Sciatic pain & Seat Savers?

[Debutante]

Does anyone here have any personal experience with sciatic nerve injury and pain caused by (or aggravated by) riding? For those of you who haven’t experienced this, sciatic nerve compression usually causes severe lower back pain, along with tingling and numbness in the leg and foot. :(
In the past I’ve had only occasional flare-ups but lately these episodes are getting much more frequent and more intense. I’m dreading the thought that I might have to give up riding (even temporarily)! :eek: Does anyone know if Heather’s Seat-Saver pad might be of help for something like this? If so, I’ll have to figure out how to get one sent to Canada. In the meantime, ice in between riding lessons seems to help a bit but can I modify my riding position etc. to help even more?

Any opinions, comments, or advice would be very much appreciated! :)

Debutante

[Jay.o]

i have extremely bad backs after riding sometimes and when bending over to pick up feet to pick out !
i have a back support and that has seemed to help alot !

[anuvb]

Don't know about the seat saver - but just wanted to sympathise! It hurts!!! And yes riding does aggravate it. I've been lucky and it's never lasted more than a couple of weeks or so, but I do know people who have it almost permanently. I actually did yoga for a while, so if I can feel twinges I just do some yoga stretches to loosen up my back and leg muscles and over a period of time this seems to loosen it up and free's up the nerve again. If it's not too bad it might be worth considering taking some yoga classes - if nothing else it's very relaxing and significantly helps with your riding suppleness! Just make sure you tell your instructor about it before you start and make sure you go to a registered instructor too.

[lisae]

I have the same problem and got the seat-saver. It is extremely comfortable and reduced the back aches considerably. That said, I always get a flare-up when I ride again after having been out of the saddle for a long time! But the SS is fantastic for other reasons, including helping keep your seat and general cushioning for horse and rider.

Picking hoofs is hard on the back, too, especially if you have young horses who aren't perfect with their feet yet. If you can picture this, I've seen old-style dairy milkers use these little seats with a thin pedestal that they strap to their butts and sit on to milk, creating a tripod effect - looked like just the thing for picking hoofs! You'd keep your mobility but have a place to rest....

[Monty]

Hi Debutante,
I worked as an orthopaedic trained nurse until a few years ago, and my advice to you is...you MUST, MUST, MUST find out why you have sciatic pain first.A seasaver may well ease it when you're riding, thus masking the pain.The reason needn't necessarily be terribly serious, but you must find out why you have it, before you play with possibilities for easing the pain, when you're in the saddle.
Sorry anuvb, but I have to disagree on the yoga idea, until Debutante knows WHY she has sciatica. Afterwards, it might be recommended, but until then........big no-no.
I would be extremely surprised if you had to give up riding permanently. If you have a disc problem, then you might have to temporarily,in order to have the condition treated,in which case please do as your doctor says, so that you have the best possible chance of a 100% recovery (which is already a good chance, regardless), and return to the saddle. Any less might spoil that. But please get it seen to asap, it can very often be very easily treated, don't deny yourself that chance.Sciatica is not fun, I know that, even though mine stops at the knee........

[Wally]

Second what Monty says, absolultey.

On a good note I injured my back 10 years ago just after my lad was born, I was in a wheelchair for about 3 months, My toes went numb and I was so bad I couldn't even lift my feet off the floor to take steps and walk. After treatment I have a back as good as ayones, but I would say Heather's saddles are a godsend to anyone with a dodgy back or a sciatic nerve which is prone to twinging if you sit wrong, mine still does if I sit in a bad chair.

Accupuncture is very good once the mechanical problem has been delt with, then the nerve can be settled with accupuncture.

[Yvonne M]

I bought a Heather's ss a few months ago & it has helped my backache. I have had sciatica & yes, it can improve. My Doctor showed me some exercises to do which help ease it. Everyone is different so you must seek medical advice before trying any treatment. I do ocassionally have the pain now & again.

[Gill]

I have the same kind of problem. I have a good and trusted osteopath and also follow exercises which he has given me. They help a lot. It is such a nuisance though. I use a HM seat saver which is very good.
Hope you get sorted, it is no joke.

