Creeping knee.....

[annep]

Can anybody help? My right knee has an annoying habit of creeping up, all on it's own.... I suspect general/specific posture issues-can anyone clarify????

[Casey76]

Hi Anne, you might find it is your hip, rather than your knee which is the problem

I find a bit of stirrupless work, even just walking on a long rein, help my hip to relax again

[annep]

Thanks Casey 76 will give it a go!

[Casey76]

Riding wiiiiiiiiiiiide cobs has it's own string of difficulties

If I sit on anything else, even horses which are deemed by others to be wide, I always feel like I'm sitting on a fence edge!

[annep]

Well, my boy certainly fits the wiiiiiide cob category :laugh:but have also had this problem when riding fence edges !!
Wonder what it is about the hip??? any ideas or is it just tightness do you think?

[myhorsefaith]

It is likely your hip.

I have this problem too, and have struggled with it for years. My left side looks completely like a chair seat while my right side is in perfect alignment.

In the past, just letting my legs hang in the saddle at a walk - allowing my lower body to be bumped along by the horses's walk REALLY helped. In addition to strengthening my abs. A few years ago, I also went to an instructor who helped me with doing exercises in the saddle- taking the legs away from the saddle as well we up over the flaps, bicycle movements, rolling the ankles, and then relaxing the muscles at a slow trot or jog, first without stirrups then with. She also had me do upper body exercises in the saddle - those are a bit harder to explain. The horse was very smooth and slow - i was on the longe line, and it was amazing what 45 minutes would do- by the end my legs were lengthened by several many holes in the stirrups, completely stable yet flowing. I have some before/after pictures somewhere taken in one lesson- simply amazing.

That instructor, however, has moved away

Everything was great for years after a few of those lessons.

Then...just recently, it has gotten worse, worse than it has ever been. I took a few months off from November- April. Bad move.

I'm actually going to start seeing a massage therapist this week to help Now I can't hardly let my hip relax on the left side when I'm in the saddle - sends shoots of pain in all directions and stifles my breathing. Doesn't seem to matter which horse or which saddle, I've tried all sorts of combinations. So, time to seek help for me.

[Lee]

This comment is relevant to both Annep & myhorsefaith:

Have you thought of seeing a Bowen therapist?  Before I went, I was totally sceptible but thought it was worth a try, just in case.  I am so pleased Kathyt talked me into trying it.  I had spent 20 years walking with more weight on the left handside of my body than the right - as a result of this imbalance, I've had 2 microdiscectomies on the left hand side of my spine due to the squashing of the discs on the left hand side.  The imbalance was originally caused by tearing cartiledges in my right knee and crushing my right shoulder in a car accident in the same year.  My body drew up and shortened its left hand side to take the weight off the right hand side of the body. The right hand side is still in the process of stretching out and lengthening but it is definitely much closer to the left than it used to be.  Bowen basically tells the body to sort itself out, it is not manipulation and is not massage and it can be incredibly effective.

Lee

[annep]

Hi Lee, have just looked back at this thread-thanks for the Bowen idea-will definatley give that a go as have since broken the offending hip( although it dosn't really bother me much) so probably lots of re-training issues now!

[nona]

have since broken the offending hip( although it dosn't really bother me much)

How terrible.  I am almost afraid to ask .   Hope you are making a good recovery whatever happened.

Nona

[annep]

Hi Nona, Just high spirited (young) horsy who couldn't help himself  and bronced after being very restricted turnout wise due to the snow! -He actually came back when I was on the ground and put his head down as if to say "What are you doing down there?!" On the plus side we were in the school so plenty of help around!!!!

[annep]

Well folks think I've cracked it seems to be the fact that I've not been letting the weight drop down into the balls of my feet enough!What a breakthrough today in my lesson with Omar  ! Feel like a different rider now and so much more secure and balanced....amazing!!! .......simples eh?

[whisper's mum]

 Excellent!