Exercises for Sciatica Pain Relief

Jessica Valant is a physiotherapist and Pilates teacher, and today she’s going to demonstrate some exercise that relieve (and also correct the cause of) sciatica pain.

Back to good health

You will need a large strap for one of these exercises; a Pilates strap is great, but you can also use a towel. The exercises are:

Pelvic Rocking Exercise:

• Lie on your back, feet flat, knees bent.
• Gently rock your pelvis forwards and backwards (50% effort, no glute squeezing).

Leg Stretch with Strap:

• Straighten your left leg and loop the strap around the ball of your right foot.
• Gently straighten and bend your right leg while holding the strap.
• Perform a “nerve glide” by flexing and pointing your foot (not a stretch, just gentle movement).
• Repeat on the left leg.

Piriformis Stretch:

• Bend your right knee and place your left ankle over it (figure-four position).
• For a deeper stretch, hold your right thigh and pull your legs inwards.

Lower Back Release:

• Let your legs fall gently to one side after stretching each leg, opening the lower back.

Back Extension:

• Lie on your belly, placing your elbows down, palms flat.
• Optional: push up slightly into a back bend if it feels comfortable.

Seated Stretching:

• Finish by sitting cross-legged or on a chair.
• Inhale while raising your arms up, exhale while lowering them down, then reach sideways with your arms to stretch.
• Perform gentle neck stretches by tilting your ear to your shoulder on each side.

She recommends doing these exercises daily for at least a few weeks, though you should start to see improvement in your symptoms immediately. Nothing here should cause a problem or make things worse, but if it does, stop immediately and consult a local physiotherapist for more personalized advice.

For more on all of this, plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like to read:

6 Ways To Look After Your Back

Take care!