[Debutante]

Hello Everyone,
First of all, thank you very much for your advice and words of encouragement. My treatment approach thus far has been an initial trip to my GP who recommended rest and ice -- (fine with me because warmth makes it feel much worse) and anti-inflammatories. Next, off to the Chiropractor. 5 trips later my problem now only hurts SOME of the time, not ALL of the time. ;) Chiropractor believes he can correct the problem within about 12 visits and has sent me for x-rays to rule out disc herniation etc. (No results yet.) In the meantime, I have cancelled all my riding lessons for the next week just to see if I notice a significant improvement (it almost KILLED me to make that call). :eek:
Since I’m a very skinny little thing, there’s not much padding around my lower back, seat and tailbone so I think Heather’s seat-saver might be just the thing to keep this nerve compression from recurring, providing that it IS just a temporary issue. :(
Once again, thanks to all who took the time to respond.

Cheers,

Debutante

[mikka]

I was sidelined from riding for four months earlier this year after ignoring some sciatic twinges and refusing to get treatment. Eventually, as with Wally, it went all the way down to my foot, which flopped around from temporary nerve damage, and made any movement exquisitely painful. It was caused by damage to the greater trochanter muscle (riding and scoliosis related). I had to do a series of leg-lifts 4x/day followed by 20 minutes of ice. It took about three months before I could move with any decent range of motion.

As much as it kills you to give up your lessons for awhile, you're doing the right thing. It will go away eventually.

[Debutante]

Hi Mikka,
There are so many muscles and nerves attaching to the trochanter and fitting through small spaces in the sacrum it’s no wonder that riding occasionally causes things to flare up… I guess we can’t be toooooo surprised? :rolleyes: I’m glad to hear that all your exercises, perseverance and training paid off in the end. What an ordeal! Your story has encouraged me to take this sciatic pain seriously and try to get it ‘fixed’ before it gets worse. Fortunately (for me), my symptoms are no where near as severe as many of you have described. :eek:
I recall when reading Sally Swift’s book "Centred Riding" that she also had scoliosis and one of the main reasons she began riding was to overcome some of the physical limitations it caused. Obviously, she was wildly successful!

Tonight instead of riding I’ll be hanging out in my local pub. (This sciatica could be my downfall!) :D

Thanks for the advice!

Cheers,
Deb

[kelsey]

I had bad sciatica about ten years ago (the specialist told me it was caused by lugging around beer kegs at the pub I was working at)....then, I was involved in a very bad auto accident that crushed my leg and arm but miraculously seemed to heal my bad back. Recently, it has started to resurface again. I took semi-private Pilates sessions with a very good certified person and now, as long as I keep up the Pilates, there are no back problems whatsoever. (The initial sessions are expensive but once you know the movements you can do it in front of the TV.) It has also helped my posture (and my riding) tremendously.

[anuvb]

Originally posted by Monty
Sorry anuvb, but I have to disagree on the yoga idea, until Debutante knows WHY she has sciatica. Afterwards, it might be recommended, but until then........big no-no.


That's okay Monty! :)

I sort of assumed that Debutante already knew what was causing it, but should have pointed out that you need to get it diagnosed first and that any exercise should be done with the recommendation of a physiotherapist - my physio is fab - couldn't have done it without her! Back problems are really tricky to sort out so would reiterate what you are saying - you do need to get them diagnosed properly first otherwise you can do more damage than it is worth!

[Sidesaddlelady]

Right, I am not suggesting you try this but I, too, was a sciatica sufferer for years until my horse slipped and decked me. I fell flat on my back, felt something click and I've never had a twinge since!!!

[Giddyup]

Hi there Debutante

I was wondering how you made with your back and if you were able to get a HM seat saver in Canada.

I also have a bad back; compression fracture, pretty much healed now, but I still am sore after I ride.

I was looking into getting the seat saver too.

I did find a distributor in Florida but have yet to contact them.

Let me know how your making out.

Thanks

[Debutante]

Hi Giddyup,
Glad to hear your back is on the mend!
I haven’t gotten around to doing any more research into seat savers because my back has settled down again (for now). Over the Christmas holidays I rode several times without any ill effects -- including lots of sitting trot and fairly violent canter/trot transitions, which I thought for sure would set me off.
Strangely enough, I’ve noticed a correlation between using the heated seats in my car and the onset of sciatic pain. For me, heat seems to be a very bad thing, whereas ice packs seem to reduce the pain and inflammation. Despite this, I have no intention of taking an ice bath in January – it’s b****y cold enough in Canada without that! :eek:
Thanks for letting me know about the seat savers in Florida, I may well need one in the future. I have found a local tack shop that sells the Cashel Tush Cushion but I’m still not 100% convinced that it wouldn’t be too slippery.
Good luck with your recovery, I hope the soreness after riding doesn't last much longer!

Cheers,
Debutante