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Rationale:
All disciplines in equestrian sports are based on the relationship between two beings: horses and riders. Often injuries curtail the development of this relationship and slow the training progress. Much attention has been placed on horse injuries and health issues (1000s research journal articles published) rather than rider injuries, especially injuries not based on accidents. This unbalanced distribution of attention is also seen in a cursory review of equestrian magazine covers where the majority (all actually) of health articles are horse based. It is hard to believe that riders, like any other athletes are not plagued with health challenges. Yet, no national or international association, medical research group, equestrian magazine seem to pay continuous attention to this topic. Rider health is ½ of the equation. To start address the disparity,Leimone’s chronicles has been created.
The main purpose of the Leimone’s chronicles is to bring attention to the topic of rider health challenges and to establish a conversation among all involved in equestrian sports. Furthermore, it will be interesting to survey how widespread rider injuries that are (accident based or not), and how these injuries affect training –physically and psychologically. The blog is especially interested in discussing the recovery process and the psychology of recovery.
Leimone’s chronicles is a blog based web conversation. It is managed by Leimone and regular posts will follow the progress of Leimone’s recovery from back pain (and training of her horse) as basis of developing a thread of conversation. Often guest bloggers will be invited to post.
Please let me know what you think and share your experiences...
posted by haspel-soares at 6:09 PM
10 Comments:
This problem is obviously more common than I thought it was. I am fourteen years old and have been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease. I know exactly what you mean about the shooting pains and lower back soreness. I don't know how far to push myself, and I don't know how much it will limit my long term riding. Every time I ride it hurts afterwards and then it takes a few days to recover. I don't say anything because if I do then my trainer won't let me ride. After reading your blog, I have been inspired to do my PT exercises tonight. I am NOT very good about doing them at all. It's good to know that someone else is succesfully dealing with degenerative disc disease.
Hi Alex,
I read your post and was really touched. Honey, please stick with your exercises. I know it is hard, and boring, and believe me, my motivation to lie down on my back twice a day and wiggle my arms and legs like a dieing cockroach is sooo low. But you know what helps me? the memory of my hands on my horse's whithers while he walks (weird ? oh well). I want to be able to feel that for a long time. The only way to BE well is to take care of our bodies. Besides (I don't have to tell you this, you sound like a smart young woman)the consequences of not treating your back can be devastating - and I don't mean just riding. Anyway, when you get to be an old fart like me you still want to be riding no?
As for your trainer, he or she should be someone you really trust. He or she should be a cheerleader in your bandwagon along with your Doctor and PT to help you live a fulfilling horse-life at 14 and yet, at the same time, not gamble with your future 40 year old body.
Take care and keep me posted.
I can relate to your ongoing back problems. I first hurt my back moving hay into the hay loft. It was muscular, but it started a vicious cycle. At 19, I had a horse flip on top of me over a stadium jump. I didn't walk for 3 days, nothing obvious was wrong, just really banged up. I competed the following weekend. The following summer I ended up having surgery on L5-S1 to remove the disc that had ruptured, because I never let myself heal. Fast forward 10 years, I have undergone spinal fusion due to the degeneration of the disc space.
The biggest comment that I can make is to do your PT exercises and allow yourself time to heal. As shown above, I couldn't walk without significant pain, but I continued to ride and compete. I was still winning competitions, but didn't realize the major damage I was doing to my body. Take care of yourself. Tell Gretchen that I said Hi! Kelly Williams (Beebe), Redland Hunt PC
Hi Kelly,
Holy cow, you sure have had a hard time. Can you still ride with a fused spine ? I hope you can... Do you still do your PT exercises? We are so invincible when we are young aren't we... Thanks a bunch for sharing.
You also bring up a very important point that I want to discuss further : giving yourself time to heal. I'll devote a post just to this in a little while.
I'll say hi to Gretchen and I hope to see you at Redland in person! Lumpy and I hope to be there this year.
I can't ride anymore, the Dr. said that if I fell again, that I would/could be paralyzed. I truly enjoy walking a whole lot, so I left the horse scene for a few years. I couldn't even be around it without being drawn to ride and compete again. I started teaching again, but I still miss the competing and the companionship of all the horses and their owners.
I hope to make it up to Redland, I live in Va. now, so it is quite a haul, but worth it to see my former students, some competing at CCI* levels.
I still do my PT exercises. I see my surgeon next week to discuss having the rod and screws removed from my spine.
It is near impossible to take the time off that you need to heal, unless you have someone that can school your horse(s) for you and you can stand not going to the barn only to be lured into just getting on for a few minutes! Keep doing your exercises and remember that the body you have now has to last you for a good long while.
Hi Kelly,
Thanks for sharing your story. I am sorry you can't ride anymore. I hope you find as fulfilling to see your students improving. Good luck at the Docs.
Daphne
Hi Daphne,
It's amazing that it takes the internet for me to find out someone in the same barn has some of the same issues I do! You probably don't know me from any random at Waredaca, but I used to be found riding the big chestnut plow beast Babe a lot.
I have three degenerating discs, so I can relate on a lot of levels. Sitting trot is still the worst in many ways- I often gauge how I'm doing with my back by whether I feel good enough to try some. I stretch daily and I think that helps a lot. I think the worst for me are the random times it just "goes out" and spasms on me for no apparent reason (one time I was just in front of the sink brushing my teeth!) That is when muscle relaxers and the moist heating pad are my best friend.
While I always stretch my hamstrings and lower back, some stretches are foregone to focus more on core work such as Pilates. I need to do it more often, though.
I am always looking for things to help make things a little better with my back, especially where riding is concerned, so I look forward hearing your stories.
Dear Holly,
Holy mackerel isn’t life funny. But I never see anybody anyway because I ride early in the mornings or late at night… you know, the juggling game.
I am sorry to hear about your dics. How long have you known about them? Do you think riding had something to do with it? How long have you been riding? Does stretching before riding help?
And do tell me about Pilates ! It seems like the hotstuff now and I know nothing about it.
Do I know about the weird random back going out thing – I am such a chicken that I now only pick up my toddler by squatting like a Olympic Russian weight lifter.
Let’s go on a trail ride sometime and chat!
Warm cheers,
Daphne
Daphne,
I have been riding as an adult for a little over 6 years (actually had Robert and Gretchen teach me for years as a kid, but took time off). I only started having issues with my back in the past couple of years. The first year was just a once/twice a year incident where I couldn't walk for about two days and then got much better. After the second time, it didn't fully go away and I really investigated (PT, MRI, etc).
Here's the history: I fell and broke my shoulder 5 years ago (the shoulder hit the ground first, then I bounced on my lower back). My spine ortho said the degeneration had nothing to do with that injury and had more to do with genetics and conformation, however I realized right before the first time my back "went out" that the tone of my back muscles were uneven- my shoulder PT focused so much on the shoulder but neglected a lot of the back muscles. Once I balanced the muscle groups on each side more, it immediately helped my back (I was consistently getting disc protrusions on the weak side).
This is long enough, so I'll post more about Pilates another time :-) It (and anything else that can strengthen the core) is definitely good for the back.
I also noticed that you are a neuroscientist- again, a topic for another day. (I got my PhD in pharmacology most of my research on schizophrenia and neurotoxins)
Holly, we just must go out on the field for a hack and a geeky conversation !!!
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