# Riding with scoliosis? Train the rider!



## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

I'm sure a few of you probably remember when I posted a few months ago about a "collapsing hip" problem I was having - I'm dropping my left shoulder and putting all my weight into my right stirrup and twisting my body quite badly. Someone had asked if I had scoliosis.

Well, it turns out I do. :???: I started seeing a new chiropractor because my back pain has become so extreme, and he took x-rays. I have a dangerously flat neck (no curve whatsoever) and scoliosis of the spine which has actually enlarged one hip bone from the crooked way I carry myself. I carry 21.8 pounds more pressure in my right foot then my left foot. I carry my head crooked and don't even realize it.

Does anyone else have this problem? And if so, what have you done to help your riding? Looking back at photos now, I realize I've ALWAYS had a twisted back - it's just never been so drastic as to majorly affect my riding. Now the pain is almost unbearable at times, I'm taking lessons and after a round of two point I'm ready to fall off, but I've been gritting my teeth and pushing through it.

This is the ENTIRE reason for Jynxy's left lead problems - my dear blessed horse doesn't have any problem, it's her gimpy rider! I've been seeing my chiropractor and taking lessons 1-2 times per week (and riding almost daily) and for the first time in MONTHS, we finally got the left lead with me sitting down. We've discovered she'll get it every time if I'm in two point - off her back and not making HER job impossible!

Any tips would be fantastic, I am really hoping the chiropractor will be helping but he's told me his concern is with my neck right now as the scoliosis could very well be an "unfixable" thing at this point if I've had it for god knows how long and just never noticed. He thinks my symptoms lately are just a worsening of my neck and lower back in combination. Also the lessons appear to be helping as I obviously finally cantered her for the first time in six months without having to ride like a jockey! :lol:

Here are some photos for anyone confused - I DID shorten my stirrup for awhile, but my aunt (my coach) is REALLY against that and made me fix them. These photos are of my stirrups completely even:

The spitting image of my back (this could literally be MY x-ray except it curves the opposites way (left shoulder drop):









Riding Western (2010):









Riding English (2010):









And even in this photo from 2008, you can see I'm dropping my shoulder:









Thanks guys, I hope you're as good at training riders as you are horses! :lol:


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I have similar problem (although not as bad), just not on side, but sitting straight (so I have to watch out _constantly_). Can't really advice anything, but I really feel for you...!


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

I'm slightly twisted. I have trouble advancing my left leg while keeping my right behind the girth. Still haven't found a fix for it. I collapse my right shoulder. I usually roll that shoulder a few times every once in awhile to try to encourage it to stay up. I'm not sure if that's working at all, but that's what I do. You're kinda fighting your own body, so there's not much that can be done other than find a saddle that's higher on one side to compensate for your collapsed side! Hmmm, business idea coming on.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Macabre

It was I who suggested scoliosis (my son has it). It is not fixable, sadly. The best you can hope for is that it does not advance further.
It shouldn't slow you athletically, though it might cause back aches. Didn't the doc give you some ideas on excersizes to keep pain at bay?

As for being balanced in the saddle I have two thoughts on that.
One
If you are overall balanced , i.e. 50% of your body weight goes down the left side of the horse and 50% the right, then you won't fall off and your horse can maintain its' balance, too. It's kind of like Jenga; the blocks might stick out on one side, but they are balance ultimately by blocks that stick out on the other side, arent they? If not, the tower falls.
That doesn't change the fact that you may have more pressure going into one side of the saddle than the other and that could hurt the horse. For that, one can fashion custom padding to the saddle seat . Problem is, that might through the upper body off and since you cannot bend the spine back, you would not be able to recover your balance.
Is you spine just above the hip fairly mobile and straight? That's where you need to do you most frequent and dramatic movement to absorb the horse's motion.
I know it's not much consolation to you, but all riders, scoliosis or none, are crooked . I notice that one one side my pant leg always hikes up and I have more horse dander on the back of my boot. That's me gripping up or being crooked. Alway have been, probably always will be.

Just think of what our horses put up with!

You read Sally Swift's book? She had scoliosis and had to do a ton of body work, The Alexander Technique . Heard of it? Look up Peggy Cummings, too. She is some bigtime body worker around here (WA) and I just heard about her today. I know nothing so will look her up myself, too.
Later!


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

My friend has scoliosis and was in a full torso brace for a year and a half, so I know your pain!! Good luck finding a way around it to continue your riding. If it's bad enough, the doctor usually suggests surgery....has he mentioned it?


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## ShezaCharmer (Mar 13, 2010)

For all of you who say it isn't fixable you are wrong! 

I learned I had severe scoliosis two years ago and it was so severe they predicted I would have, to put it frankly, died from to much pressure on my left lung, hip, and heart in about a year. Very terrible. I not only had one curve in my spine but two.I complained of back pain to my parents for 7 years and it eventually got to the point where I couldn't stand up for more then 10 minutes at a time. 

Actually I can literally say that I was saved by a horse. I got a skin fungus that grew on the back of my head which resulted in hair loss which was caused by a me rubbing up against my lesson horse who had that fungus, which I didn't know he did. That made me go to a doctor and THAT doctor found my scoliosis. Wierd coincidence right:lol:

The doctor told me that I was to have surgery as soon as possible. Two months after finding out about my scoliosis I went through a surgery. The surgeons put two bars, countless screws, and a titanium cage into my back. I have a scar all the way from my neck to my tail bone. I also gained 11 lbs (of titanim) and 3 inches!

BUT I now can ride and ride enjoyably. I can ride straight(stick straight with those bars in my back) and catch all my leads. It took a year for me to heal and be able to ride again but it was one of the best things to happen to me because I am now pain free.

I would talk to a doctor about this surgery.

