Extreme Knee Pain

[Ellietotz]

I'm in agony with my knees once again. Two paracetamol, two ibuprofen and a layer of Deep Heat later and I'm Googling what to do! I have always had this same pain that would happen in one of my knees every couple of months or so but a few years back, I stopped riding as I got carried away with college and friends etc so the knee pain happen rarely. Now that I've been back riding for three years, it's massively worse. When I started again, my knees hurt just dismounting and I was unsure if I would even be able to hold myself up but put this down to lack of muscle. Now I'm fine when I ride, during and straight after. It's only until about 6 hours after when I'm sat down in the evening that it starts.
The pain is like an extreme burning sensation that runs up the backs of my legs and it goes after pain killers thankfully.
I know this is something very common in the horsey world, does anyone else get what I've described? If so, know of any solutions?

 

[Nudibranch]

I had a similar issue with burning knee pain after riding. Turned out it was my Heather Moffett saddle! No idea why I've always ridden with long stirrups, treeless saddles, etc. When the big lad decided he didn't like it I sold it and realised no more knee pain. Might be worth looking into your saddle set up?

 

[Ellietotz]

I had a similar issue with burning knee pain after riding. Turned out it was my Heather Moffett saddle! No idea why I've always ridden with long stirrups, treeless saddles, etc. When the big lad decided he didn't like it I sold it and realised no more knee pain. Might be worth looking into your saddle set up?

Oh I wish it was that! I've ridden in three or four different saddles long term and it was the same. Have tried different stirrup lengths and still the same. I wonder if a treeless might help. Thank you

 

[Pippity]

Have you been to your doctor?

If your horse was having that level of pain, you'd have called the vet in long ago.

 

[Amirah]

K'vall stirrups are back in production, might help? I've got some and they're fab.

 

[Shay]

Good lord - are they competition legal? I'd not heard of them before but I don't think I would pass them on tack check. How does the foot come free in a fall?

But the point is a good one - posture related pain on riding can be reduced by changing kit. Stirrups are the easiest to play with and many people find flexible chain types to help - my daughter used to get knee pain after hunting (so in the saddle for 5 - 7 hours) but found the bow balance stirrups really helped. Changing the saddle type and hence the position of the stirrup bar can also make a difference - but is rather more expensive in practice!

The first step for me OP would be a good equine sports physio. Someone who can look at your body, your posture and your riding so they can see exactly what you are doing that is causing the pain. They will be best placed to recommend exercises - and kit - which can help. Anything from a forum will be a guess or based on other people's bodies not yours. And from experience I'd use an equine specialist - "normal" ones tend to just tell you not to ride!

Edited to add... found the answer to my own question - K'Vall stirrups are banned in competition for safety reasons.

 

[DanceswithCows]

hmmm, interessssting. Worst most horrific burning knee pain I've had was after a few hours in a barefoot treeless. I usually ride treeless/long stirruped/no stirrups and never really twigged that it could just be that particular type.

 

[Amirah]

They're really safe as they come apart, I can't believe they're banned for safety reasons, how strange. The back straps are held on by a metal bar that goes between holes on the bottom of the straps and sits underneath the back of the stirrup and I can pull the straps off with my little finger, in fact I've added some sellotape to keep the bar on the plastic in case both straps come off and I lose it.

 

[_Annie_]

Diclofenac gel 3 x daily, jointed stirrup irons, a shock absorbing seat saver & elastic knee supports greatly lessened mine.

 

[Ellietotz]

Diclofenac gel 3 x daily, jointed stirrup irons, a shock absorbing seat saver & elastic knee supports greatly lessened mine.

Have just ordered some knee supports so hopefully that'll make some difference! It doesn't help that my pony decides she wants to walk as close to a tree as possible on the one moment I stop looking and bash my knee!!

 

[Dynamo]

And... dare I say... turmeric! Honestly, I didn't believe all the hype about turmeric, but in desperation because of my inability to run my horses out in competition, I started taking turmeric a few weeks ago and the difference is amazing. Could be a placebo effect, but I don't care; it works. Be sure to use a high grade product and take with some sort of fat-containing food.

 

[Orangehorse]

You don't say how old you are. Join the club, I suppose I haven't a proper diagnosis but I am so upset that I have an arthritic knee and yesterday was seriously thinking about having to find another home for the horse as it takes nearly all day to do stable/turn out/catch and as for riding!

I am trying the turmeric - actually quite like the Golden Milk but have decided to have it at bedtime rather than breakfast, so have high hopes of that though it is early days yet. Will go back to the doctors as it has been 6 months but all he said was to keep doing the exercises - I am but it isn't helping!

 

[pansymouse]

I recommend you see a physio not a doctor - I've had knee pain for 40 years and only when I mentioned it to my physio who I was seeing for back pain did I get a diagnosis and treatment. I'm still having treatment for my knee and still get pain but it's much stronger and more stable and feel so much more confident in it's ability to hold me up.

 

[Ellietotz]

You don't say how old you are. Join the club, I suppose I haven't a proper diagnosis but I am so upset that I have an arthritic knee and yesterday was seriously thinking about having to find another home for the horse as it takes nearly all day to do stable/turn out/catch and as for riding!

I am trying the turmeric - actually quite like the Golden Milk but have decided to have it at bedtime rather than breakfast, so have high hopes of that though it is early days yet. Will go back to the doctors as it has been 6 months but all he said was to keep doing the exercises - I am but it isn't helping!

