Exercises for sciatica are not only a rescue for the elderly. More and more people who work long hours at their desks, stressed and improperly eating, suffer from this condition. The use of sciatica exercises will minimize severe pain in the lower back and prevent attacks of the roots.

Exercises for sciaticaare designed to strengthen the lower spine and stretch tense muscles. The combination of these two types of exercises is very important because the cause of a sciatica attack is most often the weakening of the muscular corset running along the spine, as well as contracture of the paraspinal, gluteal and femoral muscles caused by prolonged sitting in a sitting position.

The following exercises, when performed regularly, will relieve pain in the lower back and reduce the likelihood of developing sciatica in the future. During the exercises, do not jerk or make pulsating movements - proper stretching consists in pressing and holding the stretched muscle for at least half a minute.

Exercises for sciatica: stretching exercises

Exercise 1. Cradle

Lie on your back with your legs straightened and your arms extended along your body. Then bend your legs and lift them up by embracing them from below. Pull it so tightly that your buttocks are free from the ground. Hold for 5 seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 10 times.

Exercise 2. Tightening and relaxing

Lie on your back and bend your knees, arms crossed over your chest. Try to press down on the ground with your lower back and heels, and at the same time raise your shoulders and head to touch your chest. Take turns pressing and relaxing your lower back. Repeat the exercise 10 times.

Exercise 3. Stretching the ballerina

Sit on the mat with straight legs. Make a bend and try to reach the toes with your hands. As you breathe deeply, try to deepen your bend very slowly. Do not tear your legs off the floor, they should be pressed firmly against the ground all the time. Hold for 30 seconds.

Exercise 4. Interplay

Lie on your back. Raise and bend your left knee, then your right kneewith your hand, press them against the floor on your right side. Extend your left arm and stretch it strongly to the left, pressing your shoulder against the ground. Hold for 30 seconds, repeat the same on the other side.

Exercise 5. Stretching the hamstrings

Stay supine, bend your knees. Raise your right foot and rest it against your left knee. Grasp the area under your left knee with both hands and bend your elbows towards your chest. You should feel a strong stretching of your thighs. Hold on for 30 seconds, relax, change sides. Repeat 2 x 30 seconds for each leg.

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Exercise 6. Cat's back

Take the starting position on all fours (propped kneeling). Slowly raise your head on the inhale and lower it on the exhale. Repeat the movement several times. Then do the "cat's back" exercise - push up the middle part of the spine to create a "hump", hide your head between your shoulders. You do this on the exhale, and on the inhale you come back to the starting position - lowering the middle part of the spine. Repeat 10 times.

Exercise 7. Basket

Sit on your heels and straighten your back. Bring your palms together behind your back and straighten your arms, then try to raise them as high as possible. Hold for 3 seconds and lower your hands. Repeat the exercises 10 times, all the time trying not to tilt your body forward.

Important

Don't exercise when you have an acute attack of sciatica- wait for the pain to stop without any physical activity. It may be a relief to lie down on your back with your legs perpendicular to the chair. Only after the acute phase has passed, you can start exercising. Exercises for sciatica must be adapted to the body's abilities - they must not overload the spine.

When exercising for sciatica, remember to:

  • try to perform them as accurately as possible - if you do not do them precisely, not only will you not get rid of the pain, but you can also strengthen it;
  • try to maintain the correct body posture while sitting and walking;
  • follow an anti-inflammatory, low-calorie diet together with exercise - include eggs, fish, poultry, vegetables, fruit, nuts in your diet;
  • take advantage of supplements that have a strong anti-inflammatory effect: vitamin D, magnesium, cod liver oil;
  • consult with sciatica exercisephysiotherapist.

Exercises for sciatica: strengthening exercises

Exercises without equipment

Exercise 1. Bike

Lie down on the mat and stretch your arms freely along your torso. Raise your legs and bend your knees at right angles. Alternately move your legs as if you are riding a bicycle. Try not to take your back from the mat and keep your arms straight. Do this exercise for 30 seconds, repeat 3 times.

Exercise 2. Opposite crunches

Staying in the supine position, place your elbows bent at the height of your head, and then bend your legs at a 90-degree angle at the knee joints. Bring your legs to your stomach while exhaling, pressing the lumbar spine to the ground. Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 15 times.

Exercise 3. Kneeling crunches

Go to your propped kneeling. Extend your left leg back (straightened). Then, as you exhale, bend her knee and, flexing your abdomen, bring your knee towards your right shoulder. Return to the starting position and repeat the same exercise with your right leg and left hand. Do a total of 8 repetitions on each side.

Exercise 4. Superman

Stay propped up on your knees. Straighten up and put your right arm out in front of you. At the same time, straighten and extend your left leg backwards. Try to stay in this position for 10 seconds. Lower your leg and arm, then repeat the exercise 2 more times. After completing the series, do the same with your right leg and left hand.

