Nerve damage, migraines & 6 months without training

[billyrichards]

Hi everyone, it's been a while since I was last here and I want to get back into training after a lengthy spell away. It's probably also worth noting early on that I am still a newcomer to WC/WT with only a few months of classes under my belt.

Basically, my wife got quite ill last July/August time & I wanted to look after her. Thankfully, everything's ok on that front now but the time away, along with a couple of nagging issues are delaying my return to class. Your insight, help or just general comments will be grately appreciated.

I'll start with the lesser of these issues because it sets the scene better I feel...... I have recently found out that the headaches that have been a constant irritation for 12 years now are actually Chronic Migraines. I have a treatment programme from a leading specialist & although I'll probably never be free of them (genetics apparently), it seems that some drugs can help with maintenance so musn't grumble. Next up is the nerve damage which has been around for about 5 years and is closely connected to my migraines. While doing some specific strengthening work at home recently, I tweaked something that didn't want to be tweaked and it's been shouting at me ever since! It's the left side of my neck/shoulder region that is affected which at best causes constant discomfort and at it's worst sends me sick with a heavy, deep-seated pain. As with a lot of nerve compression injuries, I get limited sensitivity down my left arm. The degree of this varies and at the moment I've not found a way to understand it better. Hopefully, this is where you guys come in!

For those who are interested, I'll mention the specific muslces at the end of this post but now I'll ask the question that's on my mind!

My Sifu knows that I have headaches and has always been fine with it. The nerve damage however is far worse than it has ever been and because of the difficulty it gives me with the sensitivity elements of training, I've been putting off returning. I don't mind turning up to class in pain, that's not my problem here. What bothers me is that my progress and feel for the art are (currently) compromised and it's my own paranoia of not being perfect that is potentially the bigger issue.... So, with that in mind, should I return to class, say nothing and do what I can? Or should I have a word with Sifu before I start back to let him know that sometimes my left arm isn't my own?

Thanks for reading this far & I look forward to your thoughts.

The anatomy part
The major muscles involved here are the trapezius, rhomboids, latissimus dorsi, levator scapulae, splenius capitis, sternocleidomastoid and scalenes.

 

[Carol]

Hi Billy,

I don't know much about wing chun, but I know a fair amount about migraines and nerve damage.

Bring it up with Sifu, but also be your own judge as to whether the training makes the issue better or worse. The more your teacher knows, the better he can help you...even if 'helping' you means staying out of your hair because your left arm is not your own.

Try not to get caught up in the perfect stuff...we all love our training and want to do well, but an important part of growth in the martial arts is figuring out how to still make the best of training when accidents, injuries, illness, or aging start to interfere.

Hang in there and hope you feel better soon.

 

[bully]

Agree with Carol, chat to your Sifu.

I have limited sensitivity down my left leg and the sole of my left foot (back surgery), my balance and foot work isn't what it should be and I always tell whoever I am training with. Not as an excuse(I'm not that good anyway so I doubt they notice!!) but as a heads up.

If Sifu is wondering why my left foot isn't turning in as much as my right, knowing about my condition is useful to him. He knows its not that I'm not listening to him, it's just that sometimes my bloody foot doesn't listen to me.

I do what I can, that is certainly better then doing nothing.

Good luck and I hope you can manage your pain, it is a difficult thing to live with 24/7 and can change you as a person. Make sure you remember that, I check myself sometimes and speak to my wife about how I have been. Active relaxation helps me and lots of stretching, I don't like taking pills but will have to one day.

 

[mook jong man]

So your left arm is a bit numb , have I got it right?
Does it mean in chi sau that you can't feel when to redirect down when an attack is trying to get past your Fook Sau or is it when redirecting the attack up with your Bong Sau?

Get used to that mate , I've been training for years and have nothing wrong with my arms , and sometimes the odd one will still get through , it's called being a human.

You don't only feel through the arms anyway , some of it is felt through the feet.
Certainly the point of contact is the arms , but the pressure from the attack will be felt in the feet as well.

So much of Wing Chun is about precise positioning , if your positioning is correct the attack cannot get through.
You are just going to have to work harder on the positioning aspect , so you don't have to react as much to anything trying to sneak through , have no gaps so that an attack can't even be initiated.

Spend a lot of time doing single sticking hands on the arm that is damaged to try and compensate.

After you do a few minutes of that then go on to what I call "One Arm Sparring" which is basically just a jazzed up version of single sticking hands with moving around and random attacking thrown in.

Make sure you work on all the different configurations ,your left arm to his right , starting from outside and inside and the cross arm version your left arm to his left arm.

This is a very good exercise because you only have to concentrate on the one arm and will really help with your positioning and forward force.

