# Recovering from car accident and riding problems.



## gigem88 (May 10, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your injuries and hope you'll heal quickly. Unfortuantely, I don't have any advice


----------



## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Thanks Gigem! Appreciate it so much!


----------



## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

*A reply to a plea for some friendly words of encouragement*

Fly - I’d give you a hug - but it is too long for my arms to stretch.

You’ve started your recovery in many ways, not least by letting it all hang out on the Forum. The key thing is to work out in your own mind how you are going to heal yourself. It has already been fourteen months which seems a long time but you did take a pounding after all - two car crashes in one by the sound of it. I’ll tell you my story.

A few years ago I suffered from a bad car accident when a Mercedes slammed into the back of my stationary little Suzuki. I was ‘lucky’ enough to take some of the force of the impact on my sacrum. Less than 12 months later my sacrum took another pounding when I was thrown by my horse off my horse. I wound up with a lump over my spine the size of a football. And I had banged my head.

Eventually I got round to looking up in a medical dictionary all my ailments and I tackled each one with an appropriate positive attitude. The physical injuries all healed but I was left with ’tension’ and sharp horses don’t like to sense tension in their rider. As a result I fell off my horse five more times in short order, which after over 30 years of riding, was undignified to say the least.

Then one day I discovered a clinical psychologist, a medical profession whose stock in trade is listening. A clever lady really, she sat and listened for half an hour or more and I talked and then paid her for listening to me talk. All she did for her money was to explain how the human brain works. 

Apparently there’s a silent segment of the brain which quietly looks after itself and indirectly the rest of our body including the conscious segment which we wrongly believe to be in full control of both mind and body. This silent segment happens to be the same bit of brain which keeps us up in the saddle. It is the bit which keeps our bodies working and importantly which controls our reflexes. (That brain business would be a good question for you to ask to be explained by the psycho). 

At the time I named my state of tension as Post Traumatic Fall Disorder - whereas you might now have what might be called Post Traumatic ‘Accident’ Disorder, after all, you didn’t fall off your horse. 

You might need to learn how to relax again in which case you will be told to humm, to sing, to wiggle your toes and to lay on a hard flat floor and go to sleep. But hopefully they will tell you all about Dr Alexander and eventually Pilates - a brand of physical exercises which work on the centre core of muscles - the lower back, the thighs and the stomach.

The physiotherapist maybe the key to some of your pains. She’ll give you the once over and an exercise routine - which you must follow on a daily basis. Poor posture maybe another cause of transferred pain. But who am I to suggest any treatment, I am not a physio. 

Then there is: 
How do you stand? 
How do you sit in a chair?. 
Is the mattress on your bed too soft.?
How do you walk?

As for the horse - well he seems to be a patient chap - but when did you last have a professional look at how you sit in the saddle. Take a video of yourself going round and round in circles at walk, trot and canter (if you can). Then ask yourself if you are sitting up straight. Are you sitting level, front and rear, side to side? Do you need to relearn how to sit properly in the saddle?

Pain! Well there is always aspirin or ibuprophen or ???whatever is your preference???? and hot baths, Plus you can swim in cold water or slump in a Jacuzzis - ie big magical tubs of hot water. 

Fly. I am no doctor. I repeat, I am no doctor. All I am doing is telling you what I did personally in a bid to cure myself of my own injuries, aches and pains following an accident Much of what I have written about may not apply to you. But I know where you stand. I have been there myself.
I am by no means free of my own ailments but I have an excuse, I am well over twice your age..

Think about it Girl, you owe it to your family, your horse and yourself 

B G.


----------



## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Barry, thanks so much!
Tough go on wrecks, never thought they could be so bad. Especially when you don't actually break parts. The nerves, spine, etc are the hardest to heal. Thanks again for all the good advice. I haven't been to a psychologist yet, it's now on my to do list. You know how it is, suck it up and go through the day but I do need to let it out. 

