Back Pain

[Dobilover]

Any of you ladies deal with chronic lower back pain? Mine is dull and constant on most days, a knife in my spine on the days after riding. I won't quit riding, so I'm on an Advil maintainence program for now. But I really want to solve this. Any tips? Thanks!

[D_BaldStockings]

I recommend swimming, as much low impact exercise as you can manage where you move your back including crawling, doing exercises on all fours, and yoga, slow gradual stretching with no bouncing; avoiding caffeine and anything with a diuretic effect, lots of water and salads, and perhaps an aspirin with a big glass of water at bedtime after a riding day.

And laugh as much as you can and don't slouch and keep moving! Worst case, try direct heat for 10 minutes and try to move into a fetal position, put on some rousing music, anything to distract you.

Yeah, I feel your pain.

[kross]

Yes. I have a whole load of issues going on w/my back. The relief provided by chiropractor & decompression table was unbelievable, but I would never hold and I was in multiple times a week. A few weeks ago I added in deep muscle massage the first time I did it before adjustment and I didn't hold, I could tell something was going on but it didn't feel good. The next time I did it after adjustment, not only did all the pain go away but it held.

[Thunderstruck]

Any of you ladies deal with chronic lower back pain? Mine is dull and constant on most days, a knife in my spine on the days after riding. I won't quit riding, so I'm on an Advil maintainence program for now. But I really want to solve this. Any tips? Thanks!

Yep. Chiropractor and Inversion Table is what got me to where I can stand it. Also a heating pad feels good, but an ice pack will probably do you more good if inflammation is a problem. Tip on Chriopractors...if at first you don't succeed try try again...there are many and they all have seem to different styles and methods they use. I went to 3 before I found the right one for me.

At one point it was so bad I was in pain no matter what I was doing. I couldn't stand up straight, couldn't walk more than about 20 -30 feet with out leaning over to ease the pain shooting down my leg, couldn't ride for about 6 months and that's when I found my chiro. He had me pain free in 2 months. I still have to be careful not to rile it up, but I haven't had an adjustment in more than a year and I'm doing fine if I just get on my inversion table every so often.

I managed to unload and get up my stairs a 100 lb AC unit by myself last week, so I think I'm doing OK now!

[Dobilover]

Thanks a bunch. i think I'm going to have to break down and find a chiro. I'm so selfish with my time. There's barely enough to work, get in horse time and take care of family. But I guess if I don't take care of myself I won't be able to do any of that. :blink: I'm doing inversion now. Boy does it hurt, but I can tell it's what my spine needs. I've discovered the dead man's position hanging over my horse's back feels even more amazing than inversion. Funny thing is that he seems to like it too, either that or he humors me because he knows it means we're done working.

DBald, no caffeine?!? I'd almost rather take the back pain, lol!

[Thunderstruck]

Thanks a bunch. i think I'm going to have to break down and find a chiro. I'm so selfish with my time. There's barely enough to work, get in horse time and take care of family. But I guess if I don't take care of myself I won't be able to do any of that. :blink: I'm doing inversion now. Boy does it hurt, but I can tell it's what my spine needs. I've discovered the dead man's position hanging over my horse's back feels even more amazing than inversion. Funny thing is that he seems to like it too, either that or he humors me because he knows it means we're done working.

DBald, no caffeine?!? I'd almost rather take the back pain, lol!

One thing going to the chiro will do for you is to get x-rays of your back so you can see what is going on. If you've never had them done it could help you understand mechanically what you are up against.

I knew when I went that I probably had a ruptured or slipped disk, but what I didn't know was that my lumbar spine is perfectly straight...not curved as it should be. You could shove a pipe up my spinal column and it wouldn't make it any any straighter! While scoliosis and curvature of the spine is bad, having one that is too straight can be just as bad!

I always knew when I was young and trying to do gymnastics that my back wasn't as flexible as I wanted it to be on backward moves, and now I finally know why. It also means that I don't have a "shock-absorber" down there like most people do so riding is particularly hard on me since I'm just pounding up and down with nothing to take the shock out.

Knowing that helped me adjust my riding style so I am leaning further back (or forward depending on what I'm trying to do) and taking the impact at an angle rather than straight up and down. This helps keep me from getting it riled up when I'm riding.

Hope you can get straightened out. Take the time and you'll thank yourself for it!

[sparkle]

I agree with the others- find a good chiropractor!! I have dealt with lower back pain for years and over the winter, it went to a new level of insane pain- like Thunderstruck, I couldn't walk or stand without intense pain (cleaning stalls was a nightmare and there was absolutely no way I could ride). After an MRI indicated that a meeting with the neuorosurgeon's knife was what I needed, I broke down and made an appt with the chiro to see if that would help. Boy do I wish I had done that YEARS ago!!! He/she will give you appropriate stretching exercises and other things you can do for your particular situation (in some instances a heating pad will make you worse)... find an honest one who will tell you up front if they can or cannot help you. Mine took one look at my MRI pics and said that he would give it a shot but he couldn't promise that his treatment would work. Literally, four weeks later I find myself walking and thinking "Wow- this doesn't hurt." I must say that he is as stunned as I am- he didn't think I would be doing so well so quickly (knock on wood!!). I guess horse show season right around the corner will drive one to try harder ;) I don't know if this will be a permanent fix, but it has definitely bought me some more pain-free time.

