Those who had SPD - riding?

[cob&onion]

During my pregnancy i had SPD rather badly, toward the last week i could barely walk and couldnt climb the stairs without being in lots of pain however i am now 3 and half weeks post birth and the SPD is still there but not on the same scale. I can walk and climbing stairs isnt so bad now but i can still feel it, especially when getting changed and lifting legs into trousers and also getting out of bed can be uncomfortable. The MW has said it can take up t 6 months to be normal again
I am wanting to start riding very soon, i am itching to get back on board having not ridden since june so how did you cope with riding and SPD, did you wait for it to disappear or work through it? i can imagine the hardest part would be getting on and off.........am planning to ride the end of feb/march time so hoping it will be better by then. Will only be gentle walking out at first as cobby hasn't been ridden since june either! but shes the very very laid back type who takes everything in her stride so hoping she will be the same after some time off!

 

[Quantock-cob]

I had to Google SPD - and it sounds very much like the pain I had during pregnancy (17 yrs ago). It certainly wasn't called SPD then, and I just had to put up with it. However, I can't imagine I could have ridden when I had that pain (it took me all my energy just to walk) so it will really be up to you to try it and see how it goes. Just be careful that you don't create any lasting problems for the future in your lower back. I suffer from a lot of low back and girdle pain now, and it makes riding very difficult for me. Also if your cob is wide ( like my boy) just the stretching of your pelvic muscles to get your legs round their back can be painful. Good luck x

 

[FfionWinnie]

Hmm I wouldn't be happy with your mw saying it could take 6 months. Are you getting any physio?

I had pelvic problems post pregnancy and saw the physio for a year. It helped initially but then plateaued. I then went to an osteopath who said my pelvis was misaligned and no amount of exercises would cure that. She really helped me.

Were they careful with you when you were in labour (making sure legs not over stretched etc?). I was damaged in labour so a bit different to you but your pelvis is so important I would definitely push for a referral about it.

I did have mild problems before labour as well but it wasn't diagnosed

 

[sueeltringham]

I had this mildly with my first and very badly with my second. I could barely walk at 34 week pregnant and ended up on crutches, probably should have been in a wheelchair at the end. They told me it would all disappear once I'd had the baby, but it didn't. I would say it took a year for me to move normally, but then I did have sacroilliac joint problems, linked to the birth. I didn't ride for at least a year and I couldn't swim breaststroke for about 2 years as I found any movement that widened and put pressure on my pelvis made the pain worse. I think you've got to go with how your body feels and give yourself time to recover, there is no point making pain worse, especially if you have a small baby to look after as well. I should also add that I think my case was fairly extreme.

 

[Spiritedly]

I had SPD with my second pregnancy and it can take months to go, I would advise only doing as much as you can without pain there's no point in trying too much too soon as you will just end up setting yourself back. I didn't ride for about 6-7 months after giving birth as there was no way I could get into the saddle without pain and it felt unsafe when I did.

 

[cob&onion]

I have my doctors 6 week check up in 2 weeks time so will mention it to her then. If its still bad i will ask to be referred. Funny i never had SPD with the other 2 children.

 

[Orchardbeck]

Are you breastfeeding? I fed up to six months after, and my physio said it would.still be promote the relaxin hormone that allows your joints to give, hence why I still felt weak and achy. I planned to move on to formula after 6 months anyway, so it wasn't a difficult decision to stop.

 

[FfionWinnie]

I have my doctors 6 week check up in 2 weeks time so will mention it to her then. If its still bad i will ask to be referred. Funny i never had SPD with the other 2 children.

I think it generally gets worse with each pregnancy. Hope yours improves soon.

