Rider Injury

[foraday]

Sounds silly but strap the top part of your arm to your body so you can still move your elbow and hand/wrist this will in the short term allow you to do jobs albeit slightly restricted but will keep your shoulder still and you can adapt. I used a belt and had it across bad arm and then under my other arm pit-worked a treat (rotator cuff injury - caused by super event pony)

Get a point two next step!

Now you can wait for your surgeon to see what they can do

You can also ride in side reins to help as well in the short term but I agree with others to rest neds and then get your self back!

Good luck

 

[Gracie21]

Thanks for all your replies.

I am glad you like the look of him, he certinally is a sweety, now at 14hh, very excited that he might reach maybe 14.1hh to 14.2hh (only thought to be 13.2/3!)

Hula, is sounds like you have had a nightmare! I'm sure being out of action was a nightmare seeing as you are clearly such a talented swimmer! I will push for surgery, and lots of answers, I have a list going already I have to admit my confidence has gone out the window a little, since it was a big stroppy eventer that threw me off after a fence, I wouldnt go near a jump, and started to slow my eventer down so much that she started refusing! (AWFUL I know!!) I have always been a more 'gutsy' rider, with the naughty ponies at PC and the ones who buck after fences, but now, I'd rather stay in the school, with trotting poles!! I have done a few jumps with my naughty forester, I like him because he's consistently crazy, and won't ever refuse, and is oh so forgiving. He has now gone out on loan, so I am ride-less (which is probably a good thing at this moment in time!)

Christmastime, I also haven't been able to swim, that rotation movement is just horredous, I can almost feel the joint grinding and popping! I have had an MRI with dye, which showed a horrible tear in the joint itself, and I have an ultrasound on 3rd Jan to look forward too! I tried riding with painkillers, no good at all Having Jack as a motivation sure pushes me on, although I am also VERY impatient will have to discipline myself! What you have been through sounds horrible, fingers crossed for you! I have had some joint injections, they did b*gger all, and hurt a lot!

Today I have driven to tiverton (2 and 1/4 hr drive each way) to see my forester who is out on loan, and I am now suffering BIG time, all that changing gear has done me no good at all! Off for a hot bath in a moment I think!

The belt sounds like a very good idea!! I am off to see a friend who is a sports massust in the morning, it is so tight, I just know she is going to make me cry! ( I can feel the knots in my neck, they are going to hurt!) So I will strap it up after and see how it goes Thanks!!

 

[kerilli]

rest pony (chuck him out, but get someone else to do all the work) and REST yourself. push for an operation if necessary, whatever it takes. don't persevere with ANYTHING if it hurts.
btw, i would like to torture to death the idiot who came up with "no pain, no gain"... NOOOOO, pain = damage being done, so desist! immediately!
if you do more damage now you may end up with this being a problem for life. it's not fair on you or the horses you ride, to try to grit your teeth through the pain. rest it, give your body time. good luck.

 

[hula]

Hi OP

My life completely changed after my accident, I was on the route to going professional and was jumping huge classes on huge powerful horses, and riding nut cases, i had no fear what so ever. I spent about 2/3 years incredibly bitter about the situation, blaming myself and being an angry grump at times, getting back to horses helped. But I've had the learn to ride again, before I was incredibly strong and 9 1/2 stone of solid muscle and I used to rely on strength and a hugely strong core muscles if I felt unseated. Now I believe I am technically a better rider but prefer a slower pace. My shoulder is held in with muscle, my ligaments have had it, but the joint itself is relatively clean.

I started riding again at a rs and had/have a wonderful instructor that used to change the bits when I rode and started the basics again. Dressage was also very very useful, highly recommend it after a rest/surgery period. She also suggested trying smaller horses 15hh ish and I found this helped, once I'd figured the shorter paces I found them easier to keep them together. Might be worth a try! As for jumping, I have competed 4 times since on a 17yo 14hh heavy Irish cob, completely push button, but very forward and gutsy, it took a while but my confidence came back, borrow a fat little pony, seriously worked for me.

Currently looking for a youngster of the fat cob variety to bring on myself, with help from oh. Excited but nervous and know I can do it now, you can too!

 

[Gracie21]

Hi Guys!!
Hope you all had a nice christmas and new year! Glad to be back at work and chilled out now!!

Went for an ultrasound on my shoulder this morning....
They are almost certain there is NOT a tear in my rotator cuff, eventhough, the MRI showed (the specialist..not me!) that there was a clear rotator cuff tear. Surely an MRI is far more conclusive than an ultrasound? what are your thoughts??

AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Going round and round and round in circles! Off to see the specialist next thurs, with my list of questions!!

My mum has been mucking out for me over xmas, my shoulder has been noticeably less painful. I had a remedial massage on it which has only made it worse, although it is now much more free. I reckon she must have caught a muscle in their somewhere!

Such a nightmare!

GOOD NEWS THOUGH! I made a bridle out of loads of old parts and my boy has been wearing it every other day He sure looks cute in it!

I've been making him stand up square, and walking up and down the lane, with some trotting too! He looks very smart when he gets some personality in him, the rest of the time he looks like a dobin haha!)

I will post a picture when i figure out how...!

