subject: Sciatica | Symptoms, Causes and Exercise for Sciatica Pain Relief [print this page] Sciatica | Symptoms, Causes and Exercise for Sciatica Pain Relief
To understand what causes sciatica, you must understand what it was that caused your condition to develop in the first place. For example, you may discover that you have sciatica because of a herniated disc. But in order to get relief, it is equally important to know why your disc became herniated.
Symptoms:
The symptoms of sciatica vary greatly. Most people feel a burning or tingling in the buttocks, and as the pressure on the nerve increases, the pain can travel down the hamstring and all the way into the toes. It can be felt on both sides of the buttocks simultaneously and can cause weakness and increased pain when sitting down. Sometimes, there is associated lower back pain.
This is something that most traditional treatments fail to address, which is why people can suffer for years on end without relief. The Muscle Balance Therapy approach considers the root cause of any of these conditions to be muscle imbalances. These muscle imbalances can have negative effects on your muscles, joint and posture, leading to something called "postural dysfunctions."
Causes:
A bulging disc is also known as a contained disc disorder. This means the gel-like center (nucleus pulposus) remains 'contained' within the tire-like outer wall (annulus fibrosus) of the disc. A herniated disc occurs when the nucleus breaks through the annulus. It is called a 'non-contained' disc disorder. Whether a disc bulges or herniates, disc material can press against an adjacent nerve root and compress delicate nerve tissue and cause sciatica. The consequences of a herniated disc are worse.
Exercise Provides Sciatica Pain Relief:
While it may seem counterintuitive, exercise is usually better for relieving sciatic pain than bed rest. Patients may rest for a day or two after their sciatic pain flares up, but after that time period, inactivity will usually make the pain worse. Without exercise and movement, the back muscles and spinal structures become deconditioned and less able to support the back. The deconditioning and weakening can lead to back injury and strain, which causes additional pain. In addition, active exercise is also important for the health of the spinal discs. Movement helps exchange nutrients and fluids within the discs to keep them healthy and prevent pressure on the sciatic nerve.
Sciatica Pain Relief Exercise # 1
The first of the exercises for sciatica is knee to chest stretch. To do this stretch, lie on the floor or on any hard surface. Keep your lower back on the floor and extend the leg, which is not paining. Bend the leg, which is experiencing pain, at the knee and grasp the leg with your hands or with a belt or with a towel. Gently pull the knee towards your chest as much as you can. Hold the position for 10 to 20 seconds and release.
Sciatica Pain Relief Exercise # 2
The next exercise in the sciatica pain relief lessons is the hamstring stretch. To do one of the best sciatica stretches, you will either have to use an exercise band or a towel. Lie down flat on your back and wrap the towel on the ball of the right leg, while you keep the left leg extended on the floor. Exhale and slowly lift the right leg up in the air. Straighten your leg, so that you feel a stretch in your hamstring. However, ensure, it is a stretch and not pain. Hold the stretch for some time, before you release the stretch.
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Home Remedies for Sciatica
Sciatica Pain Relief Exercise # 3
This is one of the sciatica pain relief exercises, which you should include in the sciatica pain relief workout. This exercise is known as knee stir. To do this stretch for sciatica, lie with your back on the floor and extend one leg on the floor. Bend the other leg at an angle of 90 degrees. Keep your body and pelvis still and slowly begin to make circles with the bent leg. Make 8 circles clockwise and 8 circles anticlockwise from the hip socket. While you are doing this exercise, you will have to ensure, that the lower part of the leg does not move, only the thigh in the hip socket should move. Slowly bring the leg back to the floor and repeat the exercise on the other leg.
Sciatica Pain Relief Exercise # 4
This sciatica stretch is similar to the knee to chest stretch, however it is more intense as compared to the knee to chest stretch. To do this exercise, lie on your back and bend the right leg at the knee. Now slowly cross the right leg over the bent left knee. Gradually pull your left leg towards your chest. You will have to grasp your left thigh, when you pull the leg towards your chest. Release and repeat the exercise on both the sides.
