Shorter stirrups might help … or it might be that you need a different saddle. Wide twists can cause hip pain if your body isn’t suited to them (or they aren’t suited to your body), so trying another saddle might help. It could also be that there’s a fitting issue with this saddle and this horse - if the saddle doesn’t sit in correct balance, it can cause rider discomfort. I’d recommend checking with a reputable fitter and getting their input.
There is a problem seriously called “cowgirl hip” First true hip pain will be felt where your leg hits your body, the front of your body not the side, side pain is usually bursitis not your hip joint.
That said there are many reasons for hip pain from ostearthritis to labral tears. The labral tears are common in women riders. They will not show on a x-ray, only mri.
There is treatment, from a (once only) cortisone shot to endoscopic repair and some options inbetween. On the east coast there is a surgeon at Bowmen Gray that specializes in this disorder.
Have you tried a small seat size, like a 14"? I’m about your size and a 15" is way to big for be and puts me in a chair seat. Also, Wintec makes an Australian saddle that is a little more trail friendly and secure than their dressage saddles. I’ve only sat in one on the rack, but it was quite comfortable. I think part of the problem for us smaller riders in western saddles is that our knees barely come past the actual tree, so there is a lot more under the thigh than there would be on a longer legged rider. I hope you find something that works for you.
Thanks to all for your suggestions.
At this point, I have been Dx with FAI (pincer), labral tear & partial tear & degenerative changes in ligamentum teres. Currently pursuing all other avenues EXCEPT Sx. It is a non option for my job in healthcare, too long of a recovery period. Currently putting riding on hold. Was an active rider & in karate as a kid, both risk factors for FAI.
Never had any hip pain before, but I was always an english rider & have been riding longer distances in a western type endurance saddle this year. Needless to say, it’s going to a local consignment shop. Good riddance to it.
I have been asked repeatedly by every healthcare professional if I remember any injury to my hip. Hell, who HASN’T fallen off a horse & been sore???
:disgust:
My hip pain originated in my back. The pain was caused by a tiny muscle spasm in my hip. At age 40 I could barely walk. I could ride but getting on and off was extremely painful as well as getting out of a vehicle or getting out of a chair. I had ZERO back pain and the pain I had was all due to muscle spasms.
I discovered in my journey, not all Chiro’s are created equal and medical specialists were worthless. My orthopedic Doc (whom I knew from previous troubles) simply said, it will go away on it’s own even though he noted that I had one leg longer than the other. This had already been a year…
After finding the wizard of Chiro, he had me going good in a couple months I did have set backs but I haven’t had an episode in several years after a lifetime of lower back issues.
I have hip bursitis and it feels better when my stirrups are pretty short. I also get injections and am on a prescription anti-inflammatory. Try some stretches to loosen up you thigh muscles, it helps
definitely check out the English style endurance saddles. I grew up riding English, so when I started endurance I felt more comfortable in the style of saddle I’m used to. I settled on a Thorowgood endurance saddle, which was in my price range and fit both me and my horse. It has a deep suede-like seat, so you don’t need to add anything on top for grippiness, and it has loads of d-rings for adding stuff on. It also has a narrow twist.
[QUOTE=JBD;7162878]
I have hip bursitis and it feels better when my stirrups are pretty short. I also get injections and am on a prescription anti-inflammatory. Try some stretches to loosen up you thigh muscles, it helps[/QUOTE]
I am wondering how offer you get the injections and for how long have you been pursuing this treatment?
I use the foam roller for the TI band, and do sort of a standing pigeon pose, standing behind the couch, bending my knee and putting my foot on the back of the couch, keeping the foot flexed to protect the knee. That’s just one of many stretches that are helpful.
Some days I do wonder why I love riding so much when I can’t sleep the night after. I have had threads in the disabilities forum, searching for relief. Getting into a CC saddle is the number one reason I am still riding today.
side-saddle?
op - english saddle. i had a fai repair go south and have 1 artificial hip, and a minor tear in the other.
no way can i sit in a western saddle. i can’t even deal w/ english saddles w/ wide twists…and NO table backed horses.
also can’t sit in a dressage saddle - leg hurts taken that straight.
i get up to 2 cortisone shots a year, do pilates (no one leg stuff, tho)…and get by ok.
had to give up doing a lot of dressage stuff, tho.
Thanks, tollertwins. That is the kind of pertinent info I am looking for.
