Sciatic nerve injuries are known for their debilitating pain. Anatomically, the nerve root exits the spinal cord within the spine. It exits the spine through a notch, like a string passing through a loop, and then travels down the outside of the leg. When the nerve root becomes inflamed, it swells and rubs against this bone loop. The muscles in this area must be strong and flexible to alleviate pain.
Hip Extension
Hip extensions strengthen the muscles of what is known as the posterior chain--hamstrings, gluteus and spinal erectors. To begin, get on your hands and knees. The thighs should be at a 90-degree angle from the pelvis and the arms should be at the same angle at the shoulders. Before you start, make sure the back is flat. Take one foot and extend it behind you. Reach the foot back while simultaneously lifting the leg. At the end point, the foot and leg should be parallel to the back. Return to the starting position to complete one repetition. Hip extensions are best when performed with high repetitions, from 10 to 25 repetitions each leg.
Cat or Camel Poses
The cat and camel exercises' roots are in yoga poses. To begin, start in the same hands-and-knees position as you did in the hip extension exercise. The first part of the exercise is the cat. Pull the belly button in toward the spine, while curving the back like a scared cat, creating an arc. To finish, depress the spine and push out the belly button. The shoulders and hips should now be higher than the middle back, similar to a camel with two humps. Perform approximately 10 repetitions.
Waiter Pose
The waiter pose stretches and strengthens the hamstrings muscles. To begin, stand tall with the feet together. Bend the right elbow as if you were a waiter at a fancy restaurant with a towel draped over the forearm. Extend the left arm in front of you as if you were holding a tray. Bow, by pushing the pelvis back as if you were trying to touch your butt to the wall behind you. Keep the back flat during this movement. When you feel a stretch in the hamstrings, hold for two seconds and return to the standing position. Complete 10 repetitions.
Reverse Crunches
A pelvic tilt can cause sciatic pain. Reverse crunches eliminates the pelvic tilt by strengthening the abdominal muscles and stretching the spinal erector muscles of the lower back. To begin, lie flat on the floor. Bend the knees until the heels are approximately 6 inches away from the butt. By using the abdominal muscles, pull the knees in toward the chest and shoulders. Ideally, the knees will be pulled in until the butt raises off the floor. The repetition range on reverse crunches is limitless. Work your way up to 25 to 50 repetitions.
