Stretching Sciatica For Fast Relief Of Pain

Should you be stretching your sciatica or can this make the whole issue worse? Recently we had a member ask us about the peculiar circumstance where their physiotherapist had suggested that you should not do a hamstring stretch if you have sciatica, but instead you should do sciatic flossing. A rather peculiar statement to say the least. So we thought it a good idea to cover this topic for you all to help you get a better understanding of what you can do to get some relief from sciatic nerve pain.

Sciatica is not your problem

The first and most important step to realise is that in fact it is not sciatica that is your problem, as painful as it can be. This is vital as if you believe sciatica to be the problem it puts you in a very difficult position to do anything to meaningfully affect the outcome. This is akin to thinking the smoke of a fire is the problem, you might be tempted to throw water on the smoke, or try to fan it away, but this only serves to provide temporary relief at best, all the while the fire rages on. And the same is true for sciatica. Too many get stuck fighting the symptoms of sciatica rather than focusing on the root cause of the sciatic nerve pain, which is located in the lower lumbar spine, most commonly injuries to the L4,L5 and L5, S1 segments. 

Stretching for sciatica

When it comes to stretching for sciatica the biggest issue is that while stretching has some momentary benefit, when done correctly, it frequently is not done strategically. Meaning, that the stretching itself is done in such a way that we forsake the lower back, and it is done as the main thing that we are using to try and get better. Stretching of the hamstrings for example, can help by making the hips a little more mobile which eases strain on the lower back, but this effect does not provide any accumulating benefit, as often, the injury is irritated again shortly after, resulting in everything tightening up. 

People get frustrated here because they’re doing stretches for months on end whilst feeling like they get nothing more than a moment’s relief before the sciatica surges back. Stretching is a tool but unless combined with strengthening, the root cause of the issue will continue to go unaddressed.

Flossing for sciatica

This practice is essentially creating a hamstring stretch with a terribly rounded lower back and the result is that we further aggravate the root cause, at the lower lumbar spine, by compressing down on the front of those discs. Often sciatic flossing can feel nice because we are simply making the little holes where the nerves come out larger. This increase in relative size acts like a release valve easing the pressure from inflammation that’s built up, just like a child’s pose or knee hug, but at the cost of straining the very tissues that are trying to tighten back up again!

Stabilise your sciatica

Ultimately the route to fixing sciatica is to provide stability, support and protection for the underlying injury. In doing this, you are learning to provide control of the neutral spine so the tissues can be protected from the strain of daily life, helping them go through the healing process with less interruption. It helps the root cause of the sciatica, the injury at that level of the lower lumbar spine actually stabilise. And over time you progress these kind of stability focussed exercises to rebuild true resilience to the lower back. 

Sure you can, and perhaps should, combine stability exercises with some sensible stretching – with a neutral spine – but it is the stability work that is what provides the support for you to recover from your sciatica and build resilience into your lower back to lessen the risk of becoming injured again. 

Final thoughts and resources

While stretching can feel nice if you’ve got sciatica, and flossing for some feels even better, all you’re doing is sacrificing the root cause for momentary relief. Instead focus on building stability and control into your spine to protect the injured tissues so they get a chance to heal. If you need more help with the kinds of stability exercises to do, check out some of the resources in the description and other videos on the Youtube Channel too. And remember you can always check out the full “back in shape program” for a structured pathway and support to help you recover from your sciatica, like countless others who already have!