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August 7th - Rider Pain
Question: +I have a question for Dr. James Warson please.
I'm 58yo and have recently started riding again after a 2 year
break. I'm riding a 16hh anglo/arab gelding recently broken. He has
a lovely uphill canter that I'm finding difficult to sit to after
the flat, more down hill style of my previous horse. My lower back
on the left side is getting progressively more painful and I
suspect it has something to do with the way I'm riding the canter.
I do yoga every morning and work out at a gym 3-4 days a week to
keep fit. My instructor tells me to sit back and relax when I'm
cantering but I constantly feel like I'm being thrown about - do
you have any suggestions as to how I can improve the way I'm going?
Many thanks.
Answer: Thanks for asking about your problem. This is the subject that wascentral to my practice for over 20 years, and I'm happy to dive in once again. I see this as one of 2 problems (perhaps some of both)
1. Does something you are doing wrong produce your back pain?
2. Is there an underlying anatomical problem, such as arthritis, that is aggravated by the canter, making the back pain worse?
The real answer is sometimes difficult to unravel. Your situation is unusual because both of the possibilities above usually produce bilateral back pain. For this reason, I'd start off with a trip to your physician for a basic examination, and AT LEAST some x-rays of your lumbar spine. If the exam / x-rays reveal a problem, then specific treatment can be begun. However, don't expect any expertise from your physician on diagnostic or treatment options. Just get a diagnosis and make sure that something that has spread to the spine isn't the problem.
Let's say that the exam is negative, the x-ray shows some mild degenerative arthritis consistent with your age, and the physician has advised you to stop riding. Where have I seen this before? Don't give up. You still have lots of options. These include:
Exercises. If you are going to yoga faithfully, that's a good start. I'd get a copy of my book and check out the stretching exercises to make sure you are doing the right thing. The most important message here is to do standing stretching exercises immediately AFTER you dismount and secure your horse. This is the single most effective way to combat riding induced back pain that I know. Anti inflammatory medicines. If you take 400 to 600 milligrams of ibuprofen, or the equivalent, about 30 minutes before riding, you will combat a lot of the issues that are producing your pain.
Heat. You don't say where you live, but let's assume it's not Manitoba or Florida, so the temperature extremes aren't involved. Warm heat, not hot, applied to the back after riding for a prolonged time is often beneficial. If this seems to help, it's likely that some of your pain is coming from fatigued muscles.
Check that saddle pad. Since a canter involves seat contact, a correction pad, such as those sold by ThinLine, will absorb impact better than any other pad, and will reduce strain on your muscles by reducing the roll, pitch, and yaw of the saddle on the pad. These pads are the best way to prevent strained muscle discomfort.
Instruction Have an instructor check your riding and actually watch you make the movements that seem to produce your discomfort. Even the very best riders experience trouble spots in their careers, and they all seem to use this as a trouble shooting technique.
Check your actual stirrup length by measurement. I have had a few riders experience unilateral back pain due to unequal stirrup length. This is more likely in an English saddle, where the stirrup leather marks may not be placed correctly. The instructor on the ground will notice any problems. Absent an instructor, you can check this possibility yourself simply by raising your left stirrup one notch before you ride. This allows slight flexion of the left hip and knee, reducing tension on the muscles and the sciatic nerve.
I hope this gives you a start. If not, please feel free to connect again, and we'll keep trying.
James S Warson MD
For more information about Dr. Warson, click here.
Answer: Thanks for asking about your problem. This is the subject that wascentral to my practice for over 20 years, and I'm happy to dive in once again. I see this as one of 2 problems (perhaps some of both)
1. Does something you are doing wrong produce your back pain?
2. Is there an underlying anatomical problem, such as arthritis, that is aggravated by the canter, making the back pain worse?
The real answer is sometimes difficult to unravel. Your situation is unusual because both of the possibilities above usually produce bilateral back pain. For this reason, I'd start off with a trip to your physician for a basic examination, and AT LEAST some x-rays of your lumbar spine. If the exam / x-rays reveal a problem, then specific treatment can be begun. However, don't expect any expertise from your physician on diagnostic or treatment options. Just get a diagnosis and make sure that something that has spread to the spine isn't the problem.
Let's say that the exam is negative, the x-ray shows some mild degenerative arthritis consistent with your age, and the physician has advised you to stop riding. Where have I seen this before? Don't give up. You still have lots of options. These include:
Exercises. If you are going to yoga faithfully, that's a good start. I'd get a copy of my book and check out the stretching exercises to make sure you are doing the right thing. The most important message here is to do standing stretching exercises immediately AFTER you dismount and secure your horse. This is the single most effective way to combat riding induced back pain that I know. Anti inflammatory medicines. If you take 400 to 600 milligrams of ibuprofen, or the equivalent, about 30 minutes before riding, you will combat a lot of the issues that are producing your pain.
Heat. You don't say where you live, but let's assume it's not Manitoba or Florida, so the temperature extremes aren't involved. Warm heat, not hot, applied to the back after riding for a prolonged time is often beneficial. If this seems to help, it's likely that some of your pain is coming from fatigued muscles.
Check that saddle pad. Since a canter involves seat contact, a correction pad, such as those sold by ThinLine, will absorb impact better than any other pad, and will reduce strain on your muscles by reducing the roll, pitch, and yaw of the saddle on the pad. These pads are the best way to prevent strained muscle discomfort.
Instruction Have an instructor check your riding and actually watch you make the movements that seem to produce your discomfort. Even the very best riders experience trouble spots in their careers, and they all seem to use this as a trouble shooting technique.
Check your actual stirrup length by measurement. I have had a few riders experience unilateral back pain due to unequal stirrup length. This is more likely in an English saddle, where the stirrup leather marks may not be placed correctly. The instructor on the ground will notice any problems. Absent an instructor, you can check this possibility yourself simply by raising your left stirrup one notch before you ride. This allows slight flexion of the left hip and knee, reducing tension on the muscles and the sciatic nerve.
I hope this gives you a start. If not, please feel free to connect again, and we'll keep trying.
James S Warson MD
For more information about Dr. Warson, click here.
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