Dressage peeps with back problems!

[Mince Pie]

Ok, so what rider doesn't have back problems!

Now that I have time to spend in the saddle and getting my boy schooled a bit more I have realised that I need to get to grips with my seat! I have one confirmed slipped disc and now another one is looking a bit suspect after a further MRI, I also have sciatica in my left leg.

I know the easiest way to really cement my seat will be to do more work in sitting trot/no stirrups but my back gets really tight after about 15-20 strides and it's obviously disrupting Cobby's rhythm. Is there anything I can do to help loosed my back?

Osteo/chiro/physio on a regular basis is not an option at the moment as I am out of work so simply can't afford it.

 

[Eventer96]

Can't really be of much help to you apart from being sympathetic with back issues. I'm only 16 but managed to have a bad hunting accident on New Year last year. Horse and I went over backwards into a ditch. I fell first and he soon followed, I was crushed by him with some of the force absorbed by the backs of the ditch, luckily. Otherwise I very much doubt I'd be here to tell the tale. Horsey then stepped on my back as he tried to escape the realms of the muddy deep ditch! It left me in a significant amount of pain and in hospital they suspected I'd broken my back. Turns out I was very lucky and had got away with damaging 4 vertebrae that would heal in their own time. Last year I was having frequent visits to the chiropractor and honestly don't know how I would have recovered without him. He was awesome! I had to grit my teeth as my back was prodded, poked, pulled and manipulated. Did have a bit of a break when I had to lay on blocks that were put under my hips to help re-alien them. Sitting trot on my big boy is really very difficult. I've managed to ride one Elementary test on him in sitting but it wasn't pleasant. I found working on my core strength helped as well as it reduced the strain put on my lower back, if my core was stronger it was able to support my back more. So maybe look into trying to help support your back rather than loosening your back altogether. Which I think maybe difficult if seeing a professional isn't an option at the moment. I maybe speaking complete rubbish and my injury was different to the one above. However, I do know of somebody who was receiving treatment for a slipped disc. But again that was sorted through regular sessions with the chiro. Wish I had more advice for you. Hope you find some way of sorting your back issue and that it is not too painful for you in the meantime.

 

[catembi]

Hiya,

My back was wrecked at the age of 13 when Jenny & I (my old travelling companion pony who's now 39... you might have seen her if you've been at the same show as me & Trev) got mixed up with a ditch, had a rotational & I got rolled on. Wrecked sacro-iliac joint.

I was in a *lot* of pain from then on... The thing that let me do sitting trot again was a Heather Moffatt seatbone saver. Honestly, they are **amazing**... like getting a new spine. And now I have a Wow saddle... ditto. After years of not being able to walk properly for a couple of days after jumping/sitting trot, I would now no longer class myself as having a bad back.

I would lend you a seatbone saver to try, but I'm pretty sure I had 2 & gave them both away when I got the Wow.

T x

 

[catembi]

Sorry - just realised that I thought you were someone else - for some reason I got you mixed up with Holidays_are_coming, who *has* seen me at comps in the past!

(Altho you wouldn't forget it if you'd seen me & Trev... we'd be the ones doing airs above the ground & generally causing chaos...)

T x

 

[Circe]

doing pilates has been really good for my back, mainly learning how to use my core.
Can you do a few classes? then maybe you can carry on the exercises at home, or maybe try one of the DVD's or books.
Kx

 

[alwaysbroke]

Have had loads of problems with mine, saw a physio a few times referral via GP, she gave me gentle stretching exercises to do throughout the day, I do them before I get on and when I get off, it does help, but i have also found working on the horses way of going has made a small amount of sitting trot a little easier to manage

 

[Pascal96]

I was interested to see that Catembi said that a change of saddle has really helped her back as I am the same. I recently changed to a Solution treeless saddle and it has made an enormous difference. So it might be worth trying some different saddles to see if it helps you.

 

[eriskaydales]

Get a heather moffett seat saver, yippee can do sitting trot again, i've got arthritis in my spine and do struggle, especially coming up the centre line and halting at the end of a test, takes all my discipline not to collapse on his neck at the end, also transition to canter, i want to massively tip forward, and mentally have say to myself sit up, sit up. I think the secret is to build up your core muscles. Also its hard to relax when your uncomfortable. Also have mastered the art of doing really weeny rising trot, literally coming off the saddle 1/2", that helps if you do that as your warming yourself up, then ease yourself into sitting.

 

[dressage_diva]

I know you said you can't afford professional help at the moment, but have you looked into sports massage at all? I tried chiro, osteo and physio with my bad back with no luck (had MRI and nothing obviously physically wrong, just muscle imbalances from when I briefly stopped rowing and suffered muscle wastage).

