Orthotics when riding?

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Once was lost

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Question for anyone who may know!
I have a multitude of medical problems among them two messed up ankles (one shattered lost half the talus bone 16 years ago, the other broken leg in three places close to the ankle joint, all held together with multiple plates and pins, happened 15 months ago). This makes both ankles stiff, not a great deal of movement in the most recent injury, much better movement in the other. I also suffer from nerve damage and for my legs that leaves me with little, often no feeling in my legs bellow the knee, they may as well not be there for all I can feel, worse on the recent injury side.
I wear orthotic inserts in my regular shoes to stop my feet collapsing inwards when I walk and also to counteract the fact that due to lack of feeling I am very heal heavy when it comes to my centre of gravity when standing and don't manage a heal to toe step when walking, again lack of feeling has lead to permanent loss off movement in my toes further affecting my gait. The insets do help allot when walking making my gait more normal (but still far from!).
I am back to light riding, walk and trot. I lost most of my muscle while wheelchair bound post last years accident (both leg injures falls from horses, do not land on your feet!) so have allot of work to do to rebuild, takings things very slow as just a pleasure rider these days and in it for the fun.
I don't as it stands wear my inserts while riding and wonder if I should? Two reasons I haven't worn then so far (only had them since November, just 2 months after started riding again) are I kind of associate them with off yard wear as hard to get them to fit in welly boots (not impossible though and as also my working environment so most of my time is in boots I really should start trying and finding a way to make it work) and secondly, and the main one is that I wonder if it could actually be counter productive, would the orthotics work against me in the saddle as they are made to correct my walking gait. Could they adversely effect my leg and foot position? It could be they could help my already very stiff and far from perfect leg position but I don't know! I am not due back to my podiatrist for nearly a year for my refit and even then I doubt he would have the first clue about riding!
I guess I am quite nervous about adding an unknown quantity to my time in the saddle. People around me are very nervous of me having another accident due to already having so much going on medically, makes thing very complicated and they are right, risky. I don't want to take any un necessary risks knowingly but have this nagging feeling about my inserts and if I should be using them!
I know nobody is going to have my rather unlucky and complex set of medical conditions and old injury but I would be really grateful for any advice, insight or opinion. (Unless that opinion is I shouldn't be in the saddle, I have had that one expressed to me before, I have thought long and hard about the implications of another accident, heart to heart with husband about it and it is as simple as I simply can't NOT ride. Given I work as a freelance yard groom it would kill me so ride I will, lightly and taking no unnecessary risks).
Thanks for plodding through to the end of this too long post. Too much information that may or may not be relevant!

Ps. Also reduced hand sensation and eye problems, forgive typing errors please!
 
Is there a Riding for Disabled centre near you that does Hippotherapy? (not all of them do)
The reason I ask is that I volunteer for Rda and as well as the normal rda rides we also do hippotherapy and it usually has to be a physio who is the hippotherapy instructor. I don't mean to go the hippotherapy classes but you could speak to a physio who specialises in horse riding would hopefully be able to answer your questions and possibily even assess you in the saddle with and without your inserts.
 
Personally when I have fitted orthotics to a rider I have advised they wear them in the saddle as well. The orthotics don't just affect the foot/ankle mechanics but the whole biomechanics of your limb, pelvis and spine. I'm also guessing that due to the talas fracture who have a leg length difference? If that is the case and the orthotic address this then again it would be of benefit to wear them when riding.

I am however an osteopath not a podiatrist and all though I have a good knowledge of orthotics etc the podiatrist would be the best guy to ask. :)
 
I was recommended to wear orthotics when riding as well as in 'normal' shoes. I have 2 pairs so that I can leave one pair in my riding boots, because they are difficult to get out. I actually also have a pair to wear in high-heeled shoes.
 
i have orthotics for an old injury - lisfranc fracture, metatarsal fracture and crush injury. without them i limp badly and have a lot of pain with them is easier and hardly a limp as the foot doesnt flex normally anymore i wear mine to ride as they support my foot
 
I wear mine in my dubarries when I ride in them and use them most of the time I am on the yard .
They help my arches and also allow for the fact that a break has left one leg over one cm longer than the other.
 
You would be surprised about some podiatrists. Find yourself one who has completed the sports injuries training. I think you would do better to have a complete set made just for riding. You are using your feet differently and with different muscles when riding. A specialist will understand your needs perfectly.
 
Once was lost said:
both leg injures falls from horses, do not land on your feet!
Click to expand...

