Ideas for helping hip/groin joint?

[Nasicus]

Now I'm back in the saddle with my new wide cob, I'm being reminded of the hip/groin/leg/ankle pain I used to experience with my previous wide cob.
I've managed to help the knee and ankle pain by switching from long boots to Jodhpur Boots and getting some Sprenger Bow Balance stirrups, and the pain directly in the crease where my bumcheek meets the back of my leg has been helped by digging out the Acavallo Gel Out Seat Saver (which has saved my backside a few times, pony is terrified of pigs and guess what we have up the road!).
But I am unfortunately still bothered by pain right in the groin/inner hip joint area, mostly on the right side. It doesn't start straight away, but by about 30 mins it starts to appear.
I'm doing stretches to help with snapping hips and tight hip flexors, in the hope this will help long term.
I've tried adjusting stirrup leathers longer and shorter, and working on my posture, but it definitely starts to hurt sooner/more if I get my bum under me, and when leaning back for going downhill (we only hack, and we're doing a loooot of hill work).

I'm saving up for a new saddle, current saddle is a Wintec AP 500 (no idea what the twist would be on this, could this be a culprit?) in a wide gullet bar, fitted to the horse but obviously doesn't suit me, but considering the amount of weight this pony is set to lose, especially under the saddle (massive fat pads!) she's going to change shape initially so I'm looking for something I can do/add/change to make the weight loss program more bearable until I can get a saddle that fits the both of us. Worst comes to worst I'll just deal with it until we hit target weight, as she's very happy and comfortable in her current set-up, so if one of us has got to be uncomfortable for now, it needs to be me!

Any ideas? (@sbloom ?)

 

[Britestar]

Might be worth you seeing an osteo or chiro to check that everything is ok.
You'd do it for the horse, so do it for yourself.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Try a good sports physio. I had this awful groin pain before my hip replacement and it started again afterwards too. In my case I was struggling to walk very far. Brilliant sports physio picked up on problem straight away and had me doing squats to engage and strengthen my glutes. Sorted it in no time but I no longer ride so can't comment there.

 

[sbloom]

I would suggest tackling it on three fronts: bodyworker such as an osteopath (overall my preferred modality), but I would start with someone that actually manipulates the skeleton, you could add someone who does soft tissue afterwards. Then a rider strengthening programme, my fave is Rider Reboot on FB, David Sanders seems to be getting amazing results and will identify your main issues very quickly, then work with you long term to get you much straighter and stronger. Activate Your Seat is well regarded (I don't think Maeve offers an online assessment though which I think can be a huge benefit rather than just joining a programme) and if you like the idea of natural movement (which goes along with barefoot shoes etc to an extent) then Refined Riding, a lady called Samantha Hulme, is also very good and she assesses you online.

Saddles are tricky, and ultimately your cob might just be too wide for you. There are SOME options for getting a saddle that's narrower for the rider on a wide horse but many aren't satisfactory, and it may come down to the width of the ribcage, how far out your knees are taken, which just can't be avoided. Save up as much as you can to open up as many options as possible. In the meantime I would consider something that allows you to sit with shorter stirrups but ideally not in a chair seat - the former allows your hips to close, the latter isn't good for the horse or for you.

The Wintec isn't wide in the twist I'm afraid, or that would be an easy explanation but there are so many reasons a saddle can aggravate a condition like that, and only working through some kind of ridden assessment and ideally a biomechanical approach to saddle fitting will likely help you get to the bottom of it as anything else is guesswork.

 

[Annagain]

Try a good sports physio. I had this awful groin pain before my hip replacement and it started again afterwards too. In my case I was struggling to walk very far. Brilliant sports physio picked up on problem straight away and had me doing squats to engage and strengthen my glutes. Sorted it in no time but I no longer ride so can't comment there.

This. I'm going through something similar (with a bit of back pain thrown in) and my glutes are the culprit. Glutes are, apparently, an issue with riders as we do so much from the thigh. I try to work as much as I can into my normal day - so lunge walking - especially when carrying water buckets, going up stairs two at a time and really thinking of pushing down with the higher leg rather than pushing up with the lower one.

 

[sbloom]

Different biomechanics bods seem to have a different focus, there is definitely one school that looks a LOT at gluteus medius, but my experience tells me (from riders who started on that route but then went to Rider Reboot) that it isn't an approach that works for everyone.

I'd also recommend a regular ridden programme to begin with to get changes into muscle memory - popping along once every 6 months to have a biomechanics lesson, with or without a dismounted programme, is unlikely to lead to real change. Even David Sanders says that those that can go for his fortnightly hands on assessments and coaching off the horse progress much faster than those who come to him for updates less often.

 

[Nasicus]

Some great ideas to go off of, thanks all! I didn't find much difference when having chiropractic and osteopath treatment, but a Sports Physio is one I have yet to try!
I shall look into Rider Reboot, that sounds interesting, thanks Sbloom!
And I'll cross my fingers that one the weight has shifted, she won't be quite as wide and we can get a nice saddle that suits the pair of us

 

[sbloom]

The best bodyworker is one that works for you, I tend to say go off a recommendation(s) in your area, and be prepared to have two, a manipulator that, once this issue has been released, will see you maybe every 6 months, and a soft tissue person (myofascial release, massage, Bowen) several times a year, having two modalities adds more than most people realise. Personally for me I find a good osteo better than any physios I've worked with and the last physio I went to (and ex Championship football team physio) actually did things that I feel in retrospect were harmful, he viewed me the same as a twenty something footballer with an acute injury instead of a late 40s woman with RSI and all sorts of wear and tear and poor movement patterns.