Anyone else (human) here had a neck/back/shoulder injury?

[lialls]

This is horse related so im going to put it in here rather than in SB.

Just wanted to ask a few questions reguarding people who have had injuries to their neck, back or shoulder/s or all of the areas and how they found it when they returned to riding again.

What was the injury, how did it happen and where was it(back/neck ect)?
What treatment did you have for it?
How long did you have off from riding?
How did you get back in to riding/doing physical work? Did you have any problems with the injury when you began riding again?
How long did it take you to get back to the level you where at before the injury?

I ask this because>
I had an injury to my neck which effected my neck, back, shoulders and left arm. I had Bowen threapy (which is ongoing) and have been riding on and off all summer without a problem. I have returned to college last week and its demanding more from my riding but im struggling as im having some pain from my neck and my riding in general really isnt what it used to be before the accident. Im very upset by this as i have been working hard to try and get back to where i was before but i just feel like this is the best im capable of now and its really not good atall

 

[devilinajar]

I had a bad fall last year off my friends horse which resulted in a lot of ongoing back problems. Had a lot of treatment from a very good osteopath,which helped loads. So about £200 later i now know im over flexible in my spine. If i ride for more than an hour or 2 my back starts to really hurt again and will do for a day or 2 after, iv just come to terms with the fact that if i want to ride for a full day i will be in pain for a few days and just get on with it.

 

[spike123]

I had a car accident and suffered severe whiplash to my spine and neck. I had physiotherapy twice a week for 6 months,an mri scan to check for further damage and referral to an orthapaedic surgeon and returned to riding at walk only about 3 1/2 months down the line. I returned to normal riding around 5 months and found that though walk and trot were comfortable cantering would result in my back going into spasm. 2 years down the line I was comfortable with walk trot and canter and got the ok to return to jumping. That was 4years ago and I can now jump but still find my back goes into spasm for a day or so afterwards but then I still find being in a car for longer than an hour at a time is also uncomfortable.

 

[jendie]

I broke one of the vertebrae in my back in May and still find it impossible to get on / off a horse, let alone ride it. I was used to walking a good six miles per day with my dogs but now can't manage more than half a mile. Bending down is always painful and getting up from a kneeling position is very, very hard. I thankfully had no neurological damage but the vertebrae had a compression fracture that made it shatter into five or six pieces. My main prob now is muscle and ligament damage and I'd guess that is your problem too.

It WILL get better, but it will take time and riding might not be the best activity for you right now. Can you get advise from an orthopaedic consultant or a good physio? I'd be frightened of causing more damage.

I wish you the very best of luck. I can guess how much pain you are in and you have my sympathy.

 

[Allover]

I had an accident where i shattered my elbow, because of this i got a "frozen shoulder" (i dont recommend you ask for one for xmas!!!) I have also had problems with my lower and upper back after falls (though no breaks touch wood), the best advice i can give you is to make sure you do lots of rehabilitation, i remember being told after the arm incident that it takes between 18 months to 2 years before the body has finished healing after a serious accident. I have said this a few times on here before that accupunture really helps with soft tissue damage (which is always present after breaks) and eases spasms like nothing else. I went back to full time horse work after about 8 months ( slacker i know!!) but because i got my arm really strong before i started i had no major problems. Only aches in the damp!!

 

[JustMe22]

I broke my right shoulder when I fell off jumping my previous horse.

The actual break was the standard 6 weeks to heal, obviously they can't use a cast on the shoulder so I had a sling. Problem was, when I started riding again, it was still hurting a lot so we went to see a specialist who basically said I'd damaged all the nerves from my neck down to my fingers on the right side, and he was astonished they hadn't checked it initially I was told if I'd fallen off again or something, I might not have been able to use my right arm again.

Sooo anyway, long story short, after that it was another couple of months in the sling with no use whatsoever of said arm, as well as these pills.

I got back into riding and the like as soon as I was allowed!
As for problems - it still hurts if I ride for a while, or ride something strong. Generally my right side is stronger, but definitely not the shoulder. It gets tired very very quickly, and sometimes I can't feel my arm.

Riding ability - I actually ride better now (though obviously not due to injury ), but I did used to do an odd thing where I used to twist my upper body to the inside on the right rein. I've fixed it now and don't do it, and I'm not sure if they're related..my mum thinks so, but I'm not sure. It is a completely viable theory though

 

[MissMincePie&Brandy]

This has got me thinking that I have to get myself checked out soon.

I had a fall at the beginning of July, where I landed head first and became concussed. Ever since then I have had a creaky, clicky neck and a constant, but faint neck ache. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but it's starting to worry me now, as I don't think I should still be feeling like this?

 

[ElphabaFae]

What was the injury, how did it happen and where was it(back/neck ect)? Fell off a pony and landed sat down, hurt muscles in my lower back
What treatment did you have for it?Had xrays at hospital & was put on painkillers
How long did you have off from riding? I didn't stop riding, just took painkillers and didn't do any work w/o stirrups or any jumping
How did you get back in to riding/doing physical work? Did you have any problems with the injury when you began riding again? It still can play up now, but it's not that bad, picking out feet can be painful in winter though
How long did it take you to get back to the level you where at before the injury? It was a few weekks before I could do work w/o stirrups & jumping but the rest of it was fine.

