Can you suggest exercises to help with sciatica

[marymurdoch17]

Exercises to halp with sciatica

[Shar28]

Hello, I had sciatica on and off for many years and empathise with you - to say it hurts is somewhat of an understatement! I have a range of exercises I do and have also found Pilates and Yoga help long-term. If you haven’t already I’d suggest seeing a chiropractor/osteopath/physio for a full assessment of you and your condition and some bespoke exercises. It’s really easy to try something because “it’s good for sciatica” and find it makes things worse because it’s not quite right for you as an individual.

All the best, I hope the pain subsides soon and you get some really good help in finding the exercises you need to get better and stay better.

[45sue in reply to Shar28]

I also suffer sciatica which has prevented me from continuing with cardiac rehab which caused it to flare up. I used to manage any flare ups with ibuprofen or naproxen which am now not allowed to take because of other medication. I confirm that bespoke physio, pilates, yoga and Bowen all help. I do daily stretches recommended by the physio, attend a combined pilates and yoga class and see a Bowen practitioner regularly - the latter has had remarkable results. I am still cross with cardiac rehab for encouraging me to do exercises which were not right for me. Getting on much better with gym on prescription because it is individualised rather than one size fits all.

[Celtic]

Mary, look up Bowen therapy and whether there is a recommended Bowen therapist in your area. I have two friends for whom this somewhat unusual therapy resolved their sciatica in just a few visits. I know how agonising this condition can be, having experienced it on three occasions some years ago - the first episode lasting a year. Now that I have heard about my friends’ success with Bowen in the last couple of years, I would not hesitate to give it a go if ever I was to succumb again. Good luck!

[Hidden]

Hi Mary. I suffer from this and it is just 'S0' painful. Been to the Doctors twice about it. He has given me Ibrobufen Gel and Zapain Painkillers. The Painkillers are excellent but just make me feel like a 'Zombie'. The Gel relieves it, for a while! Also being referred to a Physiotherapist so just hope it won't be that long. I sympathise with you, I really do NB: I find if I keep 'on the go' it is better. I've got it now!

[Invermill]

Hi, my doctor referred me to the physio at local hospital where after weeks of exercise which didn’t help the physio asked if I would like to try acupuncture. After a six week course my pain had disappeared and have been pain free for the last three/four years. Good luck I hope this helps.

Regards

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

I would suggest you either get a referral from your GP or a recommendation from someone you know. My problem is two prolapsed discs which cause lower back pain and sciatica. One day I used someone advertising "back massage". I was in agony for three days fearing further permanent damage and when the pain eased no better off!

[BibbyA]

Hi, sorry to hear you are suffering with sciatic pain. I went to a physio 2 years ago with this problem and I was given lower body stretches to do and they worked!! For example: lie on you bed with left leg straight.....bend the right leg..... and lift your right foot.... and place it at the side of your left knee......place left hand on your right knee.....and lightly press down and hold, you will feel the stretch, don't bounce the knee though. Repeat on the other side. I do this while watching TV and often hold the stretch for 10 minutes. Look on the net for stretches not exercises. Hope this helps a little.

[Bagrat]

The sciatic nerve runs all the way down to your ankles even if the pain doesn't.Using the acupressure point below your ankle bone on the outside of the joint on the affected side can help. If you can reach your ankle prod around below the ankle bone. One spot will be quite tender. Apply gentle pressure with a finger and massage gently for a minute or two. It works for me and if it doesn't you won't have caused other problems.

[BillyMct]

My local NHS trust run a pilates course set up for long term (back?) pain patients. the range of patient problems were varied so the course wasn't tailored specifically to an individual but they did advise on building up slowly and if a particular exercise was problematic for a patient to moderate it or avoid. I have a PDF of the exercises they used but 1st use & techniques for these pilates exercise would be better done under the supervision of a suitable expert with knowledge of your problem to avoid causing more issues . The session takes about 40mins (10mins stretch warm up and down at each end, not included on the pdf) with each exercise being done for up to 2 mins if you can manage it. I attended this course some years ago as I had a lower back ligament injury that allowed instability in the lower back pelvis area, causing nerve pain/back spasm lock ups. As to pain management I initially found gabapentin was a good nerve pain management blocker but it comes with side effects, I understand it was originally developed as a sedative so can make you a bit dopey, slow witted etc. I now no longer have back lock up spasms , though will never be totally pain free though should be more proactive in my self administration of pilates .

[Petermck1]

I saw a physiotherapist who then advised I take up Pilates from which I have not looked back. I now walk 5 miles a day and if I get back pain (or pain radiating through my hips) I know which exercises will reduce or get rid of it with no need for pain killers.

[Hidden]

I suffered bouts of sciatica and it got worse with every episode to the extent the last bout i couldn't support my own body weight I was in such pain. I eventually saw NHS physiotherapist who advised doing a more specialized form of pilates called APPI pilates which is taught by fully qualified physiotherapists (normally NHS physiotherapists do this in addition to their NHS work). I pay £64 for a block of 8. It mostly consists of mat work using your own body weight or weighted balls, resistance bands etc to strengthen your core and give pelvic stability rather than other pilates that uses a resistance machine called a reformer. Just google ‘APPI pilates near me’ and it should give a list of practitioners. I’ve been doing APPI pilates for nearly three years and and so far have had no recurrence of sciatica.

[sos007]

While it is great to use stretching and exercise to help alleviate sciatic pain, the ultimate solution is weight loss.

I had a severe case of sciatica when I turned 40 - I was also about 60 lbs over my ideal weight (155 lbs to 160 lbs) at that time. I am a male 5'10" tall (178 cm). At that time, I did exercises daily and lost about 20 lbs which helped to relieve most of the pain, but I continued to have minor pain.

Today I am 57 years of age.

Due to coronary bypass surgery 4 years ago, I radically changed my diet and lifestyle and lost the remaining 40 lbs of excess body weight. I am now completely pain free.

I exercise daily, alternating between cardio and resistance training, and play ice hockey, year round, once per week, along with golf in the summer.

I follow a whole-foods, plant-based diet, avoiding all processed foods, simple carbohydrates and sugar. It is essentially the Mediterranean Diet but with very small amounts of animal protein. I eat grilled or baked fish at least twice each week. My diet is focused on legumes, vegetables, fruits and nuts. I eat 2 boiled eggs twice per week for breakfast.

Due to these dietary and lifestyle changes, I no longer take any medications, not even baby aspirin. My blood work is optimal and I am full of energy. My palette has adapted to my new diet and I don't miss any of the sugar and junk I use to eat.

I encourage you to watch the following videos:

youtu.be/ZSpB-j5DL9E(Not working as expected?)

youtu.be/K3ksKkCOgTw(Not working as expected?)

Good luck.