Treating Sciatica with the Power of Corrective Exercise and Stretching
Sciatica is a fairly common condition affecting anywhere from 10% to 40% of the population. This condition is especially prevalent among pregnant women. If you suffer from sciatic nerve pain, then you understand exactly how this condition can dampen your quality of life. Luckily, only the most extreme cases of sciatica require serious medical intervention! In many cases, the condition can be alleviated with the right exercises that target sciatic nerve pain, namely, assisted stretches.
Before we explain how we can alleviate your sciatic nerve pain, it’s helpful to understand a little bit more about the condition.
The Sciatic Nerve
The sciatic nerve is at the cross point of five different nerve roots in the lower spine. This nerve is the largest in the body. It runs down your back, weaving its way through the muscular tissues of the buttock, down the thigh, all the way to your feet. However, a nerve of such importance is susceptible to numerous health issues.
Sciatica Pain and Its Effect on Mental Health
Sciatica is a term referring to any neurological symptom that relates to or originates from the sciatic nerve. Although sciatica itself can be categorized as a symptom, you can identify the condition by its usual indicators. A common red flag is pain radiating from the buttocks, down your back, or lower leg.
Sciatica pain ranges from mild or dull aches to sharp pains and burning sensations. Oftentimes, sciatica can feel debilitating, limiting your ability to walk and move. Also, this pain can often be aggravated by coughing or prolonged sitting.
This pain is often constant, and the sharp aches tend to linger. Having to constantly adjust yourself to be comfortable and having to avoid your favorite activities makes sciatica as much a psychological problem as it is a physical. Finding relief will do more than just improve your comfort levels – it will relieve the stress on your mind you might not even realize you’re carrying and eliminate the depression that comes with not being able to do your favorite hobbies.
What Causes Sciatica?
Pain in the sciatic nerve is usually a result of muscle imbalance pinching the nerve or other spine-related issues like overgrown bones or herniated disks and even the imbalance that comes with pregnancy. Sciatica is common in people with jobs that require them to sit for prolonged periods of time because the spine is forced into an unnatural position. Age and obesity also increase the risk of developing sciatic nerve pain.
The Power of Corrective Exercise and Stretching
Why Does Corrective Exercise and Stretching Work?
Sciatica is a difficult condition. When you are feeling the nagging pain, moving becomes uncomfortable, and some day, you may not want to leave the bed. Though this is understandable, not moving only can lead to worsening the condition and not getting exercise adds to the mental strain. When your muscles are not getting enough movement, they can shorten and weaken. Furthermore, this may lead to more pain and decreased mobility.
Corrective Exercises and Stretches for sciatic nerve pain are great for combating the condition and improving your mental health! They alleviate several illnesses associated with sciatica. For starters, stretching releases pent up tension and tightness in the muscles. This tension tends to aggravate pain and limit mobility.
Corrective Exercises and Stretching also helps strengthen your muscles and improve the durability of your joints. Two factors that can easily degrade when you are suffering from sciatica. By reinforcing the muscles that surround your joints, you are helping prevent damage caused by reflexive contractions triggered by pain.
In short, corrective exercise and stretching makes your muscles stronger and more flexible. This is essential to staying mobile through pain as you age, as well as normalizing the way you feel to avoid stress, both physical and psychological.
How is Assisted Stretching Superior?
Stretching in general is ideal for any muscular or nerve-related pain. However, assisted stretching comes with several benefits you simply won’t get on your own.
The first thing is the barrier to entry. Stretching seems simple, but there’s a lot more to it than we see on the surface. There’s a lot of working parts in how your joints and muscles move and interact with the rest of your body.
Not everyone is well-informed on how to get the most out of their stretches. If you are new to the game, you may not know where to start. A professional will know what movements are best for your unique situation and how you can get the most out of your stretching. Furthermore, they will know how to create beneficial pressure while avoiding injury.
Another benefit of assisted stretching is what you can get out of it. Your muscles have a natural reflex called ‘tonus’ which kicks in when your muscles think they are getting stretched too far. This is a valuable reflex because it prevents injury. However, it can also keep you from those deeper, more beneficial stretches. With a trained professional, you can go deep while feeling secure.
Finally, assisted stretching is personalized, which is especially important for people with certain pain sensitives or pregnant women. Pregnancy can be delicate, and we can help you identify the safest stretches to maximize benefits and minimize risks.
When you come to The Stretch Shop, the work is entirely off your hands. When you lay down and let an expertly trained stretch and corrective exercise professional do the work, your body disengages, and the natural tension is released. This allows us to push your body further, reaching those beneficial deeper stretches that can make your muscles more flexible, stronger, and heal faster.
Need Stretches for Sciatic Nerve Pain?
No one should live with debilitating back pain, especially when there is a solution. Our focus is to improve your overall well-being by providing assisted stretches and corrective exercises that improve your flexibility, strength, reduce your discomfort, and enhance your mental health. If you’re ready to try us out and experience a difference you can feel in both body and mind, give us a call.
