Neil Melanson has toe amputated to keep training
Two summers ago, Neil Melanson, head grappling coach at Xtreme Couture, was teaching a class in Las Vegas as he…
Two summers ago, Neil Melanson, head grappling coach at Xtreme Couture, was teaching a class in Las Vegas as he regularly does. In the middle of a light rolling session, one of his students inexplicably grabbed the ill-fated toe while attemptimg a leglock and snapped it across its neighboring big toe.
Melanson snapped the toe back into place and wrapped it.
Eventually the damaged toe healed, but at an angle overlapping the big toe. It became very painful, even to walk. That’s when Melanson finally sought medical attention.
The only thing they could try, is put screws in it to straighten it out, but that would be up to a year of downtime, he said. The doctor thought I was a little nuts because he was like, ‘Well, don’t you want to keep that thing?’ I just said, ‘I can’t take a year off.’
Me and Randy wanted to have it embalmed and make a plaque to hang in the bathroom of the gym, Melanson said. But I would have to apply for a permit. Everybody thinks I kept it; they didn’t know I couldn’t get it done. Me and Randy were pretty excited about that idea.