You are right about habits and exercise. I've been keeping up with PT and doing yoga. I know it helps, especially to keep me limber and centered for riding. Have yet to be bucked off Rick! I can't believe you fell off 6 times! Way to keep it up. I've been riding almost daily for over 23 years and haven't had a fall in 19. Knock on wood. I'm an artist so I know my posture and arm usage doesn't help, probably why the doctors keep telling me to quit. I have bills to pay so it isn't an option. Plus I love it. I have been taking week long breaks between projects and that helps. I also cut back, only work in 5 hour intervals, and lowered my chair so I'm not hunching over doing detail work. Then going out for an hour or two working with the horses, piddling on the farm... It takes effort not to pull all nighters and grab rush projects.

I got Rick last September, I hadn't been riding since the wreck and knew I needed an outlet and exercise. Having to get out there and work with him has kept me going I think. I didn't want a project horse but when I met him I knew it was going to be the best for both of us! He was heading to the sale barn where 99.9% of the horses go to Mexico. When I tried him out he didn't meet a single thing on my list, but I knew after riding him for a couple hours it was a great workout and he had potential. Too much to pass up. I worked with a trainer for a month, dressage/pleasure, and she helped me turn him around. I remember your nice comments when I first posted about him! She went over my seat and didn't state anything was wrong. Here are a couple clips of me riding him. First one is the day I tried him. Total nightmare but he didn't buck!




And this is two months after I had him. He's only 4 going to be 5 this spring. I've only been working on the basics with him, not pushing him hard. He has a lovely trot, too bad I don't have any vids of that. I think my seat is pretty good, no tension. It has been EXCELLENT for me to have to focus on being relaxed for his sake. I know from experience that as soon as one tenses up everything flies out the window! I've worked too hard with him to flush it. We've come a long way after this video was taken, he's calmed down even more, pretty soft and a beast on the trails! If you see a problem call me out on it!





Barry I really appreciate the time and telling me about your experience. You are dead on. Getting it out on here and hearing from people dealing with similar experiences helps. Thanks again!


----------



## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

Fly. You and I know that you could be dead or paralysed so you are a lucky girl to have survived. All you now have to get to grips with is some pain - so find a pain killer which doesn’t lead to bad habits.

Look up Pilates - it is similar to Yoga but more specific to the centre core muscles which you need for riding horses..

The horse looks fine - but I see you ride one handed without a riding hat.. I’d prefer to see you riding two handed with the horse on the bit, and importantly wearing a riding hat - especially as you have suffered shock. You don’t want to bang your head again - do you.

Enjoy your horse and keep on being lucky.
Barry G


----------



## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Yes, terribly lucky. Most importantly my daughter was fine, I would rather be 100 times worse off than have her hurt.

Not having the helmet on is *stupid*. We all ride with them now. Not going to take any additional chances other than the obvious riding one! As for on the bit, I really can't any longer. I have to look at my right hand to keep the reins from slipping. It is a disaster, and throws everything off. I have gone back and forth western/english forever. I'm a country hack for now, hopefully going to train again in the future! 

Ditto on the meds, mild anti-inflamitorys and tylenol only. I couldn't handle the stronger ones. Natural herbs also.

6 lives down, three to go! Hope you have a wonderful day!


----------



## cmarie (Dec 19, 2011)

I found that toradol (sp?) shots worked for me when I got whiplash, ripped all the muscles in the left side of my neck and face, and broke my neck in a car accident but went through over a year of psychical therapy before it was suggested it works for about 4 months at least it did for me. Learning Bio-feedback also worked for me to manage the pain, but it doesn't work when I'm stressed. It sounds to me like you have pinched nerves in your neck somewhere causing the numbness in your arms. Don't do what I did and overdo when you get feeling better and mess yourself up more. Be careful of pain meds to easy to form a habit even when you need them.


----------



## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

I have a student who is recovering from an accident that gave her severe head injuries. As a result, she has memory lapses, and equilibrium problems. Before I took her on, she had another instructor. One time, she had balance problems and fell from her horse. She shattered her pelvis requiring a year away from her five horses.

She has recovered, mostly, from her pelvic injury and wanted to take lessons. Several instructors turned her down. One of my students told her about me and she asked my help to get her back on a horse. I understand that she has to "rebuild" the mental pathways that control her balance and abilities to ride. I took her on.

She has to go very slowly and do tons of movement repetitions to rebuild her "pathways". Sometimes the slow progress is frustrating to her, knowing the dressage she was able to do before the accidents. BUT, slow is what it takes.

