Horse Riding and Chiropractic In Temple Hills

Are you an advent horse rider suffering from back pain?  Are you about to dismiss riding once and for all due to back problems?  In many cases, riders suffer from pain which occurs during or directly after the ride.  Mostly, this is caused by wrong posture of the body during the ride and the repeated changes in weight distribution.  This happens because the stabilizing movements the human body makes when the horse trots, canters, or gallops causes repeated stress to the spinal column.  The constant motion of weight transfer causes the human spine to absorb a great deal of stress.  Additionally, many horse riders tend to favor one side over the other, which can put extra stress on the rider\'s joints and will cause further misalignment/injury.  Riding with an active disc injury, sciatica, whiplash or sprains to the hip, knee or ankle worsen their condition.  Unless your healthcare professional confirms that riding with limitations would be safe while the injury is healing, riders may be prolonging and complicating the injury.

To be a successful rider, you need to work with the horse and become a team.  The rider needs to adapt to the rhythm of the horses movements which will give them a regular and fluent movement, avoiding any sudden jerking.  The muscles of the rider are tensed up and relaxed in regular intervals, helping to ease tensions of the muscles and relieve the pain.

Unfortunately, too many riders take better care and spend more time on their horses then they do for themselves.  If you take your horse riding seriously and ride regularly, then it is very important that you look after and maintain your body as best possible.  Proper precautions can be taken to decrease risk of injuries:

• A good fitness regime to strengthen your core muscles and improve your overall fitness level.
• An efficient warm-up and strengthening routine to prepare your muscles before any ride.  This will lower the chance of straining your muscles.
• Chiropractic care to maintain your spinal health.

Many horse riding injuries respond well to Chiropractic adjustments which aim to encourage efficient joint motion, increase flexibility, reduce muscle tightness and improve alignment.  If you feel  Chiropractic care is an option for you, please give Rosa Rehab located in Temple Hills, MD a call to set up a free consultation to investigate other predisposing factors that may be the root of your pain.

By  Maria L. Camper, D.C.

References:
http://www.fallbrookspinecenter.com/blog/b_12645_horseback_riding_and_chiropractic_care.html
Ann Phys Rehabil Med. 2013 Oct;56(7-8):576-94. doi: 10.1016/j.rehab.2013.08.007. Epub 2013 Oct 1.