10 Stretches To Fix Your Sciatic Pain
Let’s face it, sciatic pain can be bad. It disrupts our life and when it starts, it seems to go on forever. Sciatic nerves go from your lower back into your legs. When something presses on them, like a slipped disk, a bone spur, or spinal stenosis (narrowing), it can cause a lot of problems all the way down the nerve.
Your vertebrae (the bones that make up your spine) are separated and cushioned by flat, flexible, round disks of connective tissue. When a disk gets worn down -- either because of an injury or just years of use -- its soft center can begin to push out from the hard outer ring. This might might put pressure on the nerves around it and cause a lot of pain when that happens to be the sciatic nerve, the longest nerve in your body. It starts in your lower back and splits to run through your hips, buttocks, legs, and feet on both sides. Before you realize it, sitting or changing positions becomes very difficult.
The most distinctive sign of sciatica is pain that radiates from your lower back into the back or side or your legs. It can range from a mild ache to sharp, severe pain, as well as give you numbness, tingling, and weakness in your leg or foot.
Source: WebMD.com
About 80%-90% of people with sciatic nerve pain get better within a few weeks. If pain isn't limiting you too severely, stretch, go for short walks, or perform any activities you feel are within your capability. But if the pain really limits you and you’re at your wits end, then this article may just help you.
Stretch Your Piriformis Muscle
The piriformis muscle covers the sciatic nerve that runs from your lower back and down towards your legs. If you have sciatic pain, then stretching this muscle is important.
Sciatic Nerve Flossing, Nerve Glides, McKenzie Sciatica Exercise
All explained in video.
Piriformis Super Stretch
Get on the ground on your hands and knees.
Bring the affected leg perpendicular to the ground and then set your bodyweight onto the leg across the mid line of the body.