Hey everyone. I'm an almost 20 year old junior in college, and I am a very serious horse show competitor... I ride for my school, and placed well at Nationals last year.
Ever since I was about 16/17, my trainer began yelling at me to "sit up!" while I was riding. I thought that it was just me being lazy, so I just worked really hard on my posture, which helped for a brief while. When I started hunching even more, I bought a Shoulders Back to horse show in. (www.shouldersback.net for those who don't know what it is) Looking back, I had sustained a really horrible head/neck injury falling off a horse right before my back got stupid, so maybe that was the cause? I don't know. I have had really bad back pain since that fall.
My back has gotten progressively more rounded at the top, at is horridly accentuated by the fact that my waist is bizarrely narrow from front to back, although it is a normal width. I know most people wouldn't complain about having a small waist, but it makes my back hump look even more rediculous.
In the past year the problem has suddenly increased exponentially. I didn't even REALIZE it, until a friend of mine came and took pictures of me riding on Thursday. Here are a few... I can honestly say I cried after I saw these pictures. I had no idea it had gotten so bad.
me and a normal back
another comparison- the small inset picture is me in MARCH! and the larger picture at the bottom is what a normal back looks like over a jump And in the inset picture, I'm NOT wearing the shoulders back, but the one that was taken on Thursday, I AM wearing it.
I am so upset. I called and made an appointment with the orthopedic doctor, and I've been reading about kyphosis surgery.
I'm thinking I am obviously going to need to have it done. I am completely heartbroken... either I am going to stop making teams at school because I am deformed (and the classes are judged on how pretty the rider looks on a horse), or I can take an entire year off riding (which is horrible, because I am never going to have another chance to ride like this or with trainers this good for the rest of my life). to have this surgery and risk never being able to ride again. I have no idea what to do. I am totally devastated.
Sorry for the rambling post, I just needed some shoulders to cry on that just might understand my predicament. I am so upset.
Ever since I was about 16/17, my trainer began yelling at me to "sit up!" while I was riding. I thought that it was just me being lazy, so I just worked really hard on my posture, which helped for a brief while. When I started hunching even more, I bought a Shoulders Back to horse show in. (www.shouldersback.net for those who don't know what it is) Looking back, I had sustained a really horrible head/neck injury falling off a horse right before my back got stupid, so maybe that was the cause? I don't know. I have had really bad back pain since that fall.
My back has gotten progressively more rounded at the top, at is horridly accentuated by the fact that my waist is bizarrely narrow from front to back, although it is a normal width. I know most people wouldn't complain about having a small waist, but it makes my back hump look even more rediculous.
In the past year the problem has suddenly increased exponentially. I didn't even REALIZE it, until a friend of mine came and took pictures of me riding on Thursday. Here are a few... I can honestly say I cried after I saw these pictures. I had no idea it had gotten so bad.
me and a normal back
another comparison- the small inset picture is me in MARCH! and the larger picture at the bottom is what a normal back looks like over a jump And in the inset picture, I'm NOT wearing the shoulders back, but the one that was taken on Thursday, I AM wearing it.
I am so upset. I called and made an appointment with the orthopedic doctor, and I've been reading about kyphosis surgery.
I'm thinking I am obviously going to need to have it done. I am completely heartbroken... either I am going to stop making teams at school because I am deformed (and the classes are judged on how pretty the rider looks on a horse), or I can take an entire year off riding (which is horrible, because I am never going to have another chance to ride like this or with trainers this good for the rest of my life). to have this surgery and risk never being able to ride again. I have no idea what to do. I am totally devastated.
Sorry for the rambling post, I just needed some shoulders to cry on that just might understand my predicament. I am so upset.
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