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3 Exercises to Help Manage Your Sciatica

How do you know if you have sciatica? Many patients experience:Back Pain

• Pain in the buttocks or legs that worsens when sitting

• Burning or tingling down one or both legs

• Weakness, numbness or difficulty using your leg or foot

• A shooting pain that makes standing difficult

If these symptoms sound familiar, you’re likely to be in your 30’s, 40’s or 50’s and have pain when coughing, sneezing or any kind of movement. Sitting for long periods of time is likely very aggravating – not to mention the pain and stiffness you feel when you go to stand up after prolonged sitting. Simply put, you probably have sciatica.

What Is Sciatica

Sciatica is inflammation and irritation of the large sciatic nerve that is formed from branches of a number of nerve roots in the lower spine that combine together and travel down the back of the legs to the toes.

There are so many different causes of sciatica that diagnosis is difficult. Regardless of the specific mechanism, sciatica sufferers have several underlying things in common.

1. Poor low back and hip mobility.

2. Weak lumbar, hip, and pelvic muscles.

3. Structural and mechanical issues with the lumbar spine and SI joints.

Until these underlying issues are addressed, sciatica sufferers are doomed to the endless cycle of recurrent bouts of sciatic pain.

What You Can Do

Here are my 3 favourite exercises to help manage sciatica:

  1. Laying down on your back, pull your knee to your chest, one at a time, and hold for 10 seconds and repeat for the other leg.
  2. Sitting at your chair, lift one leg up and put it over the other leg so your ankle rests on top of the knee of the opposite leg. This will be a sort of figure 4 position. Then simply bend forward at the waist until you feel a strong pull through the glut (butt) muscles.   Hold for 10 seconds and repeat for the other leg. You will notice one leg stiffer than the other. This is likely an indication of a structural shift in your body that has developed over years.
  3. Next, stand up facing your chair about 3 feet away from it. Step up onto the chair with one leg and do a deep lunge forward until you feel a deep pull in the groin of your back leg. Make sure you keep your back upright and your core muscles flexed and tight. Hold 10 seconds and repeat for the other leg.

*   If you’re not sure how to do the exercises, WATCH THIS VIDEO.

These are general exercises that will benefit just about anyone with sciatica regardless of the underlying cause.   Additional exercises may likely be required depending on the exact cause of your sciatica.

At Elevate Chiropractic we correct sciatica by Neuro-Structural Restoration using the Life By Design Chiropractic Method™.

I’m not talking about traditional chiropractic care (which is wonderful at reducing pain for a period of time). The LBD Chiropractic Method™ is a multi-factorial approach to correcting, stabilizing and strengthening your spine while reducing interference to the nervous system.

This method address ALL three problems that plague sciatica sufferers.

• the spine problem

• the nerve problem

• the mobility problem

Step one is simple. Determine through the application of a comprehensive Neuro-Structural Examination, IF a problem with your spine and nervous system is present.

No more guess work and no more ‘going by feel’. We can determine once and for all if you have a structural problem and IF we can help or not.

If you have any questions about your case, please leave them below or if you’re looking for a risk-free way to see if the LBD Chiropractic Method™ can help your sciatica, simply book your free case review.

BOOK A CONSULTATION

 PS If you haven’t got our FREE Sciatica Survival Guide yet, download it now:

DOWNLOAD YOUR SCIATICA SURVIVAL GUIDE NOW!

0 Join the Conversation

  1. Jennie Tole says
    Sep 22, 2020 at 7:15 AM

    Thanks for sharing this very helpful information.

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