Exercise 5. Board

Assume the plank position. Remember to tighten your abdomen and the whole body (including shoulders, buttocks, thighs, calves) very tight - your body should be like a rock. To begin with, hold this position 3 x 10 seconds each. From training to training, you can extend the time to a few seconds until you reach half a minute.

Worth knowing

How is sciatica manifested?

Sciatica is pain caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve itself or on one of the spinal nerves (S1, L4 or L5) that form the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve arises from the junction of these nerves, which come out of the spine, but connect and run along each leg, down to the feet and their toes. Therefore, although the source of the pain is in the spine and we feel it most often there, it can radiate to the lower limbs - along the entire length of the course.

The pain itself in sciatica manifests itself suddenly and is very strong: most likely it will appear when we bend down for something, we will stand up dynamically. Typically, a sciatica attack is caused by a prolapse of a disc(discopathy) in the lumbar part of the spine, it can also be caused by degenerative changes in the spine, degenerative changes in the intervertebral joints or curvature of the spine.

More and more people complain about sciatica attacks, this ailment is already called a civilization disease or the "disease of the 21st century". One study by two scientists at Basket University School of Medicine even found that 40 percent of adults living today will experience an attack of sciatica1 . As the pain it manifests itself is very troublesome, it is worth doing exercises for sciatica - both when ailments appear, and prophylactically.

Exercise with a gymnastic ball

Exercise 1. Tilting the leg

Lie on your back, bend your knees and rest them on the ball. Then straighten your right leg and slightly lift it, bring it to the side and back without lifting your loins off the floor - the foot should always be pointing towards the ceiling. Do not move the ball while doing the exercise. Repeat with the other leg. Do the exercise 10 times in 3 series.

Exercise 2. Raising the feet on the ball

Lie on your back and place your legs straight on the ball. Tense your abdomen and lift your hips off the floor to form a straight line with your torso. Then lift one leg, then the other. Keep your belly tucked in all the time. Repeat the exercise 10 times in 3 series.

Exercise 3. Raising the hips and bending the legs on the ball

Lie on your back and rest your calves on the ball. Lift your hips off the ground so that you are in a straight line from your feet to shoulders. Then roll the ball towards you: to do this, bend your knees and gently lift your hips up at the same time. Keep your feet flat on the ball. Move the ball to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 10 times in 3 series.

Exercise 4. Sit-ups on the ball

Lie with your back on the ball, put your feet on the floor and bend your legs at the knees. Slowly begin to raise the shoulders and head, leaning forward as much as possible while flexing the abdominal muscles as much as possible. Hold this position for 2 seconds and then return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 10 times in 3 series.

Exercise 5. Compression of the ball

Sit on your heels with your hands on the ball. Then try to put pressure on the ball with your hands, straining the muscles of your spine and shoulders. Hold this position for a few seconds, then return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times in 3 series.

Worth knowing

Sometimes an attack of sciatica is caused by serious diseases - cancer, inflammationspine or fractures / dislocations of its bones - in such situations it is necessary to implement appropriate treatment. In other cases, sciatica exercises will be more helpful.

Physiotherapist selects the type of exercise for sciatica to the cause of the attack. In all cases, it is recommended to perform stretching exercises, and strengthening exercises in the case of a hernia of the spine and narrowing of the spinal canal. In osteoarthritis of the spine, McKenzie's exercises will bring relief, and exercises with a gym ball can also be successfully performed by pregnant women with sciatica.

McKenzie's Exercise

Exercise 1.

Lie on your stomach, put your arms alongside your torso, and turn your head to one side. While still in this position, take a few deep breaths and let your muscles relax for about 3 minutes.

Exercise 2.

Staying in the prone position, bend your elbows and place your palms on both sides of your body at the level of your head. After 10 seconds, take a breath through your nose and straighten up on your arms. When your head is up, exhale through your mouth and stay in this position for 5 seconds. Then come back to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 10 times.

Exercise 3.

Stand upright, slightly stretching. Place your palms at waist level with your fingers pointing downwards, touching the center of the spine. Lean back as far as possible. Try to keep your legs straight at all times. Hold this position for two seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 10 times.

Exercise 4.

Lie on your right side with your legs straight - your left leg should rest on your right. Then, lift your left leg over your right leg as high as you can and hold this position for 10 seconds, then slowly lower your leg. Repeat the exercise 10 times with each leg.

Exercise 5.

Lie down on the mat on your stomach with your arms along your torso. Then get up and support yourself on your arms bent at the elbows. The pelvis should rest on the floor at all times. Hold this position for 30 seconds and then come back to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 10 times with half-minute breaks between the repetitions.

Category:

Anatomy