Riding and back pain

[MitchyInge]

Two things I suppose - how can riding hurt your back, and how do you ride with a bad back?

I'm not sure how it happened, had fairly uneventful hack - stirrups were a bit too long but too lazy to change them once on the way - no shying or abrupt changes of direction, which often yanks my back painfully. He was a bit strong and had to pull back like mad but nothing unusual.

Apart from dismounting at block, what can I do to minimise further pain? Is an old old problem that hasn't troubled me for over ten years, don't fancy making it worse. Mainly very lower back, hips, pelvis.

Sorry to hear that - sometimes you can wrench yourself with the most innocuous stuff.

If it was your horse that had tweaked it's back you'd get the back-man out so I'd politely suggest you do the same for yourself ....not sure whether it's an Osteopath or a Chiropractor you need but sounds pretty fundamental & something that could do with an expert to fix.

As for riding with a bad back - surely riding alone is good for your posture & so good for your back too, assuming you don't slouch around like a sack of potatoes (hark at me - Queen of sloppy riding ). I've also heard that the Alexander Technique is excellent for riders afflicted with back pain.

Hope that helps

Thanks If you are the queen I must be the empress of sloppy riding! Think it depends upon horse though, feel quite tidy on some (not own of course).

Osteo fixed it last time, was a bit £££y though, but might have to. Yes, funny how willingly hand goes into pocket if horses need something. Pockets bit empty at moment though.

Will organise hydraulic lifting equipment to get me on and off, am sure will be ok once aboard!

having your stirrups too long might make you less secure and able to use your core muscles properly, especially if horse is pulling. try to look up some core stability exercises. maybe check with gp that there is nothing more serious underlying and then start with some strengthening exercises, get a gym ball, do the 'plank', work without stirrups is great too! Maybe some warm up before getting on like brisk walking or jogging (unlikely to be practical though!) before some light stretching. stretching cold muscles likely to lead to more damage. book a one-off lesson to have a quick 'position check', we all get into bad habits! hope you resolve it soon. i'm looking forward to getting back after baby born but know it takes a while for ligaments etc to get back to normal, it may be that this is just generally related to having given birth even a couple of years ago (assuming you have given birth before, can't remember sorry) i have found it much easier to tweak things doing something inocuous, like side steping at a ceilidh and thinking 'ouch' even ages after birth.

thanks

last gave birth 11 yrs ago, but following birth 17 yrs ago I ended up with (maybe maybe not related to shoulder dystocia and baby who had outgrown my pelvic capacity ) a twisted pelvis and dodgy sacroiliac (sp?) department - the pain and difficulty standing up, walking etc is pretty much the same. must have jolted it, did also twist round to check friend's hind feet as sounded like loose shoe. have arranged lesson and position check with chief instructor tomorrow night, might be bit ambitious and will need lift there and home, but have fun hack arranged for Saturday and will sulk if I can't go. also have 4 hour hack planned for end of month and need to keep his fitness up - not to mention my riding fitness (or lack of).

bet no stirrups better than implausibly long ones, I forgot to put a twist in, my legs are stupidly short relative to my torso

Not friend's hind feet but her horse, haha!

Anyway LAME, managed to loosen and twist shoe and get nail in foot poultice and stable, probably heal in couple of days?

its so annoying when you are sore from something small like twisting round though rather tahn a dramatic fall! hope horse's foot better soon!

Yes, you're right - give me drama over the prosaic any day!

Think will be another week or so for horse to be sound again, my legs miss him! Am giving self a few more days too.

I've not riden in about 10 years but was an avid rider in my teens.

I'm now pregnant and have been having terrible back pain. Physio says it must be an old riding injury that has flared up because of the relaxin in my system. I didn't realise I'd done anything either but it's probably from being thrown at some point and getting right back on again. It can also be from the repitition of rise and fall in the saddle that can compact your back

Hope it gets better but I would definitely reccomend seeing a professional.

Didn't think of prior riding problems. Hope your back pain doesn't persist for too much longer

I'm really lucky not to have broken my neck before now, most of us probably are, but I often used to land on my head or face. Bad whiplash type problems. Why do we do it?

Heather Moffat seat saver.
Ripped the ligaments in my sacro illiac (?)
joints years ago. Have back pain daily.
With the seat saver and being pretty fit managed to do a 4 day riding holiday in Iceland last year. Also really feel my back if I ride without mt seat saver even for an hour.

Rising trot can compact your back????? ....utter twaddle if you ask me

Like you say Mitchy we're all extremely lucky to have escaped relatively unscathed. Why do we do it??? Couldn't possibly imagine life being any other way