BJJ Athletes With Herniated Discs - Recovery Stories & Daily Habits
I herniated multiple discs in my 20s and was told surgery was likely. I wrote a short book about what actually helped, and I'm posting the full text here for free. I'd love to hear what helped you.
Hi everyone. I want to be upfront about who I am. My name is Sebastian Brosche. I'm a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and I run a mobility company. My back problems came from years of grappling, but pain is pain, and most of what's in this book applies to anyone with a hurting lower back.
At 25 I had multiple herniated discs. I couldn't sleep well. I couldn't sit in a car without pain down my leg. I couldn't tie my shoes. Surgery was discussed.
What turned it around wasn't one thing. It was a stack of boring daily habits. Moving every 20 to 30 minutes instead of sitting still for hours. Decompressing my spine (legs up the wall, seriously underrated). Stretching with patience instead of force. Strengthening my glutes and hamstrings. Fixing how I slept and sat. Eating in a way that didn't keep my body inflamed.
I wrote it all down in a short book called Back In Control. The full text is below, free. No email, no signup.
Two honest notes. One: I'm not a doctor, and this isn't medical advice. It's one person's long experience. Please run anything past your doctor or physio, especially if you have pain running down your leg or numbness. Two: my company exists and I won't pretend otherwise, but nothing in this post asks you for anything.
My request: share your story in the comments. What caused your pain, what you tried, what made a real difference and what didn't. I read every comment. With your permission and a credit to you, the best insights will go into the next edition of the book, so it helps more people.
Here it is.
Back In Control: A Guide to a Strong and Pain Free Back in Jiu-Jitsu
by Sebastian Brosche
Intro
In Jiu-Jitsu, we worry about the obvious stuff, tweaked knees, popped ribs, skin infections. But the thing that quietly ruins most hobbyists and athletes? The back.
Herniated discs are just as common in Jiu-Jitsu as ringworm. You feel the proof of this in the morning when you can't put on your socks without wincing. I know, because it happened to me.
At 25, right at what should be the peak of my career, my back was so wrecked from multiple herniated discs that I couldn't tie my shoes. I couldn't sleep, or work. I couldn't sit in a car without pain shooting down my leg.
Not from one specific injury, but from years of abusing my body in BJJ without giving my spine a second thought. In BJJ, Back pain and spine damage doesn't happen as an acute trauma. It's the grinding in bad posture: curled, hunched, and compressed.
Guard work with knees to chest, usually only on one side. Passes with a rounded spine. Add hours of sitting at work and slouching in cars, and you've got a spine that never gets a break, just constant pressure from all angles.
And it adds up. Not always into an acute injury, but into stiffness, inflammation, and a slow erosion of movement. Most BJJ hobbyists and competitors either live with it – or quit.
Very few actually do anything about it. That's what this guide is for. The following chapters cover the most common and preventable causes of back pain in Jiu-Jitsu.
Mobility that's missing. Muscles that are weak. Sleep that doesn't recover you.
Sitting that wears you down. Posture habits that look harmless but aren't. And ways to undo the BJJ-specific positions that stress your spine the most.
These are actionable habits. Each one is simple, specific, and designed to reduce pressure, restore movement, and rebuild support. Start applying these ideas and you will soon be Back in Control.
Chapter 1: Mobility
When you mix hours of sitting, at work, in the car, on the couch, with a sport that twists your spine into contorted positions daily, you're asking for back trouble. Most of us live a sedentary life by default. We work at desks, eat at tables, relax on sofas.
That's hours and hours of spinal compression, with too little movement in between. Contrast that with people in the world's healthiest long-living communities, places like Okinawa and Sardinia. Their environments force them to move every 20 minutes or so.
They don't hit the gym or stretch obsessively. But their daily life includes enough built-in movement, standing, squatting, walking, reaching, that prolonged sitting simply isn't part of the equation. That's the real takeaway: you don't need any extreme interventions.
You need to design an environment that encourages you to get off your ass and move. Start small. Design your day so you're forced to move.
Set a timer to stand up and move around every 20-30 minutes. Take calls while walking. Stretch during loading screens.
Take 8 seconds to pick something up from the floor and enjoy the extra back stretch. These micro-movements act like oil changes for your spine. And then, once a day, ideally after training or after sitting for long stretches, do a five-minute back-focused mobility flow.
