Horse Riding and Sciatica

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Although horses can have sciatica this article is regarding horse riders themselves suffering rather than the horse.

Since starting this website I’ve begun to notice how many horse riders say they suffer with sciatica. Which really shouldn’t be a surprise at all, horse riders are part of the general public after all and so will suffer lower back pain the same as the rest of us.

Along with this though there’s the obvious aggravating factors of horse riding such as a high volume of repetitive impacts along with unpredictable forces being experienced through the joints and bones from jumps and falls etc.

So as a percentage then horse riders are more likely to suffer from sciatica then the general public and in particular jumpers more than riders.

It’s critical to emphasize the importance of proper technique and having the correct and proper fitting equipment when riding. Also posture has a massive influence on riding and so may have a knock-on effect to your musculoskeletal system – your joints, bones, nerves and muscles etc. Your hip flexors, in particular, are a group of muscles that are used massively in horse riding and are located near the top of your thigh. They have a big influence on the movement of your lower body. If these muscles become tight or sore they can cause you to overcompensate with other muscles which is then another potential cause of sciatica.

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Once you realise you’re experiencing a sciatic episode or flare up there is a trusted and often recommended course of action which normally consists of:

Make sure you rest for a few days to minimise any further tissue damage.
For the first few days use an ice pack to reduce any swelling and inflammation. Use several times a day. A previous physiotherapist recommended I use 4 times a day, 20 minutes on, 10 minutes off, then back on for 20 minutes (that’s 1 time). Do not put an ice pack directly on your skin, use a cover, tea towel or some kitchen roll to wrap the ice pack in.
Avoid using heat at the beginning of an injury. After a few days though heat can be used to aid recovery and promote healing.
Start a course of ibuprofen and paracetamol.
Using an ibuprofen gel around the sore area is a great tip.
If after a week or so your symptoms are not getting any better you should visit your GP.

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It’s much better to work on our back and spine so we’ll be able to minimise the chances of problems further down the line. Working on our posture, general back health, keeping it supple and working on our core strength will have a massive benefit in reducing potential injuries.

There’s two great You Tube videos below on exercises specifically for riders. Stretching is a great way to ease pain and helps with the rejuvenation of our vertebral discs, the wear and tear of which is a major factor in causing sciatic pain. In fact wear and tear at the L5 S1 joint (lumbar 5 and sacral 1 – this is where your lower spine joins into your hip region) is my own cause of sciatica. Stretching should also be part of your pre ride routine and warm up to better prepare your joints and muscles.

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Here are some links to products mentioned in this article or that may prove useful:

You can quickly go to all the products we recommend by clicking here.

This website was created to help sciatica sufferers find pain relief. I’m not a medical professional and the advice given here is from my own, and other sciatica sufferers personal experience. Throughout the website you will see links to products on Amazon. If you click through and buy anything we may earn a small commission that helps to fund running the website, thank you. You pay the same price you would pay as if you’d gone to Amazon directly yourself.

“When told by my GP that nothing could be done for my sciatica I doubted anything would ever help. I now lead a pain free life”!

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