put together a team!
Find a Centered Riding instructor!:yes:, good Osteopathic MD;
and massage therapist!:yes:
I have a ābulgingā disc @ L4/L5. I was rear ended about 2 years ago and took a flyer off my horse around the same time. Saw an orthopedist, did some brief PT (which did not bring much relief), pilates, acupuncture, rolfing, you name it. Eventually, it just got better. Now, I am in the WORST pain ever. Canāt bend at the waist, getting up and down is miserable, muscle relaxants (Robaxin, Flexerall) bring little or no relief. Yes, I rode in a show this weekend and it was miserable and a complete disaster. I am not sure whether to run back to the orthopedist again or just seek out a good chiro/acupuncturist. So frustrating!
I had a herniation between L4 and L5 that caused sciatica so bad I could not walk in the mornings. I tried everything as well - 2 injections and phsyical therapy. I was avoiding the surgery because I had several other discs not much healthier, so you wouldnāt be fixing my back, just the worst problem. After severeal months, I was about 85% better. Riding always made it worse, once sending me to the emergency room for IV pain meds. It took one small thing to set me almost all the way back. I also had a great doctor that was trying to manage the pain and heal without surgery who also worked with an excellent surgeon. Once I decided I couldnāt wait any longer they were great and got me scheduled in record time. I had the surgery and was unbelievably better that night. I did EVERYTHING exactly the way they told me and followed all advice. It has been 6 + years and I am able to do anything I want. I ride a bumpy, bony thoroughbred, jump, trail ride, horse show. The one thing though is I never do anything strenuous with him if I have not ridden in a while or have not been going to the gym. I will not just pull him out and go to a show, or jump a course. There are certain things I know better than to do, like throwing multiple hay bales. I pick up my own hay and grain, carefully, but function just fine. I am also very careful if I overdo it today to be very careful tomorrow. Thatās when I hurt it - when my body is tired. I found advil helped to take down some of the inflamation, and a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel tucks in the waist of your pants nicely haha. I wish you luck - I would not wish the pain on my worst enemy. No one that has never experienced nerve pain will ever understand - it is unlike any other pain. The surgery pain was absolutely nothing compared to it.
I know many people do not believe in them, but a good chiropractor is worth a lot. There is a new decompression therapy that worked for my brother and allowed him to avoid surgery for the same problem I had. He will never have a normal back, as none of us will, but he also doesnāt get to sport the ugly scar I have. You have options, and depending on your exact problem can be pain free and continue riding your horses. You just learn your limits and the signs for when to stop and go on with life 
Bearhunter- I also would have flareups where the disc seemed fine, but then it would incapacitate me again. When it wouldnāt resolve after a bit, I finally found an acupuncturist and that really helped. It seems lots of people with disc issues go to a chiro, but I thought that was contraindicated with an actively bulging disc, so I went the acupuncture route. It sounds like you did that previously, though? If this is worse/different than before, I suggest having an ortho check you out just in case.
One more thing- I also did a lot to strengthen the side of my back that the disc was bulging on (realized it was weaker after I broke the shoulder on that side). Once I did that, I have much fewer issues with my back.
I herniated a disk in March, it got better then a long road trip aggravated it in July, did therapy for 2+ months, it got a little better, then one morning ZAP! the whole thing herniated again and sounds like most of it came out from the MRI! That was so excruciating, I could barely walk, couldnāt bend over, etc etc. etc. Had to have people over to feed, clean the litterboxes, get groceries, etc WHAT a pain in the butt (for everyone) but so hard to be the one who did it all and then be helpless (never mind the pain!). Sometimes Iām not sure what is worse.
Anyway I have a progressing numbness in my right foot so the Dr. wants to do surgery soon (a laminectomy). Has anyone here had that and how did it go? I take it that the recovery time and success depends entirely on NOT doing well much at all until it heals?
What are the side effects if any? Did the pain go away (mostly?) He did say my feeling in my foot may not come back. I can live with that, I sure canāt live with that pain forever! Mine is L4-L5 I think.
Itās very frustrating as Iād expected to have our 3year old under saddle by now and I havenāt been able to do ANYthing with her since the end of August!