Something simple like cat-cow, spinal rolls, and a few gentle twists. It doesn't need to be fancy. It just needs to This daily rhythm of breaking up stillness and moving the spine is one of the simplest ways to reduce inflammation, restore circulation, and protect your lower back.
You don't have to be perfect. You just have to move.
Chapter 2: Strength
The last thing you feel like doing when your back is in pain is grabbing a barbell. But research doesn't lie, when done properly, strength training can be one of the most powerful tools for long-term back health. Multiple studies, including randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses, show that progressive strength training can reduce chronic lower back pain by 30 to 70 percent.
Not only that, but it also lowers the chances of that pain coming back. And compared to general exercise, targeted strength training has stronger and longer-lasting effects, with improvements that can persist for months. That doesn't mean loading up the bar to beat PR's, pulling with poor form or ego lifting through pain.
Technique and progression are everything. To safely strengthen a back that's already irritated, you need to start slow, and work with someone who understands back pain, not just any trainer with a weekend certificate. It's never easy to admit it, but the root cause of many cases of back pain is weakness.
Weak glutes. Weak hamstrings. Weak spinal erectors.
When these muscles can't carry their share of the load, the strain shifts to places that weren't designed to handle it. That's when joints, discs, and ligaments start to suffer. Building strength in these key areas through movements like hip hinges, back extensions, good mornings, and deadlifts gives your body the capacity to handle the chaos of Jiu-Jitsu, from sudden twists to awkward scrambles.
Strong muscles brace your spine. They distribute force. They protect you.
You don't need to train like a powerlifter. But you do need to lift something. Once a week at minimum, make sure you're loading the posterior chain and teaching your body how to move under tension.
Plus, lifting heavy weights also protect your bones from breaking by increasing your bone density.
Chapter 3: Sleeping Position
There's a strong and well-documented link between lower back pain and poor sleep. Pain makes it harder to sleep, and lack of sleep makes your nervous system more sensitive to pain. It's a nasty cycle, and one that's hard to break unless you address both sides of the equation: your pain and your sleep habits.
Even if you don't remember waking up, your body does. Sleep trackers often show disrupted deep sleep when you're in pain, and when your nervous system doesn't get to calm down, your back never gets a proper chance to recover. That's why improving your sleeping position is critical.
Dr. Jesse Wong, in his presentation on Advanced BioStructural Correction (ABC), breaks it down with three simple goals:
Wake up refreshed
Make six hours of sleep feel like eight
Reduce tossing and turning to protect circulation and alignment
Key changes that make a difference:
Sleep on your side, not your stomach or twisted on your back
Use a firm mattress to avoid spinal sagging
Adjust pillow height so your neck and spine stay level. Stack towels or foam layers until it feels just right. Too high or too low pulls on your shoulder and strains your spine.
Tossing and turning often happens because your body is trying to relieve pressure points. A proper setup reduces that impulse and eases overnight strain on muscles, joints, and nerves. Morning soreness isn't just aging, it's often the result of hours spent in a bad position.
Here's how I sleep well: I use at least five firm pillows to prop up my body until everything, hips, spine, shoulders, feels completely relaxed and supported. Whether I'm on my side, back, or stomach, the goal is the same: zero tension anywhere. You can fine-tune your setup with pillows until the weight is evenly distributed and no part of your body feels "pulled." Changing sleep habits isn't easy, but it's possible.
Try this:
Spend 15-20 minutes each night practicing your new position before sleep.
After a week, start each night in the new position.
Then, build a "pillow fortress", using pillows to physically block yourself from rolling back into your old habits.
Be patient. Within a few weeks, the new posture will start to feel natural.
Chapter 4: Sitting and Driving
Sitting isn't bad, sitting badly is bad. A posture expert once explained to me that sitting correctly isn't harmful at all. But here's the catch: sitting correctly requires strength that most of us don't have.
That's why your lower back aches after long periods at a desk or in the car. The problem isn't the position, it's your lack of endurance to hold it. When you slump, you're offloading the job of your core and back muscles onto your spine and ligaments.
Over time, this weakens the very muscles you need to sit well. So the cycle begins: weak posture causes pain, pain leads to more slouching, and slouching causes more weakness. Breaking this loop takes effort.
You will feel more tired when you start sitting properly. But when you sit upright, your muscles are doing the work again, and that's exactly what they need to get stronger. And then there's the car seat.