I'm 22 what about you? Good idea with the milk and turmeric. Will add more of that to my daily routine!

 

[Orangehorse]

I'm 22 what about you? Good idea with the milk and turmeric. Will add more of that to my daily routine!

I am decades older than you Ellie, you need to get this sorted asp.

 

[Ellietotz]

I am decades older than you Ellie, you need to get this sorted asp.

I've had it for years, it's just much worse now that I'm riding again. The ops sounds really horrendous!

 

[impresario08]

do you take any fish oil?

 

[pansymouse]

I'm 22 what about you? Good idea with the milk and turmeric. Will add more of that to my daily routine!

I smashed mv knee up when I was 14, the only thing that stops the pain is properly targeted exercise to develop the muscle structure to hold it in the correct position.

 

[Luci07]

Following with interest. I know I have damaged both sets of ligaments on either side of my knee and the next step is an operation. However, (and I suspect, like the vast majority of posters on this forum) I have a deep abiding dislike of hospitals. I never saw the inside of one till 19 and it is always because of my horses.

 

[cobgoblin]

Burning pain that runs up the back of your legs sounds sciatic in origin. The problem may be much further up than your knees.

 

[Ellietotz]

Burning pain that runs up the back of your legs sounds sciatic in origin. The problem may be much further up than your knees.

It starts from my knees and the pain just goes over my whole leg but then I don't know if that's just from being overwhelmed from it. I do get sciatica sometimes and it's not the same. Hoping the knee supports will work!

 

[Llee94]

I am 22 as well and get horrific pain in my knees if I do a lot of riding. I can't sit cross legged as the pain is so bad. I also have bad ankles and a dodgy back. I find sports tape is a huge help. I also Echo the saddle comment. I used to be in tears going xc, changed the saddle and hey presto - no more back pain.
I have just swapped to MDC stirrups and they also seem to be helping with knees/ankles.

 

[Ellietotz]

I am 22 as well and get horrific pain in my knees if I do a lot of riding. I can't sit cross legged as the pain is so bad. I also have bad ankles and a dodgy back. I find sports tape is a huge help. I also Echo the saddle comment. I used to be in tears going xc, changed the saddle and hey presto - no more back pain.
I have just swapped to MDC stirrups and they also seem to be helping with knees/ankles.

So glad I'm not alone! The last saddle I rode in, my knees would hurt while I was actually on, luckily I don't get that with this one but I do get a bad back. I might have to invest in a decent saddle pad, any recommendations? My ankles are okay luckily, my back I can put up with currently but its my knees, the pain is absolutely unbearable. How are we able to tell if it's the saddle? That confuses me as I would assume they would all be the same in terms of how you sit in them but obviously, that's not the case!

 

[Pippity]

So glad I'm not alone! The last saddle I rode in, my knees would hurt while I was actually on, luckily I don't get that with this one but I do get a bad back. I might have to invest in a decent saddle pad, any recommendations? My ankles are okay luckily, my back I can put up with currently but its my knees, the pain is absolutely unbearable. How are we able to tell if it's the saddle? That confuses me as I would assume they would all be the same in terms of how you sit in them but obviously, that's not the case!

Seriously, Ellietotz, you need to get medical investigation of this.

I know we're horseriders and tend to have something of a dick-measuring contest in terms of pain/injuries, but this isn't normal and especially not at your age.

If your horse was in this amount of pain, you'd be disgusted with people who just suggested various gadgets and equipment changes, rather than calling out the vet and actually finding out and fixing the root cause.

 

[Nugget La Poneh]

I have burning pain, but only when riding too short for too long and is because I buggered up my cruciates in both knees. It's better when I am riding longer in stirrup length and as I get fitter. I also found Sprenger stirrups helped too.

The pain does walk off after about an hour so I don't normally need any pain relief.

 

[Ellietotz]

I have burning pain, but only when riding too short for too long and is because I buggered up my cruciates in both knees. It's better when I am riding longer in stirrup length and as I get fitter. I also found Sprenger stirrups helped too.

The pain does walk off after about an hour so I don't normally need any pain relief.

I wish I could walk off the pain, I wouldn't even be able to sleep with it. I have to have pain relief. The other comments are right though, I wouldn't do this to my horse!

 

[Red-1]

I have awful knee pain when I ride a horse that slops the saddle over to one side. Once ridig a horse who is level, and the saddle sits bang level, then the pain goes.

If it is your horse then he may be slopping the saddle over bit by bit, and you may not have noticed. I would get someone to get a photo from behind when you are finishing riding and see if the saddle is bang central.

If it is not it could be an issue with the saddle, but more likely the way the horse is moving. That could be stiffness, hocks, one sided or a load of other things.

 

[Ellietotz]

I have awful knee pain when I ride a horse that slops the saddle over to one side. Once ridig a horse who is level, and the saddle sits bang level, then the pain goes.

If it is your horse then he may be slopping the saddle over bit by bit, and you may not have noticed. I would get someone to get a photo from behind when you are finishing riding and see if the saddle is bang central.

If it is not it could be an issue with the saddle, but more likely the way the horse is moving. That could be stiffness, hocks, one sided or a load of other things.

Unfortunately, I've had it for years even when I wasn't riding for a while :/