Exercise Intervention to Help Patients with Sciatica

If you have suffered with sciatica, then you are probably well aware of how debilitating it can be at times. Sharp shooting pains that develops in your lower back, can soon lead to it shooting right down the buttock area and leg, if it gets bad enough. Left untreated, you can also develop numbness.

It’s often a very specific spot that the stabbing pain starts, and that’s between the hip and the middle of the lower back. At times, you could probably point to the very spot that it generates, rather than a more general area, which is a very tender spot just to the side of the hip in the lower back. All of this pain and discomfort is stemming from one single nerve in your body. It just happens to be the longest nerve, in a very active area.

What is Sciatica?

While you might be fully aware of the pain that sciatica can bring, are you aware of what sciatica is? The sciatic nerve is the largest in the body, and runs through the spinal cord, hip, buttock, and even down the leg. It is responsible for controlling the leg muscles. But, sciatica is not actually the problem. It’s the symptom, stemming from another problem in the body.

Some of the most common culprits that lead to sciatica are lumbar related such as disc herniation, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, or subluxation. Or, it could be a spinal tumor or infection that could be causing sciatica.

Fortunately, if you suffer with sciatica, there are some things that can be done to help get some relief. In severe cases of the above listed causes, you might be a candidate for surgery, or a steroid injection. However, these are not always an appropriate treatment, or effective.

Exercise is probably the most common intervention of sciatica.

Intervening Symptoms with Exercise

By incorporating tried and true physical therapy exercises, you will be implementing a main component found in most sciatica treatment plans. A regular routine of gentle and approved exercises will help a patient bounce back from a bout of sciatica more quickly. It will also help to prevent as many recurring episodes.

And, even though it might seem that movement would be counterintuitive to the pain of sciatica, it typically is far more helpful for finding relief than bed rest. After a day or two of rest when it flares up, it’s best to work it out with some gentle exercises. Without the proper exercise or movement, your spine and back muscles risk becoming deconditioned, leading to a lack of support for the back. In turn, a weakened back can easily lead to more injury.

Basic Exercises to Help Improve Sciatica

A physical therapist or your physician can guide you into the appropriate exercises for sciatica. But, it’s typically broken down to focusing on the 3 key areas. Take a look at the following types of effective exercise…

1. Exercises for Strengthening – There a few exercises that will help you strengthen your back muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The primary focus is not only on the lower back, but also the abdominal, hips, and buttocks, otherwise known as the core. The stronger this area gets, the more support your back will get in keeping it properly aligned. This can significantly help relieve back pain, including pain stemming from sciatica.
2. Stretching Exercises – Stretching is one of the main exercises to relieve sciatic pain. Stretches for sciatica are specifically designed to focus on the exact muscles that are behind the pain, due to being inflexible and tight. Hamstring stretching is a great example of a proper stretching exercise for sciatica.
3. Low Impact Aerobic Exercise – Low impact aerobic exercise, or some type of cardiovascular exercise is also a part of most programs to help relieve sciatica. Common forms of this type include walking, swimming, or a low impact aerobic routine. Cardiovascular and aerobic conditioning has a built-in benefit to help create an improved healing environment, which is the ability to release endorphins. These are a natural pain reducer found in your body, and exercise triggers these endorphins for your benefit.

These are the 3 main components to exercise in prevention for sciatic pain. But, they can…and should be customized for your specific needs.

Exercising to Target Your Specific Sciatica Issue

The methods mentioned above will help with sciatica. However, each individual case is different and should be taken into consideration when applying any form of exercise. The underlying medical issue that is causing the sciatica needs to be the focus. Also, the level of pain that you are experiencing, as well as your general health and conditioning needs to be factored in before starting any exercise plan.

In the most severe cases, the pain might be so unbearable that a day or two of rest might be in order before beginning. Or, another form of treatment such as an injection to help reduce the pain and inflammation might be necessary. But, as mentioned earlier, rest is not necessarily a friend to sciatica, and can easily make it worse with prolonged immobility. Consistent and appropriate movement help with a body’s conditioning, as well as stimulating and delivering healthy nutrients within the body, to the needed areas.

Sciatica can be debilitating if not properly treated and managed. A professional, such as a physical therapist or physician, can assist you in what is the proper treatment and exercise for you individual needs.