Most types of sciatica will benefit from a regular routine of hamstring stretching.
Where are your hamstrings you ask? Hamstrings are muscles located in the back of your thigh which help bend your knees and extend your hips. By having tight hamstring muscles it places increased stress on your lower back and often aggravates some of the conditions that result in sciatica.
It is important to remember that when doing hamstring stretches that you should avoid bouncing, which can then trigger a muscle spasm.
Streching Your Hamstrings While Lying on Your Back
Most individuals who suffer from low back pain will benefit from hamstring stretching exercises while lying on their back.
Here are two of the least stressful types of hamstring stretches:
- Lie on your back and support your thigh behind the knee with your hand or with a towel. Slowly straighten your knee until you can feel the stretch in the back of your thigh. Try to get the bottom of your foot to face the ceiling…one leg at a time. Hold the position for 10 seconds initially and work your way up to 20-30 seconds for each leg. Do this 6 times per leg eventually working your way up to 10 each time you lay down to stretch your hamstrings.
- Another good low stress hamstring stretch is to lie on your back on the floor with your buttocks against a wall at a corner or a door jam. Keeping one leg on the floor, place the foot of your other leg against the wall and try to gently push your knee straight so your raised leg and the leg on the floor make a 90 degree angle. Hold this position for 15-30 seconds.
But what if you’re at work and having lower back pain and you aren’t able to lie down somewhere to do these stretches?
Stretching Your Hamstrings While Sitting
Although less gentle on your back than doing the stretches laying down, hamstring stretches can also be done while in a sitting position.
- While sitting at the edge of your chair, straighten out one of your legs so it’s in front of your body with the heel of your foot on the floor. Then, try to sit up straight by sliding back into the chair and pushing your navel towards your thigh without leaning the trunk of your body forward. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds and repeating it 3 times for each leg.
Women tend to be more flexible and may need to elevate the foot on a stool or chair to get a deep enough stretch.
Stretching your hamstrings while lying on your back is going to be gentler and less stressful than those done while in a sitting position. If you’re suffering from sciatica pain, sitting for any length of time will be a position you’ll want to avoid unless you’re immune to pain.
What it boils down to is patients with low back pain should choose whichever position is most comfortable when doing your stretching. Low back pain exercises should first be ok’d by a health professional prior to you attempting your own lower back pain therapy.
Before doing any exercises, or sciatica stretching, patients should seek the opinion of a health professional to get a correct diagnosis for their pain and to rule out any more serious issues. The proper exercises differ depending on the condition that is causing your low back pain, so patients should not attempt to self-treat their sciatica before consulting a professional.