I go to ‘interview’ a surgeon next week. I am very concerned after reading here on COTH about other people’s FAI & labral tear surgeries being unsuccessful & then getting a THR. I am a fit 42 year old & too young for that. I am wondering how arthritic those posters hips were before the surgery. This surgeon states that any one with arthritis in the hip or narrowing of the joint space is NOT a good candidate for arthroscopy.
No offense to some posters, but I have already ‘made the rounds’ and have a solid diagnosis. No way any hocus pocus is going to fix a problem within the joint itself. :disillusionment:
if there is any way to do a standing mri you might want to try that. i didn’t know that they existed!
but it might help show joint space narrowing if you have it.
i know that HSS in NY is having people over 40 do something called a d-gemeric MRI before they will think about doing surgery so that they can get a handle on cartilage damage first.
ps - i also use squoosy seat savers on my english saddles…
[QUOTE=Bristol Bay;7164268]
I am wondering how offer you get the injections and for how long have you been pursuing this treatment?
I use the foam roller for the TI band, and do sort of a standing pigeon pose, standing behind the couch, bending my knee and putting my foot on the back of the couch, keeping the foot flexed to protect the knee. That’s just one of many stretches that are helpful.
Some days I do wonder why I love riding so much when I can’t sleep the night after. I have had threads in the disabilities forum, searching for relief. Getting into a CC saddle is the number one reason I am still riding today.[/QUOTE]
I get injections every 3 months and have been for the last year and a half. Relief time varies but has been lasting longer each time. I believe that doing weight workouts with a trainer along with a fall from a stumbling horse where I landed on one leg kind of like a pogo stick took a very mild bursitis case and turned it into something that made me limp and kept me up at night. My thigh muscles are super tight so stretching is important. Riding doesn’t bother me much which is a blessing.
[QUOTE=wendy;7166988]
side-saddle?[/QUOTE]
Seriously, this might be the answer to some riders’ problems. I’ve also read that it’s more secure. I really hope “women’s saddles” take off and future riders are spared the pain we’re in. Supposedly men can ride comfortably in a woman’s saddle, which would be an incentive for saddle makers to create female friendly saddles.
There’s a related thread on the dressage forum right now about saddles for short riders (where a big issue is getting one’s short legs around a wide horse!) One thing that’s recommended is switching from regular stirrup leathers to Webbers, to reduce the bulk at the stirrup bars. I tried it and it did seem to help (but I got the 28 inch Webbers, and dressage saddles need the 32 inch ones, so I’m exchanging them.)
not side saddle for this particular issue…having your leg in that position can hurt like the dickens!
You know it, tollertwins.
Actual hip joint pain is in the anterior / front where your bikini line / crease of leg is (that’s where the ball meets the socket) & not on the outside of your leg. This can be confused with a groin pull, but the pain does not feel muscular in nature. Although muscles in the area may feel fatigued, crampy or spasm because they are doing all they can to help stabilize the hip joint.
I’ve a Birmingham hip resurface. Even 5 years after surgery, a few hours in a wide saddle is painful. A narrow twist English saddle is the ticket for me.
OP … if you do consider hip replacement, there are alternatives to THR. At 40 you’re a candidate. Be sure to see a MD that does both. A MD that only does THR is a hammer looking for a nail.
I agree, hosspuller. A cutter likes to cut.
Went to a physiatrist (certified sports med that states are dedicated to fixing you without surgery) & said I needed surgery. So, I had a diagnostic hip injection. They put numbing agent into the joint to see if you are pain free when you get off the table. Did it work? Nope. This means surgery is unlikely to stop the pain as well.
I do go to the hip surgeon next week. I will be asking a list of tough questions. This is the 6th health care guy I’ve seen.
I still think I have anterior hip tendonitis / bursitis. The pain is worst when getting out of bed, out of a chair, off the toilet. Needless to say, posting the trot is not possible. I have yet to get someone to seriously palpate the area. Maybe they are afraid of accidentally bumping into the ‘mysterious lady parts’? LOL.
Interesting thing is that initially rotation of the leg or lateral movement of the leg hurt like hell. I was REALLY careful to ‘keep the knees together’ & only move forward & back. Now I have serious loss of range of motion in that hip, but those movements are no longer agonizingly painful.
The human body is a mystery. Too bad this one is such a pain to solve. :winkgrin:
