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Old 01-10-2009, 04:36 AM   #1
kalmen
Dojo: Canberra
Location: Canberra
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 22
Australia
Offline
Love training, and I have a heavy build and joint issues.

I'm writing this post to in hope that others who have similar conditions to me would share their experiences and the things they did to overcome certain obstacles.

I'm a pretty heavy guy, I started off weighing 155kg (approx 310lb) and I have reduced it to 140kg (approx 280lb) through moderate diet and exercise, which includes walking when I'm not training. My height is about 183cm (6ft 1in) and my target is to reduce my weight to 100kg (200lb).

My Sensei is very understanding and whenever I feel I've reached a limit to what a joint has reached, I stop and sit down, he also asks me to do the same.

In August, I hurt my shoulder (which was dislocated 15 years ago), which wasn't major, and I went to a holistic practitioner, who put me off training for six weeks, and series of massages and yogic exercises, which brought me back to balance, but missing the training was awefull, what I missed most about it is the flow of energy, and the confidence and the energy I had, I couldn't imagine doing that again.

Now, I've hurt my knee (when I say hurt, I don't mean debilitating pain, just a discomfort), and in specific, my patella, and I attended two classes wearing special patella/knee support, then I went to a specialist, who said I had a minor abrasion and its nothing to worry about, then recommended one week rest and anti-inflammatory drugs and pain killers.

I want to know I can do something at home to help the healing process, like a warm pack, or a hot patch, or if there are any devices in the market that use ultra sound to stimulate healing.

At the moment, I don't do any knee spraining activities, like seweri waza, shikko (knee walking), but I do seiza.

I still don't know how to forward roll, and I try the exercise on extra mats to avoid injury and stop when I feel I've had enough. My Sensei tells me to take all the time I need, but I should take one step at a time.

I take knee support supplements (for a year now) Glucasomin, Chondroitin and MSM (I read the infamous thread: http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3686) which I believe have made a difference.

When I first got the pain in my knees, I put a cold pack, but I kept doing it for one week, then I realized I should only do it the first time and then use warm packs afterward. Any help on this would be appreciated.

I'd really like to hear your insights, opinions, ideas, suggestions, experiences, in hope that I could also benefit.

Aikido to me is more than physical exercise, and I want to do it for as long as I live, so I want to do it safe and I want to do it right.
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