Riding with nerve damage

[Allykat]

Does anyone on here ride with any degree of nerve damage to the leg or more specifically the ankle and foot?

I suffered an excruciating bout of sciatica back in April. Essentially I woke up in the morning completely unable to move my left foot. My leg was weak from the hip down to my ankle. Over time the feeling has returned though not fully and I still have mild foot drop. The foot movement and strength is improving but not as quick as I'd maybe hoped. I've been to physio but they were more concerned with strengthening my core and lower back. They just laughed when I said I had a horse!

Horse is now well recovered from a hock injury and is ready to be brought back in to work. My heart is telling me I can still ride but my head is saying a huge no. Has anyone had this, or got this and successfully ride with it?

It's safe to say my confidence is about as low as it gets and I'm not sure what I'm wanting to do any more.

 

[blitznbobs]

Just for clarity the nerve damage is in your back which effects your foot... core strength is vital for recovery from sciatica so riding is ‘kill or cure’... start slowly with a bit of walk and see how you go

 

[Leo Walker]

I've got lots of things wrong with me. One of the things is pretty extensive nerve damage in my back, legs, feet and hands. I had foot drop in both feet, much worse in the right. I had a LOT of very good physio which did help a bit. A combination of osteo, sports massage and a podiatrist has worked much better and the foot drop is massively improved. I have given up riding and drive now instead as riding was just so painful for me, partly at the time, but mainly afterwards. I am a very extreme case though, and if i can make improvements then I'm sure you can too

Another thing that helped hugely was getting my levels of B12 up high and keeping them there for a prolonged period. Its vital for nerve function and general body repair and I had been deficient for years which hadnt helped, so worth a chat with your GP and some bloods being done.

 

[Littlefloof]

Just a thought, but would it be worth looking for a coach who has worked with para-riders / RDA / other adaptive sports. They may be able to help you find ways to work with your body and improve your confidence in what you can do, rather than allowing you to worry about what you find difficult.

 

[Walnuts]

Stuart Korth Tunbridge Wells.

The best

 

[emilylou]

Look up piriformis stretch. In theory it shouldnt do any further damage to you physically, but may irritate symptoms.


Edit: WHY did adverts appear on this? so annoying!

 

[Allykat]

Amazing. Thank you.

Leo Walker.. sorry to hear you have suffered too. I've wondered about a podiatrist so I think I'll look into this further. Same with the B12.

Broughsuperior... Thank you. I didn't even consider that as an option! Definitely something to look in to.

Emilylou.... I already do these as I believe I have Piriformis syndrome as a secondary to a disc issue. Stretches certainly help.

I feel the riding issue for me is in my head. It's a confidence thing. On one hand I will ride again on the other hand I can honestly never suffer with that pain again. Lots of things to think of now. Thank you.

 

[Leo Walker]

Amazing. Thank you.

Leo Walker.. sorry to hear you have suffered too. I've wondered about a podiatrist so I think I'll look into this further. Same with the B12.

The B12 helps in that I was deficient anyway, but its also useful for nerve repairs. One of the treatments for neuropathy (nerve damage) is methylocoablamin, which is a form of B12. I got no help from the NHS with it, but its not hard to find out how to help yourself and its not expensive either. Theres a couple of excellent facebook groups.

The osteo was the first and most important thing, but without the sports massage I just kept pulling myself out of alignment. The podiatrist has been the final piece in the puzzle for me. My feet were so wonky that I it was having a huge knock on effect everywhere.

I've seen her twice and shes making tiny and very slow adjustments with the use of temporary insoles. In combination with the other therapies, its been dramatic. Over the space of about 11 months I've gone from being about to only walk 50ms to managing to walk a mile on Sunday. I nearly cried with the pain and effort and I'm still feeling it now, but to be able to do that is nothing short of a miracle. The way I was going I was going to be at least partly wheelchair bound so this has been a proper last ditch attempt to do something. Every time I think I've improved as much as I possibly can, I get another tiny improvement and just keep pushing on.

So if I can do that, you can most definitely ride again! You just need to make sure everything is as optimal as it can be to get you there.

 

[Allykat]

Glad to hear how much you have improved. I shall go researching. Thank you.