Going through this, I cannot even imagine what horses go through who have injuries – and cannot tell anyone about it or where it hurts!
So, yes, I don’t know how I did it or when I did it. But, it started hurting about 5 weeks ago. I was told that I had an IT Band issue. OK. I read up on it and had physical therapy. The pain would ebb and flow.
Well… when I first put my leg over Willow at the R Lazy S Ranch, I felt a different kind of pain. Not only did my hip and knee hurt, but my groin hurt as well. It was a sharp, ripping feeling. Hmmmmm. This couldn’t be good.
However, I assumed it was all related – or at least the same injury. But alas, I have since found out that they are different issues.
One is the IT Band thing. The other is most likely, a hip labral tear.
Ugh.
As I sat i that saddle the first day, I could not move my left leg outwardly. I could put my leg forward, but not outward. Trotting and Cantering was torture. Sometimes just adjusting my weight in the saddle was agony.
I started to cry to myself. How was this possible? I’d never had pain in the saddle.
Luckily, Hubby’s best friend (who was with us at the R Lazy S) is a spine surgeon. He arranged for a buddy of his in Jackson (another spine surgeon) to give me a cortisone shot in my hip to relieve the IT Band. And, that was AWESOME. Immediately, the hip and knee pain was assuaged.
But, I still had that ripping pain in my groin.
Hubby’s surgeon friend said that I most likely have a hip labral tear. So, I have an appointment with a local (to me) orthopedic surgeon in July. He will do something to figure out what I actually have going on… and then we will deal with it.
Until then, I limp a lot. And will probably not sit in the saddle much. But, hanging around horses, grooming horses and watching horses doesn’t hurt at all. So, that is what I will be doing.
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
I don’t really know… I think I may have stepped in a hole when I was feeding, but I’m not sure. It just seemed to start one day. But, I am guessing I did something – but it was probably something I do often, just this time it ripped.
