Sciatica is low back pain that normally radiates into the butt, back of the hip, and down the back of the leg to the foot.
Most times sciatica affects only one side of the body, but it can affect both legs, depending on the cause.
The good news is that doing simple sciatica exercises can help relieve your pain.
First, Sciatica Facts:
• Each person has 2 sciatic nerves.
• The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body.
• The sciatic nerve starts in the lower back and runs down the back of each leg.
• Sciatic pain is often associated with tingling, numbness, or weakness of the leg.
• It may be sudden in onset and can persist for days or weeks.
• Sciatica can be caused by a number of conditions that lead to compression or irritation of nerves as they exit the spinal canal (space through which the spinal cord travels) in the region of the lower back where they come together to form the sciatic nerves at the end of the spinal column.
• People who get sciatica are usually between the ages of 30 and 50 years.
• Approximately 80% to 90% of people with sciatica recover over time without any surgical intervention.
• Research has shown that around 85% of those who have sciatica also have a corresponding disk disorder.
• Problems anywhere along the course of the sciatic nerve can give rise to sciatica, but the most common areas are where there is usually compression of the root below the corresponding disk.
• The prevalence of sciatica varies widely among studies, with a highest incidence of 40%. Most instances occur in the fourth and fifth decades of life.
• Sciatica is a symptom of another medical condition that pinches or puts pressure on the sciatic nerve.
Main Causes of sciatica:
• Age-related changes in the spinal disks which compress on the nerves (degenerative disk disease).
• A bulging disc or herniated disc that pinches on the sciatic nerve.
• Piriformis syndrome which is pain disorder that affects a muscle in the buttock.
• Spinal Stenosis which can compress on the nerves.
• Extra bone growth (bone spur) near the sciatic nerve.
• An injury or break (fracture) of the pelvis.
Sciatica Symptoms Include:
• Any of these problems in the lower back, leg, hip, or buttock:
• Mild tingling or dull aches.
• Burning sensations.
• Sharp pains.
• Numbness in the back of the calf or the sole of the foot.
• Leg weakness.
• Severe back pain that makes movement difficult.
These symptoms may get worse when you cough, sneeze, or laugh, or when you sit or stand for long periods of time. Being overweight may also make symptoms worse. In some cases, symptoms may recur over time.
5 Exercises For Sciatica Pain:
Exercise #1: Sciatic Nerve Floss
How it helps:
Sciatic nerve flossing can help relieve lower back pain by massaging the trapped nerve. Sciatic nerve flossing is done to “massage” the sciatic nerve when it becomes compressed by the muscles.
How to do it:
– Sit on a chair or table in a slouched position with both legs hanging off the edge.
– Place your hands on your thighs.
– Extend (Straighten out) your knee and look up with your head.
– Now, lower Leg while bending (flexing) neck down.
– Return to starting position.
– Repeat 10x, 3x a day.
Exercise #2: Cat & Cow (Use low range of motion)
How it helps:
The cat and cow is a great spine mobility exercise that can help decompress the low back.
How to do it:
– Begin by kneeling on all fours with your hands positioned under your shoulders and your knees positioned directly below your hips.
– Exhale and arch your spine gently.
– Hold this position for 2 seconds.
– Inhale and tighten your core muscle while you round your back.
– Hold this position for 2 seconds.
– Aim for 10 repetitions.
Exercise #3: Lying Figure-4 Stretch (For Piriformis)
How it helps:
Sciatica pain can often be caused by what is called piriformis syndrome (Coming from tightness of piriformis muscle in the butt area). This stretch will relieve the tension in the piriformis, to ensure that it’s not compressing on the sciatica nerve.
How to do it:
● Begin lying on your back with your knees bent and feet positioned flat on the floor
● Place your right ankle over your left knee
● Use your hands or a band to pull the left thigh towards your chest, and hold for 20 to 30 seconds
● Repeat on the other leg
● Aim for 3 repetitions on each side
Exercise #4: Half Cobra Pose
How it helps:
The half cobra pose creates spinal extension helping push back disc material (that may be compressing on the nerve) back towards the center and reduce pain symptoms from sciatica.
How to do it:
● Begin this exercise by lying on your stomach (prone position) and slowly prop yourself up on your elbows while keeping your hips in contact with the floor.
● Hold the prop-up position for 10-15 seconds before returning to the prone position (lying face down).
● Gradually increase to holding the end position for 30 seconds. Aim for 10 repetitions of this stretch.
** Initially, you may not be able to tolerate this position very well, so make sure you start slowly and carefully.
Exercise #5: Full Cobra pose
How it helps:
The full cobra pose creates even more spinal extension than half cobra helping push the disc material back towards the center and reduce pain symptoms from sciatica. Be careful with this one and don’t overdo it.
How to do it:
● Begin lying on the ground with your hands flat on the floor at the level of your shoulders
● Slowly push your hands to raise your shoulder off of the ground until you feel a slight stretch
● Increase your range of motion by exhaling as you push further into lumbar extension
● Aim for 5 repetitions
Related Articles:
Bulging disc treatment
Herniated disc exercises
Rounded shoulders exercises
Self Massage Techniques
Spinal Decompression at home
Sources:
1. Ropper AH, Zafonte RD. Sciatica. Longo DL, ed. N Engl J Med. 2015;372(13):1240-1248. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1410151.
2. Hildreth CJ, Lynm C, Glass RM. Sciatica. JAMA. 2009;302(2):216. doi:10.1001/jama.302.2.216.
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clfpWjqVP6U
Dr. Smith earned his Doctorate In Physical Therapy from the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine and currently practices as a home care therapist in the Tampa Bay area. He uses his eclectic background of working with everyone from those in the ICU to elite athletes to customize care for each one of his patients and progress them toward their personal goals.
Prior to being a Physical Therapist, he earned a masters degree in public health and managed big pharma clinical trials worldwide. He enjoys CrossFit, Animals, and helping people live a pain free and active lifestyle
What surgery proceedures can relieve the pain? My doctor has done injections called mmb, now he wants to do something with electrical stimulation. Thank you Dayna
Hi Dayna, we don’t really discuss surgeries on this site, and we almost never recommend them, unless a last resort. We always recommend you try natural solutions/exercises first.
Thank you, I didn’t know that. I appreciate your feedback back. Dayna
History: Retired Military 47 yrs old Male with degenerate bulging disk. Stepped off a ledge and instant pain shot from middle of back,down leg and about fainted. Now after a week of rest, pain still persists, frontal and back of leg numbness and discomfort in feet. In India waiting on my new wife’s Visa. Meanwhile, what can one do to control the pain and bring sensation back to lower leg from numbness….
Raj, Thanks for sharing. Did you try some of these exercises on this page? Especially try the Half cobra pose see if it feels better. We also have more exercises for bulged discs here: https://backintelligence.com/bulging-disc-treatment/
Thanks for the exercises. I’ve had a sciatic episode once in 2014 and it was pretty bad, after 6 months had to have injections. This time, as the last it happen in the gym probably doing something incorrectly, it’s not like before. I am able to work through and do the exercises. I’m hoping by the time I see the Doctor, the pain will be gone.