I'm now seeing a sports massage therapist who herself is a rider and she has just got back from treating rowers at the Olympics (which is great for me as I've started rowing again too!). She's £35 for an hour's appointment - I know I could spend more than that on a 15-20min chiro/osteo appointment before, so it's much more worth the money. Although I do see her every week out of personal choice, the huge improvement she made in just one session was phenomenal, and I know a lot of people who instead have monthly maintenance appointments and £35 once a month is worth it if it rids your pain! Perhaps when you're back in worth you could look into it?

Another thing, is she doesn't just focus on my back (which all the other experts seemed to do!) but in the first session found tighness in my pelvis which was exacerbating the pain in my back. She's loosened off my hips, legs and pelvis all of which in turn have stopped pulling on muscles in my back, allowing my back to deal with its own issues instead! So perhaps make sure you don't have any tightness anywhere else in your body? Another simple exercise if you have access to an exercise ball, is just to sit on it and roll your hips around in circles (both ways) and in figures of eights - helps to keep your back and pelvis loose.

Also recommend seeing a reputable saddle fitter to check the saddle isn't hindering you! I saw a new saddler fitter for the first time in April 2010 and as soon as she saw me riding, said "God, I'm suprised you don't have a bad back!" - turns out how the saddle was sitting was making me absorb a lot of impact in my lower back. Once we'd sorted the flocking out it was noticeably more comfortable to ride in!

Good luck getting it sorted - I do feel your pain (though it sounds like yours is worse than mine). Don't worry if you find things like pilates too painful initially too - I know that even trying to build up my core strength was hard at first, because my back itself was so tight!

 

[Puffin]

Have you tried a back support as a short term measure?
Use pilates etc to loosen your back and strengthen your core (it really does work if you stick at it!) but in the short term the prolite back supports do wonders.

 

[Mince Pie]

Oh wow thank you all for your replies, a lot to think about there

It's kind of hard to describe where I am with my back, day to day stuff is generally OK (riding) I can jump, go on marathon hacks (new area and my sense of direction is shocking ) and do pretty much everything else - except sitting trot.

The saddle is a Collegiate GP which was originally bought for my ex racer, it has an adjustable gullet so when the TB went I had it fitted to my cob. Thinking about it I think it is more the particular horse's way of going rather than the saddle - Millie had a massive walk which used to make me stiff as there was so much movement, but sitting trot was fine. Olly is a short, stocky cob with a typical short cob stride, but he has a lot of power in his bum. he has what I call his "driving trot" which will actually bounce you out of the stirrups

I do try and see my osteo as often as I can, but with just over 1k a month coming in it's difficult There is also a sports masseuse who rents a room in her office so can see her if needs be. Before I lost my job I was alternating, so I'd see the osteo one week and the masseuse the next which helped immensely - but it was about £120-£150 a month

I will look into the heather moffet seat saver and the pilates as I think at the moment they are the most affordable options.

 

[Mince Pie]

Have you tried a back support as a short term measure?
Use pilates etc to loosen your back and strengthen your core (it really does work if you stick at it!) but in the short term the prolite back supports do wonders.

I have tried unsuccessfully for months to find a back support that will come low enough on my back to actually be any use! The discs in question are L5/S1 and S1/S2 so right down by my pelvis/sacroilliac joints. I also walked around with a twisted pelvis between the ages of 13 and 16 after a XC accident, that's been fixed as well as it ever will be but it means that the muscles either side of my spine are asymmetrical.

 

[Andiamo]

I've also got back and pelvis probs...from serious riding accidents.
The prolite back support is a good idea, I hadn't thought of that.
I've got a Wow saddle as well, which I find really comfortable.
When I can afford it, I go to the osteopath for treatment. But when I'm skint, like now, I just do lots of stretching, I use the balance ball a lot, and take a daily dose of Ibuprofen! I also stretch out my hips and lower back before I ride.

 

[Archiepoo]

hi i totally sympathize with u -i had a total compression of the spinal cord and broken coccyx (due to a fall on ice) i had emergency surgery and still have back pain every day and have no feeling in my right leg from the knee down. pain in my hip and permanent sciatica , i tried all makes of seatbone saver and found the griffin nuumed merino wool seatsaver best for me ,http://www.nuumed.com/products/138-super-original-wool-seamless-seat-saver-ss02s it has deep sheepskin but also has the heather moffet foam inside so best of both worlds. i find riding a narrow horse much less painful and i now ride only in a dressage saddle with huge knee blocks to keep my stupid dead leg in the right place. my core strength is getting better and would definately recommend the pilates

 

[catembi]

Google 'serola strap' - I got one in my pre-Wow days. It is designed to fit around the hips rather than the waist. If you're having a bad day & then put it on... OMG it feels fantastic.

If you order one - the sizes are exactly as stated, so get the size you actually are rather than the size you'd like to be! I'm normally a size 8 & (going by memory) I *think* my hip size was 'medium' & I was huffy about ordering a medium cos I'm only ever normally a small.. & then I had to get the saddler to extend the velcro for me!

