What exercise/stretches help reduce sciatic nerve pain?

Here are four exercises/stretches that your chiropractor/physical therapist may recommend to help you reduce sciatic nerve pain:

• Pelvic tilt
• Knee to chest
• Lower trunk rotations
• Arm and leg extensions

 

Pelvic Tilt

Its purpose is to strengthen the lower abdominal muscles and stretch the lower back.

How to do it:

• Lie on back
• Exhale and tighten abdominal muscles while pushing the belly button toward the floor and flatten the lower back
• Hold the position for 5 seconds.
• Repeat ten times, holding the position for 5 seconds each

Am I doing it right?

• Place the pinky finger on the hip bone and the thumb on the lowest rib (same side).
• When tightening the abdominal muscles, the amount of space between the pinky finger and thumb should get smaller.
• Pelvic tilts help strengthen the lower abdominal muscles and stretch the low back.

 

 

Knee to Chest

Its purpose is to help reduce nerve compression in the low back, which can help alleviate lower back pain.

• Lie on back
• Start with either left or right knee and use your hands to pull the bent knee toward the chest gently.
• Hold for 10 seconds
• Repeat movement on the opposite knee
• Perform 3 to 5 times, holding the position for 10 seconds each

 

• Use your hands to pull both knees toward the chest gently
• Hold for 10 seconds
• Repeat movement with both knees 3 to 5 times, holding the position for 10 seconds each

 

Knee-to-chest exercises/stretches can help reduce nerve compression on the lumbar spine alleviating lower back pain.

Lower Trunk Rotation

Its purpose is to increase the spine’s mobility and flexibility.

• Lie on your back with both knees bent upright and feet flat on the floor (aka the hook lying position).
• Hold both knees together, rotate knees to one side
• Hold for 3 to 5 seconds

There will be a gentle stretching sensation on the opposite side of the lower back and hip area.

• Contract abdominal muscles and rotate both knees to the opposite side
• Hold for 3 to 5 seconds
• Repeat 10 times on each side

 

 

Lower body rotations can help you strengthen your lower abdominal muscles and stretch your low back. 

All Fours Opposite Arm and Leg Extensions

Its purpose is to strengthen the abdominal muscles and low back and stabilize the areas.

• Get in a crawling position on all fours.
• Contract abdominal muscles to keep back flat and straight
• Raise one leg upward behind you and straighten outward
• Hold for 3 to 5 seconds
• Repeat the movement on the opposite side

Once this exercise/stretch can be performed ten times with functional pain, add arm movement with each leg extension:

• Extend the arm (opposite side of the leg) upward and outward in front of the body
• Hold for 3 to 5 seconds
• Repeat on the opposite side

Perform ten times

How do these exercises/stretches reduce sciatic pain

Abdominal and spinal muscles are essential components of the spine’s system.

These exercises/stretches can help:

• Strengthen the spine
• Increase flexibility
• Increase range of motion

These exercises can help keep the spine’s structural components strong and healthy, reducing pain and speeding up healing.

Regular exercise causes the body to release endorphins or hormones that interact with the pain receptors in the brain that, reduce the perception of pain.

 

Will exercising with sciatica cause/exacerbate the injury

Do not perform these exercises without consulting your doctor,  spine specialist, or chiropractor.

Whatever fitness level, remember that even trained professional athletes exercise with a doctor, physical therapist, or other healthcare expert’s approval and clearance.

Obtaining an accurate diagnosis of the exact cause of the sciatic pain

It is essential before considering any exercise program

Be gentle with your spine, and don’t push too hard while exercising. This is to avoid exacerbating sciatic pain or creating a new injury.

If exercise increases pain or causes nerve-related symptoms like:

• Weakness
• Tingling sensation
• Numbness

Stop and contact your doctor or chiropractor immediately!

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El Paso, TX Sciatica Pain Chiropractic Therapy

 

 

Sandra Rubio discusses how Dr. Alex Jimenez and his staff can help relieve your sciatica symptoms. Dr. Jimenez is the homeopathic, non-surgical choice for sciatic nerve pain and its associated symptoms. Chiropractic care can improve pain and discomfort and reduce irritation and inflammation caused by sciatica. In addition, a chiropractor like Dr. Jimenez can also provide nutritional and fitness advice for sciatic nerve pain. Other treatment methods, like deep-tissue massage, can help relieve sciatica symptoms.

Sciatica is generally caused by the compression of lumbar or sacral nerves or by the reduction of the sciatic nerve. When a dorsal nerve root compression causes sciatica, it’s called lumbar radiculopathy. This can occur because of a spinal disk bulge or spinal disk herniation (a herniated intervertebral disc), by roughening, enlarging, or misalignment (spondylolisthesis) of the fascia, or as a consequence of degenerated discs which can reduce the diameter of the lateral foramen by which nerve roots exit the spine.

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NCBI Resources

Sciatica is a shooting pain that originates in the lower back and travels through the hip, buttock, and back of the leg. The pain can be so severe that it inhibits mobility and prevents people from working, taking care of their homes, or enjoying life. Doctors have treated the condition with medications and some invasive therapies, but chiropractic treatments are extremely effective in alleviating the pain and curing the disease.