The vertebrae, or bones that make up your spine, are very strong, but are not exempt from injury. The L5, or fifth lumbar spine vertebrae, is located in the lower portion of the back, just above the buttocks. He decided to do a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, which ended up revealing an L5 vertebra fracture that had ultimately healed incorrectly, as well as mild facet hypertrophy on her L4, meaning her L4 vertebra joint was swollen, causing pressure on the nerves in the spine. Nearly a year and a half later, Jessica repeated to her doctor that, despite the pain injection, she was still in an excruciating amount of discomfort. I went down there to see everyone, but it was very emotional seeing everyone getting their promotions, moving up in belts while I couldn’t even do the minimum.” “Emotionally, I was disconnected from my close friends at the gym. “I found myself laying around the house because I was in so much pain, gaining nearly 20 pounds,” she said. All of this was taking a physical and mental toll. Thankfully, she found some relief in the injection, but was nowhere near her normal activity level. “Because I was a minor, he didn’t want to prescribe pain medication or injections,” she said.Īfter almost no improvement, Jessica’s doctor finally decided to administer Jessica a one-time pain medicine injection and then sent her off to physical therapy. Jessica’s specialist didn’t offer her much hope that she would be back to wrestling any time soon, or even any relief for her pain. “His hand was always on the door handle, ready to leave.” She knew this wasn’t the quality of doctor she needed to see, but not knowing where else to go, she continued on with his treatment plan. “I always got the impression that he wanted me in and out,” Jessica recalled. I’ve never felt so much pain.”įor two weeks, Jessica suffered through her pain until finally, her mom made her an appointment with a local orthopaedic surgeon that her mom had seen previously. “I couldn’t sit in the same position for more than five minutes. “When the accident happened, I tried to get the school nurse to look at me and tried to get my mom to take me to the hospital,” said Jessica. However, because she didn’t have any visible injuries, its severity was initially swept under the rug. Jessica was in a car accident that would impact the rest of her life. Her training, however, came to a screeching halt in February 2017. Jessica continued to train every day and developed defense skills and techniques in preparation for more tournaments. No one fight is the same,” she explained. It was then that Jessica was fully committed to the sport. If he thinks I’m good enough, then I’m good enough.” He wouldn’t have signed me up if he didn’t think I would do well. “I trained nearly every day leading up to that tournament, and I trusted my coach. “I was surprised, but not,” Jessica said. In July 2014, Jessica was in her first tournament, placing second place in No Gi and third place in Gi. NAGA has two divisions: Gi and No Gi, the two forms of Brazilian jiujitsu. NAGA, which stands for The North American Grappling Association, is the largest grappling association in the world with over 200,000 participants. Not thinking much of it, she did, and Jeff said, “Well, good! I signed you up for NAGA.” After less than a year of training, Jeff asked her to step on the scale. It wasn’t on Jessica’s radar to become competitive. “They are the ones I can lean on and talk to.” “I am very close with the owners and my coaches,” said Jessica. She has developed her closest relationships at the gym. She was not particularly close with her mom and her siblings. Her dad passed away in 2011 from stage 4 colon cancer. Jessica and her six siblings were born and raised in Cincinnati. “It was something that kept my mind off of things that would go on at home,” she said. She did all of this while developing a passion for Brazilian jiujitsu, a certain type of martial art.įor Jessica, learning the various types of martial arts was not only fun, but was also an escape from life outside the gym. Soon, Jessica mastered the fundamentals, and cleaning turned into facilitating kids classes, private lessons and parties. If she came in every Friday to help clean the gym, she could participate in the classes and receive training. Jessica’s family could not afford a membership, so the gym’s owners, Jeff and Abby, offered her a deal. Soon after, the gym’s owners noticed Jessica’s interest and asked her to join the class. Jessica, just 14 years old at the time, decided to tag along to watch. In the fall of 2011, two of Jessica’s siblings signed up for an introductory martial arts class at a local gym. This medal was one of the hardest she competed for not just because of the difficulty of the match, but because of the mental and physical obstacles she overcame to get there. 14, 2020, Jessica Rentz competed in the Ohio Fuji Brazilian Jiujitsu State Championship.
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