Sciatic Pain Relief

Sciatica is really painful and debilitating. Often the leg pain is much worse than the low back pain. Pain can run down the back or outside of the leg into the calf, foot and toes. Sometimes it’s a constant ache or numb other times it can be sharp, electrical or burning.

In my practice at AbbeyField in Colchester I’ve treated alot of patients with sciatica. If you’re suffering from sciatica it’s so important to try to keep moving. If you can walk then get moving. If the pain is more debilitating then try some gentle exercises lying on your back. The more you’re moving then the more your are using your muscles as pumps to help flush out inflammation and reduce pain and sensitivity. If you can’t do any of these things then you should seek help from a professional.

I use neurodynamic techniques alot when I’m helping patients with nerve pain and sciatica. They are quick and easy to use. There’s alot of research to support their use (which I won’t go into now). Doing these exercises help reduce irritation of the nerve and may reduce pain and increase range of motion.

If you’re in pain and suffering from sicatica then try this routine below. Work within your own range of motion and pain levels. Start with ten repetitions of each version and build it up to twenty over a few days. Aim to perform this routine three times a day. I was told on a course by an eminent researcher in this field that 10 repetitions evey hour during the day is optimum.

A word of caution that there are many different neurodynamic exercises so it’s important to to see a health care professional to prescribe the right type of exercise and the right dose for you. This exercise isn’t a panacea and should be used along with conventional care such as seeing your registered osteopath, physiotherapist or chiropractor.