 

[Kyo's Mum]

Hi EE, shoulders are buggers, I dislocated my right one several years back and did the roator cuff. The best thing I found was acupunture and yoga. The acupuncture was the only thing that Came anywhere near managing the pain. Yoga on a one to one basis with a good instructor who had an understanding of my copious list of injuries helped me gently strengthen the area and my back. My shoulder blade used to bounce as I walked when I fist did it. The other thing I found useful was a HoMedics shoulder support, it help stop the drag of the arm, kept the whole area warm, and the magnets helped the pain. Hope that helps xx

PS don't give up your boy he's gorgeous!!

 

[Gracie21]

I went to see the specialist yesterday! Mixed News!!

I am not being offered an operation... at this stage. The tear is small enough that trying to repair it might cause further damage and the recovery time may well be longer than the route they've suggested for me...fair enough. I also have impingement of the tendons which means everything is squashed up and in the wrong place, lovely!

I have to drive to the hospital every week for intensive physio with a specialist (around 10miles away...not so impressed but can't afford to use my private physio!) and then carry out the exercises religiously at home.

I've been encouraged to start pilates, to re-strengthen my core-Clearly when I stopped riding everything disintegrated into a whole load of nothing-which will in turn help support my back and that will encourage my shoulder to sit in the right place.

I've been told not to do ANYTHING that causes it pain. Well...easier said than done! She clearly doesn't have horses haha!

What's more is I have just been offered a 14.2hh NF dressage pony to compete! WHAT HORRENDOUS TIMING!

Stumped! At least I have a diagnosis after 11 months!

Can anyone recommend any pilates dvds/books?
I have ordered a dvd for the equestrian off amazon seeing as it had really good ratings, and also one for beginners. I am hoping this will get me on my way!

 

[Honey08]

How interesting that there are so many of us with shoulder injuries! When I went to my final appointment with the specialist after my first operation they said that they see so many horse riders and the best thing that I could do was stop riding!!

So many physios have said NOT to swim as it is not good for a damaged shoulder. Edited to add - not until it is well healed..

Its also interesting that the ultrasound and the MRI gave different results. When I first injured my shoulder I was living in Brighton, and they did a MRI. They gave me the choice of trying to live with it or having an op. I went for the living with it option, and managed ok for a few years. Later it started dislocating again and I went back to the doctors. By that time I was living up North, and the new consultant didn't even bother waiting for the MRi results to be sent up, saying that he preferred to do a small investigation operation to put a camera into the joint and be able to move it around and see what was happening with his own eyes rather than relying on other people's results.. At the time I thought it was wasting money and him being a bit arrogant, but after your contradicting results, perhaps he was right!

Good luck.

I'm now at the stage of being signed off, and allowed to return to my normal job as cabin crew (which I've been grounded from for the last 18 months while waiting for and recovering from the op.. Safety precaution as my shoulder dislocated onboard last time and had to be put back in by a surgeon onboard, who was a passenger!!) I'm riding again, but haven't jumped for two years and am a tad nervous!

 

[misst]

You poor thing shoulders are a nightmare - closely followed by knees

When my daughter (Marchtime on here) was finally diagnosed after several years (she has posted on here about it) it was only through a special MRI and an arthrogram which showed more damaged than previous scans and MRIs. Basically they inject radioactive dye into your joint and it will leak through holes and tears showing gaps where there should not be any. Her surgeon was amazed at how much damage there really was. She has had 2 operations in the last year and is now improving though will never be right.

If there is any doubt then see another (yes another!!) specialist. It took many years and several different surgeons before someone suggested my daughters man who has been the only person to really listen and try to help. Everyone else said "xrays - normal, scan - normal, examination - normal". They were orthopaedic specialist and I am a nurse so I felt she was having good care Until then she was given serious pain killers, useless physio and offered steroids. She was told to give up riding and sport and not to do anything that hurt - it was her dominant hand and everything hurt! It turned out that her shoulder was partially disclocating daily but would not stay "out" so always seemed normal. Don't give up yet.

 

[jendie]

It must be depressing but hang on in there, it WILL get better. Physio - the correct physio - really can make an almost miraculous difference. It is going to take time but you will get normal useage back. In the meantime put yourself first and don't push yourself too much, it will only make things take longer.

 

[Gracie21]

Thanks for your replies!

misst, It was the MRI with dye that showed the tear, it was very painful but the results were incredible! We could clearly see the tear. Fortunately it is not my dominant hand, but I use my left arm an awful lot as my right one has had several wrist injuries! (horses horses horses!) Stopping everything is so hard, especially when you have horses that need doing twice a day and no money to pay for someone to look after them for the foreseeable future!! I am happy with the specialist I saw, she is a physio (I will be having physio with her personally) as well as a shoulder surgeon, so really knows the ins and outs of theses sorts of injuries!

Honey08, you're right, swimming is definitely a no-go, when I lift my arm up it clicks and pops crunches and all sorts! The specialist has suggested that I may have an operation to have a look with a small camera if physio is not improving it which (given that I have already had 3 months of really good private phsyio) seems quite likely. I think surgeons must hate us horse riders! I have had so many injuries over the years we know the staff in a&e, x-ray and MRI!

jendie, I wish I was a patient person! I get so frustrated at myself for ignoring it for all those months (feb-august!) just hoping it would go away! My old physio thinks I am a right mess, I am 6/9 hyper-mobile and can do all sorts of cool things I never realised I could as I found out yesterday! This would explain nearly all of my injuries I've had. I am determined to be on my best behaviour and not put any unnecessary stress on it, even if it means passing on this lovely dressage horse!