Sciatica Stretches

Sciatica stretches can consist of exercises to loosen muscles in the buttock area that can cause sciatic nerve compression and/or mimic the symptoms of it, they may be used to reduce disc bulging in the lumbar spine, or they may be used for the purpose of relieving soft tissue adhesions around the nerve. All of these approaches have their benefits, but using certain stretches improperly can make things worse rather than better.

Stretching of the muscles that can produce sciatica symptoms is most often directed at the piriformis. This muscle in the lower buttock has different orientations relative to the sciatic nerve in different people. The nerve may run over the muscle, under the muscle, or even go through the middle of it. In cases where it runs under or through the piriformis, abnormal tightness of the muscle can compress the sciatic nerve and cause pain and other symptoms.

There are a few variations of stretching for the piriformis muscle. In all cases, the mechanics of the stretch require flexion and inward rotation of the hip joint. The basic idea is to bend the leg, pulling the knee towards the chest and across towards the opposite shoulder.

Another group of sciatica stretches are commonly referred to as McKenzie exercises, named after physical therapist, Robin McKenzie. The most often used of these exercises involve extension or backward bending of the lumbar spine. Spinal extension is used with the intention of squeezing bulging disc material forward and away from nerve branches that form the larger sciatic.

Finally, there are actual sciatic nerve stretches. That is, the purpose is to actually place tension on the sciatic nerve to eliminate various soft tissue adhesions and allow the nerve to be more mobile. This approach is sometimes called "nerve flossing". The technique involves stretching the symptomatic leg, alternately bending and straightening it. While this can be helpful in long-standing cases of sciatica, it can cause considerable irritation of the sciatic nerve and may make symptoms worse. For this reason, this type of stretching for the sciatic nerve should really only be done by those experienced with its use and/or under the supervision of a health care provider.

All of the types of stretching exercises for sciatica symptoms can be very helpful. In fact, for many sufferers with this type of pain, their symptoms can be effectively alleviated and prevented with the appropriate use of sciatica stretches.