Breaking your 'Butt' .. (Coccyx/spine)

DJ

DJ

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Just a quick question, since breaking my Butt I have found out about so many more horse riders who`ve done the same thing. A badly placed landing equals a broken backside. It`s not only in equestrian sports it happens either, skiing, rollerskating, snow boarding etc all have the same problem.

Now, looking into the blow up body protectors, none address this issue, the 'Hit Air' seems to have the best cover, with the bottom part of the lower back popping open when the canister is set off. But still the butt seems to be open to further injury.

How did those of you who`ve broken this bone before go about riding again? Did you get back on hoping you were just unlucky and that you wouldn`t have a similar fall again? or have you tried to fall off differently (into a roll maybe?) or is there some sort of protection out there that I`ve so far missed?

I found some padded pants for snow boarders and skate boarders that are kind of funky (padded Butt .. lol) but I think that would feel very weird trying to sit and ride in them, as obviously skiiing/snowboarding/skaters are all stood up ... So is it just a case of hoping for the best?

My consultant said a £400 air vest wouldn`t have saved me from the coccyx/pelvis/spinal I sustained as it wasn`t impact injuries, it was compression injuries .... I suppose i`m just wondering how others got on post injury :)
 
I fell down the stairs and splintered mine. I got back on the next day.
However, A&E didn't believe I'd broken it as I'f walked down. I knew it was smashed as I could feel bits moving that hadn't before and did for about 6 months after.

I try generally to roll as I fall and have done for years so for me that wasnt so much an issue- I did ride quiet ones until I could move more comfortably.
Also, I think that when you fall theres a way you naturally fall, so if you dont usually land on your bum, then your last fall was probably one of those that whatever happened would have hurt IYSWIM?

The only issue I have now is sitting for long periods of time as you tend to slip so your weight is on your coccyx, and this makes my bum and legs go numb so office work and long flights are awkward!
 
I broke mine snowboarding, ironically while wearing my 'crash pants'! They provide a level of protection, but enough protection when you land on your arse on a metal rail :p.

I did it over 5 years ago now and it's still not quite right, sitting for a long time is impossible as everything goes numb and it gets very sore. I also struggle in some saddles though there's no rhyme or reason to which one hurts it.

Falling onto your butt from a horse is a very unusual way to fall and I cant' see that there's any way to protect against it without hindering your riding when you're on board. An air jacket might be good idea anyway though if you're riding a particularly sharp type. Hope you heal up soon :).
 
I damaged mine age 9 getting bucked off onto the road, i injured it further during child birth, its never been the same, gives me jip all the time but I've come to accept that now.
 
I was thrown by my first pony the day I tried him. I was 6mths pregnant, and tried to protect the bump as I came down, so I fell strangely and chipped my coccyx as a result. Still, I bought the pony, who taught me over the next few years how to ride out a buck, and failing that, roll as I fall. :/
 
DCJACE said:
My consultant said a £400 air vest wouldn`t have saved me from the coccyx/pelvis/spinal I sustained as it wasn`t impact injuries, it was compression injuries .... I suppose i`m just wondering how others got on post injury :)
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I had a burst fracture to L1, it literally exploded with the force. My consultant said the same thing, nothing would have stopped it. However I am thinking about an air vest as it would have helped a bit with soft tissue damage etc. I'm not supposed to ride EVER again according to one consultant, the other said he advised not to, but the chances of the same accident happening again were very low.

I dont ride horses I dont know, I dont jump and I try and limit my risk. Although I'm in such a state with it all at the minute I dont ride at all, but I am really hoping that its just temporary and after yet another horrific and painful rehab I'll be back on board. Ask me again in 10 weeks as I'm only 2 weeks in and already wishing I'd never started :lol:

Edited to add: Its the soft tissue damage and the damage to the facet joints/SI that cripple me, no the fact that L1 is missing in action and wont be returning, so from that point of view, I personally think an air jacket might well have helped, but who knows?!
 
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I did mine snowboarding, then re injured it about 4 years later falling off over a cross country fence. Horse stopped suddenly and although I'm usually good at rolling in a ball, this time I fell like dead weight straight onto my bottom. Ouch!

Mine never gave me any bother in the saddle... It's at restaurants or in the office I struggle... Basically anywhere that I have to sit very upright for a period of time.

There's not realistically much you can do to protect it. I just live with the fact that it is weak now!
 
It's not only in sports either. My sister slipped on ice on her friends portch and shattered her coccyx, it was 8 months before they agreed to x ray her and found that the pieces were floating. She then spent 6 weeks in traction and had a fairly long and painful recovery.

After watching her go through that, I feel for anyone that has suffered the same.
 
Ouchy for you all .... I knew it was a common injury but didn`t realise it was that common !!! and to be done in so many ways too !!!

Well I shall be getting a hit air, for my peace of mind and confidence, and here`s hoping I land on my head in future, less chance of damaging anything lol ;)

Thank Dinozzo, and yes you`re right, I think what ever part I landed on would have broken to be fair, it was a very hard impact ... can`t believe A&E didn`t believe you .. the cheek lol .. mind you, they wouldn`t listen to me to start with and didn`t find my sacrum/coccyx fracture til 10 days later either lol

Thankyou mydogisanidiot, i`m well on the way to healing, bit sore through my spine today ... Ouch hitting a metal pole ... that really made me wince, and sorry your crash pants didn`t help either, can I ask, do they feel weird wearing them?

