Sciatica Exercises Made Simple

Sciatica Exercises Made Simple
Sciatica exercises come in many different forms, but the
last thing you need when you're in pain is to have to learn
a complicated exercise routine. But using exercise to
alleviate sciatica doesn't have to be difficult. Getting
relief can be as simple as doing just one exercise and
doing it frequently until such time as the pain is gone or
at least much improved.

To figure out what exercise will be of most benefit, it is
important to try to distinguish whether you have sciatica
from a lumbar disc bulge /herniation, or whether you have a
condition called "piriformis syndrome", which produces
symptoms very similar to disc-related sciatica but is
caused by contraction of the piriformis muscle in the
buttock area.

One simple way to tell the difference is to sit in a firm
chair to do a couple of basic tests. In the sitting
position, try straightening your knee on the painful side,
so that your leg is parallel to the floor. If this
increases your symptoms, chances are you have true sciatica
related to a disc problem.

The second test is to bend your leg to pull the knee toward
your chest. Begin by first bringing the knee on the
painful side toward the shoulder on the same side. Then
release the leg slightly and pull the knee toward the
opposite shoulder. If pulling the knee toward the opposite
shoulder increases the pain significantly more than pulling
it toward the same side shoulder, chance are you have
piriformis syndrome. It should be noted that it is
possible to have both true sciatica and piriformis syndrome
at the same time.

Once you determine whether you have true sciatica or
piriformis syndrome, or both, you can usually get
considerable relief from just a single exercise for either
condition (two exercises if you have both).

For true sciatica, most people will find relief through the
basic McKenzie extension exercise (named for physical
thearapist Robin McKenzie). This is done by lying on your
stomach on a firm surface and propping your upper body up
on your elbows, so the curve in the lower spine is
increased. Getting into this position may be painful at
first, but within about 30 seconds, most people will notice
a decrease in the severity or the range of the sciatica, or
both. Look for the symptoms the furthest from the spine to
decrease first.

As long as the symptoms are decreasing furthest from the
spine, the exercise described is beneficial, even if the
symptoms closer to the spine seem to increase at first
(they'll usually improve with repetition of the exercise
over time). I recommend staying in this position for 1 to
2 minutes at a time and then either lying flat or getting
up and moving around for at least a few minutes in between
to prevent the back muscles from getting tight.

For piriformis syndrome, you can do a simple stretch of the
piriformis muscle. I recommend you do this by lying on
your back, pulling your knee on the painful side toward the
same side shoulder for a few seconds, then partially
releasing the leg and then pulling your knee toward the
opposite shoulder. Hold this stretch for about 10 seconds
at a time, then carefully release your leg for a a few
seconds before repeating the stretch.

Whether you need the McKenzie extension exercise, or the
piriformis stretch, or both, the sciatica exercises work
best when repeated frequently - up to several times per day
while you are having signficant symptoms.

Once you are feeling better, it is important to learn the
appropriate sciatica exercises and precautions you need to
do in order to prevent a return of the pain. Don't be
fooled! Just because the symptoms go away, it doesn't mean
that everything is back to normal. All too often, sciatica
sufferers go from one episode of pain to the next, with
episodes becoming more severe and more frequent over time,
because they fail to manage the problem correctly so you
can avoid the common problem of developing chronic pain and
disability.

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Dr. George Best has been treating sciatica and piriformis
syndrome for over 15 years in his San Antonio, Texas
practice. To obtain his free E-book with illustrated
sciatica exercises and his free video course on
understanding and treating sciatica, go to
http://www.sciaticaselfcare.com .