That Time Jiujitsu Gave Me Herpes

By Liz

I’ll never forget the first time I got a skin infection from jiujitsu.

It was after I’d been training for two months. I was only training no-gi at that time. I noticed I had an itchy spot that felt bumpy on my back, but didn’t think much about it. My boyfriend at the time noticed it and mentioned it, telling me to have a doctor look at it if it wasn’t better in a couple days. A few days later, I asked a couple friends at the jiujitsu gym to look at it.

“That looks like herpes,” one of the guys said.

My jaw hit the floor. My heart dropped into my stomach. I felt dizzy.

“What?” I practically screamed.

They started chuckling. “Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal. Almost all wrestlers get herpes. It happened to almost everyone on my high school wrestling team. I have a staph infection on my back that comes back every once in awhile when I get stressed or don’t get enough sleep.”

I went through the rest of training, but I’m not sure how since I was freaking out internally the entire time. That night, I researched high and low on the internet about herpes gladiatorum while binge eating on ice cream. Some things kept coming up over and over again that almost gave me a panic attack: herpes is incurable and stays in your system for the rest of your life, and may or may not cause recurring infections when your immune system is compromised.

I went to the doctor. He took one look at it, said, “Yup, that’s herpes all right!” He prescribed anti-viral oral and topical herpes medications and it took about three weeks for it to go away.

That was four years ago and I’ve haven’t had another outbreak since (though I have had other viral and bacterial skin infections despite religiously showering after training and washing my gear properly).

I realized later it wasn’t as bad as I thought. As it turns out, the type of herpes that wrestlers usually contract is the same strain of the herpes virus that people who get cold sores have (Herpes Simplex Virus type 1, also known as HSV-1). I soon came to recognize that getting skin infections from jiutjistu is just part of the game. Besides showering after training, and following basic hygiene practices, to a certain extent there’s really no way around it. By stepping onto the mat you are accepting the fact that you are putting yourself at risk for skin infections.

Through exaggeration in the media, the government and the health care system (for various political and economic reasons) make STDs, especially herpes, have a very dirty connotation, and have effectively stigmatized people who get STDs. The truth of the matter is: herpes is a harmless set of tiny red bumps, whether they’re on your mouth, or back, or leg, it’s not life threatening. It’s a cold sore--annoying but not the end of the world.

I've also gotten warts on my feet- make sure you go to the dermatologist and then treat them consistently after that with salicylic acid. I had one other bad incident with skin infections. At an annual visit to the dermatologist, she noticed that I had molluscum all over my legs. I didn’t even notice because they show up as little red bumps and I thought it was from shaving.

It turns out I probably just had one or two of the molluscum bumps and then shaved my legs, spreading the virus all over. I had to stop doing jiujitsu, and go through various topical treatments for the molluscum, which included two particularly horrible and painful treatments, the details I won’t get into.

I wasn’t able to train for over a month while I tried to heal. I went a little bit crazy, which confirmed to myself that BJJ was essential for my mental health and I couldn’t live without it. “I guess I’m going to have to get my black belt now…It might take me twenty years, but it’s going to happen,” I thought to myself. “Because I’m never going to be able to stop doing this sport.”

It reminded me how difficult it can be when you are injured or sick to stop doing something you love. An injury or infection can throw you into a depression.

In this light, I have a couple tips on how to prevent infections:

• Cover all of your skin with long-sleeved rash guards and tights (though this is obviously not foolproof since viruses travel in sweat).
• Shower immediately after training.
• Go to the doctor and stop training immediately if you notice anything weird going on with your skin.
• Don’t freak out if you get herpes--it’s just another name for a cold sore.

Liz has been training jiujitsu since 2011 and got her blue belt in 2013. 

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