Kudos to whoever reads all this :wink:


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## Quixotic (May 22, 2009)

Actually, riding is probably the thing that has kept me from having to get back surgery. I was diagnosed with scoliosis at a very young age, & I'm pretty sure the #1 reason that my dad put me into lessons (other than the fact I was 100% horse crazy) was to teach me to maintain excellent posture. I've had several doctors tell me that I'd be much worse off right now if my posture hadn't been so good.
Did you feel more comfortable when your one stirrup was shorter? I've ALWAYS felt more balanced with my right stirrup one hole shorter. It wasn't until I was in physical therapy over the summer recovering from a car accident that I learned my right leg was actually slightly shorter than my left leg, due mostly to my scoliosis. Yes, it may look odd to observers, but if it makes you more comfortable & doesn't put you off balance, I'd just continue riding that way.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Oh wow, I hope I don't have scoliosis too! I ride pretty centered, at least as far as not having to correct my saddle much, but I feel like my left leg is longer than my right. I usually ride with my right stirrup one hole shorter and I still sometimes loose that stirrup. 

Hmm. I will have to look at some photos of myself to see if I have a noticable shoulder slouch. I do find myself sitting slouched in the car seat sometimes. Is there any other way to tell?


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

The trouble with spine problems such as scoliosis is not just what happens to you in the present, but how it will evolve later on during the decades.

I was advised to start therapeutic massage and exercises as soon as possible 

My X-Ray would show the problem in the lower back area; I was also advised to stop all sorts of riding however considering I only ride occasionally i decided I won't.

The worst part is if those vertebrae catch and pinch a nerve between them; it has happened to me and ... boy, it does hurt. Not to mention the unwanted unstoppable weird lateral flexion I had, until the medics managed to get me back as straight as possible.

MM, buy one of those huge inflatable rubber balls and google for exercises on them. Except for the fact that they take a lot of space, they help a lot.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

While I don't have scoliosis, my chiropractor discovered I was listing severely to the left. The base of my skull was almost two inches to the left of the base of my spine. This caused my head to tilt to the right, my shoulders to the left, and my hips to the right. I think I carried about 15 more lbs on the left than the right. So I certainly feel your pain about being such a ridiculously crooked rider. I hope you can find an answer. My only suggestion is to keep with the chiro appointments [I was going twice a week for three months and it only mostly fixed my back], and see a massage therapist. A side effect will surely be unevenly built muscle trying to compensate. I would also make a very conscious effort to maintain good posture ALL THE TIME. Good luck, hun.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Thanks guys! I'm on a 12 week "care plan" with my chiropractor right now where I spend four weeks going 3 times a week, four weeks going 2 times a week and four weeks going 1 time a week. After that he's going to re-x-ray me and see where we stand. He also encouraged massage therapy which I'm going to as my insurance covers it right now.

I think I'd really like to avoid riding with a shorter stirrup, as that is only likely to compound the problem - adjusting my life to the curve, when I should be working to reduce the curve. I'm very slowly starting to gain my balance back with help of a coach, I just really need eyes on the ground because I can't feel when I'm twisting half the time! 

I'm also doing exercises that are supposed to help re-develop the curve in my neck, however most of it just "hurts more" right now. I know it will all be beneficial later, it's just pushing through the pain right now as we try to correct almost a decade of deterioration! :lol: 

Thanks for the suggestions!


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## Pilot (Jun 16, 2010)

I've had scoliosis my whole life but it isn't as severe. My right leg is slightly shorter so it wears on my hip which then twist my spine, also I carry more weight on my right leg. I went to a chiropractor for a long time and it made the pain manageable but not any better. I joined a yoga class and it has helped SO much. I have no pain when I ride any more. When I first began yoga it hurt like no other so I did modified easier positions until my spine got strong enough to support me in normal poses. Yoga will also develope your core muscles which highly benefit balanced riding.


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## lacyloo (Jul 1, 2008)

Is surgery an option? I had it done last year and I am a totally new rider. I am so glad I had it done.


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## Quixotic (May 22, 2009)

Do you think something like this would help you at all?
Dover Saddlery | FITS ThinLine Shim set .


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Those seem super interesting, but the photo confuses me as all I see is an extremely crooked rider - essentially me! Is it supposed to be a photo of them WORKING? Because she sure doesn't seem very balanced to me!

I really don't think surgery is an option as this is in no way debilitating - we have free health coverage, and I'm pretty sure my doctor would not allow me to have surgery only so I could ride my horse better. Yes it would improve my overall health, but my back issues haven't resulted in me having to miss any work or anything of the like, so it's to bad so sad.

I am going to work hard to improve my muscles and posture and continue seeing my chiropractor! Thanks guys!


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

Try one of these, they're cheap and help relaxing your muscles.
My doctor basically told me there aren't many chances of straightening back my spine, however the back muscles are being over stressed and I might at least de-tense those:










Edit: don't worry, not all exercises look so dramatic ) they're easy and actually feel good too. Like a massage.


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## heart2horse (Feb 26, 2011)

I just found this thread, and had a question...

Do you notice pain at the 2-point, or while just genarally riding?
I'll sometimes come out of a lesson with my back really tight and hurting. In school my back with hurt too while i'm just sitting. Are these symptoms?

I'll be praying that everything gets better for both you and me!


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Two point is the worst for me. I try to round my back as much as possible when I'm doing two point because it's my natural inclination to hollow it due to my spine. However, I have great difficulty doing two point for any amount of time, as the pain becomes so bad it almost paralyzes my legs. However, regular riding usually works the pain out. I also tend to have shooting pain up the backs of my thighs riding English, but I am unsure if this has anything to do with the scoliosis as I usually ride Western and the recent English riding could be the cause due to the difference in position.

I am usually fine riding Western, I don't have any pain.


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