IS PAIN CHANGING YOUR RIDING POSITION?
Pain is a powerful nervous system motivator. The human brain finds many ways to get around pain, and some of the manifestations can be subconscious.
IS PAIN CHANGING YOUR RIDING POSITION?
RIDER CASE STUDY 1
ROUNDING IN THE BACK
Dressage riders often complain of upper back pain. To make matters worse, this dressage rider Shannon Fogden sits at the computer for hours a day. This is not to say that sitting is bad for the back, but sitting in static positions for hours can take a toll on the muscles of the upper back - which can lead to pain.
So why does she feel like she ‘sits like Buddha’ when her upper back is sore? First, one has to ask - what could be the reason for that rounded position? Is the rounding due to the joints at the back of the spine wanting relief? Or are the muscles painful and not enjoying the job of keeping the spine upright? Likely both, but hard to say.
How can pain impact a perfectly good position?
Maintaining that perfect spinal position during high level movements is no simple task. A task made more difficult when the back is sore. This may be due to the fact that already sore muscles are not able or willing to produce the force required to hold the spine completely upright. Furthermore, the horse’s head can be viewed as resistance so when the horse drops its head or the nose tips forward, there will be a greater demand on the upper spinal and shoulder muscles. This can result in rounding if the muscles are fatigued or painful. Again, going back to the protective role of the nervous system, when there is pain, whether there is a threat or not the body often subconsciously reverts to a more comfortable position. On the other hand, it may reduce movement in that segment all together. Think, when you overextend yourself in a gym class, you feel like you are a hundred years old for a few days, but generally revert back to normal within a few days.
The muscles that help hold us upright are also responsible for keeping the upper back flat.
IS it a bad thing?
Often, the rounding will not be noticed without someone videoing or on the ground coaching. This is how clever our body is at looking after ourselves, even if that extra care is unwarranted! This is not a problem to be concerned about, however steps can be taken to treat the upper back pain, which then in turn should improve your riding position. In the next post, I will demonstrate some simple tests I would do and exercises to help combat upper back pain.