Guess Iām in the club
I got rear-ended real hard Aug. 27. A few days later began this new hell of periformis/sciatica pain. Unbelievable pain-as many of you have described. It is only getting worse. Luckily, I have found that IF the pain was ok enough to let me drive to the ranch,I could, and have, at times, ridden. I ride in a treeless Barefoot London saddle on a 15.2 arab. Riding has been good for the pain, at least so far-that said, I have been nervous about having a bout on the horse, so havenāt ridden much. If I munch ibu often enough, I can get a few hours of relief, but if i go too long I can hardly walk, sometimes canāt walk! I finally got a new doc who seems determined to get to the bottom of things. Have had one cort. shot in the bursa which did nothing. Might be looking at another cort. shot in the lumbar area (L5/S1 like many of you) I feel so lucky that my horse is so happy where he is, that he is old enough and smart enough that I donāt really have to worry about him doing dumb things when I am on him-mostly, I am grateful simply that I have him. Hanging out with him for an hour or so is far better for me than acupuncture has been, or most treatments, come to think of it. I just hope this goes away, as it isnāt the only ābody dingā Iāve got going on. BTW Iām 52.
The cortisone shots did nothing for me, but I gather responses are highly variable.
Hi All ~ Well, I went in for my second cortisteroid injection and it doesnt seem to have worked as well. But I did climb back in the saddle again on my old mare who I trust completely. Of course it felt so good being back in the saddle, I overdid it. 
I got a gel pad for my western saddle hoping that that would help and it didnātā¦ I normally ride hunt seat on the flat, but have a western saddle for trail riding. I figured using the western saddle would make me feel more secure. So off we go, starting at the walk, then posting, then cantering. Iām not sure what did me in. The trotting or the cantering and of course I rode for an hour after not being in the saddle for many many months. It just felt so good riding again!!! I should have just ridden for 10 or 15 minutes at the walk.
Since then, I have had nothing but constant pain with the sciatic nerve. Bearable, but quite annoying. Again, Advil is my friend. Standing on a hard surface starts my leg to throbbing. I did some more research as I am desperate to ride in comfort.
I ordered some padded undies and ordered a Skitos Equalizer Foam Rear Gear. We will see what happens with that. The Skitos pad is expensive. 90 bucks, but figure I will try anything before opting for surgery. I think surgery is my only option at this point tho. I wont get my pad for about two weeks. Apparently it is a wonderful type of foam that can help people with bad backs.
Has anyone tried the Skitos pad? If so, how did it work for you?
I ruptured my L4/L5 about 10 years ago. It ruptured right onto the base of the sciatic nerve (after the surgery my neurosurgeon said he had never seen such an inflammed sciatic nerve). The decision to have surgery - a laminectomy - in my case was easy because I could not function. The steroid shots made it so that I was not completely bedridden but it was not much better (I could not sit for very long and would lie down on my office floor with my computer keyboard in my lap).
Surgery was definitely the right decision for me- the pain relief was immediate upon waking up from surgery.
I had a period a few years ago when my back was bothering quite a bit (but nowhere near the levels of pain before surgery) and it turns out that a few simply lifestyle modifications took care of it. I have periodic bad days but I usually know what I did to set it off and it lasts a few days.
Currently, there are no limitations on my riding because of my back. Sitting the trot on my gelding used to bother it but he has a weird gait due to his sweeny shoulder. Thinline pad helped that a bit.
I also definitely know it if I do not keep fit, especially those ab and core muscles.
My personal advice is to get second and possibly a third doctorās opinion (I am a big fan of this and doing so has helped me immeasurably in making numerous major medical decisions) and research who you go to for these opinions to make sure you are consulting someone good (all doctors are not created equal). My second piece of advice is to talk to someone (whether ortho or neurosurgeon) who deals with a lot of athletes. They tend to be less apt to say āgive it upā as the easy, knee-jerk response. After my surgery, I told my neurosurgeon that my goal was to get back riding as soon as possible and his response was āhere is how we will go about doing thatā and here is the plan. I was not the first rider he had treated.
edited to add- I have a skito pad (not the particular one you mentioned though) to help with saddle fit and I never noticed it making a difference with my back
another suggestion- I recently went and got evaluated my a spinal specialist PT and she found several things that she thinks could be aggravating any back issues. Part of my problem is being much stronger on one side in my glutes which, obviously, effects and torques my back. She thinks that is why running bothers it so much and if I even up the muscling, I will have even fewer bad days. Might be worth getting that kind of evaluation.
Setback-bummed-moved here from other thread.
I have suffered from L5/S1 nerve pain since 8/27/09 resulting from an accident After tons of treatment, last week I began to improve. By last Saturday I was almost without pain, it was amazing. Of course I was anxious to take my horse out. My riding buddy went too-our first ride together in 3 months or more! Beaut day. I totally forgot about my issue. Too long of a ride-Short story, here it is 1 week out now and Iām back to the drawing board with out of my mind pain. Damn! I know that many of you have done this, Iāve done this before with my chronic arm pain. I feel like a big dummy, should have set a very short time limit for the ride, couldawouldashoulda, maybe shouldnāt even have ridden-thatās it, should have waited till I had a few weeks of semi normalcy under my belt before even thinking of getting on. Grrrr.
