Martial art with healing power

Judo is known for its killer throws and lightningfast grappling moves, but the sport has a lesserknown application popular in Japan: the ancient healing art of “judo therapy.” Over its decadeslong history, judo has branched into two areas. The “sappo” or “kill method” developed into the Olympic sport and the “kappo” or “resuscitation method” grew into the art of “judo therapy.” Judokas use their knowledge of how joints, limbs and muscles move to defeat opponents, but in “kappo,” therapists attempt to speed up the body’s natural healing mechanism to treat injuries that do not require surgery or hospital treatment. “Simply put, we are specialists in things such as broken bones, dislocations, bruises and sprains,” said Hiroyuki Mitsuhashi, an executive at the Japan Judo Therapist Association. “Rather than performing surgery like in orthopaedics, we use our hands to heal,” he said. More than 73,000 licensed judo therapists work at more than 50,000 clinics across Japan. All of them are required to have some judo experience before becoming certied clinicians. They are especially popular with student athletes and those suering from the nagging pains of old injuries that conventional doctors would consider already healed. As well as treating injuries, judo therapists are also nding a niche in keeping Japan’s ageing population t and healthy in the country’s superaged society, where more than 28 percent of people are 65 and older. Many judo therapists oer regular classes of lowimpact exercise inspired by the martial art that are keeping pensioners sprightly and more resistant to falls.