my back's really bad again *tears*

Shysmum

Shysmum

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I have degenerative disc disease in L3,4,5, and S1. I lost my career (RSPCA) because of it, and after several operations, have been so careful since. The one exercise I have found that helps is riding, the side to side movement seems to strengthen my muscles, and I am really strong.

BUT last month Shy and I "branched out" from happy hacking, trying our hand at showing - soooooooooo much standing, then leading him in trot round a slippy, muddy field, aaaargh.........and trying our hand at jumping, which was simply too much twisting. :(

Now I am wearing a back brace all the time - just this last 2 weeks, and the reality has hit me. Have I just over done it, have I damaged it even more ???

I have insisted on a new MRI being done, but I don't really want to know the results. Please tell me I have just over done it.

Thanks for listening.....my horse is my life x
 
Back pain is the absolute pits...
Hopefully you have just done a tad too much and your muscles are protesting.
Soft tissue injuries can actually hurt more and take longer to heal than a break/fracture!
 
I really feel for you, but good on you for insisting on the MRI to find out what is going on.

If you can't do showing, what about looking a Trec? You can opt out of doing anything that might be difficult and still have a great time and be competitive.

In the meantime, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that they sort you out.
 
"THANK YOU" - it's just so hard to accept a disability, and though I pretend it isn't as bad as it is - I know it is. We have a new lab puppy, and I can't even pick him up for a cuddle.

So sorry, just feeling sorry for myself.
 
im a sufferer too and when ive done too much its like a hatchet in my back,the only thing that works for me is to lay flat for as long as it takes -hours or days:rolleyes: my life goes on hold until the pains gone.- im lucky that it does go eventually.dont think of your self as disabled its very limiting and quite negative,keep your chin up and try to relax!
 
Just relax and wait and see, even if the MRI does show a decline, it doesn't mean if you go back to hacking Shy it will still hurt, I am sure you have just overdone it! X
 
Don't be silly you have no need to say sorry. Hope you feel better soon & others have said lets just hope you have over done it *big hugs* xx
 
just plodding about is what we love most tbh - my back is the reason I switched from TB's to gypsy cobs, I have a fab armchair Barefoot saddle, and hubs helps me so much. But Shy is only 5, and I've been trying out things with him - he is with me till one of us pops our clogs, so I now accept we don't need to over do it. He will be ecstatic !!

Back problems are just so scary aren't they - I really hope I have just overdone it :)
 
shysmum said:
just plodding about is what we love most tbh - my back is the reason I switched from TB's to gypsy cobs, I have a fab armchair Barefoot saddle, and hubs helps me so much. But Shy is only 5, and I've been trying out things with him - he is with me till one of us pops our clogs, so I now accept we don't need to over do it. He will be ecstatic !!

Back problems are just so scary aren't they - I really hope I have just overdone it :)
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Perhaps you should get hubby to break Shy to Harness...... You can enjoy Shy with your husband then too... have thought about that with Freddie! X
 
I tried driving at RDA, and tbh, it was MORE painful sitting in a cart, than plodding along on a big wide cob ;)

I am sure it will settle down, I'm panicking aren't I ? Even if we just have to walk for six months till this episode is over, I'll do it. I'm 43, retired at 30 :eek::eek: and just feel very old and sorry for myself, lol. xx
 
As a fellow back pain sufferer with a bulging disc at L5, on permanent pain relief (which nobody at the yard knows about), I can fully sympathise with you. I've just been away on holiday for a week and my back has been far worse than when I am doing the horses! But I do know that when I've done too much poo picking my back is bad, and the majority of people on the yard don't do much poo picking due to suffering with those well known disabilities lazyitis and standingaroundgossipingitis, and as I don't want my horses to stand around in filthy fields, it's generally left to me to do it. Hopefully you've just overdone it and a few days rest and anti inflammatories may do the trick and help you feel better. Good luck - hope you feel better soon. :)
 
Sorry to hear you're in pain with your back, Shysmum!

I've had surgery too (only once though), which provided a few years of relief, but the pain, sciatica, stiffness, etc. has been back with a vengeance for too long now, and I'm really, really fed up with trying to cope with it all every single day...

Have you heard of this:

http://www.flexibak.net/index.html

I'm not a medical professional or anything like that - just wanted to let you know about this flexibak thing. I got one a while ago and if I use it regularly, then it definitely helps with suppleness, which is so important for riding!

Hang in there x
 
shysmum said:
I tried driving at RDA, and tbh, it was MORE painful sitting in a cart, than plodding along on a big wide cob ;)

I am sure it will settle down, I'm panicking aren't I ? Even if we just have to walk for six months till this episode is over, I'll do it. I'm 43, retired at 30 :eek::eek: and just feel very old and sorry for myself, lol. xx
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Hi - sorry to hear about your back. I also have trouble, but it did get much better when I got over 50 and I have not had the trouble I had with it in my 40 s and I have heard that is common.
 
shysmum said:
I have degenerative disc disease in L3,4,5, and S1. I lost my career (RSPCA) because of it, and after several operations, have been so careful since. The one exercise I have found that helps is riding, the side to side movement seems to strengthen my muscles, and I am really strong.

