Sciatica is a condition where one of the sciatic nerve roots in the back is pinched. This condition can lead to pain in the lower back and other symptoms that negatively affect your quality of life. Physical therapy is a great way for Saint Charles, Missouri, residents to treat sciatica pain. Here are two exercises for sciatica pain that a physical therapist could recommend for you:
1. Sitting pigeon stretch
A type of exercise that can be included in your physical therapy program for sciatica pain is stretching exercises. One reason such exercises are important is that tense back, butt and leg muscles can increase your sciatica pain. However, certain stretches can relieve the tension in these muscles, and the sitting pigeon stretch is a perfect example.
To do the sitting pigeon stretch, you’ll need to sit down on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. If you don’t want to sit directly on the floor, you can use an exercise or yoga mat. Once you’re seated, bend your right leg and place your right ankle on your left thigh right above the knee. Slowly bend your upper body forward until you feel a stretch in the glutes and lower back. Try to hold this stretch for about 15 seconds, but make sure you release the stretch if it causes your pain to increase. After the 15 seconds are up, raise your upper body and straighten the right leg. Repeat these steps with the left leg to stretch the opposite side of your body.
2. Pelvic tilt
Another exercise that can help your sciatica pain is the pelvic tilt. This exercise is helpful because it both stretches your lower back and strengthens your abdominal muscles. As with the sitting pigeon stretch, the pelvic tilt helps relieve tension in the lower back, and this can help decrease your pain. By strengthening your abs, it also helps provide better support to the spine, and this can help reduce the pinching of nerve roots in the lower back.
To begin this exercise, lie down so that your back is on the floor. However, there should be a slight curve in your lower back, so your back won’t be entirely flat. Then, pull both of your legs up until your feet are flat on the floor. This is the home position for the pelvic tilt. From this position, pull your belly in toward your spine. If your lower back flattens and your pelvis tilts up slightly, you’re doing this correctly. Hold this position for about 15 seconds, and then relax your stomach to return to the home position. Your goal should be to complete 10 reps of this exercise per set, but you can decrease the number if necessary.
Find other physical therapy methods for sciatica pain at Excel Sports & Physical Therapy in Saint Charles, MO
Excel Sports & Physical Therapy has a clinic right here in Saint Charles, and our team here is ready and willing to help treat your sciatica pain. We can treat this and many other issues with a personalized therapy plan, and the plan we create for you may include therapy techniques like:
- Therapeutic exercises
- Manual therapy
- Trigger point therapy
- McKenzie Method
Take the next step to get our help with your sciatica. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.