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Sciatica - Exercises to Help Relieve Your Pain

by: PaulBoxcer
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Do not be misled into thinking that you have been given a diagnosis if someone has told you you are suffering with 'sciatica'. The term sciatica is only a descriptive one. If you had pains in your head, I take it you would not be fooled into thinking you were being diagnosed as having a 'headache', yet this is exactly the same as being told you have sciatica i.e. you are suffering with pain down the back of your leg which is a result of the sciatic nerve being irritated. If you are looking for exercise for your sciatica, you need to find the cause of it first.

As the sciatic nerve leaves the spinal cord at the bottom of your back, it travels through your buttock and down the back of the leg as far as the knee. At this point, the sciatic nerve ceases to be, as it gives rise to other nerves. However, it is accepted within the medical profession, that any pain passing down the back of the leg, as far as your toes, is referred to as sciatica if it is the sciatic nerve which is causing the pain.

Anyway, with regards to exercises for sciatica, as I mentioned above, this would be dictated by the cause of the sciatica, not just the fact that you have sciatica.

Three common causes of sciatica are:

1) Disc Prolapse.

This is not as bad as it may initially seem. This problem arises typically when there are too many flexion based forces across the lower back and therefore the discs of the lumbar spine begin to bulge. This bulge then presses on the sciatic nerve and subsequently pain is often felt. If this is the cause of your sciatic pain, as a rule of thumb, extension based exercises would be the main principle of your treatment. This may involve lying on your stomach, with or without a pillow underneath, little and often throughout the day. You would then increasing the degree of extension as your pain improves.

2) Facet Joint Compression.

This tends to occur when the joints of the lumbar vertebrae begin to pinch on the sciatic nerve and irritate it. In this circumstance, the opposite to the above exercise is given, where a more flexion based exercise regime would be indicated. For example lying on your back and gently hugging your knees to your chest or maybe kneeling on all fours and gently sitting back on to your heels. Once again, these should be performed little and often throughout the day and progressed as your pain improves.

3) Tight Muscles.

It usually tends to be a tight Piriformis muscle or Hamstring muscles which are responsible here. As the sciatic nerve passes down through the buttock area and on down the back of the leg, it passes through or underneath both the Piriformis muscle and the Hamstrings. Therefore, if either of these are tight, they will need to be stretched out, as they will be placing inappropriate stretches across the sciatic nerve, leading to pain.

Whether it is the Piriformis muscle, the Hamstrings or any other muscle for that matter, it is always essential you start off nice & gently with regards to any stretching exercises. As you progress, you will notice that the stretches get a lot easier. Only then should you consider advancing to more aggressive stretches.

As I mentioned above, sciatica can be a result of many different causes, and it is the cause of your Sciatica which dictates the exercises needed to be performed, not the sciatica itself.

With regards to the causes of sciatica, muscle imbalance is right up there at the top. Tight & / or weak muscles place inappropriate loads across the sciatic nerve and these then result in pain.

Therefore, in order to reduce these increased stresses across the sciatic nerve, the muscles concerned need to be stretched and strengthened accordingly. Although I have not covered strengthening exercises within this article, it is possible they will need to form an integral part of any exercise programme.

About the Author

Paul Boxcer is a BSc (Hons) Physiotherapist with over 10 years experience. Much of this time he has spent treating patients with Low Back Pain & Sciatica. Sign up for his FREE 5 Day 'Cure Your Sciatica' Course and learn how to treat your sciatica NOW!

Sciatica - Exercises to Help Relieve Your Pain

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