Anyone have a broken pelvis?

[Nancy1]

My husband broke his pelvis 3 summers ago. He had a 2 cm separation and they decided not to do surgery. He’s 57 this year. He was on crutches after being in the hospital 2 weeks. It was 3 months to the day before he got on a horse again and that was only to give my horse a tune up. I didn’t say anything since I didn’t think he’d actually be able to get up there. :eek: First time he’s ever used a mounting block.

He has recovered reasonably well but his pelvis still occasionally “clunks”. He does ride quite a bit but can’t ride as many in a day as he used to.

I would take it pretty easy and make sure you do your PT.

Good luck,
Nancy!

[system]

hi-i’m new and can’t see how to start a new thread. my subject is a fractured pelvis(me-not horse) but this thread is so old i thought it might be better to start a new one

anyway…how are you all doing now?

i am now dealing with new pelvis pain for a week. i have a hist of fractured pelvis(see below), and long term chronic lyme and osteo arthritis. 18 months ago i started riding, 4 months after bilateral knee surgery after not riding for 10 yrs. was pony clubber to first level before-50 yrs riding. this time tho, i leased a greenish , 6 yr old half draft and was seriously training her. she was improving-but had some spookiness that was scary for me. i’m 60. glad to be riding again-but i don’t think i have many falls left be for i am totalled out.

so after 3 months riding, i was getting stronger, losing weight, feeling more muscle-getting closer to the saddle. she is pokey so i use seat bones a lot to keep her moving.

cloumbus day weekend i did some extra walking on uneven ground, and there have been a number of spooks…one she went up at C and we landed at B…i don’t know how i stayed on. i didn’t relate the spooks to my problem until i read the SI tread on here.

after the weekend of a lot of walking i noticed a soreness radiating from the point of my pelvis down toward my thigh

the next day the point of my pelvis was very painful…i was thinking about the ER but it came and went-so decided to see if i would work out of it.

very painful walking and standing and lying and twisting-(turning over in bed, getting in and out of car)-but no pain sitting. even riding.

a week later i realized-the pain is similar to when i fractured my pelvis a few yrs ago-but in a different place.

i just had my pelvis xrayed and have appt tues. i could tell by the questions they saw someting and are looking at SI-but my painis in front on the point of the pelvis. it does spread and radiate out-but at that point is it 10 times worse.

so-i am reading on here and glad this info is here-because i guess i should be resting more and pushing less or it might make the whole thing worse. (having lyme for so long if i stopped for pain i would do nothing…but the experience with my last fractured pelvis is making me be more cautious this time.)

any input anyone has i am open to.

the following is about my first fractured pelvis-not related to horses-so not sure if i should put it here. admin can delete if they want to.

{i fractured my pelvis a few years ago by falling backwards in the cellar and landing on my butt on the edge of a concrete shelf. i went 5 weeks without dx (including a week in the hosp for a different problem) because the ortho doc wouldn’t xray it cuz he said there was no way i could have broken it because…ok, get ready, this is real-he said i couldn’t have broken it cuz there was too much padding ie: my butt was too big.

4 weeks later i went back for my recheck and told him the pain was still bad…and how did he know it wasn’t cancer…so he xrayed it and said, guess what…you broke your pelvis about 5 weeks ago and it is healing real nice. it was one of the sitting bones and i can’t remember which one now. so-it healed by itelf and i did not do much except ibuprofen and crutches.}

[system]

Broken pelvis +++++

Twelve years ago I was the victim of a rotational fall. I broke my hip (acetabulm), four ribs, collarbone, several bones in my left hand, plus a cardiac contusion and a punctured lung. I have two plates and seven pins in my pelvis. I was in the hospital for two weeks and was 13 weeks, non weight bearing. The day they took my crutches from me, I was on a pony! I am now riding mostly dressage (no more eventing), but I do jump occasionally for fun. Some days are better than others, but nothing a little tylenol won’t fix! Just do your PT! And get riding!

[baroqueNheart]

Your mind can help the body heal much faster if you are in the right state of mind. I had a very badly broken collar bone several years ago, and I remember feeling so sorry for myself and telling everyone I don’t think its going to heal right. Don’t make this mistake!

It wasn’t until almost a year later that I had discovered yoga and pilates.

I know you can’t do either right now, but as soon as you can, go to a yoga class and just lay there and breathe. Move what you can, even if is just turning your head side to side. You will be surprised that something so simple will help so much. And everyone in the room will be thinking of you.

Bones heal faster with lots of vitamin C, and will reduce chances of chronic pain.

I hope you are feeling better soon!

[system]

thank you for the tips.

actually there is a lot i can do now. i am not allowed to do what hurts but i have no pain in a sitting position. so i can do adapted crunches and stuff.

i only have a cane and need to get crutches soon i guess.

i’m already thinking about getting someone to tack up for me so i can ride…i hate the thought of going backward when i have only been riding for 3 months

but i know i need a dx first…thanks again.

[x-rab]

Hang In There

I broke my pelvis with 2 disassociated breaks between my legs when my horse lauched me while galloping down hill. Like for you the ground was like concrete and I was thankfull he put me between the two trees and past the rocks into a pile of leaves. I landed flat on my back and what bothered me the most were not the breaks but the ligament tears. I was told I would heal in 6 weeks. It really hacked me off that I am just now getting back to normal but was riding again in three months. This was 2 years ago.