Make the time- don't wait and put it off like I did. You will be glad you did and you may avoid further damage down the road. :flowers:

[Hey4horses]

Start with a good medical exam to be sure there is no canal stenosis from discs protruding, spondylosis or scoliosis. Always start with conservative treatment first, PT, ice/cold, anti-inflammatory course, exercises, manipulation if needed.

Once you have an idea of what is causing the pain, mechanical or just overuse and muscular, than a progam can be created. Exercise (large) balls to stretch the back after exercise or long periods of sitting (computer, desk work or long distance driving) can help open up the disc spaces. By turning the ) to a ( thus opening disc spaces. Also bouncing gently on the exercise ball while seated on it, exercises the tiny muscles between discs and helps keep them strong and supportive.

Strengthen your core muscles (sides/abdominals and obliques). Be sure to report any nerve pain, numbness radiating through the buttocks, hip or down the leg into the feet. If you have pain in the back when lying flat with leg raising, the doctor will note this as this is usually due to nerve compression.

If you must rest, keep head up sltightly, knees supported /\__/ while on back (supine) or side lying keep pillow between legs and back supported.

Always drive with your seat closer than you want to to keep a bend in arms, knees slightly higher than lumbar spine and use a lumbar support. Use good body mechanics when lifting and where a lumbar support if needed for heavy work.

Rowing is a good back exercise, swimming if you don't twist doing the front crawl as that may aggravate.

If conservative doesn't work, get steroid injections by a good pain management physician and work on exercises when better.

Inversion therapy works for some, but if hypertensive, this can be very dangerous and lead to stroke. PT works wonders, IF you get a good therapist. Sometimes, back pain is really SI joint pain due to a mechanical problem. Causes of this can be overuse of one leg over the other, uneven leg lengths, prolonged sitting. Get your leg pulled and learn exercises to keep the SI joint in place and not pressing on the nerves that run through the pelvis. Voila, relief of that stabbing, burning nerve pain in the middle of the buttock often mistaken for the beginnings of sciatica.

And finally lose weight if needed.

[Dobilover]

......
And finally lose weight if needed.

Hey, my avatar is supposed to just be my horse. :bored:

Seriously though, thank you for all the detail. Definitely gives me plenty to explore.

[SereusLLC]

I'm late to this thread, but I wanted to make a suggestion that's helped me. I had three back surgeries as a teenager, and I do daily PT so I can ride and lead a normal life. Try the book Pain Free by Pete Egoscue - it's low impact pain management stuff that really does work.

[BMWgirl]

When I stareted to ride sidesaddle, my gelding had a very jarring trot and all of a sudden I found myself dealing with lower back pain after every ride. I talked to other ladies who rode aside and they ALL told me to get a riding corset. Stop laughing!! .. but it did the trick for me. It keeps the vertebre elongated and separated so they do not get the pounding that they were getting without it. Good ones are not cheap (a bit over $100.00 to get one custom made to your measurements.) I now have 2 and will get a 3rd soon. I will NOT ride without one. If you want more info - I can give you the ladies e-mail who made mine. She is a professional. drop me an e-mail juliesize at yahoo

[mskyar]

When I stareted to ride sidesaddle, my gelding had a very jarring trot and all of a sudden I found myself dealing with lower back pain after every ride. I talked to other ladies who rode aside and they ALL told me to get a riding corset. Stop laughing!! .. but it did the trick for me. It keeps the vertebre elongated and separated so they do not get the pounding that they were getting without it. Good ones are not cheap (a bit over $100.00 to get one custom made to your measurements.) I now have 2 and will get a 3rd soon. I will NOT ride without one. If you want more info - I can give you the ladies e-mail who made mine. She is a professional. drop me an e-mail juliesize at yahoo

Funny you mention this.....I have always had a bad back and when I was younger (in my teens) my orthopedic Dr. told me to get a long line bra (the kind that went to your waist) to wear whenever it was bothering me....to hold everything in place..now this was about 45 or so years ago and it worked. (also told me to sleep on the floor, which also helped) I imagine a corset would work just as well if not better. Same Dr said he would operate on me after I turned 50 if my back still bothered me as much....since I quit riding about 12 years ago, it's not so bad, and besides the Dr retired years ago!!!

[CMGangelhoff]

I have Lupus, Fibromyalgia and a TERRIBLE back that started when I was 16 (from riding, of course).
Anyways, I have gained a lot of weight since I got sick, so I wear Spanx a lot with dresses and such - but let me tell you, they help my back SO MUCH.
I wear Spanx a lot at horse shows, even when the outfit doesn't need it, just because the walking and bending with taking photos irritates my back so much. The compression of the Spanx helps so much.

[Mare-Girl]

After all the intelligent and well thought out information here, this is gonna sound pretty silly. But what worked for me was by mistake. I got a water bed. After 3 nights on it, my back pain was gone. Never to return, evidently. When my shoulders hurt from manure shoveling etc. I don't worry about it cause I know by the next morning all will be well, and one night in the water bed, and I'm fine.;) Somehow gets my spine straightened out... and then there's the heat of it too.

[iheartasb]

Use the back brace from futuro available from CVs, walgreens.the one that has a belt that attaches with velcro in the front. looks like a corset cheap and helps a lot