18/04/2026
När någon frågar hur jag mår, om ryggen är bra nu. Njae den blir nog aldrig bra igen. 😅
Men jag hittar sätt att arbeta på. Som hon skriver i inlägget så kompenserar man. Gör på andra sätt. Får istället kompensationssmärta i ett knä, en armbåge, höfter, psoas.... Och jag måste tänka mig för vad jag gör, hur mycket fysiskt jobb min kropp klarar av under en dag.
Ett brutet ben i foten efter att en häst trampat mig ger kompensation i ryggen under några veckor då jag inte "tar ut steget" på det benet. Det är inget som syns eller märks utåt.
På samma sätt är det för våra hästar. De jobbar på. De kanske undviker att jobba med ett bakben. De sätter inte under sig och blir ömma i ryggen. Lite mindre swung I steget. Försöker kanske undvika sadeln. Eller som hos en häst jag träffade igår: det räcker att sadeln ligger på ryggen för att hästens kompensatoriska spänningar ska aktiveras och börja spänna rygg och bogar.
Att jobba med stärkande övningar är väldigt bra. Jag har ett program med övningar från min sjukgymnast. Hästen behöver också ha bra stärkande övningar för att bygga upp rätt muskler som kan hjälpa det svaga stället.
När jag behandlar hästar med kroppsbehandling fokuserar jag till största del på att få till en bra hållning på hästen. Att skelettet ligger utan spänning åt ett håll. Och jag hittar övningar som stärker hästen som ägaren kan göra.
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A horse destroyed my back.....
A year and a half ago, a horse ripped their foot away, catching me by surprise and dragged me down with them. As soon as I straightened up, I know something was wrong. After I finished, I limped back to my car and drove home.
My version of rest was hiking the next day (it only hurt in the beginning when I bent over, guys...) and trim 6 horses the day after that. I took two days off once I realized I couldn't do anything without pain. Then trimmed another 6 horses. Another day off. By now I've started texting clients that I'm injured, am moving appts around, and am sending horses that are hard on my back over to my apprentice (sorry Dee!). Then 4 days of only a few trims per day. A day off. Three trims. A hike. A day off. One more half day of work and then back to trimming 40+ horses a week as usual.
I did the best that I could considering I had zero room at the time to miss any income.
And my back never healed. It got better but never back to whole. So just within the last month (especially after the dissection clinic), I've been realizing how much my body has been compensating for the initial injury and protecting that area of my back since.
The injured area gets tired faster, it is the first to hurt, and it's often in my awareness even if it's not currently hurting. Thankfully a horse hasn't caught me like that since but I dread to think what would happen if I was injured in the same spot again.
My left hip has hiked up and forward - my chiropractor is always working on my sacrum.
My glutes are constantly clenched even when I don't need them - you can literally hear the top of my glutes screaming when my massage therapist cups that area.
My pelvic floor is tight as a result.
My left knee started hurting when hiking downhill after a few miles.
My right trap and shoulder (diagonal) are often more tight and painful.
I've had regular massage and chiropractic before and after my injury, yet my compensation pattern remained.
Why?
I didn't rest long enough.
I continue(d) doing my job with repetitive motions.
I'm at risk for getting injured again, so my body is trying to protect me, in a physical and energetic sense.
I was in a very fragile state emotionally before, during, and after my injury which compounded everything.
And I HAD to go back to work.
I'm not unlike many horses out there who have been asked to do repetitive motions, with or without the right strength training, who have to do their job, and who eventually end up with an injury. If they're listened to, they get treatment and then they go back to work. But now they have a new compensation pattern. The pain may remain, the area may feel more sensitive or subject to breakdown, other areas may now be affected, but they have to go back to their job.
We're both at risk for something more catastrophic if we don't interrupt the pain cycle, the coping mechanisms, and the compensation pattern that is becoming more and more entrenched, causing secondary issues throughout the body.
I've been "in treatment" this whole time. I'm back to work, backpacking, hiking, walking the dog. I look normal on the outside. But my back isn't healed and I was tired of feeling my body struggle.
If I had complained about my knee pain and had a joint injection, that would not have solved the problem.
If I had my left hip and glutes KT taped back where they belong, that could have made me feel more comfortable but would not have fixed the issue.
If I had googled "back pain" and tried some random things, I would not have found an easy simple solution.
If I had fired my chiropractor and massage therapist and hired different ones, things would have remained the same.
(I would never do that - I have the most incredible care team. I've been with my massage therapist for 8 years and my chiropractor for 4 years). ✨️✨️✨️
I know the origin story and origin point in my body where this all started. The rest is secondary.
Despite hating needles and having several negative acupuncture sessions before with different practitioners, I asked my massage therapist to needle me and gave her a limited amount of space to work with. I could only cope with needles in my back, but nowhere else. She has probably been waiting like two years for me to ask 😆.
After one session, I didn't think about my back for the next week.
!!!!
After the second session, there was some emotional turmoil and then getting my left foot smashed by a horse interrupted the effects. After hobbling around for two days, I can tell my compensation patterns are back.
Healing is not linear.
You may have to change modalities.
An injury can linger for a long time, even when you/me/the horse is "back to work."
Treat the origin and unwind the compensation patterns.
Picture: me trimming Tess with Gabby the mule checking my work 💜
