Sciatica is literally a pain in the butt.
Nothing can be more irritating then being disrupted with the sharp shooting pain of sciatica running into your buttock and down your leg.
While you’re at home or work here are some basic sciatica exercises you can do to help relieve your sciatica symptoms.
Sciatica Exercises & Stretches That You Can Do At Home
Lying Glute Sciatica Stretch
– Lay flat on your back
– Bring your right knee to your chest and turn your leg in so that your foot is going across your body.
– Bring your left knee towards your chest so that it’s touching the ankle of your right leg.
– Place your hands underneath your left knee and gently pull towards your body.
You should feel a stretch in your right buttock
– Hold for 10 seconds and relax. Repeat 5-10 times
– Repeat on the other leg
Seated Cross Legged Stretch
This is a great sciatica stretch because it can be done while in the office from the comfort of your own chair.
– While sitting on a chair, bring one leg up to your opposite knee as if you were crossing your leg.
– Use one hand to stabilise your foot/ankle and place the other hand on your bent knee
– Gently push down on the knee of your bent leg. To increase the stretch slowly lean forward.
You should feel a stretch in the buttock and back of your leg
– Hold for 10 seconds and relax. Repeat 5-10 times
– Repeat on the other leg
Hamstring Stretch
– Place your foot up on a chair keeping your leg straight
– Reach towards your toes slowly.
You should feel a stretch in the back of your leg
– Gently bend your upper body forward to increase the stretch.
– Hold for 10 seconds and relax. Repeat 5-10 times
– Repeat on the other leg
Lying Outer Hip Stretch
– Lie flat on your back with legs straight
– Bend one knee and bring it across your body and over the straight leg
– Ensuring to keep your back as flat as possible place one hand on your bent knee and push it further across your body.
You should feel a stretch on the outside of your hip and buttock
If you feel pain in your lower back stop the stretch immediately
– Hold for 10 seconds and relax. Repeat 5-10 times
– Repeat on the other leg
The above 4 exercises are great sciatica stretches but should be done with caution. They should be stopped and a medical doctor, physiotherapist or Sydney chiropractor should be consulted if you feel they are causing your symptoms to increase or worsen over time.
An Accurate Diagnosis Can Give You the Correct Exercises for Sciatica
These exercises for sciatica are a general guide. While they are extremely useful it’s important to get an accurate diagnosis from a health professional.
An accurate diagnosis is vital so that the exercises don’t just relieve the pain temporarily but keeps it away for good.
Specific sciatica exercises and stretches should always be given by a professional based on the underlying sciatica causes which can help to speed up recovery.
If you are suffering from sciatica and feel as though a diagnosis will help to start reducing your pain call us today or book online to see if sciatica treatment can help you.