Will and Penny, both yours sound especially painful ... sorry it still gives you jip :(

Frankie, ooowwwiieee !!! and well done for getting back on your feet and back on board, trust me I know how hard that is, and yes the soft tissue damage is giving me grief at the mo, little muscles to the side of my L1 and T12 ... seriously ouchy :(

Dolly mix, i`m the same, in the office full time 2 days a week and i`m so stiff and sore after that, and if I sit down for too long, but i`f I keep moving it helps. I think i just need to accept it`ll probably aways be an issue.

Jinglesmells, I feel her pain, I really do ... it is one of the most painful injuries i`ve had .. and i`ve had a number of issues/operations over the years.
 
DCJACE said:
Ouchy for you all .... I knew it was a common injury but didn`t realise it was that common !!! and to be done in so many ways too !!!

Well I shall be getting a hit air, for my peace of mind and confidence, and here`s hoping I land on my head in future, less chance of damaging anything lol ;)

Thank Dinozzo, and yes you`re right, I think what ever part I landed on would have broken to be fair, it was a very hard impact ... can`t believe A&E didn`t believe you .. the cheek lol .. mind you, they wouldn`t listen to me to start with and didn`t find my sacrum/coccyx fracture til 10 days later either lol

Thankyou mydogisanidiot, i`m well on the way to healing, bit sore through my spine today ... Ouch hitting a metal pole ... that really made me wince, and sorry your crash pants didn`t help either, can I ask, do they feel weird wearing them?

Will and Penny, both yours sound especially painful ... sorry it still gives you jip :(

Frankie, ooowwwiieee !!! and well done for getting back on your feet and back on board, trust me I know how hard that is, and yes the soft tissue damage is giving me grief at the mo, little muscles to the side of my L1 and T12 ... seriously ouchy :(

Dolly mix, i`m the same, in the office full time 2 days a week and i`m so stiff and sore after that, and if I sit down for too long, but i`f I keep moving it helps. I think i just need to accept it`ll probably aways be an issue.

Jinglesmells, I feel her pain, I really do ... it is one of the most painful injuries i`ve had .. and i`ve had a number of issues/operations over the years.
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Just listen to your body...you know it best so listen and only do what it tells you it is capable of xxx
 
DCJACE said:
Thankyou mydogisanidiot, i`m well on the way to healing, bit sore through my spine today ... Ouch hitting a metal pole ... that really made me wince, and sorry your crash pants didn`t help either, can I ask, do they feel weird wearing them?
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My mum broke her back a few years ago (skiing) and has only recently got back to normal. Take it slowly and listen to what your body is telling you :).

Crash pants feel weird at first but you quickly get used to wearing them and they're useful as an extra layer of insulation in the snow :). I wouldn't be without mine. Don't think I'm going to try riding in them though :p.

Hitting the rail was my fault, I was trying to be a bit too ambitious in the park. Lesson learned, I avoid the things now.
 
I fell off, at walk(!!) after my boy shied at something in the school and did a 180 spin then stopped rapidly. My saddle slipped round a bit, and it all happened in slow motion as I slid off with my foot stuck in my stirrup. My RI had to come and rescue me (my foot was truly stuck) - I am very lucky that if I come off my boy stands still and waits for me to get up! Those boots are now in the bin, as my foot got caught in the same way again - I landed on my head that time though!

It took a good 4 months before I could move any kind of properly, and I now have regular sports physio to keep me mobile and straight. I hope all of you who are broken make a good recovery!
 
I broke my 'ass' and my heel this year being thrown in quite spectacular fashion onto the road. It has left me in constant pain and as a result I'm sending my two horses back to the livery yard I was previous at on grass livery as I can't manage the day to day chores with my horses due to the pain.

I'm having physio now but as well as breaking my heel, I ripped off the tendon that support the arch in your foot. That could take up to a year to heal. The tendons over my hip joints are now so tight they are rubbing away. I need steroid injections and extensive physio. Again all of these take many weeks to work.

In the 30 years I have owned horses, I have never turned any of mine away for the winter but I literally can't manage the pain. I'm sad, frustrated and a bit scared I'll never get better. I also have many auto immune conditions that I live with daily, so that isn't helping! I need rubbed out and drawn again! Lol
 
Id actually forgotten this, but my sister broke her coccyx falling of a coffee table when decorating. The first time she was fine and got back up and carried on, the second time she broke them! Theres no teaching stupid :lol:

She was sore and sat on a rubber ring for AGES! But 7 years later she, and I, barely remember her doing it, so it doesn't have to cause long term problems. If you are going to break your back, its the best place to do it!

My consultant told me even from my level of being smashed to pieces, 90% of people recover with no issues, and 99% are fine living a normal life like they had before. I was just one of the unlucky ones sadly.

Let yourself recover and then get as fit and strong muscle wise as you can. I actually did manage to recover within about 5 months, as I went through the most horrific rehab, but came out the other side very, VERY fit and strong. The strong muscle tone held my injury together and meant I made an almost full recovery. sadly when I went back to work I couldnt manage 50 miles + a week of fell walking and then everything fell apart pretty quickly.

If I wasnt a flaming idiot I would have found a way to maintain the very strong body I had worked so hard to build and wouldnt have ended up a fat blobbly blimp who cant walk more than 50yds without agony :(

Lesson learnt! I am now doing the rehab AGAIN! this time with a full time job, and its not fun! But hopefully I will do it and find a way to maintain it in normal life as I absolutely REFUSE to spend my life fat and in agony through my own stupidity :)
 
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