Your body has a pair of sciatic nerves, the largest and longest nerves in your body, running from the lower back down each leg. Compression or irritation of a nerve or its component nerve roots produces the characteristic symptoms commonly known as sciatica.
When this collection of symptoms flares up, you can take control of your recovery by choosing the right exercises to relieve your pain, while avoiding movements that make things worse. When you combine therapeutic movement with a session at Active Care Chiropractic & Rehabilitation in Lafayette Hill, the Main Line, East Falls, Elkins Park, Manayunk and Hatfield, Pennsylvania, you’re on the road to fast recovery.
Let’s look at the shoulds and shouldn’ts when it comes to motion during an active sciatica flare-up.
Perhaps the worst thing you can do when sciatica flares is bed rest. Gentle mobilization of your body is the cheat code to easing the effects. Do practice these exercises during a sciatica flare-up:
As your pain allows, take gentle strolls on level surfaces in comfortable shoes. Walking is generally well-tolerated by sciatica patients, as is other low-impact mild exercise. Stop if walking aggravates your symptoms and resume later, after a period of rest.
Without extreme arching or flattening of your lower back, lie down with your knees bent, rock your pelvis gently through the comfortable range of motion you have. The key is to keep soft tissue from tightening up, while encouraging blood flow at the source of your symptoms.
On your back and alternating sides, move a knee from side-to-side in a light stretch. Don’t move it so far that it aggravates your sciatica symptoms, just keep your hip joint loose. Use this mild stretch for both knees, even when your symptoms are on one side.
Don’t use any exercise or stretch that causes sharp pain or that makes your flare-up worse. While complete rest is usually counterproductive, take it easy through the worst of your sciatica pain. In particular, avoid exercises like:
Flexing your spine may increase nerve irritation at the roots of the sciatic nerve. Go easy on movement of the lower spine until symptoms subside.
These may seem obvious, but for some people, these movements are done without thought through routine tasks. Any weight that’s not close to the body with a straight spine adds powerful levels of cantilevered force.
Since the sciatic nerve runs down your thigh close to the hamstring muscle, exercising your legs could aggravate the adjacent nerve tissue, boosting your symptoms.
Your spine plays a role as a shock absorber in your body. While your feet and legs support their share, jumping, running, and high-intensity exercise all increase pressure on the spine. It’s not a good idea during a sciatica flare-up.
When home care isn’t enough to relieve your sciatica symptoms, contact Active Care Chiropractic & Rehabilitation at our nearest location to schedule a session with our sciatica specialists. Book an appointment online or by phone today.
