Exercises to Help Sciatica

Back pain is not uncommon in modern life. People seem to be sitting a lot more and exercising a lot less as time goes on, which is never a good thing. It’s not good for your back, especially, and it’s an easy way to sustain an injury like sciatica.

Sciatica is generally anything related to the sciatic nerve causing your problems. It’s the cause of a large number of issues with lower back pain and pretty much anything below, too, since it’s so huge and runs all the way down your body.

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• What Is Sciatica?
• Causes
• Exercises
• Prevention

What Is Sciatica?

When the sciatic nerve is causing you pain (sciatica), it can be for a range of different reasons. It can be anything to do with nerve damage directly to the sciatic nerve, a slipped disk, swelling or injury in general, and a list of other things too. It has a variety of symptoms, from tingling all the way through to more aggressive shooting pains, and it can happen to anyone at any age. It’s generally just a pretty awful thing to have to deal with.

Causes

The cause of sciatica again is a variety of possibilities. There are too many to list, really. The biggest factors are likely to be bad posture, over-exercising, a host of other medical issues, or just a general back injury. None of them are remotely good, but they are all possible. The symptoms can be an even longer list of things too. Numbness, swelling, and pain are the worst of them and, sadly, the most common. As we said, anywhere from your feet to your lower back can be the affected area, too, so make sure you know your stuff.

Exercises

So, once you have been diagnosed with sciatica, what can you do about it? Well, it usually lasts a month or two and possibly even longer, depending on the causes. That’s a long time to be in pain. You can do some exercises to alleviate the pain and reduce some of the pressure being put onto the spine, so here are some things you can try if safe to do so.

Knee Pulls

Laying on your back, pull your knee into your chest as far as your mobility will allow you to. One leg at a time, hold for around 10 seconds and release back to a flat position.

Hamstring Stretches

Place your heel on a high surface, ideally as high as you can without any strain. Once there, stretch your hamstring thoroughly to ensure your lower back region will see the benefit.

Back Stretches

A lower backstretch with you lying on your front in a cobra-like position is the best bet here. Don’t overstretch and stop if you feel pain.

Prevention

A good idea is to learn how to prevent sciatica from occurring too. As we have looked at, there is a range of things that cause it, but these preventative methods are well worth knowing about. Make sure your posture is as good as it can be wherever it can be by making sure you:

• Spend less time sitting down.
• Lift anything correctly as needed.
• Stretch regularly and safely
• Exercise regularly

Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.