Grapplearts: Hiatus, Thanks, and Emergency Rx for Cranked Necks

[Stephan Kesting]

1 - A BRIEF HIATUS
2 - THANKS, AND THANKS!
3 - EMERGENCY RX FOR CRANKED NECKS AND SORE BACKS

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A BRIEF HIATUS

Hi Everybody

I've worked super hard for the past four months, and it's time for a
brief break. This Saturday and Sunday I'm off to Seattle to train
with Dan Inosanto. The day after that I'm off to spend a week in a
small fishing village on the shores of sunny Cuba.

I'm not likely to have a reliable internet connection, so I probably
won't be posting much while I'm there. I'm no Hemmingway, but I still
intend to do a lot of writing there, which I'll share with you all
when I get back.

Please note that any DVDs ordered during this time will still get sent
out promptly by my shipper.

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THANKS, AND THANKS!

I also want to thank everyone who went an downloaded "Grapplearts
Submissions" from the iTunes store. Sorry, this app currently only
works on the iPhone and the iPod touch (we're still looking into
putting it onto the Blackberry and other platforms).

And I ESPECIALLY want to thank those of you who are helping spread the
word about the application. We've been the number one or number two
paid sports app in iTunes for a while now, and it's all thanks to you.

If you want to help out, here are some links that you can post,
forward on to friends, etc.

*** The app information page on Grapplearts
http://grapplearts.com/iphone/

*** A link that opens the iTunes program right to the Grapplearts
Submissions App
http://tinyurl.com/cny5t8

*** The new Grapplearts Facebook page, with lots of info about the app
http://tinyurl.com/d5lxtm

Thanks!
Stephan

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EMERGENCY RX FOR CRANKED NECKS AND SORE BACKS

Yesterday I was training my side mount escapes. My partner and I
repeatedly started with me pinned, and then we worked until I got out
or until someone tapped.

Well I got sloppy and ended up on the receiving end of this rather
horrendous armlock/choke/neck crank technique that's one of Marcus
Soares's signature moves.

(If you want to see the exact move I got caught in, it's right here,
demonstrated by the man himself:
http://www.grapplearts.com/Kimura-technique-3.htm)

So there I was, getting squished. I was in pain, but pride kept me
from tapping out (which, is, of course the wrong thing to do). I
squirmed this way and that, trying to find a way out.

I ended up escaping by the skin of my teeth. I literally had to I
'walk' his leg off of my face using my face muscles, alternately
contorting my face into a frown, then a manic smile. Frown. Smile.
Frown. Smile. Frown. Smile...

Fortunately the combination of luck, determination and desperation
eventually paid off and I was out of the submission and out from under
side mount.

Not surprisingly, though, my neck was pretty sore that evening. A bad
kind of sore. That oh-boy-I've-done-it-again kind of sore.

That was yesterday. And today my neck is almost 100% again. So what
did I do?

Nowadays almost everybody knows about using the R.I.C.E. formula to
deal with sprains, strains, pulls or tears. This 4 step process
consists of:

R = Rest (i.e. don't make it any worse)
I = Ice (10 minutes on, 10 minutes off. www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/1921.html)
C = Compression (a not-too-tight ACE bandage, for example)
E = Elevation (lifting the injured body part above the level of the
heart)

When it comes to neck and back injuries you're kind of limited though
- compression and elevation don't apply.

You really don't want to be found unconscious with some sort of band
wrapped around your neck - the optics just aren't good (honest mom, I
hurt my neck...). And with regards to elevation it's hard to elevate
your neck above your heart more than it already is.

This leaves us with steps one and two: rest and ice. It's funny:
almost everyone will ice a sore elbow, but very few people apply ice
to a sore neck. This is a mistake.

That evening I put a gel ice pack into a sleeve and tied it around my
neck, 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off, all evening. The 10/10 rule
is important, because it's easily possible to give yourself frostbite
by leaving ice or ice packs on too long.

I even ran an errand with that neoprene sleeve around my neck. Yes, I
got some funny looks, but I'm 100% certain that the early and
aggressive icing had a lot to do with my quick recovery.

The other tool in the R.I.C.E. formula for sore necks and backs is
rest. Notice that it does NOT say 'stretch'. If you've recently
strained your neck or back then DO NOT STRETCH IT.

When you strain a muscle it's typically been slightly torn or
damaged. The pain and stiffness is a way for the muscle to protect
itself. When you stretch it too early, you're just aggravating it
further.

The worst back pain I ever had is when I came home from work with a
very sore lower back and tried to stretch it out. At the end of that
(gentle) stretching session I was so seized up that I couldn't get up
off the ground. I lay in the same spot on the floor for 24 hours,
wondering if I would ever walk again.

It's usually OK to start gentle stretching AFTER the inflammation has
gone down - typically 3 to 4 days in the case of a mild strain or
sprain.

So to summarize: if you strain your back or neck, DO get ice on it
right away, but DON'T try to stretch it out.

Stephan Kesting
www.grapplearts.com