3 BIG Mistakes You Could be Making with Your Sciatica Pain
These are the 3 most common mistakes we see:
Over stretching (AKA putting your nerve on tension!)
Nerves don’t behave like muscles - they don’t like to be stretched! Many of the “sciatica” exercises that you’ll find through google actually have the potential to further irritate your nerve by putting in on stretch. Your sciatic nerve is placed on maximal tension in any position where your trunk is curved or leaned forward, your leg is straight and your foot is pulled toward your head. This is why you might notice that certain exercises like deadlifts or rowing may be painful when your nerve is still in an irritable state.
Nerve mobility is still important - but nerves like to be glided through the tissues that they travel through!
Ditch the hamstring stretches and try this instead:
Overloading in your workouts before you’re ready
Sometimes your nerve is irritable due to repetitive stress it’s experiencing as it exits the spinal column in your lower back. When you lift weights that are too heavy for you (right now at least) or perform complex exercises without building the foundational strength required, your back is often the body region that compensates. This can lead to increased nerve inflammation or irritation resulting in sciatica pain.
Our therapists at PhysioVictory can help you learn to appropriately recruit and strengthen your stabilizer muscles so that you can perform the workouts that matter to you without paying for it later!
“Resting” or Avoiding Exercise
Overdoing it may not be the answer, but neither is doing nothing! Until you address the root issue through movement, your nerve pain is unlikely to go away for good.
Moving too little or sitting for prolonged periods causes joints to become stiff and muscles to further weaken - this will only reinforce the compensatory movement patterns and pain you experience when you DO eventually move. Avoidance is not the answer, but specific and progressive training is!
Do you know someone who’s experienced sciatica pain?
Share this blog post with them!
