Tip! For sciatica sufferers, a good night’s sleep may be a thing of the past. Simple things like walking, sitting, or standing up can be difficult or impossible.

Sciatica refers to the pain caused by the compression or irritation in the nerves at the lower end of the spine. Sciatica is also known as radiculopathy, which refers to the extension of the spinal disc beyond the normal position, resulting in the pressure on the sciatic nerve. Such a condition can often result in pain in the back and legs. The best remedy for the treatment of this kind of pain is sciatica exercises. It is often believed that bed rest helps in such a condition. However, inactivity usually worsens the pain in sciatica patients. Lack of movement weakens the back muscles and the spinal structures, thus resulting in increased pressure on the back and consequently more pain. Sciatica exercises are very important for health and fitness of the human back and spine.

Sciatica exercises focus on strengthening the abdominal and back muscles. These exercises include stretching, which helps in improving the flexibility of the back muscles, resulting in reduced pain. Doctors recommend different exercises for sciatica patients, depending on the cause of sciatica, which can also occur due to serious medical conditions such as an infection or tumor. One has to do these exercises regularly and in a proper manner in order to derive maximum benefit.

Tip! The most common cause of sciatica is a prolapsed (slipped) disc, pinched nerves or some form of arthritis. It usually starts with back pain which sometimes improves only to be followed by hamstring or calf pain.

Exercising regularly not only helps in the treatment of sciatica-related pain, but also helps in the prevention of any such problems in the future. The most common sciatica exercises that are recommended for the treatment of sciatica-related pain are the Hamstring stretching exercises. The hamstrings are the muscles located in the back of the thigh and help in bending the knee. You must also perform exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles in order to get relief from the sciatica pain.

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Tip! For sciatica sufferers, a good night’s sleep may be a thing of the past. Simple things like walking, sitting, or standing up can be difficult or impossible.

Sciatica is not a specific disease, instead it is a condition characteristic of several different diseases. Simply put, it is a mild to intense pain in the left or right leg. Sciatica is caused by a compression of one or more of the five sets of nerve roots in the lower back. These compressions are typically caused by a disc rupture or bone spur in the lumbar spine. It causes pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness in the arms or legs. This is referred to as radiculopathy. If the nerve root causing the problem is in the neck it is called cervical radiculopathy. Sciatica is called a lumbar radiculopathy since it occurs in the lower back.

There are six typical causes of Sciatica.

Spondylolisthesis

Spondylolisthesis is usually found at birth, early childhood or acquired from physical trauma such as weightlifting. It is a disorder that most often affects the lumbar spine. Spondylolisthesis is characterized by one vertebra slipping forward over an adjacent vertebra. Often sciatic leg pain is caused when a nerve root compresses due to the vertebra being displaced and slipping.

Tip! The most common cause of sciatica is a prolapsed (slipped) disc, pinched nerves or some form of arthritis. It usually starts with back pain which sometimes improves only to be followed by hamstring or calf pain.

Piriformis Syndrome

Due to the lack of MRI or x-ray findings, it may be difficult to diagnose and treat piriformis syndrome. The piriformis muscle connects to the thighbone, assists in hip rotation and is located in the lower part of the spine. When muscle spasms develop in the piriformis muscle thereby compressing the sciatic nerve, Piriformis syndrome develops. The sciatic nerve runs beneath the piriformis muscle. Piriformis syndrome is named for the piriformis muscle and the pain caused when the muscle irritates the sciatic nerve.

Tip! There are six typical causes of Sciatica.

Lumbar Bulging or Herniated Disc

When the nucleus breaks through the annulus a herniated disc occurs. It is called a ‘non-contained’ disc disorder. A bulging disc is also known as a contained disc disorder. This means the nucleus pulposus (gel-like center) remains ‘contained’ within the annulus fibrosus (tire-like outer wall) of the disc. Because a herniated disc is a

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Tip! As a Board Certified Chiropractic Neurologist, I take a different approach to the treatment and prevention of sciatica. After a thorough neurological exam, I determine which part of the nervous system is not functioning properly.

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The Sciatic Nerve
The Sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the human body,
and is about the diameter of your little finger. The nerve runs from the base of
your spine, through the buttock into the back of your leg, to the side of the
calf muscle, through your ankle into the top of your foot and ends at your big
toe.

Sciatica Symptoms
Sciatica pain usually starts in the lower back, but you
will experience most of the pain in your legs and buttocks, in the hip, and
anywhere along the path of the nerve.

The pain is usually on one side, but it is possible to have
pain on both sides (Bi-lateral Sciatica) but this is rare. Classic symptoms of
Sciatica are pins and needles, tingling or crawling sensations which can be felt
anywhere along the path of the nerve, you may also get cramping pains in your
lower back, buttocks or legs as the muscles contract and become imbalanced.

Tip! To complicate matters, although sciatica pain is usually in the back of the legs or thighs, some people may feel pain in the front or side of the legs or even in the hips.

You may find standing or sitting painful or difficult, and
also find that your body is tilted towards the side of the pain. Coughing and
sneezing can also aggravate the situation.

Sciatica is caused when the sciatic nerve becomes inflamed
or irritated. This can happen for one or all of the following reasons -:

1) A Vertebrae in your lower back is not moving properly,
or is out of position. The joint becomes inflamed and irritates the Sciatic
nerve.

2) If one of your discs is bulging (Herniated or Slipped
Disc) this can put pressure on the sciatic nerve, which again can become
inflamed.

3) If a muscle in your lower back tightens this can put
pressure on the Sciatic Nerve

Tip! For sciatica sufferers, a good night’s sleep may be a thing of the past. Simple things like walking, sitting, or standing up can be difficult or impossible.

If your Sciatica is in the acute stages (first 6 days) a cold pack will help to reduce the inflammation. You should also use a good
anti-inflammatory. This will quickly reduce the inflammation, considerably
reduce your pain level, and make you feel altogether better.

It is also important for you to keep active, if anybody has
told you to take to your bed - Don’t listen!. It has been proven time and time
again that bed rest is not a remedy for Sciatica, and will make your situation
worse.

The very best way to treat Sciatica is through a
combination of non impact aerobic exercises, and exercises that will strengthen
your lower back and stomach muscles.

These specialist exercises will address the muscle
imbalance, reduce your pain and prevent future reoccurrences.
Although you are probably not feeling up to it, just 20
minutes on a stationery bicycle or elliptical trainer will make feel a lot
better.
The muscles in your lower back will have been gently
stretched, and the natural endorphins that are released into your body after
exercise act as natural pain killer.

Tip! The most common cause of sciatica is a prolapsed (slipped) disc, pinched nerves or some form of arthritis. It usually starts with back pain which sometimes improves only to be followed by hamstring or calf pain.

Another benefit to sciatica and sciatic pain is stretching.
As we age our bodies and lower back become less flexible. By introducing a
weekly stretching routine, your body will becomes more flexible and the risk of
any injury is greatly reduced.

Tip! There are six typical causes of Sciatica.

For more information on the effective treatment of Sciatica
and other back pain complaints visit our website at
http://www.lowerbackpainrelief.org

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