Hi- recently when I’ve been riding I’ve been getting a searing pain down my outer calf. I’m not sure if this is just a muscle issue or if it’s related to my stirrups. I currently ride in the MDC ‘S’ Flex stirrups and I love the wide footbed they have. Does anyone else have the same issue/ have any recommendations on stirrups?
thanks!
I have terrible ankles and used to get very bad pain that would radiate up from my ankles along the outside to about mid-calf. The only stirrups I’ve been able to ride in without any pain have been the Flex Ons. I use the aluminum ones but know they have a hunter version too if that is a concern for you.
I don’t have calf pain but I have terrible ankle pain and the flex stirrups make it a million times worse because there’s more movement. I ride in stirrups with a wide footbed that are solid now and that helps a lot.
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I pull my calf muscle in flex irons almost every time. I occasionally do it in regular irons as well but much, much less frequently. Solid, wide footbed irons are my go to.
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Since this is a recent development and you don’t really know what is going on, I would highly recommend you see a physical therapist (or someone similar) so they can help you pinpoint what hurts and why. They can help you address it, and may even be able to help you figure out what stirrups would be best (if you can explain to them what a stirrup is, lol).
I mean, go ahead and try other stirrups (I’m totally in the camp of try before you buy with stirrups as much as possible, because different ones work best for different people’s conformation and mechanics) and maybe just getting rid of the flex or some other tweak will make the pain magically go away. But since (the way I’m reading it) you used to like these stirrups and now there is a pretty serious pain happening, it might be symptom of an underlying issue.
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I saw the heading and opened the post. I was about to suggest MDC! I have them and absolutely love them. I have Sprenger’s as well on another saddle, but the MDC has reduced my foot pain and numbness to 0.
I hope you find the cause with your calf pain!
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Do you have sciatica issues? That’s the only thing I’ve ever had that causes a searing pain down the outside of my calf, and it is brutal. If it’s that, changing your stirrups won’t help. You’ll want to address it higher up your leg probably at your piriformis muscle.
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@hairystockings hm I don’t think so but I’m not sure. I may go to a PT soon and try to figure it out.
