Sciatica is a nerve condition named for the inflammation of the sciatic nerve that runs down the lower back, all the way down the leg. The sciatic nerve is the largest in the body and can be pressed upon when a spinal disk slips out and presses on the nerve. This can result in nerve pain that radiates down the leg and back. To reduce sciatica pain, you can perform yoga poses that help you improve your spinal alignment, reducing the pressure placed on your nerves.
How Yoga Helps
When you experience sciatica, nerve pain can make it difficult to move comfortably. This causes many people to become sedentary, which can actually aggravate the problem instead of reduce pain. Instead, you should engage in low-impact exercises such as yoga that emphasize flexibility and range of motion. Yoga also focuses on poses that bring circulation to the hips and legs. This is beneficial because increased blood flow brings nutrients and oxygen to the muscles, helping to ease tension and pain.
Lying Pose
If you have recently experienced a sciatica flare-up, try these poses that do not place excess strain on the body, yet effectively increase circulation and stretch the muscles. One example is the cobra pose, which involves lying on the floor with your palms beside your shoulders. Press down against the floor to lift your torso off the ground, but do not lift the hips off the floor. Relax your shoulders so they do not creep up to your ears. Hold this position for 30 seconds, then lower to return to your starting position.
Standing Pose
The downward-facing dog pose is a stretch for the lower back that also helps to encourage blood flow to the hips, which can reduce inflammation. To perform, hinge forward at your hips, placing the hands on the floor. Lean back on your heels to position yourself in an upside-down V-shape. Hold this position for 15 seconds, then lean further back on your heels to return to a standing position. This exercise can be performed throughout the day to relieve muscle tension.
Poses to Avoid
Just as there are beneficial poses for yoga, there also are poses that may place too much strain on the lower back and legs. This includes seated forward-flexion poses, such as ones that cause you to lean forward to reach toward your toes, which can actually aggravate the sciatic nerve. You also should avoid cross-legged seated poses where you bend forward. One example is the paschimottanasana, or seated forward bend. Instead of seated poses, try forward-flexion bends from a standing position.
Member Comments