How to Relieve Sciatica Pain—and What Makes It Worse
The best exercises and treatments for your sciatica depend on what’s causing it.
Sciatica is a symptom that describes pain traveling down your leg, often caused by irritation or pressure on a nerve root in the lower spine. This can make it difficult to find a comfortable position while sitting, standing, or sleeping. Sciatica can be triggered by a herniated disc, a narrowing of the spinal canal, or other problems. Many people find relief without surgery; sciatica pain often eases within six weeks, though recovery can take longer.
To relieve sciatica pain, one should first identify what's irritating the nerve. Exercises and stretches that gently bend the back backward may help with a herniated disc, while bending forward could provide relief for spinal stenosis. Core-strengthening exercises, like bridges, bird dogs, and modified planks, can also be beneficial.
Walking is often good for sciatica, but listen to your body and stop if pain intensifies. Stretching should focus on reducing nerve tension rather than targeting a tight muscle, as stretching a tight muscle could worsen sciatica symptoms.
Written by urgent.news from Time's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