Well, she is doing SO well. She is relearning the rising trot and her equilibrium is hugely improved. Today she was relearning the use of leg/hand/seat to perform leg yielding. She is eager to get back to canter and I am holding her back for a bit to ingrain her newly relearned abilities. 

She has a talented danish/TB that I am falling in love with. He has become the kindest "babysitter" never taking advantage and allowing her to get back nicely.

Anyway, what I am telling you is to not be in a hurry. Accidents have so many unknown variables, it will be easy to miss something and go too fast. Just like training a horse, you must lay a good foundation (or lay a new and improved one). Once you do that, the rest may go a lot easier.


----------



## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Thanks for the experiences! 
Cmarie, sounds like it was awful. I was told it's better to break something than to have not and getting over nerve damage is the worst. I bet you had both so I don't believe that for a second. I'm not on pain meds. I refuse. Only mobic which is mild. Seen too many people get hooked on that crud and ruin their lives. I try to take it easy but kept damaging them. I helped my hub put up a display tent in 35mph winds one day and about passed out. No more.

Allison you are wonderful for taking her on and getting her back into what she loves. You know there is no better medicine!
I'm taking it slow, only walking most of the time. I did go and get a project instead of a "babysitter". It's really turned out better than it should have. I resorted back into my old habits of looking for potential and helping a horse instead of getting one that was 99.9%. The good thing is I HAD to get out there and work with him. I HAVE to ride him and get him finished out. It's helped me get back in shape, we went for a long trail ride and that horse was "bombproof" for me and never took a wrong step. I slipped down an embankment, had the reins in my left hand, tried to catch myself with my right and crumbled. Poor Rick took it like a man and didn't freak out. He stood solid and waited for me to crawl back up to him. Cool horse. IF there was a problem I'd be the first one to admit he wasn't working out and find him a new home. Thank heavens I was right about him. 

I agree taking it slow is the only way to go. Galloping across the fields bareback isn't in the cards for me anytime soon! I'm thankful for a couple rounds of walking in the yard!


----------



## maesseren (Jan 24, 2012)

At the end of 2008 I had a bad accident, like you, it could've been much worse (without going into detail on the forum, I was in an accident with a two-trailered articulated lorry (so approx 40 tonnes) on a motorway, I ended up spinning down the fast lane in the dark). I went to hospital (still very much in shock, it took me months to overcome the shock) and I had central neck pain, which would indicate a fractured neck. So, they closed off the motorway, strapped me to a board and took me off. I ws lucky to get whiplash only, however I feel the pain daily still in my neck, I'm not convinced that the doctor didn't miss something, but who am I to say, mostly I have full strength, and almost full range of movement. My right shoulder is affected too, that mostly due to a fall from speed off one of my horses a year before, and I also think that that fall, combined with my head injury in 2005, is what made my whiplash worse. 

It took me 6 months before I could get back on a horse after my accident, as I was in too much pain, and I've ridden with a broken foot before (fell off jumping, hobbled to my horse, clambered back on and continued). I'm on amitriptyline daily now as a preventer which IMO doesn't seem to be working much. Been back to my gp but she's about as much use as a chocolate teapot, therefore getting no where! I just dose myself up on painkillers daily to get thru the day, I rarely ride (due to life circumstances not pain) these days, but to sit at a computer and do work causes me greater pain. When I'm up on my feet and actually active, I'm not half as bad. 

Now, for the ankle, I'm one of the most accident prone people you'll ever meet! I've fallen off my horse, being unable to stand on one ankle, fallen down stairs so done the other ankle, and invariably, either ankle during PE back when I was at school! Now both ankles are slightly deformed at have a inversion when relaxed. I walk normally, maybe slightly flat footed, and whilst they don't generally cause me pain, I have to be careful with what shoes I wear as I fall out of most (yes, fall!) dolly shoes and high heeled shoes, even if I get 'tied in' to them, and get pain in my feet if I'm stood still or walk too far.

Whilst its difficult to use your affected limbs it's important you do so, as your brain will relearn how to use them effectively. Do any exercises you've been set, and practice picking small things up with your affected hand, like coins, with and without you watching. An effective way of doing it I guess would be to chop cake into small pieces, or bits of chocolate, and look away, or close your eyes without the temptation to peak, while you pick up a piece and eat it.