Reading the above posts about setbacks which are ongoing for weeks makes me shudder. I am a week out now from my big ride and havenāt really glimpsed the improvement curve I was on. Kinda bummed right now. I live with a quadriplegic (not horse related!) so always am reminded how lucky I am just to get out of bed, but gosh. Nearly a year ago broke my L. leg, now this to R. leg. Both arms perm. damaged from medical mismanagement 13 years ago. I feel like that joke of a āold dog needs new homeā flyer. Oh well,this too shall pass, right?
Get a good saddle. I have also done well with The Old Passier route
I have the Sprenger irons with the offset eye (not the jointed ones)
Cortisone injections have a place but donāt get too many. Cortisone does tendon and ligament damage with longterm use.
Professional Choice neoprene back braces really helpā¦both for support while riding and mentally to help āpadā the area if you are worried about falling. If fear of falling/causing more injury is a concern also consider an eventing vest
PT exercises may or may not help
PT: traction may or may not help
Surgery: use it as a last option if all else fails. Surgery always carries a risk. If surgery is needed shop very carefully for a surgeon. Just like trainers: just because they hung out a shingle (even passed their boards) does not make them goodā¦and ESPECIALLY with neuro stuff you want good. On the whole: your family doctor is not a good place to ask. They generally know who is around but not necessarily who does the best work. Go into some PT offices and ask them who they recommend as doing the best work. They know better than the family MD whose patients get better faster/whose tend to have a lot of complicationsā¦I am a PT. I can assure you there are a number of neuro surgeons in my area I would not touch with a 10 foot poleā¦and probably only 1 or 2 I would trust with my own back. It never ceases to amaze me that most folks getting surgery shop more carefully for a car than they do for a surgeon.
As many have stated beforeā¦
We all have had sciatica and L5-S1 pain. I have found that after the laminectomy ( ?), I MUST keep my abs and obliques firm. these support the spine and hold you more up right and centered. No amount of just P.T. is going to fix the problem, but after the problem is reduced, it is vital you keep those muscles firm and supportive. After 2 surjuries, beaucoupe hours of traction/physical therapy/excrutiating pain/drugs, I now ride my lil Arab mare when ever I can. That means up and down the buttes, on the beach, and all over the red rock country. I stretch and bend SLOWLY before every ride, and do my gentle but consistent excersizes EVERY DAY!!
I have been riding 3-5 times a week since about 4 months after my last surgury, and at 63 yrs young will be riding into my 70ās I am sure.
Steve
Iāll add my experience . . .
Back pain/sciatica started in 2001. More doctors than you can imagine told me it was āin my headā and wanted to prescribe antidepressants. Didnāt do a thing, obviously. Finally found a neurosurgeon who diagnosed ruptured L4-L5. Had a laminectomy in '02 for that. Pain decreased slightly for about 6 months, then returned worse than before. At that point, same surgeon recommended fusion of L4-L5. Had that done in '03. Again, after recovery, it was good for about 5-6 months, then worse than before.
Went to another surgeon for second opinion - fusion was not done properly. In '04 had L4-L5 refused in an attempt to correct original surgery. Didnāt help. Spent the next 3 years in PT, pain management, received accupuncture, had joint injections, epidurals, rhizotomies, and endless amonts of pain medication, which led to their own problems.
Spent all of '07 getting off of all of the MANY opiates I had been put on and was in withdrawal for the entire year. Was HELL. In '08, was recommended to a back/ortho surgeon who specialized in correcting previous surgeries. Had a L4-L5-S1 fusion in Nov. 08. Provided the most relief to date, yet pain came back after about 9 months. Going through another series of caudal epidurals right now. If they provide no relief, itās back in for (hopefully only) a laminectomy at L3, as the disc still looks okay, but there are severe bone spurs and ligament thickening/scar tissue adding to the problem.
