Injury advice after a fall (human)

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vikkiandmonica

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Hey, I had a fall off Wings and Thursday after my stirrup leather snapped at the stitching and made him go crazy. It wasn't his fault, but I ended up crashing into a fence and then Wings happened to stand on my back, just to the right of my spine. My dad took me to the hospital, luckily nothing broken, but I have a lot of soft tissue damage (muscles etc.)

Now, the whole of my right side of my lower back is swollen, stopping at about my hip on the side and it goes down to the start of my bum cheek ( :D ) . My spine is also swollen. The thing is, it isn't filled with blood, I have lots of cuts and some bruises, but the majority of the swelling has no colour. Oh, and if I poke the swelling gently, I can't feel it, but the rest of the swelling bulges, hence I know it is filled with something. (if I poke the swelling hard enough, I can feel it and it hurts :p )

I was just wondering if anyone knew how to quicken the process of getting the swelling to go down, as it feels itchy but I can't scratch it, as when I touch the swollen bit, I can't feel I'm touching it (if that makes sense). Also, when I lie/sit down I get quite a lot of pressure where the swelling is. Oh, and when I walk, sometimes I get shooting pains where the swelling is/ends.

Has anyone had this kind of injury before? And if so, how long did it take you to recover? I can just about muck out (while trying not to bend which hurts), but cannot ride until all the swelling goes. I'm impatient though, and really want to get riding again.

Does anyone have any info or advice on how to speed up the healing process? And what things I can do with Wings on the ground/lunge so he doesn't get bored or lose fitness while I recover? (can't do much, as have quite restricted movement)

Thanks, and sorry this is slightly long winded :D
 
Ouch sounds painful. I had similar injuries after finding myself under a horse (I wasn't even riding) after a traumatic vet experience and I found I just had to wait. I tore some ligaments in my foot, took a kick to the back and hyperextended my left knee. Stupid me, I had a day in bed, then managed to drive myself to uni the next day (with a torn ligament in my foot) and I still have trouble now (5 months on).
They told me ice packs, arnica, ibuprofen and rest. I would urge you not to ride until you are totally recovered as it may hinder your full recovery....but I know you will probably ride before that anyway! (I would!) :p
Get your hat replaced too!!!!!!
As for Wings, how about free schooling? You don't have the lunge line to worry about, and he is still getting his exercise. If you could get someone to place 4 poles in a circle at 90 degrees to one another if you see what I mean (like North East South West) that is a fab exercise for them to do if you trot them round it on the lunge.
K x
 
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ohhh my gosh! that sounds really painfull! The only thing I can think of is when my bf had a crash in his race car and a massive swelling came up on his back but the doctor said it was basically a massive blood blister. I know you said yours isn't filled with blood, but his didn't look as though it was for a couple of days...
Maybe you could try some arnica for the briuses and swelling? :) Hope you get better soon xx
 
Thanks! I can try loose schooling, that's a good plan. As for not riding, I might wait for a while haha, as I generally know not to ride if I don't feel well/right or me and Wings just argue.

Will try arnica, I have some of that at home, as for the blood blister, it could be, although I would have thought it would have coloured up by now, and I would have thought the swelling as too big to be one?

Thanks for the advice though guys :D
 
I had a horse stand on me last year. I still have a slight lump. Have you seen a doctor/A&E? Sorry - just read it again, and you did! I also went to a sport physio, who was the best of the lot. She gave me some special oils to massage the bump with daily (in a certain direction) and told me to put ice packs on it twice a day. If you can, I would get yourself to one of them for their advice and opinion. Every case is different. Definately don't ride until you are well healed - you only have one body - I am still paying the price for a shoulder injury that I didn't look after properly when I initially injured it 12 years ago...

You could lunge/long rein/loose school Wings, or get someone to ride him - perhaps pay your instructor to ride/school him if you usually have a lesson...

Hope you feel better soon.x
 
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Thanks! I might do that, and I can try the ice packs, as the swelling is very hot to touch. Considering even lunging hurt today when he pulled me slightly, I definitely won't ride until I'm better. I considered asking someone else to ride him, but he's being very sharp at the minute with the new grass coming through, so I don't want to risk someone else's health by putting them on him haha. I would ask instructor, except he's going through a rough patch right now, and barely has time for his own horses.

