In early October I woke up with sciatic pain down my right leg. I managed to largely ignore it for five weeks and continued with work and riding. My last lesson I had severe numbness in my right foot and three days later I was nearly non-weight bearing on that leg and ended up in the orthopedic walk-in clinic (mid November). My MRI showed a minor herniation of L4-L5 which was aggravating the sciatic nerve. The Orthopedist sent me to Physical Therapy and I had my first epidural injection mid December. I seemed to be improving until two weeks ago when they started increasing my exercises at PT to start building core strength. By last weekend I was in severe pain again. I’m scheduled for my second epidural next week. At this point I can’t envision even wanting to sit on a horse for quite a while, but I’m curious to hear from others who have been down this path and what it took to get you back riding.
I went through something similar when I fractured L5. PT helped a lot, but traditional core strengthening (sit-ups, crunches, etc) really aggravate things. Isometrics and yoga work best for me, since core strength is critical after an injury like this. I also make sure I sit with good posture…either on an exercise ball or cross legged on the floor.
You may find you need to rethink human saddle for when you get back to riding. I tried as many as I could and wound up with a Fhoenix Vogue. It makes lessons challenging, since any other saddle is very painful. Which is part of why I don’t ride anymore.
Recovery really is a long term project. It took YEARS for me to be comfortable standing for long periods or lift heavy objects (like hay). The good news is I’ve
gotten to the point where I can do hoof trimming on my horses.
I herniated L5-S1 in August (eons ago). I had some foot drop immediately post herniation but luckily, that resolved pretty quickly. I did PT and found massage helped the most for getting those tight muscles to let go (and consequently relieve the nerve). I signed up for targeted deep tissue massage on my low back–30 minutes 2x/week. That was September. Finally, by December, I felt much better. I started back riding after the first of the year when the weather finally relented (no indoor available). The disc did heal and I have had little problem with it since. It take the time it takes unfortunately.
Jingles for healing.
Susan
I herniated L4-L5 Mother’s Day weekend of 2015 while trail riding in Hitchcock Woods. Got off my horse and went to lift his water bucket, only to realize I couldn’t. Rode the next day for 3 hours and then drove 4 hours home to Atlanta. Visited the chiropractor thinking I tweaked my back. Continued seeing chiro weekly until I blacked out from pain while pumping gas on my own which got me a trip to the ER.
It took until October to get the MRI and the results on Oct 31 that it was actually herniated. I wasn’t riding or running anymore, but was managing upper body workouts. No heels, no driving stick. I opted to wait for the rollover to the new year for insurance. Had my first epidural steroid injection Jan 12 and it got worse. Jan 24 I scheduled for a Feb 19 2016 discectomy. Later turned out that my first injection had nicked my spinal cord and I had a spinal fluid leak.
Second injection was early March, two weeks later I felt great. Got back on the horse and was able to start jumping again by June 2016 and competing in 3’6" by August.
We’ll see how long the injection holds…
My Ortho never prescribed PT because he felt that my gym routine was informal PT.
“I herniated L5-S1 in August (eons ago)”
Kyra, do you mean of last year? That is so not eons in the scheme of discs. Good for you!!
I am at 4 years and still get some stabs in my legs, toes, and buzzy/electrical leg if I do too much of my very light workout at the gym.
I hate discs. They really need to find a way to make them grow in, rehydrate and fluff up. I think they probably could (same for cord problems) but, you know . . .
No Beaujolais, truly eons ago, like in the 80’s:lol:. My back had been sore and stiff after stacking some hay. I bent over to pick up a hose and it popped. I pretty much knew what it was at that moment.
I do board my horse now so I don’t have to do the HEAVY lifting anymore. My back is much happier.
Susan
My horse spooked pretty badly on a trail ride on a dirt road. I fell and when I got up my legs felt pretty wobbly but I figured the fall just shook me up. Got back on and rode 2 miles home. The next day I was at a show with my daughter and was pretty sore and limped all day. The next morning I couldn’t walk, sit, stand or much else. Never before have I ever experienced such agony. Ruptured L4-L5 pretty badly.
I walked with a cane for 8 months and at almost 10 months I stood on the mounting block trying to reason with myself why I was even thinking about getting back on a horse. It took me 15 minutes before I would throw my leg over. That was in 2000. I am very fortunate to be as normal as I am and I am very glad that I got back on. I ride still although I no longer jump or go for 6 hour trail rides. I can still throw a bail of hay, just can’t stack as high.