Absolutly - can definately second that. I broke/dislocated both ankles doing this!
I broke mine about 5 years ago and since then had one fused about 2 years ago and then have just had my other one fused a month or so ago. This means I have very little movement at all in both ankles.
Orthotics wise absolutly try using them when you ride for a couple of months. If they cause problems and make things worse then stop using them, if they help or don't hinder then keep using them. I would also highly recommend a set of flexible stirrups - they make a huge difference to me and how sore I get when I ride to the point I can no longer ride in 'normal' fixed stirrups for more than 5-10 minutes. One of the biggest problems I have with my feet is that I simply can't push my heel down and so my feet tend to slide through the stirrups and so I use toe cages for safety. I have found it's impossible for me to have a normal leg position due to being unable to flex my ankle but go with what works for you and the horses are smart enough to adapt to a slightly different position especially if you're riding your own horses.

I would also recommend leather boots with a zip rather than wellies because the boots will provide that bit extra support for your ankles and will fit the insoles better than a pair of wellies will.

Long term you are at a significant risk of ankle arthritis due to the trauma so get on to a joint supplement now to delay it as long as possilbe (this is why I had to have the fusions done). What I was told is that it would take 2 years before I would know how good a recovery I would have. Reading through the other thing that might help would be a rocker sole as it will encourage the heal-toe step, also some physio might help - I found when I had my other ankle fused I had to retrain all the muscles etc to walk and had to go really slowly and concentrate really hard on the foot placement to start with and gradually over a few months it sorta learnt to work properly (just a thought) The muscles you lost will come back and this may well be contributing to your gait.

Good luck with it all :D:D:D
 
My brother rides I. His orthotics, he has two pairs, one for everyday shoes and one for his riding boots. He has to be very careful what type of boots he wears as he has had two ankle rebuilds and one ankle fusion due to a genetic disease that makes the nerves in his arms and legs die slowly.

We have gotten some flexi stirrups and stirrup cages to stop his feet from going through the stirrups as he had hardly any movement in his feet.
 
Thank you so much for the thoughtful informative replies, so much more then I dared hope for!
Seems like I defiantly need to bite the bullet and start riding with my inserts! I guess I get nervous of messing with the way things are incase I make things go wrong and have an accident! The informed responses give me the confidence to do it though so thank you!
I hadn't thought of stirrup cages, that's an inspired idea as I am always cautious of that given I can't feel my feet and end up constantly checking my stirrup hasn't slipped, silly really as on the few ovations it has slipped I can feel it in the balance of the rest of my body but I am just paranoid! I will only ride in safety stirrups and I wear jodhpur boots and chaps as this gives me best use of the flex I do have (really can't afford to get the lovely leather zip boots mentioned up thread sadly), never ride in welly boots. I am saving for a set of flex stirrups as I have heard great things about them for people with ankle problems before and this thread just confirms that so will keep saving away while I continue to use safety stirrups and I will get cages.
I have had allot of physio and while no longer seeing a physio keep up all my exercises. Wish again I had the cach for sports physio and pediatry but sadly, my income comes from part time freelance work with horses so well, it's limited lol!
I am lucky to have my boy to ride (belongs to good friend who keeps him at her yard and pays his costs but gives him to me to use as i wish fir me and my children, lucky lucky me!) and I have been trying to ride as much as possible but weather has left us fighting for just a couple of rides a week, please spring come soon! Never going to be doing much more then school pottering and gentle hacking.
Thank you so much for the advice, invaluable, will have to tell you how it goes, see when the weather will next allow me up!
 
I don't use an orthotic now but when I used to run all my shoes had to have motion control built in or I'd get sore knees. Do you know anything about the Alexander Technique? I resorted to having lessons after I started getting neck pain and headaches after riding lessons. It might be worth reading up on it or contacting someone who teaches it to see if it would benefit you. It's all about balance and moving correctly and connecting up your movement and getting in tune with your body so that you become aware of imbalances and tensions.
My problem with my neck and tight pelvic area was traced eventually back to my right ankle; when I walk and stand I will put my weight on the outside of my foot.

I fell last year broke my collarbone. My deal, to appease son and OH, was that I wear my BP at all times.:o
 
You'll get a set of flexi stirrups from ebay for about £25 or so and I know boots are expensive but they are absolutly worth it (I think I paid about £60 or so for mine new from ebay) and they make a huge difference to how much I can do. The other option is a pair of walking boots or similar - the support makes a big difference to how much I can do around the yard etc.
 
I wear my orthotics when in the saddle, unless I'm wearing my Ariats, which have enough support for me without them.

Someone on here posted a link to some odd looking stirrups, that had a footbed which went the whole foot length. They were simply too expensive for me, but might be worth it for you, as your issues sound much worse than mine (subluxating cuboid).
 
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