BUT last month Shy and I "branched out" from happy hacking, trying our hand at showing - soooooooooo much standing, then leading him in trot round a slippy, muddy field, aaaargh.........and trying our hand at jumping, which was simply too much twisting. :(

Now I am wearing a back brace all the time - just this last 2 weeks, and the reality has hit me. Have I just over done it, have I damaged it even more ???

I have insisted on a new MRI being done, but I don't really want to know the results. Please tell me I have just over done it.

Thanks for listening.....my horse is my life x
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Hi Shysmum. I am a qualified Pilates instructor and back care practitioner. I work in rehab. I'm also a fellow sufferer. So firstly I send you a big hug as I know how much it hurts!

I just wanted to say, don't panic. During an acute phase it can feel very scary, but it's important not to catastrophise. You will feel better, but you must do whatever you know works for you to allow things to settle.

The term 'degenerative disc disease' sounds awful, but is also a bit of a misnomer. All discs degenerate with age. They lose fluid, becoming brittle and lose height which then can cause facet joint issues at the back of the vertebrae. DDD can relate to early degeneration, which will increase with age, but the pain associated does not necessarily get worse. In fact it can improve!

It is also not a 'disease', a term again which makes it sound really scary. It is a condition, that can cause pain. That's all. Really. You won't have done any serious damage, it just feels bloody awful. So please try not to worry.

The main causes of pain in DDD are inflammation around the dics and micromotion instability of the vertebral bodies, meaning they are moving a bit more than they should. The brains way of protecting them is to cause the big back muscles to spasm so you literally can't move. Think of the pain like a message the brain is sending to stop you moving so you arent doing any damage.

Goong forward, once the worst is over, I would strongly recommend you see a Physio for assessment and treatment and then find a good rehab Pilates instructor who can help you re-activate and strengthen the deep lying postural muscles which support the spine against the type of micro motion I described. It will be a lifelong case of managing your symptoms, but you can do a lot to strengthen your back, reduce pain and the frequency of these sort of acute spasm episodes.

There are also pain management options available if you go down the spinal / pain specialist route which is worth considering if things stay bad.

In the meantime, get comfy, take whatever meds you have been prescribed, have lots of cuppas / choccy etc :D I hope you are feeling better soon.

Ps. Just wanted to add, sorry if you know all this or have already gone down these routes. Not meaning to be patronising at all, just helpful.
 
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Aw sweetie. A big, gentle hug.

I bet it's just the muscles squeezing to protect your wonky bit.

When things are back on an even kilter, talk to an equipilates person. I went to one after breaking my back (compression fracture at L2). Between her and physio things improved tremendously :)

I find now that if I don't ride, things get worse. The walking motion seems to help keep things loose :)
 
Thank you ! I'm seeing the neurosurgeon soon, and am going to have to have another MRI to check how things are. I have thought about pilates, so may well give it a go when the crisis is sorted - I did try yoga once, but got stuck in a weird position ;)
 
So sorry to hear you are in pain, back pain is the pit. But be reassued that most severe back pain is due to spasm in the muscles, once the spasms stop the pain will ease. If it gets really bad the only real option is to go to bed lay as flat as you can and maybe take some muscle relaxants - something like diazepam - to help ease the strain. I'd ask you GP for help.
 
Get yourself a copy of this book from Amazon - "Healing back pain naturally" by Dr Art Brownstein. Its written by a US doctor who had a horrific time with his own back injury and was one step away from surgery. Its easy to read, has really helpful advice on changes you can make to your everyday life to help deal with the issues and help with pain management. It also has some excellent pics and guides to simple exercises that will help strengthen your back.

I recommend this book a lot and those who have got a copy have really benefited (including me)

Good Luck
 
Thanks so much everyone. The pain seems to be moving around the sacro-illiac area, from left to right, all very odd. Managed a lovely ride today, and that is pretty much all i want to do now - happy, gentle hacking.

I think I have pushed myself much too far recently, and really have to accept my limitations - so hard to do.

Next neuro appointment on the 13th.

Thanks again for listening guys :)
 
Aw poor you :( really feel for you and I've only ever had a trapped syatic nerve and that reduced me to a blubbering mess!

I totally relate though, discharged from hospital Saturday after knee op and already putting rugs on and off, soaking hay and being a total plonker really and my surgeon would go mad... but it has to be done and I can't not go out and do it.

Hope all goes ok with the mri, will be thinking of you Xx
 
One thought which might help, as a fellow back sufferer (used to be so bad I occasionally got stuck ON the horse!!). Have you tried altering your stirrup leather length, up or down, during a ride. I find this helps enormously. I often don't do it at all, but when my back's really bad it helps a lot. Even a tiny alteration, like tucking the end of your sitrrup leather under the leathers, or vice cersa if you ride with them tucked back anyway, can help a lot. Or, if Shy will allow it, kick your feet out altogether and ride for 100 yards with your legs dangling.

Backs are the pits, but I hope you've just overdone things a bit. "In the privacy of my own home" I always sit with either a hot or a cold water bottle, depending on the weather, wedged behind my back when I'm watching TV or at the computer. This too can eaase pain a lot - but you probably know that already?

Hope you feel better soon.
 
Hugs for you and anyone else suffering
I recommend you find a good physio. I never uses to have much faith in them until I found a good one and the difference was amazing
Don't give up on the showing. Find a local show that either doesn't trot up in hand (most of mine don't). Or get someone else to do it. If that's not an option just tell the judge you are unable to do that part
 
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