 

[Maple Leaf]

I had a bad fall a few years ago when my not so athletic gelding got caught up in the rails of a big oxer and we both took a nose dive. I had been a gymnast for about 10 years and so my automatic instinct was to "spot" my landing, rather than to tuck my head in. I ended up landing on my head and in the emergency room. Luckily, nothing was broken, but I did compress some vertebrae in my back. I spent a few months in physiotherapy trying to get the muscles to relax. I didn't take much time off of riding (maybe a few days), but the injury is still something I have to be aware of. The muscles in my neck and upper back get very tight and I get horrible headaches as a result. The injury has also affected my shoulder, and my right shoulder blade does not sit correctly. I need to get some work done, but I find it too painful. My best advice would be to not let it get out of hand - get the problem solved as soon as possible before it's too late.

 

[2Conker]

You are the perfect candidate for treatment with The Bowen Technique. If you're not familiar with it, look up www.bter.org and read up on it. There will be a local practitioner near you I'm sure. It was devised by Thomas Bowen on racehorses and grey hounds, and transposed on to humans by him (Australian from Geelong, Victoria). Been in the UK about 18 years. Bear Grylls thinks it's great, and uses it regularly as do rugby teams, horse owners etc.

 

[Pebbles]

You are the perfect candidate for treatment with The Bowen Technique. If you're not familiar with it, look up www.bter.org and read up on it. There will be a local practitioner near you I'm sure. It was devised by Thomas Bowen on racehorses and grey hounds, and transposed on to humans by him (Australian from Geelong, Victoria). Been in the UK about 18 years. Bear Grylls thinks it's great, and uses it regularly as do rugby teams, horse owners etc.

I have had a bad back for years following a car accident and recenty suffered really badly to the point of not being able to get out of bed in morning, everything in lower back seized and then took about half an hour or so of moving around before it woul release enough to start the day. I spent 6 months having bowen and whilst it eased it slightly they just could not free something in pelvic area. I then spent £200 on a sports injury man very succesful and well thought of in our area but he gave up after mentioning steroid injections. Went to doctor and got dosed up on 3 diclofenic a day which did the trick. It was like a miracle and huge relief. Then got thrown onto concrete, torn muscles and very severe bruising but at last an x ray which showed an old compressed disc. Mobile again after 6 weeks and hacked out for first time again today. More Bowen but not really helping yet so rather disillusioned and take dicolfenic again as and when needed - not every day. Any ideas why Bowen not working for me - always open to alternative therapies and self help but despair really??

 

[Girlychu]

What was the injury, how did it happen and where was it(back/neck ect)?
Fell off horse when jumping, smashed into fence - got back on (in shock). Had small canter. Got off and crumpled to the ground. Smashed vertabare above bum.

What treatment did you have for it?
Small op. pain killers (for life). Back and wrist supports.

How long did you have off from riding?
Nearly 18mths - 24mths. Had the odd 5mins - too scared to do any more.

How did you get back in to riding/doing physical work?
Shifted my horses to present yard. Got YO and another to stand at school gate while I rode my pony for 5 mins. Organised lessons with instructor who I had before accident. Needed lots of support - which I got

Did you have any problems with the injury when you began riding again?
Will never be 100% still in constant pain. Also have CTS. Physio every 2 weeks (ongoing)

How long did it take you to get back to the level you where at before the injury
Since the accident and my return to the saddle my instructor has told me I ride better than I did before my accident. I have also bred two lovely foals from my mare which would not have happened.

 

[Kokopelli]

Not as bad as some of the other injuries on here but I fell of and damaged some tendons/ ligaments in my neck which resulted in chronic headaches.

Had every test under the sun for what was causing my headaches and at one scary point they thought it could have been cancer, but it was from my fall!

I go to the physio on a fortnightly basis to manipulate my neck and for massages, this has stopped most headaches but if I get jolted jumping I get a migraine which lasts about 2 days, apparently this will never change and its has been recomended I stop jumping but I love it too much

 

[2Conker]

You could try talking to one of the Bowen top men via their website i.e. email Julian Baker at www.thebowentechnique.com or info@thebowentechnique.com and see what he comes up with?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

What was the injury, how did it happen and where was it(back/neck ect)?
I was bucked off onto a road and landed on my head, I couldn't roll as there was no room between the horse and the wall. Just a month before I had been bucked off but slid down the shoulder onto my bum. At the time I though that I was just bruised but 4 months later (just as the horse was coming back into work) I was diagnosed with a trapped nerve and a bone spur on my spine.
What treatment did you have for it?
I was referred to NHS physio with a waiting list of a least 10 weeks. My GP recommended having private treatment. Which I did, at a cost of well over £300.

How long did you have off from riding?
8 months

How did you get back in to riding/doing physical work? Did you have any problems with the injury when you began riding again?

I did actually ride at a RS a few times before the trapped nerve diagnosis, while the mare was off work, but it was terrible. I felt as though I had forgotten how to ride. Now I realise that it was because I was very stiff. Now I have just started riding my own horse for a short time in walk.

How long did it take you to get back to the level you where at before the injury?

I am still finding it difficult to ride in a correct position, although I haven't done much and getting on and off is difficult because I still feel very stiff.
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I think it is going to take quite a while to get back to my previous standard. I am making sure that i do the exercises that the physio gave me. I don't suppose I did myself much good when I fell on Saturday (not from the horse) I am considering returning to a RS or having lessons on a mechanical horse, which I have done previously following a broken ankle. The problem is that when you get to my age you don't bounce back so well.

 

[lialls]

Ohh gosh, I am so sorry to hear about everyones injuries and hope we can all make a full recovery.

I am wondering if i have taken on too much with going back to college then, I have been riding fine all summer but that was at my own pace and it was more leisurely. Now i am asking more of myself im finding it hard and think my injury is flaring up a bit. Im going for somemore Bowen treatment tomorrow so hoping this will sort me out abit. The lady who dos my bowen treatment is also a rider so this is helpful as she understands the demands of riding.

Wishing everyone else a full and speedy recovery!