uh-oh...

[equine_05]

i think i have a problem. i've been riding for nine years, mostly over fences, and for as long as i can really recall, my left ankle is... well, it's messed up. now i know no one here is a doctor (if someone is, cool! :p ,) but i was wondering if anyone had this same problem? my heel has never gone down like it should. even sitting here, my left ankle seems tight in the achellies tendon, but i swear, no stretches that i've tried have worked. some have helped, though. it doesn't hurt, but it is definitely effecting my position and sometimes it makes my whole left leg flop around. it doesn't act as a shock absorber like the right one does over the jumps. i'm only 17 and have issues with my joints?! lol what's up with that? thanks for any help.

[IrisSilverMoon]

have you ever sprained your ankle really badly?

that happened to me awhile back and i popped a bone off of the joint, now i have a weak ankle (though not as bad as you describe). But its pretty easy to think you've sprained your ankle and have it turn out to be broken and none of the docters notice. It took a specialist to see what happened to me.

[epcd3000]

I know exactly how you feel! I'm 16, have been riding for a year, and lately my knees have been feeling really weak. I don't know if it's just coincidence or if I'm just screwing up my knees with the way I'm riding. :rolleyes:

How long are your stirrups? I noticed that most of my problems occured when the stirrups were too short. The fact that you have to push yourself out of the saddle a further ways during trot puts unnecessary pressure on your joints. I lengthened them a couple notches, and have had less pain.

Sorry couldn't be much more help.. Hope your ankle heals up soon!

[TBEventer2002]

Thanks to a lifetime of several sports a year during school (since I was 6 years old -- I am now 20), three tough years of competitive volleyball, and almost 7 years of hard riding, I can honestly say I know how you feel with your body just not working right! :) Ever since volleyball, I have had problems with my ankles and hips, sometimes my knees. As a result, my heels aren't "pretty" when in the saddle, but they give enough to be shock absorbers and be effective (oh how I have always wished for those heels that drop so low it seems like your foot will slip right out of the stirrups! LOL). Unfortunetly, being around horses & riding as much as I have (and the types of horses I have ridden) has given me a number of other 'disorders': I have a few toes that have been crushed to the point of not bending anymore, my elbow was fractured from a kick but I didn't seek help until a month later leaving me with an elbow that acts up often, my wrists act up once in a while (when I am really riding a heavy or strong horse)... The list goes on and on!

Eventually, you will find that other parts of your body will learn to compensate for those 'inadequacies,' and it is your job to make sure the *correct* parts learn to adjust *properly*. It just takes time, riding, and a helpful trainer to tell you, "Yes, that compensatory movement will still keep you safe."

Good luck, be careful, and remember that you can always come back to us to complain about the pains!!! :D

[Lindi]

equine_05 i have the same problem with my joints. Eventually found out im prone to post viral syndrome which leads to my joints hurting EVERY time i pick up a cold, im only 19 it just shouldnt be allowed lol.

Ive found that riding with stirrups too short etc doesnt help when riding. I also invested in some really expensive jodphur boots and chaps as i realised my long boots were not allowing my ankles to move properly. Also i'm not sure about jumping as i dont do it alot, but after reading HMs enlightened equitation i realised that there isnt any need to force the heels down. The foot should be almost level with the heel only slightly lower than the toe. After adjusting this i noticed my lower leg was much more secure and less tense. Also my left foot stuck out and was incredibly stiff and this related to having had a previous injury in my hip. I wasnt able to accomadate the width of the horse through the left hip so it was affecting my ankles. Its amazing how something wrong in one part of the body can affect another so badly. Id advice you strongly to either see a doc or go see an osteopath. Also if you can try Alexander technique.

[FreedomStar]

I used to have something similiar, except i'd just get extremely sore in my joints after riding (i'm only 15!) but I found out recently that I get sore like that sometimes because my hips are..how, should I say it, unaligned or something similar to that. Meaning, that my left hip is set slightly lower, I believe, so that no matter how even my stirrups are I always feel as if my left stirrup is longer, which caused me to hitch up my left stirrup one hole to make them 'feel' more even, and put some extra strain on my joints. I kinda had a sneaking suspicion about something like this for a year or so, but I didn't really say anything about it, until one of my instructors checked me out during a riding lesson because I was saying that I couldn't balance and my stirrups were uneven, etc. so she came to the conclusion that one hip was higher than the other. It's really weird!!! but I'm making myself get used to riding with my stirrups even and feeling a bit different, but it's not that hard for me to get used to anymore.

[shaka]

Do you have MSN? Id like to talk to you!
I have a problem with my achilles tendons, called Severes desease. It is where my bone grows faster then the tendon, making it hard for me to put my heel down sometimes, and when it gets bad I cant walk let alone ride! I have very bad problems with the joints and muscles on the right side of my body and take Cortaflex, but I dont acctually know what I have, but I have been told I have the beginnings of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Maybe you have the same as me? I dont know if it is possible for you to have Severes desease, are you still growing? If so it is possible thats what you have, in which case get some heel cushions.
I think either way, go and see your doctor, as he can make a proper diagniosis