how long til I could be thinking of riding again?

benson21

benson21

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I broke a vertabrae in my lower back(T12)and had rods and pins put in it on feb 10th. Has anyone got any idea on how long before I could ride again?
 
I have no idea when it comes to that kind of injury Benson21. What does your surgeon and/or physio say? They'd be the ones best placed to advise as we all heal differently.

Wishing you a full, speedy and complete recovery. Long after my injuries have healed I find the mental "what if" issues much harder to overcome when it is time to be back in the saddle.
 
Surgeon has said I will be able to ride again, but not given me a time scale yet. I guess I am just getting impatient!
 
Sorry can't really help. Lady at our yard has a similar injury due to a sj fall recently. She is in a back brace and has postponed her wedding (meant to be in september) as she does not want to walk down the aisle in a brace. So I guess its quite a long term recovery. What does your doctor say?
 
I go back to the fracture clinic next friday where I should be allowed to leave without my brace, and then hydrotherepy. But they have given me no timescale.
 
Must be really frustrating, but listen to your medical advisers and don't get back in the saddle too soon. You might do more damage if you ride too soon. I can sympathise as I'm out of action at the moment as well and am trying hard to take people's advice and not do too much too soon but its hard, particularly at this time of year! (sob - all those lovely spring evenings going to waste)
 
My neighbour had an operation for scoliosis last November, this necessitated rods and pins to straighten her spine and other structures of the back. Her surgeon told her she could expect to ride after about 9 months.
It would be a good idea to discuss this at your next hospital appointment. Your physio might also be able to advise.
All the best!
 
Hi. I broke my back last year (T1 &T2), like you I had surgery to insert rods and pins to stabilise the fracture. I had been told by the surgeon not to start riding again for 6 months, however I was determined and started to build up my strength before leaving hospital – just walking for longer periods of time each day. After about 6 weeks I rode for the first time, just 10 minutes walking in the school to start with, which was very tiring at first but with perseverance I was soon able to build up my strength and fitness, eventually I was eventing again within 5 months of the original accident (I am very amateur/hobby rider and enjoy BE901/100 level). This year another late start to the season, I am pregnant with our first baby who is expected any day now, all being well hope to be eventing again soon this year. Good luck and best wishes, be determined and you will get there sooner than you think.
 
i'm also not riding due to medical issues at the moment with no idea how long until i will be able to ride again so i share your frustration! i had also just found a horse to ride when i was told i wasnt allowed to ride! its sooooo annoying, especially when it is sunny out.
 
I am so sorry to hear about your accident and should imagine you are thoroughly fed up and know how you are feeling. I broke my collar bone last February and didn't get on Archies back until September, when it was a case of if I didn't do it then I never would. My surgeon advised me that it would be about October that I could ride again so I didn't jump the gun by much.

I am not sure how long it will take for you to heal sufficiently enough to ride but your surgeon/consultant will be able to give you a good idea. I made up for not riding by spending plenty of time with Archie and grooming him, massaging him and, if I am to be honest with you, bonding with him again. It was invaluable for me to spend this time with him and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I really hope your recovery goes well but please, please don't try to undo any healing you have done by getting on too quickly or doing too much. You have many years ahead of you to get back in the saddle and I know it doesn't seem like it now, but you will look back at this time out of the saddle and it will pale into insignificance.

I really hope you find the kind of horse you are looking for and look forward to hearing about you on here xxx

Best wishes

xxxx
 
I think there are normally two considerations 1) can you physically ride 2) the risks if you were to fall again. As far as the first, I think your body and your own common sense will tell you when you are ready to have a go, doctors and physios can offer guidance, but only you know how you are feeling. As far as the second, that is a doctor call - a friend of mine was told not to ride with metalwork because of the risk of a much worse injury if they fell off and landed on the metalwork. As I don't know how, where etc your metalwork is placed, only the doctor can tell you if there is an increased risk e.g. of severing the spinal column if you were to fall on that area. It may be that they want everything to heal, then remove the metalwork before they agree it is safe to ride, or they may think it is fine as it, I guess a lot has to do with exactly how it is placed etc.
 
In December 2007 I had an operation on my lower back to insert a rod and six screws, not because I had broken anything but just due to deteriorating discs in that part of my spine. I didn't ride for a while mainly because my lovely cob had died in the November and I only had my two year old. I think I was back riding a friend's horse in about three or four months though. Possibly I had recovered quicker though as didn't have to wait for a fracture to heal?

I find that each consultant I see tells me something different about riding, some say yes no problem, some say if you must and some say no!

I'm not sure that the rod could break unless under extreme circumstances - I got bucked fairly spectacularly off my youngster just before Christmas and landed on my back and fractured a vertebra higher up between my shoulders but the rod and screws seem undisturbed.
 
