Stretching improves your flexibility and strengthens muscles. Do it regularly to prevent and fix discomfort, injuries and sciatica. Do you know what sciatica is?
Sciatic nerve pain may be caused by the following triggers:
1. Lumbar herniated disc
2. Degenerative disc disease
3. Isthmic spondylolisthesis
4. Lumbar spinal stenosis
5. Piriformis syndrome
6. Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
Other causes of sciatica and sciatica-type symptoms:
- Pregnancy
- Scar tissue
- Muscle strain
- Spinal tumor
- Infection
- Fracture
Sciatica can be really uncomfortable, and some sufferers are unable to move. It’s a rather serious condition that requires full attention and care. This type of pain won’t go on its own, and stuffing your body with painkillers won’t treat your problem. Painkillers provide short-term improvement, but the problem is still here.
Common sciatica symptoms
The pain usually affects one side of your lower body, and goes from the lower back and down the leg.
- Constant pain in one side of the hip/leg
- Pain that affects the lower back and buttock
- Pain that goes away when you lie on the bed or walk
- Sharp/searing pain
- A pins-and-needles sensation, numbness, weakness in legs
- Weakness or numbness during motion (leg/foot)
- Severe pain in one leg
- Lower back pain (less severe)
- Pain and other issues in toes
Try the following stretches to improve your condition:
1. Camel pose
To do it, you need to kneel and keep your knees apart and your palms forward. Bring your hips up and forward, and bend your upper body like a camel. Place your hands to the heels one by one.
2. Wide forward fold
You can do this either standing or sitting. If you sit, keep your feet apart and straighten your knees. Reach forward with your arms, and relax the neck area. If you stand, keep your feet apart, and lean forward to touch the floor.
3. Frog pose
Bring your body on all fours, and spread your knees. Bring your hips forward, and bring your chest and head to the floor.
4. Wide side lunge
Stand with your toes forward, and bend to touch the floor with your fingers. Bring your hands to one foot and bend the knee of the opposite leg. Rotate the other foot, and make sure your toes face the ceiling.
5. Butterfly stretch
Sit on the floor, open your knees, bring your feet together. Straighten your back and press your knees down. Can you feel the stretch?
6. Forearm extensor stretch
Roll your shoulders back, and extend one arm to the front. Flex your hand down and cup it with your other hand. Bring it towards your body. You should feel the stretch at this point.