Oh bugger - Sacroiliac Ligament Sprain, anyone had it?

[Alterration]

Took a good spill yesterday when equine teleported left (nice duck and spin) while walking on the buckle while talking to my trainer and I did not stick. Landed on my lower back according to the sand scrapes although it happened so fast I can’t really remember. Wasn’t really his fault - some horses next to the paddock came running out of the dark at him.

Went to the ER, nothing is broken, thankfully, but they diagnosed a Sacroiliac Ligament Sprain. This, after just getting back in the tack after two labral tear repairs and osteoplasty.

So she referred me to a neurosurgeon (which was surprising) but apparently he focuses on the spine. Seems like a good fit I guess? Good meds, lots of steroids, and I’m walking better but still painful to sit.

Anyone have advice on healing or getting back in the tack? I’m so bummed that I hurt something (again) and don’t want to damage anything prematurely, but I know for my head I need to be in the saddle again soon. I got over complex PTSD related to falls 10 years ago FINALLY and I don’t want to lose that.

[LCDR]

I had a sacroiliac injury at age 49 from a fox hunting fall. Twenty-five years later it unfortunately still is painful. It is exacerbated by twisting motions. Shoveling manure piles and turning with the loads to put them into a bucket is particularly problematic, but I have adjusted the motion to compensate. Mounting and swinging my right leg up and over is difficult, so I climb up higher than the horse and step down onto her back.

Once I am on, riding itself is pretty comfortable. After 20 more years I finally gave up jumping, eventing, and hunting for dressage and trail riding. The orthopedic surgeon at the time of the injury recommended a sacroiliac screw for stability, but it was the middle of hunting season and I turned down that option. Maybe in hindsight I should have had it done.

The worst thing is still sitting. I can’t comfortably drive a car for more than about 30 minutes at a stretch. But riding itself is still OK, and that’s the most important thing for me.

[Alterration]

I’m so sorry it happened to you too Are you able to sit trot ok in dressage? I’m terrified this will lock up my pelvis even more and make it difficult for me to do so.

[LCDR]

I think that I am doing OK with the sitting trot, but the horses I am riding now are not the same ones as I was riding before the injury, nor are my trainers. The most important thing is how I mount. If I really pivot my right leg (the injury was on that side) over the horse it starts to hurt immediately and the ride doesn’t go well. If it’s a comfortable mount, the ride usually goes well. At home I have built a really tall 4 step block for mounting and dismounting, but when I trailer somewhere else to ride there sometimes isn’t a good high place to use to get on.

[Alterration]

@LCDR

I think that I am doing OK with the sitting trot, but the horses I am riding now are not the same ones as I was riding before the injury, nor are my trainers. The most important thing is how I mount. If I really pivot my right leg (the injury was on that side) over the horse it starts to hurt immediately and the ride doesn’t go well. If it’s a comfortable mount, the ride usually goes well. At home I have built a really tall 4 step block for mounting and dismounting, but when I trailer somewhere else to ride there sometimes isn’t a good high place to use to get on.

Before my fall I was struggling a lot with my hips (having had surgery last year on both hips) right when I mounted. Interestingly, I bought a 4 stepper mounting block and the “fall day” was the first day I had used it, and I noticed significantly less stiffness in my hips. I didn’t connect that to mounting, but it’s quite possible that was a factor. I struggle getting my leg up over the cantle, and a low mounting block (unless it’s a very low one where I can use the power of “spring” to get up over it) was just not cutting it.

Thanks for the food for thought!!

[happilyretired]

I came off one of my guys about 7 years ago – landed on my back – and injured my SI joint. For me an old fashioned chiropractor helped immensely. I had to go back fairly regularly over the course of about 3 months … he would get everything back in place and I’d feel better, but then in a couple/few weeks I’d need to go back. He said that the injured ligaments take quite some time to heal and that eventually everything would tighten back up and I wouldn’t need constant adjustments. He was right – by the end of the summer I had healed and haven’t had any trouble since. I tried to keep riding that summer but honestly I probably would have been better just taking the time off from riding and letting my body heal. Plus when I think back it probably wasn’t the safest thing to keep riding since my horse at that time was a bit unreliable.