I took up another hobby while I was recovering. I always loved photography so I learned how to edit images professionally during my down time. I believe this saved my sanity.
I will say that my back hurts much less now than before the rupture and I had a bulging disc. My back would go out at any time and I was down for at least three days.
I am very thankful I had a remarkable recovery. Good luck to you!
Now I get it, Krya. 
Yes, do stay away from the heavy things, for sure.
Thanks for the stories and encouragement. I don’t honestly know what started my flare up in October- I literally woke up barely able to move one morning. I was going for weekly massages at that point so had the massage therapist work on me for the first few weeks thinking I was just tight and pinching something, unfortunately massage and stretching proved to be of very little help.
Fortunately the horse is on full board, though I’m starting to think keeping him in training is a waste. I’m single and it’s all I can do at this point to manage the house with the dog and the cat, I can’t imagine if I had to do the barn stuff too. Fortunately my work has been very understanding and accommodating, but some things like the amount of standing, walking, and driving between locations is unavoidable so I seem to use up all of my “push through” ability to get through my workday.
I was loading a monster warmblood into an old straight load (tiny escape door) and he decided to fly off backwards. Instinctively I held on to the rope as long as I could and almost broke my arm on the door frame. The next morning I was introduced to sciatica when I tried to shave my legs and couldn’t lift one. I have struggled with it on and off ever since.
I do Alieve therapy when it is flaring and stretches. It can last a few weeks and then get better. Twisting in a car to talk to people on long trips is bad, unfortunately almost any exercise, including walking, causes it to hurt, but I can walk and do stretches. I can no longer run or do cardio (bouncing). I don’t know if this is true for others. I also focus on piriformis stretches when I do any working out.
My ancillary problem is I broke my foot around the same time and it didn’t heal well. Between the two issues I gained about 15 lbs. So I’m currently doing the first diet of my life 
and trying to get weight down without a lot of exercise. At the same time I’m starting to walk again on the treadmill. I FEEL like I can do more, but I’m really trying hard to take it super, super slow. I would also like to do yoga.
My grandfather has horrible, debilitating sciatica and it really scares me.
I’m very interested in anyone’s exercise regimen.
Sorry, I wish I could just edit, but I didn’t answer your question. Riding a narrow horse is fine. Doesn’t bother my back. I need to really work on stretching after a hard ride though, and I usually take an alieve proactively–before it hurts. I’m not jumping or sitting the trot though, that might hurt me. Riding a wide horse bothers me quite a bit. Also, I have wide composite stirrups (not the bouncy ones) and those have helped tremendously (also with my knee).
I started PT (limited ROM “stretches” basically) for sciatica in December last year and it took 6 months before the bottom of my foot stopped tingling. I did really well for a while but I’ll tire my back out sometimes and can feel it burning. I’ve also lately had problems sitting at work and in the car - not huge but a bit of pain. Stretching will need to be maintained for the rest of my life I bet.
From Dec-April my horse was on stall rest so I was catch riding 2x per week. April I started the riding rehab for my horse, working slowly up to 30 w, 30, t, 30 c. I was on him every single day from mid April through July 1. I think the first few minutes of posting trot were uncomfortable from December on but I’d either warm up out of it or ignore it.
I still get a bit of burning sometimes right when I get on - I think my leg and back muscles and joints have to stretch and release to get into riding position and then I feel pretty good.
So from my experience, I was able to keep riding the whole time but it was limited for 4+ months due to my horse’s stall rest.
Ooo, regard the car, do any of you use this cushion? For me, this cushion and a small lumbar support are essential.
Haven’t had the ruptured disc problem (yet), but something similar…
Pretty badly pulled my piriformis in 2015. Did PT, chiro, and it got better. Flash forward to this year, when the pain mysteriously (no obvious cause) recurred… thought I knew what to do, got referred to PT again. 6 weeks in, no joy - might have even gotten worse. Finally got an MRI, and they found a cyst in my spine that was sitting on the sciatic nerve. At least it wasn’t some annoying muscle problem, right?
The first round of steroid injections did nothing, but the second got the right spot, and significantly reduced the pain. It’s still there, though, so I’m going to see the surgeon tomorrow. But at least now I can pick hooves, work out my lower body and do modified crunches again!
At least at first, riding was one of the things that seemed to make it better for awhile, so I guess I was lucky. Lately, between the weather and the healing hoof bruise, I haven’t had a chance to see if it still works…
But the point of this post is to go back to the doctor if you possibly can when PT or taking it easy isn’t helping. Even if your x-rays look ok, there might be something else wrong. Pretend it’s your horse, not yourself, that needs working up. 
