Sciatica refers to the pain caused by the compression or irritation in the nerves at the lower end of the spine. Sciatica is also known as radiculopathy, which refers to the extension of the spinal disc beyond the normal position, resulting in the pressure on the sciatic nerve. Such a condition can often result in pain in the back and legs. The best remedy for the treatment of this kind of pain is sciatica exercises. It is often believed that bed rest helps in such a condition. However, inactivity usually worsens the pain in sciatica patients. Lack of movement weakens the back muscles and the spinal structures, thus resulting in increased pressure on the back and consequently more pain. Sciatica exercises are very important for health and fitness of the human back and spine.
Sciatica exercises focus on strengthening the abdominal and back muscles. These exercises include stretching, which helps in improving the flexibility of the back muscles, resulting in reduced pain. Doctors recommend different exercises for sciatica patients, depending on the cause of sciatica, which can also occur due to serious medical conditions such as an infection or tumor. One has to do these exercises regularly and in a proper manner in order to derive maximum benefit.
Exercising regularly not only helps in the treatment of sciatica-related pain, but also helps in the prevention of any such problems in the future. The most common sciatica exercises that are recommended for the treatment of sciatica-related pain are the Hamstring stretching exercises. The hamstrings are the muscles located in the back of the thigh and help in bending the knee. You must also perform exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles in order to get relief from the sciatica pain.