Siatica, treatment and riding

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coloured_c0b

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Can anybody tell me any stories of encouragement. Right now I can barely walk so struggling to see anytime in near future where I might be able to ride my horse again!! :( what sort of treatments did you have and did they help. Hopefully getting booked in for physio next week but wonder if anybody had any treatment recommendations that worked for them?
 
Seriously, I haven't found anything as effective but only if I do huge amount of sitting trot and canter work. The strong core effort involved seems to act in a very positive way on the spine generally. Having said that, I suspect that if your seat were not well established, it may cause more problems that it solves.
 
Weight lifting and strength exercises help mine although its never been bad enough to cripple me completley!
Weight lifting isnt about getting bulky and muscle bound (well it can be) its about getting fit and stream lined for me :)
 
about a month ago i has crippling pain in my right side- bottom, down my thigh and sometimes reaching my toes. spent a day limping around work. to be honest it has been niggling for months- had more pain some days than others, and it seemed to flare up on long walks- not useful with having a dog and walking the horses in hand due to reduced grazing. so i went to see a physio i know, and she within minutes laughed at me (she is a friend!) as my right pelvis was basically rotated backwards so my lumbar spine had compensated and twisted. i had fallen off my mare in august at a sponsored ride, got back on and not thought much about it, as just felt bruised for a few days- but that has probably done the damage. so it has taken 5 months to cause agony but i had the nerve pain on and off all that time....
so hopefully, a physio or osteopath maybe, will find a cause... she did different stretches and manipulations, which were very painful and i have an exercise to do at home. but the next day i was already a lot better. still getting occasional tingles but no longer in agony and still going back for more treatment.
hope they find something to help
 
Core strength and exercise. Physio will help if you have anything locked (in my case SIJ), but other than that, yoga/body balance, active riding, stretches (which your physio will help with) and sports massage (be prepared for pain!!).
 
coloured_c0b said:
Can anybody tell me any stories of encouragement. Right now I can barely walk so struggling to see anytime in near future where I might be able to ride my horse again!! :( what sort of treatments did you have and did they help. Hopefully getting booked in for physio next week but wonder if anybody had any treatment recommendations that worked for them?
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Same here, was on crutches for about 3 months. Problem first arose in July and was riding (gently) around October. I had a prolapsed disc though so may be different for you. My treatment was a combination of osteopathy and sports massage on an alternating weekly basis - so osteo on week 1, massage on week 2, osteo week 3 etc.

ETA: I finally bullied to dr into sending me for an MRI and had surgery in the end, but the osteo/massage was a huge help in the interim :)
 
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I had sciatica last year, was the most painful thing ever, I couldn't drive unless dosed up with painkillers, all I could do was sit with an icepack on my cack which did help.. I was off work for 3 weeks and limped around for another month after that and it gradually got better.
Riding was the only thing that didn't hurt, I think it was because my leg was 'hanging' so taking the pressure off the nerve in the back
 
I suffered a prolapsed disc 3 years ago, suffered terrible sciatica right from bum, thigh, calf and toes for two years. Had Physio and chiropractic treatment which brought some temporary relief. Riding helped a bit, as did rock climbing and pole dancing. Just in the last couple of months I've started to feel on top form, and then 12 days ago I felt the disc blow again. Sciatica is back although no where near as hellish as last time yet. So far I'm back to chiropractor and gym, hanging off the chin up bars and doing pull ups is great traction for releasing pressure on my discs.

Not particularly helpful. For me I carry on as usual with riding, pole, aerial, climbing and work and just have a big cry when it all gets too much. I haven't had a day off yet for it, I think staying active if you can bear it is much better than letting it stop you in your tracks (we are all different though, those who have sciatica or disc pain have all my sympathy, I'm so gutted mine is back, but at least I had two pain free months!)
 
I haven't found anything to help yet :(. Tried docs, physio & chiro. The only treatment I was recommended was rest which isn't easy with horses but I did try it and it still came back. Apparently mine is caused when the joint inflames and traps the nerve. Driving is the worst thing for it and I can't do long journeys without taking voltarol or I'm in agony. Riding had been fine until yesterday when it started up on a hack. I'm not entirely sure what triggered it & tried taking my feet out pedals and letting leg swing which usually helps but not yesterday, luckily it wasn't too bad. Reading replies with interest, need to try something! What kind of chiro have people tried? I've only had Mctimoney which has been effective on my mid back complaints.
 
I had emergency spinal surgery for a prolapsed disc and a partial, two years ago. Within 6 months I was ridiing and when my siatica gets bad I go for a good ride. I was advise that riding was the best form of exercise for this as it was the only thing that would move ALL the joints and keep everything moving. I also do some yoga to help with my core strngth.

But from the day I started riding again, if I do not ride for a couple of days I know about it!

I hope that you can work it out as there is nothing more painful.
 
I also found relief after treatment from chiro. I just found a general one in phone book.
Ice packs were my best friends at the time.
I found that driving made it worse and still use a cushion in the small of my back when driving as I am paranoid about the pain returning.

Good Luck, OP, I really sympathise with you.
 
Pilates helps, try googling "sciatica pilates exercises" for some ideas. I also find riding helpful in keeping the spine mobile but not jumping which tends to jar it up. Driving or sitting for longer than an hour is best avoided as it can compress the spine, just getting up and walking around can help enormously. Ibruprofen is good for pain as it targets any inflammation as well as giving pain relief. When mine has been really bad, I've found a visit to an Osteopath really helps as she can target where I've tightened up but TBH since starting pilates I've had a lot less trouble.
 
Haven't read all the answers as in a rush but I had 5 months off riding as had sciatica. Nothing physio or similar worked. It took a long time for the GP to refer me to the hospital despite needing a stick some of the time and not being able to sleep but once I got the referral hospital was very quick and efficient and had scan one week and injection the next. The injection into the back worked well for me. That was 4 years ago. Had the injection, took a few days of being very careful and then competed the following weekend although someone else did warm the horse up and I just got on for the class.
 
On the tail end of a 10-week flare up of sciatica, with 2 weeks on the sofa just before Christmas, two weeks of better movement but bad pain, however, I have been going to the chiro for the last 6 weeks and definitely seen an improvement - seems to be more muscle pain rather than the excrutiating nerve pain.

I find the more mobile I can get the better, just gentle walking nothing too strenuous - but appreciate when you are at the stage were you can't stand up for more than 10 seconds without a) falling over or b) crying in pain - it might be difficult.

I am about to get back on board this weekend - thank heavens!
 
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