The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in your body and controls lower body movement. Nerve compression, irritation and inflammation of the sciatic nerve causes pain starting in the spine, moving through your lower spine, buttocks and legs, typically on one side of your body. Additional causes of sciatic pain include inactivity, trauma and a herniated, or compressed vertebral disc. Yoga as an exercise technique is an effective treatment for alleviating pain and increasing circulation, flexibility and muscular strength. Improved spinal alignment and posture helps reduce nerve compression and diminishes pain and inflammation.
Benefits of Yoga
Yoga poses place your body in a static, or stationary position requiring your muscles to stretch and contract in order to maintain the position. The benefits of yoga poses include increased muscular strength, endurance and flexibility. A stronger torso improves spinal stability, alignment and posture. Yoga workouts increase circulation, providing optimal blood, oxygen and nutrients to your body. Breathing and meditation relaxes your body and reduces stress. The combined benefits of yoga help to heal spinal problems and ailments.
Seated Poses
The staff pose is performed in a seated position with your legs straight ahead. Your abdomen contracts to maintain proper posture and your hips are flexed, stretching your buttocks. Keeping your legs straight stretches the hamstrings -- the back of your thighs. The pose works to improve spinal strength and alignment and hamstring flexibility, which contributes to reduced compression on the sciatic nerve.
A seated forward fold is performed from a staff pose by reaching with your arms towards your feet while bending forward extending your chest towards your thighs. This increases hamstring flexibility.
Spinal Movement Poses
Poses in which the spine twists and arches open the hip, allowing for improved flexibility in the spine and hip area. Examples include seated spinal twists -- rotating your upper body to one side -- and the cat pose -- arching the back while on your hands and knees. The benefits include opening the pelvic area, reducing the compression on the sciatic nerve. The poses strengthen your abdominal and lower back muscles, resulting in improved posture and alignment which diminishes the effects of herniated discs.
Prone Position Poses
The downward dog pose is performed in a prone, or face down, position. From a lying position, your body is lifted placing your hips up towards the ceiling with your arms and feet remaining on the floor. By turning your toes in and your heels out, your hips are opened and your hamstrings and buttocks are stretched. The widening of the pelvis reduces compression on the sciatic nerve.
References
- Spine Universe: Sciatica: Symptoms and Possible Causes
- ABC of Yoga: Yoga for the Back
- "Yoga for the Joy of It"; Minda Goodman Kraines & Barbara Rose Sherman; 2010
- Women Fitness.net: Top 10 Yoga Exercises to Relieve Sciatica
- Yoga Teacher Training: Yoga for Sciatica
- Yoga Wiz: Yoga for Sciatica
