3 Easy and Simple Stretching Exercises to Help with Sciatica.

One of the best ways to relieve the pain of Sciatica is with stretching exercises. Since most cases of Sciatica are caused by muscular imbalances or poor posture (which often results in muscle imbalances over time), stretching can help you to strengthen weak muscles and release the tension to tight or contracted muscles. Here are a few of the most effective stretching exercises for Sciatica that I’ve encountered. Piriformis Stretch - Your Piriformis is a muscle located deep inside your pelvis. When it becomes too tight it can clamp down on your Sciatic nerve and cause pain in your hips or buttocks. This stretch will help to release the Piriformis. Sit on the floor with both feet flat on the floor in front of you and knees bent. If you are feeling pain on your left side, take your left leg and cross it over your right leg. Then grab your left leg with your arms and hug it close to your chest. When you do this, you will feel a stretching sensation in your buttocks. This is your Piriformis muscle. Hold this pose as long as you feel comfortable doing so and repeat daily until the pain subsides. Cobra Stretch - We often spend most of our days sitting, and most of us don’t have good posture while we do it. This can lead to muscles that naturally pull us forward and encourage us to slouch and cause back pain. This yoga pose helps to pull your muscles in the opposite direction and can undo some of the effects of sitting all day. To do this stretch, lie on the floor on your belly. Then simply place your hands on the floor at about chest-level and then lift your upper body off the ground. Think of this as slowly peeling your torso off of the floor. Lean your head back while keeping your hips and legs flat on the floor. This stretch will help to open up your back and stretch the muscles that usually make you slouch forward. Swan Dive and Flat Back - Another problem that seems to cause Sciatica is when the Sciatic nerve gets trapped or caught somewhere along its course through the body. This next yoga stretch essentially tightens the nerve and can pull it free of any sort of kink that it may have gotten stuck in. Start by standing with your back straight and your feet together on the floor. Now raise your hands above your head and touch them together with elbows straight. Then lower your arms and bend at your hips to try to touch your toes. If you are like most people, you will not actually be able to touch your toes. At least not yet, anyway. Also try to keep your back flat and straight. It is more important to keep your back flat and straight than it is to touch your toes. If you continue with this over time, your flexibility will increase and you will eventually be able to touch your toes. You should feel this stretch in your lower back and hips. These three stretching exercises will help you loosen up your Sciatic nerve and relieve the pain you are feeling. These do take some time, in general, to notice any results so stick with them for a few weeks if necessary, and you’ll find your pain melting away.