Car seats are not designed for spinal health. The slope of the seat, the tilt of the backrest, the lack of lumbar support, none of it favors good posture. So you need to build a new seat on top of the seat.
Use two small, firm cushions:
One under the sitting bones to elevate the hips, so you're not sinking into the seat.
One behind the lower back to preserve your lumbar curve, instead of letting it collapse into the chair's shape.
The goal is to feel like you're sitting on top of the seat, not in it. This setup might feel strange at first. You'll feel it in your core, your shoulders, maybe even your neck. But it shifts the load off your lower back, and that's the goal.
Chapter 5: Release
Whether you're sitting or standing, your upper body is stacked on your lower back. Your torso, arms, and head are all resting on your hips, and that means one thing: constant compression. Even when you're doing everything "right," the simple act of being upright loads the spine.
And lying flat on your back doesn't always fix it. That's because of the psoas, a deep muscle that connects your thighs to your lower back. When it's tight, which it often is from sitting or training, it pulls on your lower spine, even when you're lying down.
So just laying flat isn't as restorative as it might seem. You need to go a step further and actively release the pressure in your lower back. Start with hanging.
Full passive hangs from a pull-up bar can feel amazing, but they're hard to sustain, and usually limited by grip strength. A more sustainable option is to use gymnastic rings or a bar about hip height. Hold on and lower into a deep squat, letting your hips sink while your arms keep you suspended.
This creates a traction effect, gently pulling the spine apart and giving your lower back space to decompress. If you don't have rings or bars, even holding onto a fence or sturdy door handle while squatting down and leaning back works. It's like trying to sit, but not quite sitting, and your spine gets a chance to elongate without the load of standing.
But the king of all lower back releases is legs up the wall. Lie flat on your back with your legs extended up against a wall, arms overhead, and let gravity do the work. The weight of your legs gently presses down into your hips, which in turn unloads your lower back.
You can add a small, firm pillow under your hips for more effect, or find a corner to stop your legs from sliding apart. What makes this position so powerful is how effortless and sustainable it is. There's no strain.
No tension. Just pure decompression. You can easily stay for 10-15 minutes, which gives your spine time to settle, your nervous system time to reset, and your pain a chance to fade.
Spinal compression is unavoidable, but release is available. You just have to do it.
Chapter 6: Back Stretches
When your back feels stiff, it's tempting to blame weak muscles, genetics, politics, or even the sudden change of weather (if you're getting old). But the real problem is more often than not your fascia, the dense web of connective tissue that wraps and links everything together in your body. (think the white part of the orange, not the fruit meat which would be the muscle itself) And the thing is, the fascia of the hips, the core, the upper back, it all meets in the lower back.
That's why this area tends to feel so tight, restricted, and painful. And unlike muscle tissue, fascia gets sticky when it doesn't move. It starts to bind to itself, layer upon layer, making your waist feel like it's wrapped in old duct tape.
Also, fascia is loaded with nerve endings. Some studies estimate that fascia has up to six times more nerve endings than muscle, which explains why stretching when you're stiff feels so intense, it's not just your muscles protesting, it's your nervous system reacting violently to the new stimulus. But, good news!
Fascia responds incredibly well to consistent, medium-intensity movement. You don't need extreme flexibility. You don't need to "push through" pain.
You just need to stretch often, with patience and breath. One of the simplest and most effective ways to target the lower back fascia is the forward fold. Whether seated or standing, over one leg or two, this stretch can work wonders, if done right.
The common mistake? Forcing the stretch. People try to prove how stiff they are by reaching aggressively for their toes, thinking intensity equals progress.
It doesn't. Fascia releases through repetition and relaxation, not force. Think 10 to 20 gentle reps, moving in and out of a stretch with your breath, inviting release rather than demanding it.
The goal is to relax into the stretch, not fight against the fascial pain. Having taught yoga classes since 2012, I have to endlessly repeat myself saying something like: "You have to regain your bodys trust. The head is not a good boss of the body, and if you want your body to relax, it needs to trust that it's going to feel better.
This takes time, and patience. Forcing your stretch and holding the breath is not going to work" That's why yoga and mobility type stretching is so effective. Yoga has been refining the art of stretching and fascial release for thousands of years.
It's not about chasing flexibility, it's about restoring function. And it works. Not overnight, but far quicker than people think.
You can make real change in days or weeks, not years, as long as you do it consistently. Stretching isn't something you master once and forget. Just like brushing your teeth, it only works if you keep doing it.
