Ball of foot going numb in half seat (and with short sitrrups)

[KBG Eventer]

Well, to make a long story short my horse is off work right now, but the vet recommended going on short hacks at the walk. For a few days I also did a little trot and canter. And I got to ride some other horses a couple of weeks ago.

My chair seat has come back again after a few weeks of not riding, and I am having some crookedness issues with collapsing my hip. That's a whole other post, but I thought I should mention it.

Anyway, I put my stirrups up a few holes on my jumping saddle and tried to do some work on my half seat. My thighs start burning a little, and the inside tops of my calfs tingle a little too but not as much. When I try to concentrate on my core, my lower back does not hurt! But the thing that ached the most were the balls of my feet! They will also start aching with shorter stirrups in general although after a longer period of time (and not quite as bad when I am not in half seat). If I lengthen my stirrups they ache just as quickly in half seat but take much longer or don't ache at all when I am not in half seat.

I have these stirrups http://www.doversaddlery.com/herm-sprenger-original-system-4-f-stirrup-irons/p/X1-0747/cn/97/. I noticed the last time I rode that these stirrups slant down slightly toward my horse when I am not in the tack. I wonder if that has anything to do with it?

I have tried....
Putting my feet further in the stirrups
Putting my feet further OUT of the stirrups
Making sure I position the outside branch the way GM writes about liking it
Putting more weight on the outside of the balls of my feet
regular fillis style stirrups
These http://www.doversaddlery.com/mdc-ultimate-stirrup-irons/p/X1-07014/cn/97/

[luise]

don't know, but why not try regular fillis irons. Maybe with the jointed stirrups you are putting even more pressure on your foot than you would normally? Personally I hate the jointed stirrups and find myself very insecure in them.

[lizajane09]

I also ride with the jointed stirrups and have the same problem - the balls of my feet begin to ache/go numb after a fairly short while when I ride with shorter stirrups. However, I think it's a tradeoff with how much better my knees feel in them!

[lstevenson]

I used to have the problem of my feet falling asleep on long rides. Not so since I switched to the Royal Flex Rider stirrups. They have a wider footpad which completely solves the problem for me.

[ezmissg]

Hey, Kristen!

I've missed seeing you! What is latest with Sonny? Is there a specific diagnosis?

[JER]

A couple of things...

If my feet were going numb, I'd see a chiropractor and have my feet and ankles adjusted. You might be jamming your ankle down and bracing on your foot. This usually happens due to Heels Down Syndrome, a very common affliction in riders that can be blamed on instructors who drill them in 'Heels down!'. Your weight should be down in your leg but your balance point (and your weight) should be on the ball of your foot, not in your heel.

Then I'd work on my core strength by doing balance exercises, like on an exercise ball. Or get a bongo or indo board and do some balancing. (If you really want to have fun and get good balance, order a slackline kit and hang it between two trees.)

On the horse, I'd do this exercise: at the walk, stand up in your stirrups until you lose your balance. Then do it again. Then take a break and do another cycle of 2-3 tries in about 5 minutes. If you need to, hold on to a small amount of mane with one hand but try not to use this for balance. If you practice this, you will really improve your balance. (If you get really good at it, do it in trot.)

[Bogie]

A wider foot bed helps me, too. I also use the Royal Rider stirrups for foxhunting. I no longer get numb feet.

[hopashore1]

I have the same issue!

Huh, might have to try the Royal Rider things, or at least something with a wider footbed...i'm so tired of my feet going numb!

[KBG Eventer]

luise, I tried regular fillis irons awhile ago, but maybe I should try again.

lizajane09, I'm 17 and haven't had any major injuries either so luckily I don't really have joint pain yet! :)

lstevenson, which Royal Rider stirrups do you use? These? (http://www.doversaddlery.com/product.asp?pn=X1-0736&ids=1010527649)

ezmissg, there hasn't really been an specific diagnosis other than "muscle pull" in his left hind leg and a sore lower back. He's had time off, with bute, without bute, blocked his hocks, massage therapy, and a chiropractor work on him. Now the vet is going to try to get ahold of Chris Newton from Rood and Riddle to get his opinion since it's been 6 weeks with nothing changing.

JER, only the balls of my feet go numb, never my entire my foot. Would it only be the balls of my feet if I was jamming my heel down? That does make sense though because when I just think "put my heel down" I push my leg forward which could be a part of my chair seat issue. And I definitely need to strengthen my core! Everything seems to go back to that.

[hb]

I've been told this is due to the saddle not fitting the rider rather than the type of stirrups, that the problems starts up in the hip area.

[lstevenson]

lstevenson, which Royal Rider stirrups do you use? These? (http://www.doversaddlery.com/product.asp?pn=X1-0736&ids=1010527649)


Yep.

[Bogie]

If you look at stirrups for endurance riders you'll see that they have a much wider footbed and often padding as well. I used endurance stirrups on my saddle for long (several hour) trail rides and immediately noticed that my feet felt much better. That's when I tried the Royal Riders. I didn't make any changes other than the stirrups and my saddle is very balanced for me, so i don't think that's where it starts.

I've been told this is due to the saddle not fitting the rider rather than the type of stirrups, that the problems starts up in the hip area.

[yventer]

Juat a thought, but perhaps you should be bearing more of your weight in your thighs/knees/upper calves? Forgive me if you already covered this.

If ALL of your weight is in your stirrups, then of course you'll get numbness. It's all of your weight transferred to two small points.

[FrittSkritt]

I have the same problem, too -- although I'm using peacock stirrups (shut up!) and sandpaper pads. I rode in another saddle that had those super light Royal Rider stirrups with the wider footbed (the non-flex ones), and voila, no more numb feet. I think I'm going to try the Super Comfort pads, as they'll at least make the footbed wider and add more cushion. (http://www.smartpakequine.com/ProductClass.aspx?productclassid=6038)

[Altitude Rider]

Do your feet hurt when you walk barefoot on hard floors and/or do you have a hard time wearing narrow or dressy shoes?

You may have a neuroma in your foot which effects the nerve and can cause pain but you would usually notice it outside of riding as well.

I use a footbed in my paddock boots (actually in all my shoes) specifically for neuroma's and it helps relieve the pressure in that area. Also I use the jointed stirrups and find them more comfortable, especially for jumping.

[medical mike]

Known hip problem (?pathology)
Maybe some kind of spinal pathology....

Thigh burning and calf burning is classic female dominance pattern so there is a lack of hamstring/glute function and or weakness
and
against the grain, outside branch should be slightly backwards to trace the balls of all 5 toes........

That said, I like the systematic method used to get at solution.

The "ball of foot" numbness is classic L4 pathology, but you report an ache...
Two very different signs.......

That said, there are several smaller nerves that can be irritated in the area of "the ball" and as you

A bit more about your pain or symptoms off the horse would be useful as this sounds like it could be due to your orthopedic conditions.


JER......LOVE the "slack-lining" idea!!!

REgards,
medical Mike
equestrian medical researcher
www.equicision.com

[JER]

JER......LOVE the "slack-lining" idea!!!


Slacklining is loads of fun and doesn't require anything except a slackline kit (http://slacklineexpress.com/) and two trees or stout posts. An intro kit costs about $50.