# Collapsed Hip? Help!



## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

I have battling this problem for awhile now and it's driving me CRAZY. I never used to do this - I took lessons with a Dressage coach back in 2005 and also with my aunt (hunter/jumper coach) around then and this was not a problem.

Fast forward to last winter (less then a year ago) I started lessons with the same Dressage coach again - and I have this wonky shoulder that's dropping like crazy and making me look like a hunchback. I CANNOT feel this - when someone tells me I'm even, I feel so unbalanced it's like I'm going to fall off. We took lessons with her briefly but her schedule was insane, so we stopped after a couple months.

I am desperately looking for a coach right now and it is downright PATHETIC how few of them we have - everyone I know is booked solid, and it's looking like I may have better luck finding a really good pony clubber to help me out. My aunt will be back end of November to help me out, but until then, I'm screwing my poor horse up!

I have somewhat resolved this problem by actually shortening my one stirrup in my Western saddle - these photos show me English with my stirrups the same length. I have back problems, and my chiropractor actually informed me I have so much hip tension that my one leg is several INCHES shorter then my other leg. 

Any help would be muchly appreciated - since seeing how bad I've gotten in these photos, I've essentially stopped riding. I'll be letting Jynx gain some weight and doing ground work with Zierra while she's off, and hopefully losing more weight (I've lost 8 pounds in a month, YAY!) You can be as harsh as you want, I really need to know EXACTLY what I'm doing wrong here and how I can attempt to fix it, or if I even CAN fix it without a coach (I somehow doubt it as I NEED someone to tell me I'm doing it, but Shay-la has been very good at being my eyes lately, so if someone has a suggestion, she can watch from the ground). I've been riding my entire life, but I am a Western rider at heart and have only had periods of scattered English lessons in my life amongst being almost totally self taught from a young age riding Western.

Sorry for the novel and thanks in advance!









Side view









REALLY shows how badly I'm dropping my left shoulder and scrunching my hip - my comments on my Dressage test said it's actually causing me to drop all my weight into my right stirrup and screw my horse up :-(









Head on shot

This is a really good photo to show how bad it was this summer while trail riding - this was before shortening my stirrup:










And this is from the same show, showing the slight improvement when I ride in my Western with a shortened stirrup:


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## mbender (Jul 22, 2009)

Did your chiro help by any adjustments? I am shorter on my left and its also in my hip but I have been going to the chiro and he says he can fix it.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Actually, no. He told me about it and was working on it, but it seemed every week I'd revert back. So he told me it was muscular, to do my exercises and that he couldn't help me anymore. I really should go get a second opinion, but I don't have insurance and I REALLY can't afford it right now. :-(


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## mbender (Jul 22, 2009)

I understand. I would still do your excersises as much as you can. Definetly get a second opinion. When you can.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

*Could it be scoliosis?*

MM,

Have you ever been checked for Scoliosis? That is a kind of twisting of the spinal column. How old are you , if I might ask? Your twist is SO obvious that I think it has to be in your spinal alignment.
Could you post some photos of how you stand and walk, when NOT on a horse?

I am going to look at the photos again, b ut this thought came to me instantley and I wanted to share this with you. Hope I did not alarm you. My son has it, friends of mine have it, it's very common.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Yikes, I never even thought of anything like that. I do have back problems - I was in a bad car accident about 8 years ago, and x-rays show my tailbone is visibly crooked and curved out from the rest of my spine. It actually came to light in 2005 when I was getting lessons in exchange for chores and had to stop because I crippled myself up so bad mucking stalls, I couldn't bend over at more then a 40 degree angle. It took six months of chiropractic to bring me around, and I was fine for years but recently it's started acting up again.

I'm 25 years old, and I feel my weight has something to do with it as well. I'm working hard to lose it, I hope to shed at least 40 more pounds by spring.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Scoliosis is a possibility but if that's it, I wonder why the chiro didn't say something. I don't know what kind of excersizes he has you doing, but I would be working on strenghtening my right side and stretching my left side. Maybe right sided crunches and then stretching your left side in a standing side stretch or something.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

That trail pic is indeed WOW! Very unbalanced. Sorry you have such a problem! 