Start with five minutes a day, and build from there. Over time, those short sessions will compound into a body that moves better, feels freer, and hurts less.
Chapter 7: Standing
When most people hear the word posture they think stand up straight. But here's the thing: you're not supposed to stand straight, you're supposed to stand tall and relaxed. There are two common postural habits that quietly wreck your lower back:
Leaning too far forward. Try this: stand up and wiggle your toes. If you can't, it means you're leaning into the front of your feet, and that puts a constant strain on the back of your body. This forward tilt shifts the workload to the posterior chain, especially the lower back, which ends up overworked and under-supported.
Shoving the hips forward. This is the most common modern default. When people stand "relaxed," they're often tucking the tailbone and pushing the hips forward, locking their knees and collapsing into their joints. It feels effortless, but it's not harmless. Your lower back pays the price, especially the intervertebral discs, which are now absorbing force they were never designed to handle.
The problem with the "hips forward, weight forward" posture is that it sets off a chain reaction:
Your center of gravity shifts
Your spine curves in the wrong places
Your head sags forward to compensate
It might feel "relaxed," but it's actually a constant source of mechanical stress on your spine. I used to think the goal of good posture was being able to stand against a wall with your head, shoulders, back, and heels all touching. Turns out it was a flawed idea.
Science and biomechanics show that the only part of your body that should be touching the wall is your butt. Why? Because your glutes and spinal erectors are the muscles that should hold you upright.
They need to be doing the work, not your ligaments, not your discs. When you stand correctly, with tall posture and your pelvis slightly tilting forward (not square), you should feel like your muscles are working just a little. That's how posture becomes strength training.
Great posture is not rigid or forced. It's relaxed.
Chapter 8: Inflammation
Even if you've tried mobility work, strength training, fixing your sleeping position, improving your sitting habits, doing back releases, stretching consistently, and even correcting your posture, your lower back might still be hurting. That's when it's time to look at something deeper: inflammation. Inflammation is the silent multiplier.
It takes normal soreness and turns it into nagging pain. It makes your joints feel stiffer, your recovery slower, and your back feel like it never quite gets better. You can be doing all the right things physically, but if your internal chemistry is inflamed, your spine stays irritated.
One of the biggest drivers? Your diet. And here's the truth: changing your diet is one of the hardest things you can do.
Not because you're weak, but because the system is designed to make you fail. The same tobacco companies that hooked people on cigarettes in the 20th century now own the food industry. And they've applied the same strategy: create hyper-palatable, processed foods that trigger dopamine in your brain and override natural satiety signals.
These foods are engineered to be addictive. You're not choosing Oreos over broccoli because you're lazy, it's because Oreos were designed to beat broccoli in your brain. These ultra-processed foods stoke inflammation in the body.
They increase oxidative stress, throw off blood sugar, and put your nervous system in a state of agitation. That inflammation makes every little ache feel sharper. Especially in sensitive areas like your lower back.
But you can fight back, with real, anti-inflammatory foods that cool the system and support healing. How to fight inflammation with food: • • • • • • • Flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts – rich in ALA, a plant-based omega-3 that helps reduce inflammatory markers Leafy greens like kale, spinach, arugula – packed with phytonutrients and minerals that support tissue repair Berries – especially blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, loaded with antioxidants that neutralize cellular stress Turmeric and ginger – natural anti-inflammatories shown to reduce back pain in studies Cruciferous vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage actively support liver detox pathways and reduce chronic inflammation Legumes – beans, lentils, chickpeas provide fiber and nutrients that nourish the gut microbiome, which in turn regulates inflammation Whole grains like oats, buckwheat, and quinoa, slow-digesting and rich in fiber to stabilize blood sugar and reduce inflammatory spikes This isn't about becoming perfect overnight. It's about taking back control from a food system that profits off pain.
Every plant-based meal you eat is a vote against inflammation. And once you feel the difference, clearer mind, less stiffness, faster recovery, it starts to reinforce itself. You're not just feeding your body.
You're shifting your internal chemistry away from pain. The moment you stop pouring fuel on the fire, your back finally gets a chance to cool down and heal.
Chapter 9: Walking
Walking?! How can that possibly be relevant to back health? Akkchually, depending on how you walk, it can either heal your back, or wear it down.
Let's start with the basics. Most of us walk on hard, flat surfaces, wearing stiff shoes that restrict foot movement. That's a big mismatch for how the human body evolved.
