Two Important Sciatica Stretching Exercises for Sciatic Pain Relief

Dec 03, 2008 in Yoga General Info

Sciatica, best-known as sciatic nerve pain, can be a terrible disease that can truly degrade your quality of life if remained untreated.Sciatic nerve stretching exercises can provide relief to your pain, but it is crucial to first understand the potential causes of sciatica.

Sciatica is essentially damage to the sciatic nerve that is triggered by pinching of
the nerve from tight muscles, or tension being placed on the nerve. Because the sciatic nerve begins in your lower back, and moves down, all the way through the back of your leg and hamstrings, overly tight muscles can create a pinch, which can cause pain.

Generally tight muscles indicate a weakness in other muscles in the
surrounding area, and that is the most common cause of sciatica.You can overcome this, and relieve nerve pain by regular sciatica stretches.

Sciatic nerve damage can also be triggered by job stressors such as truck driving for a prolonged period. The constant bouncing places stress on the sciatic nerve. A herniated lumbar disc can also cause sciatic nerve pain, which then it would be advisable to avoid sciatica stretches without talking to your doctor first, as this could end up damaging your sciatic nerve further.

In order to decide the type of sciatica you may be suffering from, try this simple exercise. Sit in a chair and try stretching the leg with the side you are having pain on, out straight.If your pain increases, most likely true sciatica is to blame, and you have a herniated disk.The 2nd test you can try is pulling your knee on your painful side slowly, up to the shoulder on the same side. Then gently pull the same knee to the opposite shoulder, and gauge the pain. If it is significantly more painful pulling to the opposite shoulder, tight muscles are the most likely culprit for your sciatica.

Here are two simple Sciatica stretching exercisesyou can perform for sciatic pain relief: Lying flat on your back, pull your knee up to each shoulder.This can help stretch out tight hamstring muscle. Be careful though as this can exacerbate a herniated disc problem.

The second sciatica stretchesyou can do is a yoga technique, where you lie flat on your stomach, and proper yourself up on your elbows while looking up slightly. This creates a slight curve in your lower spine and helps to relieve pressure and pain. But again, be careful, because if your sciatica is caused by a facet syndrome, this can worsen it.

Also, sometimes this may exacerbate your pain temporarily, but it usually improves with repetition, and it is better to get up and move around for a bit in between repetitions, and take a break. These sciatica exercises are supposed to help you, but always use good judgment and caution when performing them.

One thing to remember is that sciatica can be caused by various factors at once. Herniated disc’s, facet syndrome which I mentioned briefly before, tight muscles. Facet syndrome involves rear joints at the base of
your spine, and stretching your back like the yoga exercise from before can actually increase your pain and aggravatethe problems. In such case it is normally recommended to lie flat on your back and hug your knees. However if you are also suffering from a herniated disc, then hugging your knees isn’t recommended. Thus, to visit your doctor before commencing any Sciatica stretching exercises, and find out precisely where the cause of the pain is originating from, is the safest and wisest route to take.You can then be referred to a medical officer who can demonstrate the proper exercises and sciatica stretches you should be undertaking.