Re: Riding Technique / Heel Spur

["S. Brown" <sbrown@wamedes.com>]

>Within a couple of hours of my ride's conclusion, I am in significant pain
- to the point of limping.  The ankle recovers, but the pain in my heel is
persistent.  Last night I iced my heel all night, with little effect.  My
questions are as follows:
>
>1)  Has anyone else suffered from this and if so - what hurts for pain
mediation and for pain elimination?

I've had this problem off and on over the last few years.  I finally
mentioned it to my doctor and he recommended *really good* arch supports
and nicely supportive shoes.  (Does that mean that I'm at that age where
you need arch supports and "comfortable" shoes???  Oh dear!! <g>)  But it
worked!  My husband also got me some Cloud stirrups for my birthday last
year and I noticed an improvement in my comfort during longer rides.  

>2)  Is it my riding technique that is causing this?  My left leg is my
weak leg.  When I was 10-12 I took hunter/jumper lessons and I tend to
really crank my heels down and keep my leg in perfect position at all times
- which may not be optimal for endurance . . .

Having your heel *way* down is not always the best thing.  Your ankle must
be acclimated to that position with gradual stretching exercises (yoga
works great for this, but warm up first!) and it doesn't work as well with
the bigger based stirrups.  Oftentimes, forcing the heel down in a stirrup
with a hard pad may put pressure on the bottom of the foot causing numbness
or pain.  There are some stirrups on the dressage market that actually flex
on hinges on the side supports that help riders with these problems.  The
larger based stirrups hit the bottom of your foot further back than the
standard 2-bar fillis stirrup, making it more difficult to lower your heels
a lot.

That said, I want to emphasize the fact that you should be training
yourself to accept your weight in your heels -- even if they aren't lowered
a lot, your seat will get better and your balance (and the ability to stay
seated in the saddle during sudden, unexpected movements) improves a lot.
By conditioning your feet to respond in this manner, your other joints will
become more relaxed and will take more of the jolts you can feel when
riding -- they become your springs and your shock absorbers.  

Sue


>


sbrown@wamedes.com
Tyee Farm
Marysville, Wa.