Our feet were designed for soft, uneven terrain that requires constant micro-adjustments. Instead, we're stomping on pavement in shoes that kill mobility. Now add speed.
The faster you walk, the more impact each step generates. Every stride sends a shockwave up your legs and into your spine. Your body braces itself.
Muscles tense. Over time, this constant jarring adds up, especially in the lower back. Then there's your gait.
Long, heavy steps might look confident, but they're not back-friendly. Runners know this well: shorter steps = less inflammation. It's not just for runners.
The same principle applies to everyday walking. Smaller, softer steps reduce stress on the joints, including your spine. But one of the most overlooked variables in walking is foot placement.
Most people walk with their feet too far apart. That makes the pelvis stiff, and you lose the natural side-to-side motion in the hips that's good for the spine. Now think about models on a catwalk.
They walk with feet almost crossing each other, hips swaying with each step. And as silly as it sounds, that hip sway is excellent for your lower back. It creates a gentle spinal side-tilt and engages the muscles that stabilize and move your pelvis.
So if you want to turn walking into a back-healing activity, try this:
Slow down. You're probably not late to anything more important than back health.
Take shorter steps. Lighter is better.
Let your hips move. Stick your butt out behind you a little and let the hips sway slightly from side to side.
Walk on a narrow line. Even try walking with feet close together or crossing slightly, just like the model you have living inside. Sass is optional.
Every step is either helping or hurting your back. If you're logging 10k-20k steps a day, the way you walk matters more than how many you take. So don't just count your steps, make them count!
Chapter 10: Counter Jiu-Jitsu
Cards on the table, Jiu-Jitsu turns your body into a cemented pretzel. Elbows tucked. Knees to chest. Spine flexed. That closed, curled-up position isn't just hard on the knees and shoulders, it's brutal on the back. And the problem is, we do it for hours every week. To stay healthy, you need to counter the shape of Jiu-Jitsu. You need to reverse the posture, stretch the front body, and activate the back body. The antidote to the fetal fight stance? Backbends. Here are three versions of the same shape, each one turning the BJJ pretzel inside out.
1. Bridge Pose (on your back). Lay flat. Bend your knees, feet flat on the floor, and lift your hips. Squeeze the glutes, press through the heels, and open the front body. This stretches the psoas and abs, and strengthens the lower back, hamstrings, and glutes. Anyone can do this. It's the most accessible counterpose in the book.
2. Camel Pose (on your knees). Kneel tall, then thrust your hips forward and reach your hands behind you. If you can, touch your heels. If not, rest your hands on your lower back or interlace your fingers behind you. Lift the chest, squeeze the shoulder blades together, and breathe into the belly. Add padding under the knees if needed. It's intense, but powerful.
3. Bow Pose (on your belly). Lie on your stomach. Bend your knees and try to grab your ankles. Kick your feet into your hands and lift your chest. If you can't reach, no problem, interlace your fingers behind your back and lift what you can. This opens the chest, stretches the quads and hip flexors, and strengthens the spinal erectors.
If these backbends feel too intense or awkward, use a big exercise ball:
Start with a backward-leaning squat against the ball to open the hips.
Then roll onto the ball and drape your back over it. Support your neck with a pillow or yoga block if needed. This passive backbend is one of the most underrated resets, your spine, chest, abs, and shoulders will all thank you.
And don't forget the Wall Dog: Place your hands on the wall, about shoulder height, step back, and hinge at the hips. Drop your chest, let your head hang, and breathe. This gives the lower back and shoulders a gentle, sustained release.
What now?
? Back pain doesn't have to be part of your Jiu-Jitsu story. Whether you're already dealing with it or just trying to avoid it, the tools are simple, and they work. The hard part is doing them consistently. I learned that the hard way. At 25, I was in the best shape of my life, on paper. But my back was wrecked. Then I met someone who showed me how to stretch, move, and breathe properly, through yoga. My lower back was crying tears of happiness after just a few weeks. And now, years later, my back feels better than it did 20 years ago. I finally learned what it needs. When I tweak it, I know how to handle it. And honestly, most injuries don't even happen anymore, because they're prevented.
That's the whole book. If you prefer a nicely formatted PDF, it's free at https://yogaforbjj.net/ebooks/back-pain
Now I'd really like to hear from you. What's your story, and what helped? Wishing everyone here better mornings.