Physical Health Guide

Sciatic nerve pain, also well-known as a condition called sciatica, is an disease that when remained untreated can become painful and consuming, and really degrade your quality of life.Sciatica stretches can provide relief to your pain, but it is crucial to first understand what causes sciatica.

Sciatica is basically damage to the sciatic nerve that is triggered by pinching of
the nerve from tight muscles, or tension being placed on the nerve. The sciatic nerve begins in your lower back area, and travels down, through the buttock area, and down through the hamstring and the back of your leg. Thus, when you have overly tight hamstrings, that can set off pain in your sciatic nerve.

Generally, these overly tight muscles mean that muscles in the surrounding areas are quite weak, and this is thought to be the most common cause of sciatica. You can combat this, and relieve nerve pain by regular exercise and performing sciatica stretches.

Another thing that can cause sciatic nerve damage is occupations such as truck driving, where you  are sitting for a prolonged period, and being bounced around at the same time, which applies pressure  and stress on the sciatic nerve. Sciatica can also be caused by a herniated lumbar disc, in which case, only performing sciatica  stretches won’t help too much, and can in fact in up damaging your sciatic nerve further.

In order to determine which type of sciatica you may be suffering from, try this simple exercise. Sit in a chair and stretch the leg with the side you are having pain on, out straight.  If this aggravates your sciatic nerve pain, chances are you are suffering from true sciatica related to a  herniated disc.The 2nd test you can perform is pulling your knee on your painful side slowly, up to the 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 Sciatic nerve stretching exercisesyou can do to help relieve your pain. Lying flat on your back, pull your knee up to each shoulder.This can help to stretch out overly tight hamstrings. Be careful though, because if you suffer from a herniated disc than this exercise can aggravate it.

The second stretch is based on yoga exercises.  Lie flat on your tummy and push up on your elbows, looking up and breathing deeply.  The slight curve this creates in your spine helps to relieve pressure and pain. However again, be careful as this can exacerbate a facet problem that could be causing 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 several times a day for as long as you have nerve pain or numbness, and there are no other causes of your sciatica you are unaware of.

Another thing to keep in mind is that sciatica is rarely caused by just one factor. Sometimes, it may be due to facet syndrome, which I briefly mentioned above. That involves rear joints at the base of your spine. In that case, extending your back like mentioned above can actually aggravate your symptoms, and it is suggested to lie flat on your back and hug your knees. However, again this can put pressure on any herniated disc problems. Truthfully, to consult your doctor before commencing any Sciatica stretches, and find out exactly where the cause of the pain is originating from, is the safest and smartest path to take.You can then be referred to a specialist who can show you the proper exercises and sciatica stretches you should be undertaking.