pain pain.... should i have all these pain??

[Painting Horses]

Hello
Ok heres my main problem, when i push my heels down a fire pin of pain shoots up my shins and i almost can't keep my heels down. I can do it at the trot and canter fine but walking is so painful:confused: . Then also while i'm riding my butt or.. pelvic bone hurts... right between my legs and when i mount up the next day it hurts to sit in the saddle till a few minutes later then i don't seem to notic it much:confused: . Is this normal... i never felt it before... i'm thinking of letting my iorns down a hole but i have a horse show and i don't know if they will down grade you if your iorns are a little too long.

[Maclynky]

would say not normal however if you are forcing your heels down it may hurt your weight sould be in your heels rather than at the front of the foot. Try shortening your stirrups and doing some work in a forward seat ie bum out of the saddle weight in the heels - again may take some getting used to and may make legs ache after a while but wouldn't have thought it would cause shooting pains.

I used to suffer will pelvic bone pain however this was caused by me sitting too much on the pelvic bone and not enough on the seat bones - you should be able to feel your 2 seat bones when you're in the saddle not your pelvic bone. Hope this makes sense.

[Wally]

never force anything.

Your foot should he parallel with the floor, or your heel a teeny, tiny bit lower.

I hate to see stiff, horribly forces low heels in the mis understanding that low heels that are "down" are good heels.

relax, the only weight in your heels should be that of your leg, no body weight at all.

[fimonkey]

Does it hurt when you stand on an edge of a step with your toes and allow your heels to drop below the step? .. Sorry not sure if I'm describing this v. well but it's an excercise to strengthen calf muscles and also improve flexibility in your ankles, however if it hurts for you to do this you may have short/tight hamstrings.

Is it a new problem? How long have you been riding for?
If you've been riding for years and it's just developed it may be worth seieng a chiropractor/Physio. However if you're a new rider it could just be your muscles getting used to the new position.

Good luck

[Nik-n-Kia]

i agree with wally.

As long as your toes arn't pointing down and your foot is level maybe slightly down at the heel I think that it looks fine.

Nikki xxxx :p

[Painting Horses]

i've been riding for 14 years and it poped up a little last year. Yes it hurts when i drop my heel over the side of a step. I have no idea why this is happening. I'm thinking of talking to my doctor when i see him/her next... i wish i knew how to help this.... i don't want it to affect my riding :(.

[Bay Mare]

I doubt that it's a medical problem, just that you need to do some stretches.

Agree with Wally, you shouldn't be forcing your weight into your heel, it should happen naturally once you're sitting correctly and not holding any tension in your legs.

Regarding the pain in other areas it could be that you're not sitting quite right or it could be the saddle. Some saddles rip me to bits no matter what undies I wear. Thankfully I have an SBS so don't get that problem anymore!

[Skib]

Someone else asked the same question recently.

And though the answers you have received could be right, it is also possible that something else is happening. And the root problem could be in your lower back.

I dont know how old you are or your medical history, but as one gets older it is normal to have some degeneration in the spine. The lower vertebrae are no longer so mobile and that affects the musclews and nerves attached to them.
The bruising in the spine area affects the nerves to one's legs so that one may experience sharp pain in one's knees, or down ones shin and into the ankle. This is known as referred pain.
You say it has only just started hurting you? I dont know how old you are? It may come on in ones forties or fifties and remain undiagnosed because you go to the doctor complaining of pain in your legs and they cant find anything wrong.
It is made worse by sitting slumped at a computer all day to work, as I was. Or sitting slumped in the car. It can be aggravated by opening up you hips or extending your legs down and this was why I was warned never to ride.

In fact I found that riding (particularly rising trot) is very good for the lower back. But I have to take care not to ride a horse that is too wide and I cant put my left heel down at all. I do tend to ride with long stirrups as that reduces the angle at ones hips. Like you, there are some days when it may hurt when I first mount, but a spot of rising trot usually sorts things out.

If you suffer most in walk, when you have most contact with the saddle and more weight on the base of your spine, it is possible that your problem is similar to mine. At any rate worth considering. You should probably ask your doctor - to prevent things deteriorating.

In my situation the very last thing you want to do is start doing stretches. And stretching needs to be done with the guidance of a physio therapist and very slowly and gradually extending the stretch. Because the failure to extend is not the root of the problem, but only a symptom or what is going on in your spine.

It is not curable but one can adapt and ride and manage the situation. One needs to keep ones spine well supported and to avoid lifting heavy weights. I had to give up my allotment. But I do ride. The pain then is more of a warning. As you have noticed, if you dont ride for a day or two, it goes away.

One also needs a riding teacher who understands the physical problem and helps one work round it. I am very lucky to have a skilled teacher who has made it possible for me to ride. But the last thing you want is an RI who tells you to put your heels down? Or curses you for not trying.

I cant know whether this reply will apply in your case, but it is very common among older people and should be better known among riding instructors.

[Afellpony]

If there's a problem which could be medical, I'd go and see your GP. If on the other hand, the muscles etc are just stiff and unused to working, then you could try doing some yoga stretches. Do not do these though until you get a yoga expert to show you how to do them, or may be a CD/Video. I do yoga stretches every day for an hour and yes, they're good.

[Wally]

I'd go and see your GP or a Physio maybe.

After my back injury I was told not to do yoga, but thought it'd be okay as it's such a gentle form of stretching, ........I was wrong, went to a Yoga teacher and crippled myself in the space of a week it took 6 months for the physio to put me right again! :o :o

I can shoe horses, dig gardens, lift 2 tonnes of bedding in and out of a wagggon ...but not do yoga stretches. I wonder why?

[Painting Horses]

I'm 17 years old and i will be 18 in March. I have weak ankels and have twisted and sprained both of them more than 7 times each :eek: . Maybe that could be something? I know i have a tuff time keeping my ankel from poping out to the side unless i have my stirrup a sertain angel.

[BeachRiding]

I'm 17 years old and i will be 18 in March. I have weak ankels and have twisted and sprained both of them more than 7 times each :eek: . Maybe that could be something? I know i have a tuff time keeping my ankel from poping out to the side unless i have my stirrup a sertain angel.
In that case I would see a physio!

[jUmPingIsLifE]

Do you do any running?

I get shin splints from running sometimes and I find that If I try to force my heels down It can get painfull If I am having problems with the shin splints.

[Painting Horses]

i use to be on track but due to my ankels i can no longer do any running.

[Painting Horses]

Something crazy happend today, I was riding and getting ready to feel the pain and try to find ways to ease it when i felt nothing!:eek: There was no pain what so ever today! i was so happy. It could come back tomorrow but it was gone today! i'm so excited as well as very confused.

[Painting Horses]

Something crazy happend today, I was riding and getting ready to feel the pain and try to find ways to ease it when i felt nothing!:eek: There was no pain what so ever today! i was so happy. It could come back tomorrow but it was gone today! i'm so excited as well as very confused.

[Joyscarer]

It sounds to me like you miss the pain so how about having somebody kick you in the shins before you are next due to ride :D


Glad the pain has gone and hope this continues for you :)