 

[WingChunIan]

congratulations on still training. Many people would have given up so you can be rightfully proud of the fact that you are back training. With regard to the nerve damage have you tried acupressure or acupuncture? I've helped folks with nerve damage with acupressure. Additionally have you thought of visiting a hypnotherapist? The hypnotherapy can help with your migraines and might also be able to help with the sensations in your arm. Really worth having a look into it if you're struggling, most of us charge around £40 per session and from what you've said above I would think you're looking at three or four sessions over the space of a few weeks to see results.
If you're interested, drop me a PM or check out my website below (Brighter Tomorrows). If the south of Birmingham is too far for you to travel I might be able to point you in the direction of someone closer to you.

 

[billyrichards]

Agree with Carol, chat to your Sifu.

I have limited sensitivity down my left leg and the sole of my left foot (back surgery), my balance and foot work isn't what it should be and I always tell whoever I am training with. Not as an excuse(I'm not that good anyway so I doubt they notice!!) but as a heads up.

If Sifu is wondering why my left foot isn't turning in as much as my right, knowing about my condition is useful to him. He knows its not that I'm not listening to him, it's just that sometimes my bloody foot doesn't listen to me.

I do what I can, that is certainly better then doing nothing.

Good luck and I hope you can manage your pain, it is a difficult thing to live with 24/7 and can change you as a person. Make sure you remember that, I check myself sometimes and speak to my wife about how I have been. Active relaxation helps me and lots of stretching, I don't like taking pills but will have to one day.

Thanks for this, makes perfect sense when you put it that way. Agree about stretching too, I'm learning a few developmental stretches (it's almost like peeling back the layers of my shoulder and neck when it works well) but definitely need to work on the relaxation techniques.... They used to be soooo easy when I was a kid!

 

[billyrichards]

So your left arm is a bit numb , have I got it right?
Does it mean in chi sau that you can't feel when to redirect down when an attack is trying to get past your Fook Sau or is it when redirecting the attack up with your Bong Sau?

Get used to that mate , I've been training for years and have nothing wrong with my arms , and sometimes the odd one will still get through , it's called being a human.

That's the nuts and bolts of it yeah. I've not yet done any chi sau so can't accurately answer your question in that respect. My guess would be that due to the muscles/structures involved, my Bong Sau would be most affected.

Thanks for the other tips too, made a not of them all!

 

[billyrichards]

congratulations on still training. Many people would have given up so you can be rightfully proud of the fact that you are back training. With regard to the nerve damage have you tried acupressure or acupuncture? I've helped folks with nerve damage with acupressure. Additionally have you thought of visiting a hypnotherapist? The hypnotherapy can help with your migraines and might also be able to help with the sensations in your arm. Really worth having a look into it if you're struggling, most of us charge around £40 per session and from what you've said above I would think you're looking at three or four sessions over the space of a few weeks to see results.
If you're interested, drop me a PM or check out my website below (Brighter Tomorrows). If the south of Birmingham is too far for you to travel I might be able to point you in the direction of someone closer to you.

I've had acupuncture a few times and definitely get something out of it. It's been a while since I've had any tradional chinese done but sometimes get some trigger-point dry needling done. Not tried acupressure yet & I'm pretty open minded so would look into that for some short term relief. If I'm being honest, I probably won't be doing any hypnotherapy for this. My Dad read up on it in his younger days and I had an experimental dabble in my teens. No doubt of how effective it can be but I can hit all of them spots on my own!

Small World though eh, currently live in Walsall just a short hop from you!

 

[WingChunIan]

small world indeed. The beauty of acupressure for your condition is that once you've been shown the right points you can pretty much do it for yourself. If hypnotherapy isn't for you then thats cool but you might want to try a professional hypnotherapist at some point. You wouldn't put much store in the ability of someone who claimed to have learned Wing Chun on line or from books would you? . Any road, all the best with your recovery hopefully it won't hamper your training too much. Maybe our paths will cross at one of the martial arts shows etc all the best.

 

[Domino]

Maybe look into Spring Forest Qigong.
My own opinion, bong sau is useful but not the most widely used tool for me.
Also with regards migraines, usually getting a good amount of water / fix your diet / bath for relaxation will fix this.

 

[billyrichards]

Maybe look into Spring Forest Qigong.
My own opinion, bong sau is useful but not the most widely used tool for me.
Also with regards migraines, usually getting a good amount of water / fix your diet / bath for relaxation will fix this.

Wow, thanks for the Spring Forest Qigong tip. I've just looked that up & followed a video that was, for how gentle the exercise was, pretty damn potent!

Agree completely about the 3 basics as well. The only one that doesn't need addressing is water intake so plenty of room for improvement with the others.

 

[Domino]

You're welcome, different things work for different people, but its a good start.
SF Qigong is something that has helped me work a few things out, try moving your energies yourself after a while and be amazed.