[system]

Had one broke in 6 places

I was standing by a horse that either passed out or tried to lean on me. His hind quarters fell on mine. I hit the ground face first and he got up. I spend 2 weeks in hospital, had surgery with pins in the back part of my pelvis and had an external fixator connected to the front of my pelvis which I had on for 12 weeks. That is some bad pain! I really noticed things being better about 18 months after the break. I am now about 30 mo from the injury and only if I get real cold or wear the wrong shoes shopping do I have pain. Weather changes also give me some aching and am not looking forward to arthritis which is probally a given. Things get better and am just so happy to not of had any lasting effects like being paralyzed.

[ClassAction]

I too broke my pelvis in quite a number of places. Two weeks in hospital and two surgeries (plate for my hip socket and external fixator) and then three months non-weight bearing.

I was slightly stupid in how I started riding again. My doctor, bless his heart, told me I could go ahead and get on and walk around. The day after I was cantering and the day after that I was popping crossrails. To this day my symphasis is NQR. And I definitely feel my hip when it is cold and/or rainy out.

But I do have a cool party trick (that nobody ever wants to see boo): I can dislocate my hip at will!

[EightBelles134]

i don’t personally have a broken pelvis, but a girl i ride with does and she sustained it in a riding accident about 2 months ago, and she has just been cleared to ride after Christmas break…

[whicker]

Take Courage

I hope you let us know what the dx is.

I have had stem cell for si instability and spinal issues. It has made a huge improvement in my life. The pain can feel like pelvis fracture. I am not in pain most of the time now and I can ride. Check the saddle thread and you will see what I am creating to be able to do more, better. Feel free to pm me. It took a very highly trained PT to realize how badly damaged I was. No one figured it out or did xrays, etc. until then. 6 months after the accident, it was officially “named”.

I had to change my horses to quieter ones that were also smaller because it is easier on my body and I can ride better. I don’t do the splits any more on the 17h wbs. I am now 5’3", several inches shorter, from vertebrae and disc damage. I don’t wear heels, which is tough because I LOVE pretty shoes. But I can walk, run in an emergency, dance a bit, and most importantly, ride. I can follow my passion still.

You can, too.

[ClassAction]

One thing about healing from a pelvic fracture that really surprised me was starting walking again. I was non-weight-bearing for three months and the most painful part of walking again was the soles of my feet. Seriously, they really really really hurt. I ditched the crutches the day I got them (more for stability in walking than anything else and a serious nuisance) but the feet oh the feet.

[Iron_Horse_Farm]

When I was 29, my outside stirrup leather broke while doing a flying change. Horse bolted and idiot that I was, I thought that I could save it So instead of falling off of a relatvely controlled lead change, I got launched off of a runaway :(. My trainer at the time told me to stop screaming…that she saw the whole thing and it wasn’t that bad :no:

Hospital showed broken pubis, shattered sacrum - opposite sides! Sacrum swelled and put pressure on siatic nerve, so they wouldn’t operate (or was it because I was uninsured???). 14 days on a Morphine drip, 19 days in the hospital. Was sent home on bed rest and Vicoden. Hubby had to work, so he would pack me in ice, set me up with a cooler with lunch in it, the phone, the remote and my pills and go to work. 8 weeks after my fall, I talked him into tacking up my broodmare (don’t now why, she hadn’t been ridden in years) and wheeling my wheelchair out to the barn to lead me around on her like a children’s fair ride!

Today I am mostly ok, I don’t ride much just because I have had 2 kids since the accident (2 c sections) and am very very busy. My hip hurts when it is very cold or when I do something stressful to it.

[system]

do any of you have x-rays you could email me of your pelvis? i broke my superior and inferior pubic ramus years ago, and it has caused me great trouble ever since. i have a very good knowledge of anatomy and biomechanics, and am very well qualified at studying x-rays. i am trying to find others who have suffered lateral compression pelvic ring fractures, and need to see x-rays to determine similarities. if any of you have digital images you would be willing to share, it would be much appreciated. you can email them to me at brian71074@aol.com
thank you very much
Brian

[Auventera_Two]

I have an old pelvic fracture that I sustained as a young teen. I fell down a flight of icy concrete steps while walking my dog. I’m permanently crooked due to a poor healing. There are bone spurs in the pubic joint, which have now fused the joint entirely. The fracture is near the pubic arch. I still have a lot of pain at times but I’ve found that the amitryptilene I take for fibromyalgia has helped with the pain to some degree. Also have costochondritis so I take a lot of anti inflammatories so that also helps with the pelvic pain.

I do have radiographs but they aren’t digital. They’re at my chiropractor’s office on film. When he took the images he said “WHOA! What HAPPENED to you?” One side of the pelvis is jammed up 1" higher than the other side.

[TSWJB]

[QUOTE=ShayDarra;4246787]
In addition to concern about doing the right rehab so that I can get back to riding without an extended delay, I am also thinking about the impact on my confidence. SD[/QUOTE]

dont worry about your confidence. it will come back with time. just go slow and do what your comfortable with.
i shattered my tibia and fibula 21 weeks ago. i have a big rod and 4 screws in my leg. i slipped on ice walking my dog and i was no where near the horse. the dr gave me permission to ride at 11 weeks but not fall off. i was really nervous. i had a friend ride my horse and then i would get on at the end for 5 minutes. gradually i worked my way back to riding myself. i feel quite comfortable.
but i havent been allowed to jump yet and i am nervous! i have rehabbed before from an ACL injury so i know if i go slow and do only what i am comfortable with i will get back to where i was before. but it does seem like i will never get back… but this is only when you are thinking about it and not doing it.
for now really focus on your recovery. get yourself as fit as possible and that should help protect your body. good luck!

[TSWJB]

oh wait i didnt realize this thread was so old! hope you have recovered!