Gaining strength with neurological damage

[Vegas_Sky]

So now that I am riding on a regular basis and trying to get my mare back in shape for a dressage show in May, some of my leg problems are becoming more…problematic

Overall, I lack a lot of strength and fitness from being out of commission for so long, but left side brain injury = right side weakness. When I’m in the saddle, my lower right leg is pretty much useless. Usually I can keep it from swinging around wildly, but actually making use of it is significantly more difficult. My left leg is better, but still not great, and it has to pick up the slack. Since my lower leg is not secure, I have no base of support, so I end up pinching with my knees and holding my seat up out of the saddle, so I tip forward and I have to make up for the lack of stability through my core with my upper torso and arms. It’s kind of a mess all around.

My right arm is also affected, but it’s not nearly so bad as my leg, and since I’m ragingly right-handed, it’s much more subtle. But there’s definitely a decrease in strength and coordination, which is hard on my poor mare’s mouth My arm bounces around a lot while I ride and even when I walk or run, it tends to “hang” and not swing with my gait like it should.

So I’d like to know how to gain strength when my brain doesn’t like to send messages down my spinal cord and my spinal cord doesn’t like to send messages into the nerves. I know that I also need more core strength and I am working on that through yoga and other exercises. My PT is also helping me gain strength through my upper legs and hips, but I just fight with my lower leg so much! Even while I’m walking or running, I notice a change in my gait in the right leg compared to before the accident.

If anyone has some ideas for exercises to improve strength and coordination, I would really appreciate it!

[sarapony]

Honestly, get yourself to a physical therapist. Failing that get to the gym. At either place find their best trainer for rehab injuries and go to at least 3 or 4 sessions. Have them develop an at home plan for you. And then you need to follow it. Getting strong and stable on the ground will be a huge help on being strong and stable in the saddle.

[red_mares]

Since you’re already working with PT, you might ask if they would go out to the barn with you sometime or just take some pictures with you and show them what you’re talking about. I had to do it with the guy I work out with to get the light to come on. Horse stuff was just too hard and too foreign to explain well.

[whicker]

Some ideas

How about checking the sticky thread for therapy riding trained instructors or the national organizations? The para-olympic site may have useful info for you.

I went to a para clinic, that Hope Hand attended, to be able to ask questions on adaptive things I could do. I have some of the spinal issues.

Some things I learned:
rubber banding the stirrup in position to the girth

rubber banding the foot to the stirrup

using a bucking strap hand hold to hook a finger or so in to help stabilize my hand

wide base stirrups. (ez-stirrups from the endurance world are wonderful. They can come with front cages which are removeable.
Another variety I like are the ones with magnets- these look “normal” and are used by the Olympic riders in show jumping and eventing.
Another type that people like are the royal rider cheese graters)

Using your cuing whip to take the place of your leg. Some of the riders had 2 whips one for each side.

Hand hold loops on the reins.

The P.T. needs to see you on the horse. If the P.T. doesn’t ride, can he/she consult with one who is trained for this kind of re-hab?

The ones who don’t ride have trouble understanding what we do. My spinal neurosurgeon thought that it was just like sitting on a chair, because the horse just did the work, like a car…umm… I may have been a “still” rider in the previous to the accident video, but that’s not exactly what’s happening…