Riding and sciatica

[PinkvSantaboots]

Bbp you have given me massive inspiration thank you x

 

[splashgirl45]

I feel like I've totally given up now and I am so worried that if my horses do spook and be silly which they do it will trigger it, but to be fair it never really goes some days I feel it that horrible pain from your bum down your leg, and then it's suddenly gone it's just so unpredictable.

My Arabi has nerve damage in his face and his mild head shaker and can completely understand how irritating it is, its like tooth ache In you leg it's horrible and even codeine doesn't help.

My doctor told me that most pain killers don’t touch nerve pain, she wanted to put me on amitriptyline but I resisted as I was prescribed it when I was suffering from depression and it made me like a zombi, it did work as I came out of my depression in about 6 months and weaned myself off the medication. As my sciatica got worse I went back to docs and she suggested just taking it at night as it would help with sleep as well. She was right , I’ve stayed on 20mg and it’s taken away the pain, if I drop down to 10mg it comes back within a couple of days so I know it works for me . Why not go to your doctor and ask for pain relief

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

My doctor told me that most pain killers don’t touch nerve pain, she wanted to put me on amitriptyline but I resisted as I was prescribed it when I was suffering from depression and it made me like a zombi, it did work as I came out of my depression in about 6 months and weaned myself off the medication. As my sciatica got worse I went back to docs and she suggested just taking it at night as it would help with sleep as well. She was right , I’ve stayed on 20mg and it’s taken away the pain, if I drop down to 10mg it comes back within a couple of days so I know it works for me . Why not go to your doctor and ask for pain relief

I agree with that my last flare up was excruciating I think its a bit like tooth ache but in your leg, I was having a maximum dose of codeine and ibuprofen but still struggling to sleep, most of the time it's not too bad and I just live with it.

I am going to go to the doctors though and i will ask about that thank you.

 

[BBP]

I think I just figured that given it hurt every single second of the day I might as well crack on and keep doing stuff. Maybe not super sensible as it didn’t give the inflammation chance to go down but life just had to carry on a bit as no-one else was going to do my stables or ride my horse. It is probably why he has always been a bit rude about snatching for grass though, as I had absolutely zero ability to get his head up once it went down.

I also now find meditation/mindfulness stuff helpful when I’m in pain, I try to take my mind somewhere else. The thing with sciatica is that although it hurt the whole way down my leg from butt cheek to hamstrings, calf and right into my toes, I knew my leg wasn’t injured, so I tried to use power of my mind to think that although I was allowed to protect my back from getting worse, my leg was actually absolutely fine and it was my brain playing tricks. It didn’t reduce the pain but did keep me a bit more mobile.

Hip flexor stretches, once I could tolerate them, were really important for helping improve my back pain/sciatica, to try to reduce the pelvis rotation that would put more pressure on the disc and nerves.

 

[fatponee]

Sciatica sufferer here! I'm at the point where jumping or any spook or trip when riding results in hideously sharp pain. I'd resigned myself to being in pain daily but am encouraged by previous posts recommending private healthcare. Might give it a go.

 

[phizz4]

If you go to someone like an osteopath they can refer you for an MRI scan at a private clinic. It cost my wife £275 and came with a cd of the results and a written report. Then at least you know what you are dealing with.

 

[Rubyrooo]

I used to have bad sciatica to the point I could barely walk when it flared up. I have been doing a stability/mobility program called SMM/Tom Morrison on Facebook and I am completely pain free. He posts lots of free videos if you want to get the vibe but the group is full of people with chronic pain issues and injuries, it’s been really life changing for me and made me think about my body/pain differently.

I know this is an older thread, but I just wanted to say thank you for recommending Tom Morrison. I have had bad sciatica for about two months now, it’s got so painful I can only ride for about 10 minutes before I have to get off. The pain down my leg is just awful. I did a search on here and found your post, so I looked for his you tube videos, did a couple of his exercises, and feel a bit better already. I’m definitely going to continue with the exercises, and hope that eventually the pain will go completely.

 

[lynz88]

I get severe sciatic pain thanks to wonky hips since being kicked years ago in the area. My problem is the piriformis goes into spasm and irritates the sciatic nerve. It has gotten a lot better since doing PT and regularly doing my stretches and mobilizations but still sometimes requires a naproxen or 2 to settle down enough for me to gently work on it.

I don't ride if it's acting up as I end up in a very defensive and tense position as I know I wouldn't be able to hold on if something were to happen and horse feels it. My problem however would be that the pain was so bad at times that I couldn't move - laughing or minor accidental movements felt like my pelvis wanted to break in half and would also feel it all the way up my spine into my neck/base of skull and down the back of my leg into my toes. Movement (along with trigger release balls and gentle stretching) is essential to resolving it ironically enough but I wouldn't even be able to get on when it would get that bad let alone anything else.

 

[Spotherisk]

Thank you I will have a look at that

I second Tom Morrison. I paid for the SMM (it’s a one off payment) but you could just follow him on YT. My only issue is that there is so much content I find it a bit overwhelming - he’s very, very good though.