The Best Sciatic Nerve Exercises
I know the last thing you may be thinking about when you’re in pain is doing sciatic nerve exercises. Once your pain has lessened it’s a good idea to start doing some easy stretches and movements to help ease that sciatic nerve pain. What exercises are best you wonder? I will outline a variety of sciatica exercises. You can pick and choose which work best for you. Warm-up: Within a couple of days following a sciatic nerve attack and the pain is subsiding you can begin to do easy stretches and warm-up exercises to bring circulation and warmth back to the legs and lumbar spine. This may include walking, taking a hot shower, or lying on the floor and doing gentle stretches to help increase your range of movement before you do sciatic exercises. You can do whatever feels best to you.
Whole Body Sciatic Nerve Exercises: Walking is a great way to warm-up the body especially the legs helping to increase circulation. You can begin by walking just for a few minutes gradually increasing your time as your pain lessens. Make sure to walk with good posture. Chest high, ears over the shoulders, abdominal muscles pulled in, and arms swinging at your side. Swimming is another good whole body exercise. Avoid swimming the breaststroke as it causes your back to arch and compress the lower spine. The side and back strokes are safer and less painful and your sciatic nerve will appreciate the low impact and easy on the joints nature of the water. Bicycling is one of the many non weight-bearing sciatic exercises that you may choose, and it’s great for the circulation in your legs. Remember to bicycle with good posture, which means don’t round your back over the handle bars. Keep your spine straight and chest lifted so it feels like your rear end is poking out. If a regular bicycle is not comfortable for you try one of the new recumbent bikes with the full seat and back support. It may be more comfortable as a sciatic exercise. Begin slowly and build up your time and speed gradually. Sciatic Nerve Exercises using Pilates Techniques: Find these exercises and many more in the new Pilates ebook here! Bridges: Great sciatic nerve exercise to strengthen the hamstrings and deep articulating abdominal muscles. Movement: Lie on your back with arms at your sides, knees are bent with ankles directly under the knees. As you exhale curl the tailbone off the mat and keep peeling the spine as the hips lift up off the mat. Feel the weight in your shoulders and even in the feet. Breathe in, then exhale and peel the spine back down. Start with small bridges lifting only the lower back then increase your range of motion as comfortable. Repeat up to 10 times.
Kneeling Arm and Leg Extension: Good exercise to improve balance and strengthen the core muscles. Kneel on your hands and knees with spine neutral (abdominal muscles pulled in) and chest high. Movement: Inhale as you extend opposite arm and leg away from your midline until they are parallel with the floor then exhale as you pull them back in. Repeat for 6-10 repetitions holding for a 2 count on the extension.
Single Leg Stretch: Great exercise for stretching the legs and lower back while strengthening the abdominal muscles. Movement: Lie on your back with one knee pulled into your chest and the other leg extended at a 45 degree angle, the head and shoulders are lifted with the abdominal muscles supporting them. Inhale and exhale as you switch legs repeating the sequence for 8- 10 repetitions.
Side Kicks: Good sciatic nerve exercises for strengthening the pelvic floor muscles that stabilize the hips and pelvis. Clam Shell: This exercise helps to strengthen the deep gluteal muscles that stabilize the pelvis and hips. Lie on your side with knees bent, hips and shoulders aligned and heels squeezed together. Movement: Keep the hips still as you open the top knee and squeeze your heels together feeling the work in the deep gluteal muscles of the buttocks. Repeat for 10 repetitions on each side.
Caution! Not all of these exercises may work for you. Pick and choose the ones that you enjoy, don’t give you pain, and where you see the most benefits.
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