Are you feeling a burning or shocking pain in your lower back? Does it feel like the pain is running down your leg? If you answered yes to these two questions, you likely have a lower back issue called sciatica.
Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve is irritated or pinched. Besides pain, this condition can also lead to numbness and tingling in the lower back or legs. However, physical therapists can help you treat sciatica symptoms using therapeutic stretching exercises, and two stretches in particular are often used to treat sciatica pain.
1. Standing hamstring stretch
The hamstring is a group of three muscles on the back of your leg. Hamstring tightness can tilt the pelvis, and this can contribute to sciatic nerve irritation. A therapeutic exercise that can help treat both sciatica pain and hamstring tightness is the standing hamstring stretch.
How to perform the standing hamstring stretch
- Stand up straight, and make sure you have room to bend forward.
- With your knees slightly bent, slowly bend forward from the waist until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings.
- Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds before slowly straightening up.
- Repeat the stretch two to three times in total.
Tips to help you with this exercise
- Some people might have difficulty staying stable while doing this stretch. You can place your hands on your thighs as you bend over to help with stability, or you can place your hands on the back of a chair.
- Don’t push the stretch to the point where it’s painful, and stop the stretch at once if your pain increases.
2. Sitting pigeon pose
Tightness in the piriformis muscle can also irritate the sciatic nerve and cause you pain. Stretching out this muscle with the sitting pigeon pose is often recommended during sciatica pain treatment.
How to perform the sitting pigeon pose
- Sit down on the ground. Make sure your legs are straight and your toes are pointing toward the ceiling.
- Bend your left knee, and place your left ankle on your right thigh.
- Slowly bend forward from the waist until you feel a stretch in your left buttock and lower back.
- Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds, and then repeat the steps to stretch the opposite side of your body.
- Continue to repeat the stretch until you’ve done three to five repetitions on both sides.
Learn how Panther Physical Therapy can help with sciatica pain treatment
Therapeutic stretching exercises are only one form of natural sciatica pain treatment. Let Panther Physical Therapy show you other ways physical therapy can help. Our team offers free screenings designed to pinpoint the cause of your sciatica, and we can create a sciatica treatment plan that’s personalized to your needs.
Take the next step to begin getting our help with your sciatica. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an appointment.