 

[LovesCobs]

I had it with my second pregnancy, didn't have a horse at the time though. I'd really recommend some Physio when you're ready for it (maybe after 6 week check) my daughter is now 9 and if I do something I shouldn't like pushing something heavy along the floor with one foot then it triggers it off and I'm in pain for a few days. Riding is fine though It only triggers with lifting or pushing heavy things on one side (must be the onesided aspect or the lob sided lift that sets it off rather than weight carrying itself) please do lots of core stability stuff from the Physio that you would be given (having said that I look after 4 horses and manage fine as long as I stop myself doing anything that triggers it!)

 

[Flakey123]

I suffered with SPD throughout my pregnancy too. My little boy is now 6 months old and I don't feel the pain now, just feel a little unstable and achey. My advice would be to take it easy and slow and at the first signs of any pain, stop. I wouldn't recommend working through it as you will be more prone to injury. You can build up your riding gradually. x

 

[NeverSayNever]

me too... it was loads better straight away but I still felt it and although i got back riding about 3 weeks after, I still had problems with the SPD. My advice would be to go and see a good osteopath, my MW recommended this and the guy I see is amazing! The worst for me was stepping down like when you step on a leccy fence post to push it into the ground, owww! Also, pushing the wheelbarrow made me feel like my pelvis was going to break apart! I got someone in to help me with poopicking etc as i took these pains as real warning signs. At one point i was riding along the road , in walk, and my mare spooked and i felt something pop out of place, and back again, eek. My advice is dont rush it and listen to your body. 6 months on I felt fine but the osteopath really helped me. I was also told SPD decreases along with your hormone levels, so don be surprised if you get a flare up about the totm when it comes round!

 

[LovesCobs]

Neversaynever, I agree!
As I say my daughter is now 9 (years not months!) and for the first time in years I'm having a real flare up. It started in the snow (though it didn't flare up in the snow over the past few years?) pushing the barrow through the snow and lugging water around without the hose pipe. I think slipping in the snow here and there hasn't helped (the sudden movement as you save yourself lol) but when you say it can flare when hormone levels change that makes sense, I recently came off the pill after being on it for years. As I get a normal cycle back this has happened :-/ im convinced its linked. today I was walking like an old woman. As per normal for those of us with horses I carried on mucking out 4 horses!

 

[Dizzydancer]

Take it slow- riding will aggrevate it especially if your horse is wide as all pressure coming through and across pelvis.
At 6 week check ask doctor but i would wait til pain free in all normal daily activities eg dressing. Until you ride- no point causing lasting pain just cause you couldn't wait a couple extra weeks.
Definitely go back to physio- a pelvic belt may help for riding to begin with.

 

[NeverSayNever]

just remembered.. an acavallo gel seat saver helped me a lot, it absorbs some of the stress/movement

 

[Farasi]

Hi, I'm a physio and successfully treated a number of mums with SPD with core stability /pilates exercises. I wouldn't advise riding with this especially before you've passed 6 weeks after birth. After my baby I had no pain but waited 6 weeks to get on my horse even though I was desperate to ride. Take your time and don't push your body, better to take a little time now and let it heal than to rush and end up with a long term problem.

 

[tubby1]

Hi there,
Totally agree with Farasi, you could do yourself some long term damage getting back on . As long as the relaxin hormone is in your body your pelvis will remain unstable. Enjoy the first few weeks with your baby & don't think about riding. You won't get this time back again & you can ride once your pelvis has recovered.

 

[LisaS]

I had SPD with my last one (baby no. 5, he's now 11!!) didn't have horses then.

I still have problems and have to sleep with a cushion between my knees as otherwise the pelvis pain wakes me.

I returned to riding about 3 years ago and have my ups and downs, some days I too walk like an old lady ! I have a very wide cob and if I have a little bit of time off then those first few rides do hurt afterwards ! Have some physio that helps.

Make sure that you get the help and treatment you need, I was told that it would just 'take a while to get back to normal' and was not offered any follow up treatment. It was only when I went for physio after a fall off the horse a few years ago that I was told that it wasn't normal to have to live with it.

Good luck with your return to riding