, is it guaranteed to wreck your body? Coach John Danaher—arguably the best on the planet, who's spent decades on the mats with a severely crippled left leg—offers his take that every grappler should hear.
Link: - YouTube
1. John Danaher’s Unique Situation
Danaher’s left leg has never fully extended since he was a teen, leaving him with a permanent limp. Over decades, the stresses of overcompensating led to severe osteoarthritis, ultimately requiring multiple hip surgeries. His case is extreme, but it perfectly demonstrates how persistent asymmetries can set off a chain reaction of issues throughout the body.
2. Chronic Injury and Overcompensation: More Common Than You Think
From a strength coach’s perspective, Danaher’s story isn’t as unique as it may seem. Once you’re training around a nagging injury—or overusing one side to “protect” another—you’re at much higher risk for breakdowns elsewhere. Research consistently shows the biggest predictor for future injury is a previous injury, likely due to altered movement patterns and inadequate rehab. Returning to sport before you’re truly ready, especially with deficits in mobility or strength, can multiply injury risk even more. (INJURY RISK IS ALTERED BY PREVIOUS INJURY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE AND PRESENTATION OF CAUSATIVE NEUROMUSCULAR FACTORS - PMC
3. What Happens When You Overcompensate?
Overcompensation loads joints and tissues unequally. For example, if you avoid kneeling on a sore left knee, your right side and hips might bear far more load—which soon results in pain or new injuries. Studies have noted that pain or dysfunction in one limb can be directly linked to compensatory problems and even discomfort in the "uninjured" limb during recovery. This imbalance creates a cycle that’s tough to escape and is a major culprit behind repeated injuries.
Research in young elite athletes reinforces this, showing that having a previous injury doubles or even quadruples the risk of further injuries, likely due to lingering asymmetries and compensatory movement patterns. In their 2023 prospective study of 422 adolescent elite athletes, Fridén et al. found that athletes with a previous injury had almost four times the odds of landing in the “high injury” group compared with those who had never been injured.
Key Points:
Overcompensation is a scientifically validated mechanism by which new injuries or pain emerge after the original injury, especially if recovery is incomplete or the “uninjured” side is overloaded.
Both physical (overuse, loading) and psychological factors (distress, negative thinking) interplay to make compensatory pain—and subsequent injury—more likely.
In summary: If after hurting your left knee you avoid kneeling on it, your right leg might “take over” the workload, risking its own overuse injury. Science now confirms that this compensatory behavior is a major—often overlooked—culprit in repeat or chronic injuries.
4. Reducing Risk: Train Like an Athlete, Not Like a Patient
Most “rehab” protocols only aim to get someone walking—not winning rounds on the mats. Danaher himself points out that if you want real longevity in BJJ, you need a proper strength and conditioning plan, including not just basic rehab but targeted strength training and dynamic work (like plyometrics).
5. Other Treatments—Beyond the Basics
In some cases, advanced treatments like PRP (platelet-rich plasma) or stem cell therapy are suggested for chronic joint injuries. While these can offer relief, Danaher notes that, in truly severe cases (e.g., “bone on bone” arthritis), surgery may remain the best (or only) option. These interventions should be viewed as adjuncts to—not replacements for—solid strength work and movement retraining.
6. Physical Therapy—Not One Size Fits All
“As John says, most physical therapy is just to help someone walk again,” not roll at high intensity. I recommend finding a therapist who understands the rigors of BJJ, or designing your own program that reflects the demands of grappling—agility, flexibility, and explosive movement, not just static stability.
Bottom Line:
BJJ won’t inevitably destroy your body, but ignoring and training around injuries without intentionally addressing them absolutely can. Get proactive with your prehab, strength work, and be honest with yourself when it’s time to seek real help. Let Danaher’s journey be a case study: longevity is possible, but only if you focus on more than just technique.
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