After almost a year out of the saddle for a herniated L4-L5 with severe sciatica I’m preparing to try climbing back in the saddle. I’m planning to take it slow as I’ve still been having pain intermittently. I’ve started tolerating more exercise though, so I’m hoping I am ready. I have both a Masters dressage saddle and a CWD jump saddle and I’m trying to decide which to start with. My jump saddle has a narrower twist and currently has my original 2 way flex sprenger stirrups. My dressage saddle is a deeper seat slightly wider twist and has cheaper flex stirrups. Has anyone noticed a difference in their back based on saddle and stirrups? Also, I’m not terribly nervous about mounting and walking around, but I’m terrified by the thought of dismounting. Any thoughts or recommendations for the dismount? I was very close to surgery and pushed very hard to avoid it so I just want to avoid doing anything stupid that will put me back where I was a few months ago.
I don’t have any advice on your saddle, but during my recovery from sciatica my deep tissue massage therapist was a God send. I recommend seeing one regularly as you get back into riding so you don’t tighten up as you start using those muscles again. When the muscles start to tighten up (for me the psoas, iliac, and hamstrings were the primary issues), then you start over compensating and then everything gets bad in a hurry.
Good luck getting back into riding!
I also have L4/L5 herniation and a 15 year history of sciatica problems.
Saddles DO make a difference. In my search for a used dressage saddle, twice I had a trial saddle irritate my sciatic nerve after a single ride (during a period where I otherwise was not having problems). However, if you’ve owned both of your saddles for awhile and have ridden in them without problem in the past, they hopefully shouldn’t cause a resurgence. Personally, jump saddles bother my back less, but I also wonder if that’s because I’m a forward rider who has to work more to hold a dressage position.
Dismounting has had not been an issue for me. Riding itself has not been an issue when my back is not actively excruciating and I don’t do anything crazy right off the bat. The two things that are most likely to aggravate my back are jumping and falling off (and “new” sadddles). I also get very overprotective of my back if an instructor is trying to make me do anything “weird” like hold an excessive two point or drastically change my position.
When returning to an activity that may irritate my back, like riding, I take NSAIDs profilactically before and after for several days. I’m not one who usually likes to take stuff unless imperative, but it’s so important to avoid inflammation so you don’t have a setback.
Good luck. Sciatic pain is the worst. Luckily, I have not had a sciatica episode in some years. What I do have now is what I believe to be arthritis of my lower back, which is very different from the excruciating sciatic nerve pain. But it’s equally as annoying because it still limits your life.
I have the same condition and acupuncture helped my sciatica a great deal. I cannot take NSAIDs for sciatica and so had to search long and hard for pain relief. When I start riding after a flare up, I take it easy and walk only for a few days. I finally settled on a Custom saddle and it’s also helped a lot
Thanks for the tips…I climbed on for a few minutes each of the last two days. First time sitting on a horse in a year. I made sure to stretch my hips before getting on and iced (and aleve) after getting home. Kept both days very short. I definitely noticed a difference in my jump saddle vs dressage. The dressage saddle is a wider twist and I felt like it was making me tense my back.
I fractured L5 in 2 places many years ago, and it still gives me problems. I went through PT and also did acupuncture & massage. Finding the right saddle was super important, since the wrong one would leave me in crippling pain. I went to a tack shop with a wide variety of different saddles to sit in, and I sat in all of them. It was really a “Princess & the Pea” situation, and only 2 were comfortable. Both were well out of my budget. I did a lot of research, and wound up with a Fhoenix Vogue after trialing one.
Using a mounting block is very helpful, since its easier on your legs & back. Take the dismount nice & slow. I didn’t have any stirrup issues after my back injury…after having my ankle run over I needed the HS angled ones. Core strength is even more important after a back injury, but I found it more difficult. The only exercises I can do without injuring myself are planks & variations on the plank (yoga)…more isometric, without any dynamic motion like crunches or sit-ups.
I really love my TENS unit, and it works well for most day to day issues.
The balance of the saddle apparently makes a huge difference to me. I’m rehabbing my horse after a lay-off and he’s lost a lot of topline. When I first started back I went with the “add some padding and let him build his topline back up before you get the fitter out” school of thought.
Well, that didn’t work! My knees were constantly creeping up and I was fighting to keep my position at a walk, and I was miserable when I got off. So I sprang for the fitter to come and do some fitting and flocking and level things out.
She didn’t feel like she had done much, but Voila! no more knee-creep, no more stressed hips and back, and no more sleepless nights from Sciatica. And bonus points for a long, draped leg…
As I sit here, I’m very aware of my SI joint and surrounding area being “not quite right,” (but I did just unload 200lbs of grain from the back of the car…) but I think you just get used to that in time. It’s being kept awake at night by pain that wears on me.
If you are concerned about dismounting - dismount onto your mounting block. I have bad ankles and knees - my wonderful Kota now automatically places himself at the mounting block for the dismount.
I second dismounting onto a block. It was the only way for me to dismount when I returned to riding and I still use it for tall horses. For me, gentle riding actually helped (hippotherapy!). The walking motion was really beneficial when I had a relaxed horse and could just concentrate on relaxing myself. Posting trot caused a few problems and I had to work into it slowly, but I did improve my posting and pain. Sitting trot on a relaxed horse turned out not to be the issue I feared - probably because I was further along and sitting required me to engage my core, helping my back!
Things I found aggravated my back: More than just a little no-stirrup work - I seem to need that bit of support. Dismounting a tall horse. If I couldn’t use the block I had to land on one foot and hang onto the saddle or the other leg would send pain and not hold me up. Spooks and sudden movement. The worst!
On my sore days Celebrex is my friend. :winkgrin:
Same history here, L3-L4, L4-L5, L5-S-1.
A more open seat (like my older, flat Crosby and my new-to-me Stubben Zaria) aggravate my back much less than a deeper seat dressage saddle, probably because, in part, to my own ample “hind end” conformation…lol.
I’ve never had trouble dismounting. One thing that did hurt me recently was getting left behind at a jump. That little “snatching” motion aggravated the whole area. The good news is that, because I have a long history with this condition, I now know how to effectively deal with a flare-up and was able to get it settled down in just about a week.
Good luck and be patient. You’ll be riding well before you know it!