Thanks for the advice :D
 
Arnica is must & gr8 for bringing out and helping bruising. Ice and ibuprophen also. Hope you'll soon be feeling better :)
 
Go back to A&E it doesn't sound at all right and it wouldn't be the first time breaks/damage has been missed. You only have one back and you have to mind it
 
I hate hospitals :( . Do you really think I should go back? Grr.... Would it be worth waiting a couple of days to see if feeling comes back/swelling goes down first, then maybe go to the doctors? Or straight back to A&E?
 
Could have sworn I'd replied...

Short version:

I broke my back last year. Compression fracture when I hit the ground on my feet, coming off at the apex of a jump. Flew across the school surface, BP dug deep into the same area as you're hurt, but in may case all across the top of my bum. It was only that pain that made me go to hospital the next evening.

The A&E doctor very nearly didn't send me for an x-ray. The Consultant wasn't sure what he was seeing at the time. An MRI cleared it up - a compression fracture at L2.
 
Yeah, I can breath fine. And I can sit down alright, hurts if I lean back as then my back is being pressed, but if I lean back and wait for a while, the pain fades and I'm ok :)
 
I work in an A & E Dept - please go back

The fact that you have loss of feeling and / or sensation needs re-checked. It may just be swelling, haematoma or fluid of some sort pressing against a nerve, but this really does need looked at again - tonight.
 
They will probably take some more x-rays and/or a scan to establish if this is just bruising that's coming out or if it's a haematoma, fluid or something else, which may for whatever reason not have been picked up when you originally went. The reason I'm urging you to go back tonight is that it's close to your spine and you have said that you have had numbness and lack of feeling.

At the very least, they need to establish what it is, as someone said, this isn't normal, and to give you some adequate pain relief
 
Thanks. I don't think I will go tonight (sorry if you think ï'm disregarding your advice, but I'm about to go to bed and it happened so long ago I doubt one night will make a difference. Will talk to my parents tomorrow and see if they think we should go back :)
 
Please go back to A&E and ask them to check it further

I had something similar happen to me only instead of stepping on my back horse landed (from a jump) on my hand - had it x rayed, hospital said it was deep tissue damage but no broken bones so sent me home, I had the same as you - colourless swelling and lack of sensation in the area (no shooting pains though)

however I wish id kicked up more of a fuss at the time as I still (ten years later) have reduced feeling in my hand and weirdly (mainly on cold days) I can still see the faint outline of the hoof as a bruise- mainly the nail prints from the shoes! the fact that I dont have feeling in part of my hand doesn't really effect me tbh - but if it was my back I'd be a whole lot more concerned!

I guess what im trying to say is - you only have one body, if you dont think it feels right it probably isnt!
 
Talked to my parents and showed them it, my mum was considering taking me to hospital, but then my dad thought it would sort itself out, and that I should put some arnica gel on it and let it go down on its own :)
 
Will do MrsM :) . She asked if it was getting better and I told her it felt worse, which is why she considered taking me back, so I think if it is worse still tomorrow, she will take me :)
 
Witch Hazel is brilliant for bruising etc, old fashioned but works. Can buy a bottle from the chemist for about £1.50. Can be used for all sorts of things, clearing up spots etc.

Hope it feels better soon.
 
Thanks. I actually think I have some lying around the house as we sometimes use it on the horses :D . I hope it's better soon, was supposed to go XC schooling next weekend and do a HT the weekend after :(
 
I can't believe they didn't give you a kidney scan at the time. That was the first concern when I had a similar injury (lower back below ribs). I ended up having daily anti-inflammatory injections for 10 days to bring out the bruising and ibuprofen to reduce the massive swelling. If they say nothing is broken, they are probably right. You may have spinal process and soft tissue damage this will take a while to heal. A trip to the doctors for you I think. Don't risk waiting to see.
 
lazybee said:
I can't believe they didn't give you a kidney scan at the time. That was the first concern when I had a similar injury (lower back below ribs). I ended up having daily anti-inflammatory injections for 10 days to bring out the bruising and ibuprofen to reduce the massive swelling. If they say nothing is broken, they are probably right. You may have spinal process and soft tissue damage this will take a while to heal. A trip to the doctors for you I think. Don't risk waiting to see.
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I was going to say the exact same thing regarding your kidneys. Please go back to A&E or at the very least your GP, and make sure it's looked at properly. I don't want to scare you but this is probably not going to improve with arnica and witch hazel. Where you have been injured is a VERY unprotected and vulnerable part of your body. People that have had serious injuries 'missed' at A&E for whatever reason tnd to be very careful in the future;)

Good luck and hope you are on the mend very soon.
 
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