This cannot be regarded as medical advice/subsititute for speaking to your consultant;
I'd push to get an answer off your surgeon/physio you could tell them you're thinking of riding and see what they say. As a rough guide and please please please ask your surgeon first I'd say normally it takes 12 weeks for boney union to take place and another 4 weeks for boney consolidation so 16 weeks total (4 months).
 
I had a spinal fusion op pinning and rodding L4/S1 (3 vertebra in the lumbar region) due to degenerating discs. My op was in July 08 and my Consultant said no riding for 12 months to allow the bone graft to take. I decided to put my mare in foal to keep me out of the saddle. I started riding again in Oct 09 after she'd weaned her foal. I've just last month backed my hombred RID 4yr old, something I thought I'd never do. I did come off my older horse once since the op and thankfully my back was fine TBH I was dreading falling off but in a way it's boosted my confidence knowing I CAN survive a fall.

I always wear a body protector whenever I ride and won't be doing any jumping in future (I'm wrong side of 40 for that anyway!). As others have said press your medical team. Don't rush back to the saddle before you are ready as you have the rest of your life to ride. I have to say my consultant was very supportive about me riding again, I was afraid to ask him and thought I'd get shot down in flames. It's mainly been family and friends who think I'm a bit mad to ride again but it would actually send me mad if I couldn't.

I hope your recovery goes well and when the times right you get back in the saddle.
 
Different but I had a mastectomy at the start of February and was told no riding for 8 - 10 weeks and when I explained how steady my horse was, they said that should anything happen and I lost my balance and fell, I could do severe muscle damage and put myself back months and even suffer permanent damage. The after care consultant rode horses herself and knew how keen I was to ride again.

So I did have a little ride after 6 weeks just before my second op to put the cathaport in for the chemo, had another 2 weeks to recover and now do gentle riding when I have the energy - I am still looking after my horses but find it difficult to do looking after and riding, so tend to let others ride and spend time grooming etc for the moment.

I am going to start doing a few jumps next month, but realistically until chemo is over in July am too tired other than to ride for 30 minutes.

In all I will have been out of action from February until mid July and it is so frustrating, but long term leaving myself to heal properly and ride when I have the energy back will pay off.

Speak to the experts and listen to them - it is not the riding but what happens if you have a fall that is the problem in terms of damage in a lot of cases.

Hope you make a full recovery and get back in the saddle as soon as you safely can. xxx
 
Thanks for all the replies, I will push the surgeon next week!! Just another quick question on the subject, the doctor has put me onto codine now I am off the morphine, its controlling the pain now, but will I get used to the side effects ? Its like either put up with pain but feel well, or get rid of pain and keep feeling dizzy and faint. Has anyone got advise there? anyone taken codine?
 
Obviously I am no doctor but if you are still on such strong pain killers no way should you even be thinking of riding for a while, just my opinion!

I just went down the Diclofenac/Co-Dydramol route when things were bad but now just take paracetamol and ibuprofen. Apart from making you feel dizzy and faint I find those pain killers are incredibly constipating and (sorry if anyone is eating) but struggling to have a poo with a painful back and a back brace too is not a pleasant experience!
 
O yes I have experienced that jodie3! And yes I know there is no way I can ride yet, gotta get a horse to begin with!!!! But seriously, its good to have an idea how long I am looking at before riding!! When you were on the painkillers did the side effects get better, i.e did your system get used to it?
 
hey there
i can't help much, i broke my shoulder a few years ago and i never got used to the codine
i know how frustrating it is but you must give yourself plenty of time to heal.
just wanted to wish you all the best really and hope you find a lovely horse to help you back into the saddle x
 
No I don't think I ever got used to them, I get migraines and if I have a particularly bad one I take a couple as I know that they will just knock me out and I can sleep it off. Before I had the op I had really bad pains in my leg due to the nerves being compressed, a form of sciatica I suppose, and my Doctor tried me on some tablets for that which were great and got rid of the pain but I was high as a kite and couldn't function normally at all, well what passes for normal for me! So like you said before sometimes you have to struggle on but be relatively normal or be pain free but be floating on your own little cloud!
 
Benson21 if you get some Lactolose that will help counteract the constipation from taking codeine. (Sorry for anyone eating a late night snack)!
 
Theresa_F said:
Different but I had a mastectomy at the start of February and was told no riding for 8 - 10 weeks and when I explained how steady my horse was, they said that should anything happen and I lost my balance and fell, I could do severe muscle damage and put myself back months and even suffer permanent damage. The after care consultant rode horses herself and knew how keen I was to ride again.

So I did have a little ride after 6 weeks just before my second op to put the cathaport in for the chemo, had another 2 weeks to recover and now do gentle riding when I have the energy - I am still looking after my horses but find it difficult to do looking after and riding, so tend to let others ride and spend time grooming etc for the moment.

