The first big thing that happened in 2013 was that I broke my second toe pretty dramatically during my first Aikido class of the year (2 Jan 2013). During a simple attack around my opponent's back, I stepped one way and he another. Somehow my second toe got caught under his foot and as he stepped, the toe snapped.
As you can see from the x-ray, the break was at a sharp angle, which made setting the toe very difficult. I left the emergency room with the toe set as well as the ER doc could do and a follow up with an orthopedic doctor because he thought I would probably need surgery to get a pin inserted in the toe in order for it to heal properly.
I was in a cast boot for 6 weeks and wore an ortho shoe around the house for the same amount of time. The broken toe remained "buddy-taped" to my middle toe the whole time. As the toe healed, though, my hips and back must have gone out of alignment because the boot/shoe. So that 2 and a half months later I'm still fighting pain in my neck, back, and hips.
In the meantime, I continued to attend Aikido classes every week. There is a lot to be taken from observing others perform the techniques and watching allowed me to take notes on techniques, which become valuable leading up to rank testing.
On February 10th, our dojo hosted a seminar with three guest instructors. I didn't get to participate, but I did observe for two and a half hours of the 5 hour seminar. It's always fascinating to hear how different instructors approach this martial art. One of the Senseis is a cop and his views on how to apply any martial arts in a real-life situation is always interesting.
I am now back on the mat, but the toe remains buddy-taped. My fellow students are even more conscious of protecting each other now. Apparently the class after I broke my toe, the owner of the dojo also fractured his pinky toe in class.
Even though aikido isn't a kicking sport, the techniques we are practicing can be devastating, so we need to keep in mind it's still a martial art and the potential for injuring ourselves or each other is quite present.
As you can see from the x-ray, the break was at a sharp angle, which made setting the toe very difficult. I left the emergency room with the toe set as well as the ER doc could do and a follow up with an orthopedic doctor because he thought I would probably need surgery to get a pin inserted in the toe in order for it to heal properly.
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| This is the photo that's painful for me to look at! |
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| It took 4 injections of lidocaine to numb my toes enough for the manipulation. I must say the needles hurt far more than the toe fracture! |
In the meantime, I continued to attend Aikido classes every week. There is a lot to be taken from observing others perform the techniques and watching allowed me to take notes on techniques, which become valuable leading up to rank testing.
On February 10th, our dojo hosted a seminar with three guest instructors. I didn't get to participate, but I did observe for two and a half hours of the 5 hour seminar. It's always fascinating to hear how different instructors approach this martial art. One of the Senseis is a cop and his views on how to apply any martial arts in a real-life situation is always interesting.
I am now back on the mat, but the toe remains buddy-taped. My fellow students are even more conscious of protecting each other now. Apparently the class after I broke my toe, the owner of the dojo also fractured his pinky toe in class.
Even though aikido isn't a kicking sport, the techniques we are practicing can be devastating, so we need to keep in mind it's still a martial art and the potential for injuring ourselves or each other is quite present.
Sunday, March 17, 2013 |
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