What exercise/stretches help reduce sciatic nerve pain?
Here are 4 exercise/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 10 times holding the position for 5 seconds each
Am I doing it right?
- Place the pinky finger on the hip bone and 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, that can help alleviate lower back pain.- Lie on back
- Start with either left or right knee and use hands to gently pull the bent knee toward chest
- Hold for 10 seconds
- Repeat movement on opposite knee
- Perform 3 to 5 times holding position for 10 seconds each
- Use hands to gently pull both knees toward chest
- Hold for 10 seconds
- Repeat movement with both knees 3 to 5 times holding position for 10 seconds each
Knee to chest exercise/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 back with both knees bent upright and both 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
- Contract abdominal muscles and rotate both knees to 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.
Arm and Leg Extensions
Its purpose is to strengthen the abdominal muscles, low back and stabilize the areas.- Get in 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
- Extend the arm (opposite side of leg) upward and outward in front of body
- Hold for 3 to 5 seconds
- Repeat on the opposite side
How do these exercise/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
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 injury
Do not to perform any of these exercises without consulting your doctor, spine specialist or chiropractor.Whatever level of fitness, remember even trained professional athletes exercise with a doctor, physical therapist, or other healthcare expert's approval and clearance.
Obtaining an accurate diagnosis for the exact cause of the sciatic pain
Is essential before considering any exercise program
Be gentle with your spine, don’t push too hard while doing exercises. 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!
El Paso, TX Sciatica Pain Chiropractic Therapy
Sandra Rubio discusses how Dr. Alex Jimenez and his staff can help relieve your sciatica symptoms. Chiropractic care can improve pain and discomfort as well as 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. Dr. Jimenez is the homeopathic, non-surgical choice for sciatic nerve pain and its associated symptoms.
Sciatica is generally caused by the compression of lumbar or sacral nerves or by compression of the sciatic nerve. When sciatica is caused by compression of a dorsal nerve root, it's known as lumbar radiculopathy. This can occur because of a spinal disk bulge or spinal disk herniation (a herniated intervertebral disc), or 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.
