Sciatica Exercises

Sciatica means a serious back pain caused due to the compression of the sciatic nerves present at the lower end of spine. Radiculopathy is a medical term used for sciatica, which means that the spinal disc is extended beyond its normal position that results in the pressure on the sciatic nerve. Such type of pain often begins in the back and spreads over to legs. Sciatic pain can be treated not only by medicines but also by exercises.

Sciatica exercises give great relief from such kind of sciatic pains. Therefore nowadays doctor recommend sciatica exercises, which they consider helps in recovering from the pain much faster than the medicines. Sciatica exercises are therefore considered to be one of the best remedies for healing sciatic pain.

It's a very natural thinking that bed rest may help in getting relief from such pains. But the fact is that inactivity usually worsens the pain because due to the lack of movement the back muscles and spinal structures become weak which increases the pressure on the back causing more pain in back and legs. Sciatica exercises help to treat such conditions and therefore are very important as far as health and fitness of human back and spine is considered.

Exercises for sciatica are considered to be a boon for sciatic pain sufferers. The main focus of sciatica exercise is on strengthening the muscles of the abdomen and back. The sciatica exercises should be done only under the supervision and recommendation of a professional, doctor or a specialist. Doctor recommends different sciatica exercises depending on the cause of sciatica. In case, where the cause is an infection or tumor an immediate medical attention is required.

Exercises for sciatica not only helps in the treatment of sciatic pain, but also helps in the prevention of such type of problems in the future. There are various sciatica exercises depending on the cause of sciatica like exercises for sciatica from spinal stenosis, isthmic spondylosthesis, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, herniated disc, degenerative disc disease, piriformis syndrome and Hamstring stretching sciatica exercises.

Sciatica exercises mainly involve stretching exercises, which improves the flexibility of back muscles by targeting the muscles causing pain, reducing the pain and discomfort. And the most common stretching exercises for the treatment of sciatic pain are the Hamstring stretching exercises. Hamstrings are the muscles present at the back of thigh that help in bending the knees. In this article we will mainly focus on Hamstring stretching sciatica exercises.

You can perform Hamstring stretch either while lying on the back or while sitting on a chair. We will discuss both the ways.

Hamstring Stretching Sciatica Exercises while lying on the Back

Hamstring stretching sciatica exercises that are done while lying on the back gives a great relief for the back pain sufferers. This type of exercises puts least stress over the back and other parts of the body.

• Lie on the back and raise of the legs. Then support the thigh behind the knee with both the hands. Slowly straighten the knee until a stretch is felt in the back of the thigh and the bottom of the foot faces the ceiling. Hold the position for 10-20 seconds. Bring the leg down. Repeat the same for another leg.

Hamstring Stretching Sciatica Exercises while Sitting

Hamstring stretching sciatica exercises that are done in sitting position are a bit stressful than those that are done lying on the back. In this type of stretch degree of the stretch can be changed by a slight movement of the leg.

• Sit at the edge of a chair and straighten one leg in front of the body such that the heel is on the floor. Then sitting straight, try to push the navel towards the thigh but without bending the trunk of the body forwards. Hold this position for 20-30 seconds. Repeat this three times for each leg.

Some yoga exercises like utthita parsvakonasana , supta padangusthasana, bharadvajasana, ardha chandrasana etc also help to relieve sciatic pain. Doing these hamstring stretching sciatica exercises regularly will help you in relieving the sciatic pain. But as mentioned earlier, before doing any sciatica exercises it is better to consult a doctor or an exercise expert.