Have probably been on my mare a couple dozen times in the last 8 years. Hoping 2010 is an improvement over the past years. My fear is not so much of the pain directly associated with riding, as Iāve been dealing with that for so long, but what may happen if I have a fall or some other severe trauma to my back. I still have every intention of getting back in the saddle and showing again, although the majority of the doctors have said it will not be likely. They donāt know me very well
Did not read the replies, but here is my experience. I have suffered with degenerative disc disease for 35 years. It started at age 17, and I had my first laminectomy which relieved the pain. however, reoccured when I was 22 at a different level, and again two discs removed with laminectom. Finally at age 32 I was in SUCH EXCRUCIATING PAIN that I simply could not function and had a spinal fusion surgery. Throughout it all I have continued to ride, which actually helped by keeping my muscle tone up. It has now been 20 years since the fusion, I do have some days with back pain, I cannot stand perfectly straight up any longer, but I ride regularly. Sitting trot is difficult on a horse with much back movement, but most everything else is fine. It is just something you live with. I wouldnāt be āafraidā to ride if I was the OP, and I definitely would pursue surgery! After my first two surgeries (done by neurologists) I was told nothing else could be done! However, I went to an orthopedic specialist on back problems and he did the final surgery and it was remarkable. However a LONG LONG recovery, which I understand the surgeries are much easier to do and recover from these days.
Thought I would post an update! Hope all you are doing well and Iād love to hear how you are all doing, Am still living the with pain but its to a point where I am so used to it, I just find it annoying at times. I have a high tolerance for pain I guess.
I have spinal stenosis. My bad disc is more like a stale donut and doesnt have the cush a healthy disc does. So therefore the disc is compressed and leaning on my l5 nerve. Thats where the sciatica comes in etc. Went in for a epidural directly into the nerve. No big deal. The day after I had no pain. I felt like a new person! But the pain came back the next day. Sometimes these epidurals work and sometimes they dont.
Pain management doc put me on Neurontin. This is actually a drug for people with seizures, but they have found that its works great for people with nerve issues and keeps the inflammation down. Has worked somewhat, but makes me an airhead and short term memory is pretty much gone. Short term memory wasnt that great anyway at 52 year old! LOL! Sleep like a baby tho! I have insomnia too, but not anymore! I have also take Voltaren, an anti-inflammatory twice a day. Pain still there but like I said, it just can be annoying more. So yesterday, I just said the heck with it, I have three horses and Iām going to ride them! Pain or no pain. Saddled up. (I have arabs that I ride hunt on the flat) Walked for about 5 minutes. Trotted (posted) for two minutes and an easy canter once around the arena. Total time of riding was 10 minutes. Came home and iced my back twice and not to bad today. A little more sore than usual, but some of the soreness is from not riding for 5 months, Did some exercises for my back and loosened everything up.
So riding can be done! Go slowly! Ride with a little longer stirrup. It helps the hamstrings and your back. I will keep riding and and work up to longer times.
Good Luck! LTK
I also ruptured L5/S1 and had the microdiskectomy done after my leg stayed numb for a year. It worked really well, and then I had horrible low back pain come back. I thought it was SI joint pain, I thought it was scar tissue on the nerve, and what it was is my facet joints had rubbed on each other from being too close together after my disc ruptured. I just had a procedure to burn the nerves to the facet joints, and thatās worked REALLY well. Make sure you go for appropriately aggressive diagnostics if thereās more pain, because I would have just gone on about my business as a chronic pain patient on painkillers and heating pads and staying in bed half the month for the rest of my life if I hadnāt collapsed in a coffeeshop in front of someone who does the facet joint procedure for a living.
You poor gal! I talked to my Pain Mgmt doc about surgery. Says I am not a candidate for it. Iāve had all the diagnostics done. He wants to get the nerve to settle down. Well, my opinion is is that if it hasnt settled down by now, its not going too. Wants to get the nerve burned like yourself and because I dont have anything wrong with my back mechanically, they wont do it. Sighā¦
How are you doing now?
Much better, and SO GLAD I had surgery and didnāt have to wait longer than a year and a half before anyone would listen to me that thatās what I needed. The whole āsurgery as a last resortā did me NO favors.
I didnāt have time to read through all the responses(will do so tonight).Anyhow Iāve had two surgeries on L4 L5,microdiscectomy/laminectomy.I was totally crippled ,hunched over,etcā¦did the shots and finally had the surgery and the releif was immediate.I reinjured it and had nerve damage and dropped foot.The surgeon said that another operation had a 50/50 chance of working.Did it and it worked.My outer leg is still numb,but not dropped anymore.I started pilates and am in better condition than I EVER was.I highly recommend the surgery and pilates.Good luck.By the way I ride daily.
Candle & Shalom Pony ~ Can you tell me how your recovery time was after your surgeries? Big incisions, etc? How long did you have to take time off of work???
I am thinking of just telling my pain mgmt doc just to do surgery. He thinks he can get the nerve to settle down and like I said, if it hasnt settled down by now and this has been going on for a year and a 1/2 its not going to. Ughā¦
Thanks so much! LTK
