Exercise can help reduce and relieve a variety of symptoms, including leg pain, caused by sciatica. Exercise helps strengthen the stomach and back muscles that support the spine. Because sciatica can be caused by any of several types of back conditions, the type of exercise recommended by your doctor will depend on the cause of your sciatica.
Identification
Sciatica occurs when pressure or damage to the sciatic nerve in the spine causes shooting pain, tingling, numbness or weakness to travel down the back of one or both legs; pain commonly occurs in one leg only. You may feel symptoms from your foot to your hip, depending on the location of the compression or damage on the sciatic nerve. Sciatica can occur if you have a bulging or slipped disk, disk degeneration, spinal tumor, spinal stenosis or a fracture or injury to the pelvis. It can also occur if you have piriformis syndrome, a condition that occurs when the piriformis muscle in the buttocks irritates the sciatic nerve.
Types of Exercise
Stretching exercises keep muscles flexible, reducing pain. Participating in yoga and tai chi classes can also be helpful in improving flexibility. Combining stretching exercises with flexibility exercises is even more beneficial if you have sciatica. Lumbar-extension strength-training exercises strengthen the abdomen, improve lower back mobility, strength and endurance, and enhance flexibility in the hip, the hamstring muscles and the tendons at the back of the thigh. Low-impact aerobic exercises are helpful in improving strength in your abdominal muscles without straining your back. Helpful low-impact exercises include swimming, walking and bicycling.
Exercises to Avoid
Any type of activity that jars the back or requires twisting of the back is not a good choice if you have sciatica. Avoiding high-impact activities, such as running, contact sports and soccer, is wise if you don't want to risk worsening symptoms. While exercise will help your condition, intense exercise should be avoided. Stop exercising if you notice any numbness, tingling or weakness in your legs. If these symptoms continue after you stop exercising, call your doctor for advice.
Results
Improvement in your condition won't be immediate, but you may notice a reduction in pain as you continue to exercise. You can judge the results of your exercise plan by the location of your pain. As the pressure on your sciatic nerve decreases, the pain won't extend quite so far down your leg. Eventually, your pain may disappear or diminish, depending on the cause of your sciatica.
