Two Sciatica Stretching Exercises You Should Know For Pain Relief

Sciatica, also well-known as sciatic nerve pain, can be a terrible illness that can truly degrade your quality of life if remained untreated.Sciatica stretching exercises can really help you on your road to becoming pain free, but first you need to understand how sciatica is caused.

Essentially, sciatica is nerve impairment that has been set off by either stress, or tight muscles pinching the nerve.The sciatic nerve starts in your lower back area, and runs down, through the buttock area, and down through the hamstring and the back of your leg. Therefore, when you have excessively tight hamstrings, that can set off pain in your sciatic nerve.

In General tight muscles indicate a weakness in other muscles in the
surrounding area, and that is the most common cause of sciatica.You can overcome this, and relieve nerve pain by regular sciatica stretches.

Sciatic nerve damage can also be triggered by job stressors such as truck driving for a prolonged period. The constant bouncing applies stress on the sciatic nerve. A herniated lumbar disc can also cause sciatica, which then it would be better to avoid sciatica stretches without talking to your doctor first, as this could end up harming your sciatic nerve further.

In order to determine the type of sciatica you may be suffering from, try this simple exercise. Sit in a chair and try stretching the leg with the side you are having pain on, out straight.If your pain increases, most likely true sciatica is to blame, and you have a herniated disk.Another test that is helpful in discovering where your sciatica is originating from, is gently pulling your knee on your tender side, to your shoulder on the same side. Then gently pull the same knee to the opposite shoulder, and gauge the pain. If it is significantly more painful pulling to the opposite shoulder, tight muscles are the most likely culprit for your sciatica.

Here are two simple Sciatica nerve stretches you can perform for sciatic pain relief: The first one you perform the same exercise as listed above under the test exercises, but you do it lying down on your back. This can help to stretch out overly tight hamstrings. Be careful though as this can exacerbate a herniated disc problem.

The second sciatica stretch you can do is a yoga technique, where you lie flat on your stomach, and prop yourself up on your elbows while looking up slightly. The slight curve this creates in your spine helps to relieve pressure and pain. However again, be careful as this can aggravate a facet problem that could be inducing your sciatica.

Also it is good to note that pain may increase for a bit when doing this sciatica stretch, but usually with practice it improves. Get up and take a break between reps, walk it off. Both of these sciatica exercises can help you heal, as long as you perform them a couple times a day for as long as you feel nerve pain or numbness, and there are no other causes of your sciatica you are unaware of.

Another thing to consider is that sciatica is rarely caused by just one factor. In some cases, it may be due to facet syndrome, which I briefly mentioned above. That involves rear joints at the base of your spine. In such case, extending your back like mentioned above can actually exacerbate your symptoms, and it is recommended to lie flat on your back and hug your knees. However, again this can put pressure on any herniated disc problems. Truthfully, to see your doctor before embarking on any Sciatica stretches, and find out exactly where the cause of the pain is originating from, is the safest and wisest path to take.They can then refer you to a specialist that will help you do the appropriate exercises relevant to your particular case.