Exercises to get relief from sciatic nerve pain

Over the years, sciatic nerve pain has become quite common. We often come across middle-aged or elderly people who complain about suffering from this pain. Patients who suffer from sciatic nerve pain find it difficult to even get off their couch. This particular nerve starts at your lower back, your hips, and then goes towards your buttock, and then down towards both of your legs and bend at the knees. The pain starts when there is a problem along the pathway. Some of the common causes of sciatica are a ruptured disk, an injury, and narrowing of the spinal canal which is also called spinal stenosis.

Another reason why sciatic pain may happen is the condition called piriformis syndrome. The piriformis muscle extends from the buttocks from the side of the spine and from the top of the thigh. In some cases, the muscle spasms and the sciatic nerve are trapped. This may result in very uncomfortable sciatic pain. To get some kind of relief from this pain, you can indulge in some of the best exercises for sciatica. Here are those exercises mentioned below:

Reclining pigeon pose

It is a very simple and common yoga pose. When you do this, your hips will open. This stretch can be done in various ways. The foremost of them is the beginner’s version, which is called the reclining pigeon pose.

Take a yoga mat, lie down on your back, bring the right leg up and make a right angle. Now clasp both of your hands behind your thigh and lock your fingers. Now lift the left leg which has to be followed by placing the right ankle on top of the left knee. Stay in that position for a while. This will help in stretching the piriformis muscle which sometimes gets inflamed and pushes the sciatic nerve and ultimately you feel the pain. The deep hip rotator muscles will also be stretched. When you are done with one leg, do it with the other. As you start finding this version comfortable and do not feel any pain anymore, you can update your physical therapist about it and switch to a forward pigeon pose.

Sitting pigeon pose

To do this exercise, you have to sit on the floor and stretch your legs in front of you. Now bend the right leg, but the right ankle over the left knee. At this point, lean forward and use your upper body to reach toward your thigh. Stay like this for 15 50 30 seconds as it will stretch the glutes as well as the lower back. Once you are done, repeat on the other side of the body.

Forward pigeon pose

Use your hands and knees to kneel on the floor. Now lift your right leg and move it forward in the ground. It should come almost in front of your body, while the left leg should still be on the ground and horizontal to your body. Keep your right foot in front of your left knee and the right knee has to be placed to the right. Now you have to stretch the left leg behind you and put it on the floor. The top of the foot has to be on the ground and the toes should point back. Now slowly shift your body weight from your arms to your legs. This will help the legs to support the body weight. You now have to sit up straight and the hands have to be on either side of the legs. Take deep breaths. As you exhale, you have to lean your upper body forward over the leg on front. Once this side is done, repeat on the other side.

Like this, several other exercises can help you with sciatic nerve pain. However, you should also consider buying a health insurance policy. You will get coverage for the treatment you need under one such policy. If you want to take a look at one of those health insurance policies, you can visit the website of IIFL.