Equestrian instructor places me in proper two point position it causes severe lower back pain. Help anyone?

Question

When my instructor places me in the proper two point position (horse is standing still) I get severe lower back pain (right and left of spine). This is the only time I have the pain.
I have not had any accidents or injuries to my back. The pain doesn't go anywhere else. Are there any specific stretches I can do daily to help or something like that?

Answer 1

Are you riding English or Western? The two point position means slightly different things depending on which discipline you are doing.

That said, you should not be experiencing pain in your spine, particularly if you have no previous injuries. What does your instructor tell you when you explain it to them?

My guess is that you are hollowing your lower back and causing facet joint impingement, or else trapping a nerve. If you have limited strength in your core muscles (common in most people who have not specifically trained these muscles) you will have difficulty in maintaining a correctly aligned spine, especially when on a horse. Good exercises to increase your core stability can be found in the practice of yoga or ti chi.

As a safe guard, I would suggest you consult and osteopath or physiotherapist to check out your body alignment. They will be able to provide you with specific exercises to assist you.

Good luck, and happy riding...

Answer 2

I don't have any suggestions to help you, but you're not alone. Last month I started having this problem. At the walk it's not so bad, but at the trot my lower back hurts a lot... it's probably bad, but i just work through it. I think it's because I've been carrying so much weight on my shoulders: 2 or 3 text books and a laptop computer. It hasn't been so bad since I started carrying 2 bags so I don't have all of the weight on 1 shoulder.

You can try stretches... bend all the way down or twist your upper body as far as it can go both directions or something like that. or leaning your upper body as far to both sides as you can... I haven't tried any thing for riding, but that's what i do to stretch my back hormally. you can try it... i hope it works

Answer 3

Pain is nature's way of telling us "stop doing this!". You need to get yourself checked out before proceeding. Pain such as you describe might be just a matter of using muscles that you haven't been using very much, but it might also be something more, something specific to the anatomy of your spinal column and supporting structures.

It seems to me possible that the pain you are describing might be more associated with the pelvic and hip structures associated with the spine-- possibly something like ligaments and bursa. You don't say how old you are or whether you have ever had hip or pelvic injuries or problems. Anyway, I think you need to get checked out by someone who can diagnose whether you have a problem or not. Don't try to ride through the pain-- in addition to possibly exacerbating an existing problem, when you are in pain you are not as capable of dealing with problems arising from unexpected motions of your horse, such as starting or shying or bolting, never mind playful buck-jumps, as you need to be.

FWIW, I'm fifty and had bursitis of the hips, and two-point position was so excruciating for me while that was going on that I had to give up anything that involved rising from the saddle. I could sit the gaits but not rise to them. Ouch ouch ouch ouch. There was no specific trauma associated with the bursitis, my doctor and I believed that it came on as the result of having to sleep on a rather saggy mattress for some time.

Good luck and happy riding to you.

Answer 4

Lower back pain in the two point comes from a lack of support from your calves. Your lower leg should support your weight in the two point position, but if your calves are weak your body compensates by placing additional strain on your lower back. It's something that we do unconsciously and the only way to fix it is by developing your lower leg muscles. Try doing lots of up-up-downs (standing two beats at the trot, sitting one). In the two point, open up the angle of your hip a little, too, and really force your weight down in your heels. This can also be a sign that you're carrying a bit too much weight. I've told my riders before when they need to drop five or ten pounds. It really makes a difference. Your asking your horse to be as a fit as he can be, but many riders overlook their own fitness. By improving your overall physique, you can also help eliminate this lower back pain.

Answer 5

Excercising you abs will help support your back more for this position. If it is that severe, you may want to see a doctor. I believe since you are just learning 2-point position though, it is something your body will have to get used to. Do stretched, and by all means excercise your upper body more. Eventually 2-point will become second nature.