As much as I know you said you'd rather not, but from the medical experience I have, take pain killers, if your pain is not under control, how the hell do you expect your body to be able to heal? You also need to be in control of your pain to function correctly, as you'll be finding alternate ways to move, therefore you won't be moving correctly and will invariably be using mobility muscles for stabilisation and it's more tiring on you and those muscles are not built to take the constant strain of stability. Strap up your ankle to ride, and dose yourself up on painkillers. Give yourself a couple of days to adjust and I'm sure you'll be feeling better. If you're in enough pain to require that level of painkillers then against misconceptions, you won't get addicted to them. You can reduce them down as you feel necessary, but usually what happens is you'll be given a base rate to try and you'll titrate up to a level where you're totally pain free, but you won't be given too much.


----------



## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Maesseren you are accident prone, poor girl! So over three years and still feeling it? Ohhhh no.

You are right about repetitive movement and working at a desk. CRAP it's worse than getting out and being active. Doctors told me to quit my job. Well I'm kind of a good artist with several campaigns and I can't just quit. I can still draw but I have to really focus, only making matters worse. I've noticed my hand coordination is improving with practice but I still have the numbness.

And most doctors are worthless. If the issue isn't glaring them in the face they don't see it. I had an MRI, X-Rays, nerve tests, you name it. They didn't see anything but I tried to get another due to the fact that my NECK WAS SOOO SWOLLEN and sometimes that can press a fracture together making it invisible to the machines, nope they won't hear me out. It is still inflamed, sore and swollen making my face/neck/arm numb and burning at the same time. Stupid people won't LISTEN. I've cried, screamed, pleaded for help. Still get... "sucks to be you." MORONS.
I wore 4inch loaded high heels for the first time in two years to a COC banquet. My husband told me to quit limping because it looked like I was intoxicated! I had hardly drank much, but was about too because the pain was so bad! LOL!

Have you tried gabapentin (sp) for nerve pain? It doesn't have the addictive properties and helped a bit. Unfortunately it made my panic attacks worse and I had to quit taking it. I do take something to help my anxiety before I ride, which helps me stay "loose" in the saddle, only 1/2 a pill but it makes a world of difference! That and ginsing, heck why not. I'm hoping it'll at least have a placebo effect.


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Allison Finch said:


> I have a student who is recovering from an accident that gave her severe head injuries. As a result, she has memory lapses, and equilibrium problems. Before I took her on, she had another instructor. One time, she had balance problems and fell from her horse. She shattered her pelvis requiring a year away from her five horses.
> 
> She has recovered, mostly, from her pelvic injury and wanted to take lessons. Several instructors turned her down. One of my students told her about me and she asked my help to get her back on a horse. *I understand that she has to "rebuild" the mental pathways that control her balance and abilities to ride. I took her on.*
> 
> ...


 
I recently heard a lecture on the radio about treating balance problems that Parkinsons Disease patients experience with *Tai Chi. *
The need to move very slowly and maintain and ever changing (rather than static) balance was a huge improvement for these folks who have the shaking and nerve damage inherent with this disease.


----------



## maesseren (Jan 24, 2012)

I'm unbelievably accident prone, you can guarantee I'll injure myself at least daily somehow! I learn to live with it, very rarely bruise so have nothing to show for the aches I sometimes have!

Nerves take a while to regenerate, but they do repair, I can't remember the exact amount but it's about 2mm per month or so, so if you've had quite extensive damage then it could take a long time (longer for bigger nerves). 

I have to be careful about what tablets doctors give me, but my gp was considering trialling me on beta blockers, although it just shows how rubbish she is as I have a family history of asthma and that's quite a big contraindication. Ah well, I'll humour her if she decides to try it, but will request an asthma check first. But yes, I still feel it, like I said, I don't know whether its a combination of all three accidents, or whether there is something more sinister going off, but given that I've not had any new X-rays etc since the night of my accident, I wonder whether I should push for another scan, given that it's no better, if not worse.

Most people cover fully from normal whiplash by the time 2-3 years is up, providing there are no other problems exacerbating the newfound injury. Don't give up what you enjoy, just do everything in moderation and build things back up to a level which you can cope with.


----------

