I’ve needed a knee replacement for about the last 5-10 years but kept putting it off because of BJJ. My doc can’t give me a definitive answer on what my limitations will be in BJJ. He said “people who get new knees don’t usually do what you do.” Lol.
Anyone still doing BJJ after getting a new knee?
I have a friend who’s 55 years old and has a knee replacement. He still does BJJ and rolls, and can roll hard. He mainly passes on his knees and does not employ standing passes much. Many of his limitations seem to be mental, but I’m sure he can’t do some of the things a young 20 yr old might do. He’s a black belt and a good one
Glad to hear he can still pass on the knees! That’s my biggest area of concern. I’m concerned about being able to kneel in someone’s guard.
Really, that’s all he does. Play half guard > sweep, pass on the knees, go to side control, and submit or restrain from there
He probably could pass standing but isn’t comfortable with it, and much. of it seems mental opposed to physical limitations
So good to hear this. This is totally my game, awesome to hear I can continue it. I’ve had ACL reconstructions on both my knees … a knee replacement is likely in my future.
I’m a physical therapist and jiu jitsu black belt. I have yet to work with a jiu jitsu athlete who wanted to get back following a full knee replacement. Unfortunately there is no research on this topic specifically.
I found this article on return to sport following hip / knee replacements for judo. I think judo would actually be more challenging on the knee than jiu jitsu. Looks like the return to sport data is promising.
Michael Bisping had a double knee replacement and he is doing wild stuff: running, kicking the heavy bag.
Clinically I am most worried about the lack of knee bending and getting comfortable kneeling (kneecap on the mat). Knee flexion (bending ROM) at best will be 140 degrees, and not everyone gets that much ROM. Doing a full kneel might be challenging. Take rehab seriously and get your mobility as good as possible.
There are different implants, some remove the ACL and use a metal post. This implant would make standing passing and dynamic movements more challenging. Some implants spare the ACL. This variant would be much better for maintained athletic movements. You would have to discuss with the surgeon what approach he wants to use and what impact options there are available.
If I get the opportunity to work with a jiu jitsu athlete following a knee replacement I will probably do a case study and talk about it on my social media page: hhttps://www.instagram.com/doctor_kickass/
I had my left ACL replaced back in 1998, then partially re-tore it in 2002. After three surgeries total on that knee, the Doc told me I’d have severe arthritis and possibly need a knee replacement one day.
Well, fast forward nearly two decades and not only did I have no cartilage at all left in that knee, but the long term limping and other changes in gait, and over-using my “good” knee for so many years, had destroyed all the cartilage in that one also.
Not long after we were shut down from Covid, I got to the point I could barely even walk across the room (use or lose it, and BJJ was the only thing keeping me functional!)
So, after a LOT of research and hard-fought acceptance that I no longer had much choice, and at age 51, I finally had my left knee replaced in February, and my right knee replaced in March.
The right one got infected and so I had to have another surgery for that in April.
At this point, just over 3 months post-op on the left knee I am beginning to be able to kneel on a regular hard floor again, so I am confident I’ll be just fine kneeling on mats once I’m all healed up. I may consider a knee pad with a gel front if necessary, but like you I put the surgeries off a long long time for fear of not being able to kneel again.
Everyone is different, but I’ve talked (online) with a couple other BJJ guys who had knee replacements (one of them had both done) and they are back to training and rolling also. They are kneeling just fine by the sounds.
At this point I’m very very motivated to get back on the mats and - after 20 years of almost continuously training BJJ - FINALLY getting my black belt. I spent 13 years at purple belt due to “life” (long long story) and then received my brown in 2018.
I’m rehabbing seriously, and won’t settle for anything less than a full recovery on the mats. With the way things are currently going, I think I’ll be back in the mats and better than ever before the end of the year.
My advice: Get it done. I wish now I had done it two years ago when the arthritis really started getting bad.
Thanks! I appreciate the reply and you sharing your experience! This is what I needed to hear. I actually just lost about 25 pounds and you’d be surprised how far that will go to make it easier on your knees. Lol. But I definitely still need the replacement. I’m going to be talking to my doc soon.