I personally would suggest to do exercises on both sides working twice hard with your bad side. Like stretching, bending, using big ball, may be little trampoline. Also in english saddle instead of making the leather shorter you can look into sicker iron pad instead.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Wow, sure you didn't slip a disk in that accident 8 years ago? Those pictures scream curved spine. I have a curve, not nearly as noticeable as yours, but it's always a factor and always pulls my seat bone off the saddle on the other side to boot. It does suck. Hopefully some of the stretching exercises can help your situation.


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## 2horses (Oct 11, 2009)

Since the chiropractor mentioned tightened muscles, look up psoas muscle stretches. If they are contracted, they can cause a lot of hip problems.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

It sucks to have back trouble so early in life. All I can say is "Bummer!" 
I rememer reading in Tom Dorrance's book that when he got old he had to custom fit his saddle to put a riser under one of his hips to help straighten out his spine. That might be someting you can do; make some sort of apad that goes on top of your saddle to level you out.

You also could try riding with your legs hanging to help stretchout the muscles.
Cute horse, and she seems to compensate just fine.

I would not beat yourself up about your weight. I don't think the weight is what is causeing the misalingment. I am a chunk and I do ok. I am sure, however, that i'd do better if I took off the suitcase I carry around on my tummy. I definintely have to work harder in every way because of excess weight, but if I have problems , it is not only due to the weight.


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## Hubbardshorses (Oct 9, 2010)

I'm sorry that you are so unbalanced physically. I wanted to tell you that I have a left leg that is shorter due to fractures and I have had problems with dropped shoulder out of the saddle. After having quite a bit of pain with the muscles in my hip and low back I saw a orthopedist and they said I had a rotated spine. Nothing they could do for it... I decided to look for other options. I then started getting chiropractic adjustments. I now have found the the treatment regimen for me that works is....Adjustments, Beginners yoga (Helps stretch and strengthen) and acupuncture (Helps relax muscles and added pain reliever. I've only been doing this for over a year and have had wonderful results.) Maybe it would help you out as well. Yoga really helps me keep my adjustments in place. Oh and I had to get a shoe lift insert for the shorter leg to help keep me more balanced when i walked. (Chiropractor measured me for that) $8.00 insert. Hope you get something to help you out. Congratulations on your recent weight loss. You are doing great...Your horse is beautiful BTW. Take care~


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Thanks a ton guys, it was very helpful to hear all the suggestions! I will definitely be speaking to my doctor about some x-rays and a referral to a specialist to hopefully rule out anything skeletally wrong.

I don't know if it means anything, but I also get INTENSE pain in my right thigh when I ride English - right in the muscle that connects my butt to my knee, along the underside. I was riding English a lot lately to get into the swing of things, and it wasn't getting any better - basically, only at the walk, so I'd have to get everyone to trot because posting was the only thing that would make it subside briefly. I passed it off as being out of shape and something that would pass, but after several weeks of riding English, it's as bad as ever and I'm usually gritting my teeth from the pain.

I think I will stick to Western until I sort out any underlying medical issues as I have managed to adjust my saddle to suit me quite well.

I'll keep you guys posted on anything I find out - and start doing the exercises and see if they help!

Also someone asked for a pic of me not on a horse? This is from the same show - it appears I have a slight droop on solid ground? Maybe it IS coming from my hips instead of my spine?


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

*Now, here's another thought . ..*

MM,
Here's another annoying thought that came to me, especially when you say your leg hurts. I know exactly which muscle you are talking about , it's one of the hamstring muscles. Question ; do you ever get charley horse cramps in that muscle AFTER riding? This is kind of personal, but I get them in the middle of intimate activities with my husband. Kind of inconvenient. Only after a hard ride in my dressage saddle.

Anyway, a long time ago I had an old Stubben all purpose that I loved the look of but there was something wanky about it that always made me post unevenly. I was shown that the tree in that saddle was warped! It made a HUGE diffeenence in how it felt to me. Needless to say, I gave the saddle away to someone who wanted to use it only for walking, where it didn't seem to make such a difference. So, also check the alignment of your saddle. Checck it from various angles to see if it is not exactley symetrical. It is hard to see, but look at the D rings on the front and other points that should be exactly even. Look from above, side, upside down. Reef on it to be sure that the tree has not cracked. That would cause major misalingment.