In 2004 I had to have a discectomy to trim the L4-5 disc and to retrieve the piece of disc that was lodged in my sciatic nerve. (And yes, I was in a lot of pain.) It took me a long time to recover but I had other issues going on. I was back to riding about 18 months later. I was still recovering, as I would frequently get whole leg charlie horses in my right leg. But I did recover and get stronger. I also became more body aware and became a better rider for it.
I did go to PT and I have never stopped doing the exercises. I do not do crunches but the exercises I do have given me a very strong core. I seem to have to check in for PT every 4 years or so and get a few more exercises to help with whatever is bothering me at the time. (I keep telling my husband that if he wants me to keep the “goddess-like body” that I need to stop working and do all my PT for a few hours a day. He just tells me to make sure I’m on time for work…Don’t know what that’s about. )
A couple of years ago my right leg started going numb when I gave a seminar. Apparently standing for 2 1/2 hours after working all day was causing my spine to come down onto my sciatic nerve. When the doctor checked I had no disc left. The surgeon wanted to do spinal fusion but I opted out of that. In stead I got an inversion table (very inexpensive on Craig’s list) and at the end of the day, if I have a problem, I use the inversion table and gravity to undo the damage that gravity did during the day. works like a charm.
At this point I do feel like I’m held together with baling twine and chewing gum but I just turned 60 and I ride 4 or 5 days a week weather permitting. I’m learning to jump and I do a lot of no stirrup work and sitting trot work. I’ve had a few falls and have not been the worse for it. I am hoping to do some showing and perhaps ride in a very, very, very low level event. All of this is just to say that there can be riding after surgery, it may take some time, but be good to yourself, listen to your body (and your doctor) and you can have a pain-free life.
Sciatic pain, bulging discs, arthritis and piriformis issues here… I was crippled, couldn’t sleep, and could barely get out of bed in the mornings, and I was miserable.
I had the steroid injections, which worked very well for me.
I also ride a much narrower horse now. This has been pretty key to my continued riding.
I’m a dressage rider, thirdish level, so a lot of sitting the trot, core engagement and collection.
Two things I do religiously is to hand walk at least 4 brisk laps of the arena prior to getting on, and at the end of a ride, get off my horse and hand walk briskly for 5 or 10 minutes for cool out, focusing as I do on my gait, straightness and posture.
I’m convinced this has made a huge difference. I don’t stiffen up in the car on the way home (until recently I had a 45 minute ride home from the barn, with barn chores at home at the end of it, and before I started doing this, I’d struggle to get out of the car when I got home.)
It’s so damn painful and miserable, I hope you can find something that helps. I’m sitting here now on the sofa after a fairly hard lesson this evening, and I’m aware of a bit of a flare, (but I didn’t follow my hand walk protocol correctly after my ride, so that’s my fault,) but I know that if I take 2 ibuprofen when I go to bed, I will be OK in the morning.
^ Walking and swimming helped tremendously. I no longer swim but I continue to walk. Long, swinging strides to loosen my hips works best. (My horse and I both need to work on this. )
I dealt with sciatic pain from a herniated disc off and on since I was 19. PT @ 19, car accident (severe) at 21, then more PT (a year, useless), and finally chiro (a year, made it manageable).
Another car accident at 23, went right back to chiro. Couldn’t get it to “stick”, ended up with injections, 3 sites, 3 times, 3 weeks apart @ 24. Bought me 5 decent years.
At 30, ended up getting L5-S1 fused, and OMG what a life changer. I learned to live with the sciatic pain, but the back pain was pretty bad and I didn’t even realize how much it impacted my life until it was gone!
I echo those who said walking does help keep you loose, a good chiro can be a godsend. I did the piroformis stretches too which brought some relief. Injections were worth it for me. But all in all, I just learned to tough it out.
Unfortunately I had no improvement with the second injection. I went to the Dr for my recheck today and was told next step would be microdisectomy. I really don’t want to go the surgery route so I’m putting it off for now and trying to work on pain management for a while longer. We will see how that goes for the next month until my next follow up appointment. In the meantime I’m planning for an extended time off (I’ve already been off 3 months) so I’ve decided to pull my horse out of training and move him closer to home.
Sorry you didn’t get relief after #2 - but FYI, I needed the third to feel a difference. The first did nothing, the second I MIGHT have felt a smidge improvement, but #3 I had a few years of reasonably comfortable functioning.
