ask'd the expert Part 1 : Dr. Karen Sexton
Having the flu is great. You get to cough and neglect your exercises and take drugs that make you sleep -even if the baby is crying. But for me is even better because I actually have time to email my friends and bug them about our favorite subject: strain on rider's bodies.
Here you go click on the comments button on the bottom right to see what Dr. Karen Sexton has to say.
And feel free to post your own comments and questions... we may even coax Dr. S to answer a few of them !
cheers
Daphne
posted by haspel-soares at 5:35 PM
1 Comments:
INTERVIEW WITH DR. KAREN SEXTON
Dr. Sexton has been a chiropractor for 24 years, and actively involved with horses for the last 18-20 years and a horse fan long before that.
Knowing what you know about the dynamics of human bodies, where do you think humans bodies are most vulnerable to repetitive injury and why? (like lower backs, knees etc...) would there be any differences between men and women ?
I think the areas of the human body that are most susceptible to repetitive injury are the low back and knees as well as ankles but I do see shoulder injuries commonly too. There may be a difference between men and women but I have not seen that too much in my practice. Men are generally stronger but less flexible which has an impact.
Do you recommend stretching and exercising to supplement riding activities ? why. Should we stretch before getting on ? Is this just for old fogies or young riders should be concerned about this too ?
I strongly recommend stretching and exercises to supplement riding. Riding is not only a compressive sport but it places emphasis on certain elements of muscle function more than others. It is important to warm up before you ride rather than stretch. If you groom or do your stall that should be enough. However after you ride you should stretch for at least 5 minutes. Not just old fogies but the older you are the more important it becomes. You want to stretch you low back, hips, hamstrings and adductors and upper back and shoulders. It is important to develop your core strength for this sport, so Pilates or Physioball work outs can be extremely helpful.
Isn't it interesting that riding can be used as PT for some conditions and then perhaps create conditions ? where do you think there is a happy medium.
Because riding is an exercise of the balance mechanisms of our nervous system it can help in a number of conditions. As a therapy the person is not expected to really apply the aids so much as be a passenger. As a rider you are asking your body to do more precise movements that demand a lot more of your system. And of course the more competitively you ride the greater those demands are.
Kelly in another post talked about giving yourself time to heal.
What guidelines should one use to decide when to return to riding after a painful event ?
It really depends on the severity of the painful event or injury. I usually recommend that a person return to riding when they are capable of sitting in the saddle without pain for 20 minutes or so. In the time period that the person is not riding I have them doing other exercises that focus on strengthening and stretching the injured areas as well as maintaining tone in the unaffected area. Only a very severe injury would leave the person without some form of rehabilitative exercise.
How do you think repetitive strain injuries can be prevented in equestrian sports ? how?
I think you can reduce the repetitive injuries in our sport by riding consistently rather than only on weekends or only sporadically. I think it is important to maintain a certain level of fitness for all your joints so that the riding does not overly target certain areas. If you maintain an overall exercise program your joints will be stronger and more able to sustain the repetitive strain. You will have more muscle working in any one movement pattern that you are applying. It is important to have variability in the load that you place on your body. The more different activities you do the healthier you will be.
I hope that answers your questions, I am happy to answer more if you pose them.
Karen
Thanks Karen !
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