5 Best Sciatic Pain Exercises

These 5 Sciatic Pain Exercises have worked for me to stop and avoid future occurrences of sciatic and low back pain.

First, you have to understand why you get sciatic and low back pain... It's really not rocket science.   It's a matter of improving your posture and balancing and strengthening the whole core musculature.  It's a full body process!

If you are slouched over a computer all day or driving or sitting for long periods of time of course your back is going to hurt.  Even mine does, especially when I don't practice my Pilates and leg exercises daily.

I've worked and worked on getting the right exercises in the right amount to help ward off this pain.

My focus has been on improving the strength of my lower body, back extension exercises, and upper back postural exercises.

Here they are in about a 10 minute workout.   Done consistently, at least 3 times per week you will improve!  

My 5 Favorite Sciatic Pain Exercises
to Stop it for Good!

1.   The Squat   -   Great for building strength in your "sitting muscles".   The hips, buttocks, "glutes", etc.   

I like to do this one on one leg as well so I keep them balanced equally, just cross one foot over the other knee.

Tips for a good squat - keep head and chest up, poke bottom out as shown, knees point straight ahead and line up over the second toe.

Squats for sciatic pain

2.  The Bridge or Pelvic Lift -  Helps to balance and stabilize the pelvis while tightening the glutes, hamstrings, and core musculature.

Shown with a march here to balance the strength on both sides evenly. 

Tips for a better bridge - push thru both feet evenly, press down into the shoulder blades, narrow the hip bones in front to activate the pelvic floor.

Bridges to balance the pelvis

3.  Pilates Core Exercises -   Like the crisscross shown here or a table position shown in the video.  These exercises work the deep transverse abdominals that support and protect the spine.

Tips - Stay lifted thru the chest softening the ribs down to support the head without pulling on the neck, keep the pelvis heavy and just rotate through the ribcage.

Pilates core exercise

4. Pilates Side Kick Series -  These are good sciatic pain exercises to help strengthen the muscles of the hips, balance the pelvis and core in a side lying position.

The up down kick shown here, the clam shell, and front and back kicks are my favorites.

Tips for a good side kick - Stack the hips and shoulders and look straight ahead for good neck alignment.

Pilates side kicks for balance

5.   Back Extension Exercise -  Helps to move the back into a position opposite of what we are doing in front of us all day.

This exercise can be done standing against a wall and leaning your pelvis into it.

Tips - Let your stomach hang, relax your buttocks, keep your chin level and reach your breastbone up and forward.

Back extension exercise to stop pain

Do these 5 sciatic pain exercises with progressions at least 3 days per week for best results and check out all the other free back information here.

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