Maybe you will just have to be a western rider. Nothing wrong with that.
I ride W and Dressage and have learned so much from being W for awhile.


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## tealamutt (Aug 21, 2009)

2horses said:


> Since the chiropractor mentioned tightened muscles, look up psoas muscle stretches. If they are contracted, they can cause a lot of hip problems.


I agree, especially when you say you have that pain in your thigh, I think you're describing the ilio-psoas muscle and some sciatic pain. I used to have a real problem with this after I broke my back when I was 16. You will find some amazing stretches to help.

And I think you're right about the weight being a factor. I used to be about 70lbs heavier (maybe a scosh more) and I had all kinds of pain and alignment issues. I dropped the weight, pretty slowly, and added lots of stretching, strengthening, and yoga and it has made a world of difference for me. I still have alignment issues but they are far less noticable at 150 lbs than they were at 225!! Good luck!


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## Rascaholic (Oct 4, 2010)

I'm a fluffy lady as well  I recently had a fall that has put me on crutches for the last 2 and a half months and have gained a bit more. With the right leg not taking any weight my left thigh and butt muscle are giving me fits. I had some help getting on a horse the other week and OMG wanna talk about out of balance!! Well anyways to make it short...the old school stretches..hurdles I think are helping my hip, thigh and lower back. It's widening my thigh stretch back up as well. With your tailbone being crooked I'd do every lower back strengthening exercise I could find. If you tone up and tighten those you might be surprised at the difference.


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## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

First off, wow, I am so sorry. I would look for a second opinion from a chiro or other type of doctor that deals with backs. 

Have you tried sticking a washcloth under the side that slopes, see if that helps at all? I would do that before I would shorten a stirrup. I have issues with leaning and I started doing the washcloth thing and found that I was much straighter.


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

I can't remember who mentioned it, but I agree with the yoga. That helped my right hip sooo much. 

I tore my MCL in my right knee two years ago (completely unhorse related) and it was misdiagnosed by a doctor, who just gave me a sleeve for it and some pain killers. It took around a year and a half for it to be actually decided that my MCL was torn...which is farrrr past the possibility of surgical repair.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is in that year and a half, I kind of retaught myself to walk in order to cope with it. I never noticed I had changed walking until I started riding regularly and my knee would scream in pain. I went to my doctor about it and he suggested physical therapy because my right quadricep (muscle on top of the thigh) was so deteriorated that I carried the weight of my leg with my hip. My right hip was so tight all the time and inflexible.

Once my muscle built up from the therapy (and yoga) and I could walk like a normal person again, I used some yoga stretches to loosen my hip.

The ones I found most effective were pidgeon pose and this stretch my therapist showed me where you sit on the ground with your hands propping you up behind you and one leg bent up so your foot is flat on the ground with the other perpendicular with your ankle resting on the bent leg just below the top of your knee. You lean into your legs. If that makes sense..?


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## aforred (May 12, 2010)

I am surprised that Poseidon was the first to suggest physical therapy. I had knee pain for eleven years and my stirrups always felt off. My mother is a doctor and she always told me, "Well, your knee hurts. Live with it." It wasn't until I hurt my back so bad that I couldn't sit down that she told me to see my GP. She sent me straight from her office to the physical therapist. When I walked into the treatment room and told the therapist what was going on she said "Oh, your pelvis is crooked." Three visits later, and my back was good, but even better, no more knee pain and my stirrups were even. It's just amazing what a GOOD physical therapist can do for you.


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

I only went to the physical therapist a few times and she gave me a sheet of exercises to do once a day. The exercises took 15 minutes max. Within a couple of weeks, my weak quad doubled in size and I could actually hold myself up without pain while posting.


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## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

_My theory about going to the chiropractor is that it isnt going to help to straighten your back without fixing the muscles that surround the area either. Muscles are supposed to have muscle memory, correct? So wouldnt it make sense that your muscles are going to pull your back to the place they were before your chiro appointment? You should consider going to see a massage/physio therapist to compliment the chiro work you are getting done. You might see a better improvement._

_Stand in front of the mirror in just your underroos....put a pointer finger on the tip of each hip bone in the front. Are they even? Yes--> it isnt your hips and the droop is in your back or shoulders. No-->your pelvis needs more adjustment to help even it out....which will then help fix your shoulders._


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