Few easy exercises for Sciatica Pain

 Sciatica is the medical term used for the pain which is traveling down the line of the sciatic nerve that originates in your buttocks and runs down the back of the leg, causes can include spinal stenosis, any injury or a ruptured disk.

Treatment protocol for this condition depends upon the cause of pain. Usually, nerves get compressed and irritated resulting to such pathologies as disc herniations, inflammation, muscle tension, or degeneration

Risk factors for sciatic nerve pain:

• Age – people in their late 30s and 40s have a high risk of developing sciatica.
• Profession – jobs that require lifting heavy loads for long periods or desk workers sitting for long period of time.
• Sedentary lifestyle – people who are physically inactive are more likely to develop sciatica as compared with active people.

 

Here are few Exercises which is easy to understand and can be performed at home:

Most common exercise for nerve irritation called nerve flossing is to be done pain free. If this exercise cause any pain or tingling, numbness in your leg do stop the exercise and discuss it with you PT.

·         Lie on your back in supine position and take the knee of your affected side to 90 degrees.

·         Hold your foot flexed while you bend and straighten your knee as much as achievable without eliciting pain.

·         Perform 15 repetitions slowly with no holds. Do it for 2-5 times per day.

 

Knee to Chest Exercise:

 

It is a gentle flexion based exercise.

·       Lie on your back and bring both knees to your chest.

·        Hold for 10 seconds first and when you get comfortable with holding and practicing this position do hold it for 30 to 60 secs. Perform 2 -5 times per day.

 

 Exercise to mobilize the SI joint:

·         Place the foot of your affected side on a stool or chair.

·        Move your hips forward and back into a lunge and keep your body upright.

·        Do repeat this for 15-20 times slowly and smoothly rocking hips forward and back.
Perform this exercise every hour or two to keep the joint moving. Stop this exercise if you experience pain. This exercise should be pain relieving or neutral, but not aggravate your symptoms.

Note: Don’t rely on Google for fixing Sciatica pain or any other pain.

It takes quite a bit of knowledge and a lot of clinical experience to differentiate among causes of leg pain, and recommend the correct treatment. The exercises given for one person with leg pain might be the exact opposite for another, regardless of there being a similar pain pattern.

Choosing the wrong treatment for leg pain can not only worsen your pain, but extend the suffering. So don’t rely on Google to tell you how to treat your sciatica pain. Consult your local certified physiotherapist to help you relieve your pain and choose which course of treatment is right for you.