Sciatica Stretches: Relief for Sciatic Nerve Pain
Sciatic nerve pain can be debilitating and seriously hinder your quality of life. If you experience sharp, shooting pains or persistent cramps in your butt or legs, it’s likely caused by sciatica, which is inflammation or pinching of the nerve that runs down from the base of your spine and into each leg.
Fortunately, sciatica is treatable and can be managed or eliminated. While it’s always best to see a doctor for an official diagnosis and personalized treatment plan, some home remedies, such as sciatica stretches, can help.
Sciatica Stretches: How Simple Movements Can Make a Huge Impact
In today’s world, most people want a “magic bullet” medicine to cure their aches and pains. Some people may find relief with medications like ibuprofen or similar painkillers, but this isn’t particularly reliable, especially if your goal is long-term relief.
Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, sciatica exercises are one of the best ways to manage and fix this problem. With sciatica, physical exercise is helpful because it reduces inflammation (one of the primary pain triggers) and strengthens all of the muscles surrounding your sciatic nerve.
The more active you can be with sciatica treatment exercises, the better you’ll generally feel. This is especially true if you’re overweight because shedding extra pounds helps remove pressure on your joints and sciatic nerve, providing noticeable pain relief and boosting your quality of life.
Sciatic Nerve Pain Stretches to Improve Your Mobility
Most sciatic nerve stretches can be performed while sitting on a chair or the floor. Some can even be done lying on a bed, but I think it’s better to be on a flat, unyielding floor if possible so that you get the full benefit of your sciatic nerve exercises.
Seated glute stretch
You can do this in a chair or on the floor. If your mobility is limited, use a chair to begin. Sit toward the edge of the chair and place your ankle on your opposite knee. Sit straight, place your hands on your hips and slowly lean forward as far as possible.
Stop when you feel a stretch along your hamstrings. You can hold that pose as long as you wish, slowly breathing into the stretch. When you’re ready, sit up and repeat the motion on the opposite side.
Scissor hamstring stretch
This movement is done standing. Step one leg out slightly in front of the other to create an inverted V-shape. Make sure you feel stable! Place your hands on your hips, draw your spine up tall, and slowly hinge forward. Keep your back straight as you lean over to feel the stretch in your glute and down the back of your leg, and remember not to bend lower than your waist.
If you want more stretch, try pushing your hips back as you lean forward. For less stretch, simply don’t bend over as far. Remember to keep breathing and stretch both sides evenly, even if only one side hurts.
Relieve Your Sciatica Pain and Regain Control With Sciatica Stretches
Exercises for sciatica are a proven way to manage and even permanently alleviate sciatic nerve pain. If you’re tired of feeling stiff and immobile or sitting on the sidelines because of pain, explore physical therapy options for your sciatica and take back your life!
FAQ
1. What helps with sciatic nerve pain?
Some of the most effective ways to get sciatica relief include OTC medications like Tylenol, Aleve, or ibuprofen and lifestyle changes like stretching, gentle exercise or acupuncture.
2. How to get rid of sciatica?
Sciatica can be chronic for some people, but the best way to manage and hopefully alleviate it is to treat the underlying causes. This often means introducing regular stretching, additional movement, and hot or cold compresses into your day.
3. What to do for sciatic nerve pain?
A doctor should see chronic or recurring sciatic nerve pain before you treat it at home. However, to relieve temporary sciatica pain, you can take muscle relaxers, perform stretches for sciatica and make healthy lifestyle changes to ensure you’re at a good weight for your height and body structure, all of which can make a difference.