T x

 

[dressagecrazy]

Ive suffered for years with back problems i suffer quite nasty arthritis which effects my left left & lower back the worst. I had to re-learn sitting trot to be able to sit the big movers as it was just a bouncy mess made even worse by my need to sit with a very sore stiff back some days i could of just cried my eyes out.

I started by analising my biomechanics, how i was doing sitting trot. This is what i looked at -
Seat Bones was i seperating the seat bones properly with a loose hip & going with the horse? Or was i pushing both seat bones together with a tense hip & trying to absorb the bounce?

The latter is the incorrect way & will really make any back problem worse i know ive done it.

If you can think of a human Jogging the seat bones & hips move independantly. This is what you need to achive when doing sitting trot so that you aborb both sides of the horses movement effectively with little bounce. It also helps if you can make sure your horse isnt resisting the sitting trot.
Because you have had issue's & it's causing a knock on effect with your horse, i would go back to doing a few strides sitting & back to rising until your horse accepts that he has to stay forward & swingy.

 

[NeverSayNever]

i love my acavallo gel seat saver

 

[Mince Pie]

Very quick reply, looks like a seat saver is the way to for the meantime until i get back to work. I'm also looking into swimming as well as the Pilates. I don't have room for a balance ball as I live in a mobile home, but I'm wondering if a basketball would do - I won't be able to do all

 

[Cupid]

Am finding this thread really interesting. Having fractured my back and pelvis (SI) just over two years ago at the age of 20 even now I find myself in pain almost all of the time, sometimes it's not as bad but I find the mornings are especially bad for my pelvis.

I had limited physio about 3 months after the accident as had to wear a brace up until then. Possibly 4 sessions max before I was allowed to ride again 5 months after the accident. Last summer I was lucky enough to have a friend studying to be a sports massager therapist so for a few months I enjoyed F.O.C massages every other week. I really found these helped. But then I moved away and haven't had the funds to continue. Although I now have another friend who's recently qualified so will have to see if I can get some 'mates rates'

I also find it interesting to see some of you have mentioned Wow Saddles. I bought a wow saddle about 5 weeks ago now and with the help of a new instructor I can now comfortably and correctly ride in sitting trot. I'm still stiff and sore the next day but in general I find riding much more comfortable and feel a lot more stable in the saddle.

I would agree that core stability has alot to do with it also, wearing what I can best describe as a plastic corset for 3 months meant I had little tummy muscle as the brace had been holding me up and I still find even now my tummy muscle are none existant! I've just bought a Pilates DVD for lower back pain so hopefully this will help me build up some strength.

 

[Mince Pie]

... If I got a basketball instead of a big gym ball I won't be able to do all the exercises, but even if I sit on it for a couple of hours every day it should improve my core muscles?

 

[Archiepoo]

suppose it depends on how small ur butt is really as to whether a basketball would work -too uncomfortable for me to even sit on a basketball!! lol

 

[Puffin]

I have tried unsuccessfully for months to find a back support that will come low enough on my back to actually be any use! The discs in question are L5/S1 and S1/S2 so right down by my pelvis/sacroilliac joints. I also walked around with a twisted pelvis between the ages of 13 and 16 after a XC accident, that's been fixed as well as it ever will be but it means that the muscles either side of my spine are asymmetrical.

I fit the prolite one as low as possible (so low I can't sit on a chair properly) and quite tight, it does seem to help me, although my back isn't as bad as yours nor the problem quite as low (mid Lumbar, L3-L4 I think).

The saddle thing is worth considering, I recently had my dressage saddle reflocked and the saddler lifted the front to fit the horse better, this changed the angle of my pelvis slightly and was much more painful than previously. Slight changes there make quite a difference. Not as much as the horse's movement of course though.

 

[NeverSayNever]

... If I got a basketball instead of a big gym ball I won't be able to do all the exercises, but even if I sit on it for a couple of hours every day it should improve my core muscles?

no you'll do more harm than good. the angle of your hips has to be right hence there are different sizes of gym ball

 

[Tinks81]

I used to have awful problems just sitting down after i was headbutted and broke my nose 4 years ago !!! I didnt know it but this had damaged discs in my neck (C3 C4 C5) which when i sat for long periods gave me pins and needles in my toes and fingers !!

I did ignore this for a while (well actually 2 years) and eventually had an MRI scan where they found the disk to be pushing on my spinal cord so much if i had fallen over would of paralysed me !!

I was operated on within the week !!

i was lucky i had insurance but you can go down different routes to get MRI if you need to instead of your doctors !!

