Herniated Discs and Aikido

I have a simple question for everyone.

I have one herniated disc in my lower lumbar and one ruptured disc is my lower lumbar above the herniated one.

Would it be wide for me to consider learning Aikido?

One of my friends said that this was a good discipline for handicapped and elderly people to learn so that is why I ask.

If not I was thinking of taking up Tai Chi Chuan Chen or Tai Chi Chuan Yang.

I would loooove to hear someon's opinion.

-Snow Wolf

I can't directly answer your question except to say that anecdotally some people have found aikido safe and helpful.

What I will share is that there is an increasing body of evidence that says that many bulging discs will heal on their own and that there is not really correlation between back pain and disc abnormalities. It seems that various xrays and scans on people with symptoms show these bulges and herniations, so doctors jumped to the assumption they were causing the pain and other symptoms...but nobody was bothering to scan and compare over time people with/without abnormal scans and with/without pain.

I've been reading this intermittently in rehab and nursing journals for years and just the other wk there was a good roundup in the New York Times. Apparently similar conclusions are being reached about meniscus tears and knee pain.

A lot depends on what is going on with you. Is the disc herniated on a nerve? Is is sequestered (broken free)? Do you have radiating pain down one or both legs? Depending on you answer Tai Chi might be better.

On the other hand, there a lot of people walking around with disc bulges that are totally asymptomatic.

Chris Smith wrote: I have one herniated disc in my lower lumbar and one ruptured disc is my lower lumbar above the herniated one. Would it be wide for me to consider learning Aikido?

It's not so simpe.

It depends on your symptons, on what moves you can do or not.

And it depends on the style of Aikido you want to do.

I myself don't experience Aikido to be "a good discipline for handicapped and elderly people."

But:
Just visit a dojo, look at what they do and find out by yourself whether it's ok for you.

Carsten

Chris Smith wrote: I have a simple question for everyone. I have one herniated disc in my lower lumbar and one ruptured disc is my lower lumbar above the herniated one. Would it be wide for me to consider learning Aikido? One of my friends said that this was a good discipline for handicapped and elderly people to learn so that is why I ask. If not I was thinking of taking up Tai Chi Chuan Chen or Tai Chi Chuan Yang. I would loooove to hear someon's opinion. -Snow Wolf

The only thing that I am thinking about Aikido is the Ukemi part. But, other than that it will be very good for you.

Tai-Chi, IMHO will suit you better as there's no Ukemi is involved.

You can give Aikido and Tai-Chi both a try. If Aikido is not bothering your back and if you feel that you're really enjoying it then go for it .

I'd think that slouching in seiza for too long might exacerbate a deformed lumbar disc as well...