Contrary to what you might think, exercise is one of the best things you can do to help alleviate sciatica. Bed rest is fine initially for a few days if needed when the pain begins, but it will worsen your condition if it continues. Exercise and physical movement are necessary to condition the muscles of the back and the small muscles of the spine to better support the back. Without proper exercise, the back muscles become weak and this can lead to further back injury that will cause a greater amount of pain. Exercise is not only important to maintain muscle conditioning, but also to maintain the discs in the spine. Since your discs are not internally vascularized, movement is required to get nutrients into your discs and also to remove waste. Keeping the discs healthy will help prevent pressure on the sciatic nerve. Many exercises can be done in the comfort of your own home. A simple sciatica exercise program usually includes core strengthening, hamstring stretching, and aerobic exercises.
What exercise is for sciatica?
Before starting your sciatica exercise program, be sure to see your health care provider. It is important that you have a proper diagnosis of the cause of your underlying pain. For example, do you have a herniated disc or, in particular, spinal stenosis? This will determine the correct type of exercises you will need to do. Doing the wrong exercises will increase your sciatic pain and possibly cause permanent damage. Not only is it important to do the correct exercises, but the exercises must also be done correctly. Incorrectly performed exercises can make your problem worse. It’s a good idea to work with a physical therapist or chiropractor to learn how to do the exercises correctly. Then you should be able to do it on your own safely.
1. Core muscle strengthening
A sciatica exercise program usually begins with strengthening your core muscles. Your core muscles include your stomach muscles and your back muscles. Strengthening these muscles will provide better back support. Stretching exercises for the back and stomach are targeted at muscles that cause pain because they are tight and lack flexibility. With stretching and strengthening of your core muscles, you should be able to recover quickly and slow down future onsets of sciatic pain.
2. Hamstring stretches
You can then incorporate hamstring stretching exercises. If you’re unfamiliar, your hamstrings are located at the back of your thigh. Most likely, the hamstring muscles are too tight, putting stress on the lower back. Tight hamstrings can worsen your condition or this may be the cause of part of your sciatic pain. Hamstring stretching should be part of your regular exercise, whether you have sciatica or not. This form of stretching is known to be effective for most forms of sciatica.
3. Aerobic exercises
The third form of exercises involves aerobic exercises. Aerobic exercises are not what you would call specific for sciatica, but they can be beneficial. Aerobic exercises provide a good physical condition throughout the body. One of the easiest forms of aerobic exercise is walking. I am sure you are aware that walking is a very low impact exercise and will provide excellent therapy for your sciatic pain. It is best to walk every day. If you are not used to walking, be sure to start slowly. Try to work up to three or more miles per day. Your walk should be quite brisk to get your heart rate up. Walking will strengthen all the muscles in the body allowing you to have a good posture. A good posture is important to alleviate and even eliminate all back pain.
Final Important Tips:
Taking care of your sciatica will be a daily effort. Be careful how you lift things, don’t sit or stand for long periods of time, and try to maintain proper posture. It all contributes to relieving your sciatic pain. Don’t forget to get a proper diagnosis before you start, and make sure you learn how to do your exercises correctly. If you follow this regimen, you should have great success. In fact, you may experience relief in a few days to a week.