 

[BBP]

Interesting. I'm similar, prolapsed disc L4/L5, permanent sciatica, although improving 18 months post injury. My biggest problem is that i now over analyse what my body is doing. My back is too tight, my left hip is forward, my right shoulder is forward, I tip forward at the pelvis then stiffen my shoulders back to compensate, etc etc etc. It's hard to relax your back when your body hurts and your brain is constantly critisising you! Not found a solution yet. It's so frustrating!

 

[kirstie]

I broke my back two years ago, a decent Pilates instructor and regular stretches are the only things that keep me sane and able to ride.

I have found that the above is the best way to keep me mobile and reduces the pain the most.

You have to stick with pilates for a while but you will really start to feel the benefits after 4-6 weeks.

 

[philamena]

I know you said you can't afford professional help at the moment, but have you looked into sports massage at all? I tried chiro, osteo and physio with my bad back with no luck (had MRI and nothing obviously physically wrong, just muscle imbalances from when I briefly stopped rowing and suffered muscle wastage).

I'm now seeing a sports massage therapist who herself is a rider and she has just got back from treating rowers at the Olympics (which is great for me as I've started rowing again too!). She's £35 for an hour's appointment - I know I could spend more than that on a 15-20min chiro/osteo appointment before, so it's much more worth the money. Although I do see her every week out of personal choice, the huge improvement she made in just one session was phenomenal, and I know a lot of people who instead have monthly maintenance appointments and £35 once a month is worth it if it rids your pain! Perhaps when you're back in worth you could look into it?

Another thing, is she doesn't just focus on my back (which all the other experts seemed to do!) but in the first session found tighness in my pelvis which was exacerbating the pain in my back. She's loosened off my hips, legs and pelvis all of which in turn have stopped pulling on muscles in my back, allowing my back to deal with its own issues instead! So perhaps make sure you don't have any tightness anywhere else in your body? Another simple exercise if you have access to an exercise ball, is just to sit on it and roll your hips around in circles (both ways) and in figures of eights - helps to keep your back and pelvis loose.

Also recommend seeing a reputable saddle fitter to check the saddle isn't hindering you! I saw a new saddler fitter for the first time in April 2010 and as soon as she saw me riding, said "God, I'm suprised you don't have a bad back!" - turns out how the saddle was sitting was making me absorb a lot of impact in my lower back. Once we'd sorted the flocking out it was noticeably more comfortable to ride in!

Good luck getting it sorted - I do feel your pain (though it sounds like yours is worse than mine). Don't worry if you find things like pilates too painful initially too - I know that even trying to build up my core strength was hard at first, because my back itself was so tight!

Hi dressage_diva, have PM'd you!

 

[Mince Pie]

Start pilates next week after a consult between my osteo and the instructor. She sounds really good and wants to consult L to see if there's anything I should specifically do/avoid.

I'm looking forward to it, have done Pilates before and enjoyed it

 

[catembi]

Okay, follow-up to this...

I've now had my Wow for maybe 4 or 5 years, have jumped up to 1 m 25 in lessons, can do sitting trot with no probs (apart from that I'm not v good at it...!), would no longer class myself as having a bad back, can run 10 miles a week with no probs...

Yest I got my ISH loan horse back from his loaner, my Wow doesn't fit him as it was refitted to my TB so I rode him for 30 mins in my old mare's traditionally flocked dr saddle. Only 30 mins of pottering. When I got off, I couldn't stand upright. Stupidly then rode Trev for 30 mins in my Wow & was so uncomfy that I couldn't ride effectively. Couldn't use my legs properly.

Then for the rest of the eve, I couldn't get comfy, went to bed & couldn't roll over without a lot of huffing & puffing & this morning I am bent over like an old woman & hobbling about. Need to unearth my serola strap! OMG I am **so** sore!

So, yeah, it would appear that I still DO have a bad back, except the Wow makes it disappear as if by magic. The word for today is 'ouch'!

T x

 

[ChestnutMonty]

Second a good deep tissue sports therapist, ive tried pretty much everything. I have slipped disc to and been suffering for over 2 years after a bad fall (horse fell on me and i broke ribs and bruised my kidney). Been going back to my gp (and 2 other doctors in the same practice who just said the same, theres nothing we can do for you, go take some more tramadol..) every couple of months as pain everyday so depressing and debilitating to no avail, just give me stronger pain killers that knock me out and make me dribble! 'Luckily' I broke my ankle in April and whilst I was there I mentioned to the Dr about my back problems he referred me for an MRI and found I had a slipped disc. I was scheduled in for a cordial epidural (local anaesthetic and steriod) in September but 2 weeks ago I was in absolute agony and couldnt feel my left leg or walk, so went to A&E and after another scan they decided to try the epidural (last ditch attempt before surgery), 2 weeks on i have no pain and minimal burning & pins and needles. The steriod shrinks the disc and stops it compressing on the spinal canal. However it doesnt work for everyone some have no ither ootion but surgery, but keeping my fingers crossed that it will last...