I am going to start doing a few jumps next month, but realistically until chemo is over in July am too tired other than to ride for 30 minutes.

In all I will have been out of action from February until mid July and it is so frustrating, but long term leaving myself to heal properly and ride when I have the energy back will pay off.

Speak to the experts and listen to them - it is not the riding but what happens if you have a fall that is the problem in terms of damage in a lot of cases.

Hope you make a full recovery and get back in the saddle as soon as you safely can. xxx
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Wishing you well in your recovery and keep up the positive attitude x
 
Hi Benson 21, tried out a super medium weight hunter type yesterday in Hampshire might suit you although needs more schooling, not sure on your current thoughts re buying while you not able to ride? Wish you well with your recovery, I would defo press your Consultant for some kind of timeframe to getting back in the saddle. On another note did p.m. you re DS, you still pursuing this complaint? pm me if so x
 
I've had codeine for migraines and found it very much left me in my own floaty, bubbly little world. I'd avoid it if ibuprofen did the trick, but when the migraine was too bad for that it was preferable to be a bit out of rather than spending hours in a dark room/throwing up - could never actually do anything useful on the stuff though. This might not have been a very helpful post!
 
Re codeine - I take 8 paracetamols daily to manage my back pain and if I'm really struggling I'll take a codeine. These really do help with the pain and I don't seem to bad on them. In fact sometimes if I'm bad I'll take one before riding so I'm relatively painfree whilst in the saddle. Don't know about anyone else with back problems but it must really affect the horse when you are riding in pain. My Mum and my husband both have probs with codeine, makes Mum sick and hubby is away with the fairies! I suppose my system tolerates codeine as I've had some pretty major painkillers over the past few years including morphine and Oxy Contin both of those made me ill. It's the anti inflammatories that tend to mess with your digestive system ie Diclofenic/Ibuprofen. If you are taking these take them with food and make sure you get your 5 a day fruit and veg down you which helps keep things moving.

With regards to when you do get back riding. Take it very steady for a couple of weeks on a reliable horse to build up your strength and confidence. Perhaps try a few sessions on a equi simulator, I did and it really helped before I got on the real thing. Use a mounting block to take the strain out of getting on. Hack out with someone who understands you need to take things slowly and who will go at your pace. Wear a body protector, it will give you confidence and help keep your back nice and straight. AND remember you will feel less confident following your op but this is normal. Any probs put another post on here as there's plenty of others who know just how you are feeling.
 
Archiesmummy said:
I am so sorry to hear about your accident and should imagine you are thoroughly fed up and know how you are feeling.

I broke my collar bone last February and didn't get on Archies back until September, when it was a case of if I didn't do it then I never would. My surgeon advised me that it would be about October that I could ride again so I didn't jump the gun by much.
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Hi Archiesmummy,
Can I ask you if there were any particular complications with your collar bone? I broke mine yesterday coming off hard from my new lad Arnie. He accidently kicked me in the face on the way down as well so I am some wonderful colours this morning! He's only young and green and was so distressed to see me on the ground that I felt more sorry for him! He's our new baby, we've only had him a week.

I spent half of last night in hospital being x-rayed and given drugs, and I have a further appointment with Consultant on Monday. I didn't ask last night how long these things take to heal (to be honest in too much pain to think about much then!), but now I've started worrying about how long it might be before I'm riding him again. I am planning on asking on Monday, but then read your post and 7 months semms a really long time!!

Thanks xxx
 
benson21 said:
O yes I have experienced that jodie3! And yes I know there is no way I can ride yet, gotta get a horse to begin with!!!! But seriously, its good to have an idea how long I am looking at before riding!! When you were on the painkillers did the side effects get better, i.e did your system get used to it?
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When I broke my ankle and needed metalwork, I was sent home from hospital with a few days' worth of codeine. I HATED its effects. So when I needed a top-up prescription from the GP, I dis cussed it with her and she gave me co-codamol(?) instead. I think it was that particular combination of paracetamol and codeine. You can only take codeine for 6 weeks without worrying about becoming addicted anyway, so you may need to discuss alternatives with your doctor.
 
Just to add, as it wouldn't let me edit. I, too, had some lessons with a very sympathetic instructor, on a simulator before riding again. This was complicated for me as I lost the horse during this period and then needed to find a safe sensible 'replacement'. (The 2 falls on the road in the few weeks after the snow this year is a whole other story, lol). When you explain your requirements to sellers, you do wonder if some of them speak the same language as you - their definition of 'safe' and 'stands still for mounting', seem to be completely different from mine.
 
Hi, maybe ask your docs if there are any exercises you can do to build up the muscles?

I don't know how long but i wish you all the best and speedy recovery and hopefully you will be back in the saddle very soon :)
 
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