How to Avoid the “Ouch!” - 4 Sciatica Prevention Tips You Should Know
The pain can occur at anytime and anywhere and you can’t help but yelp out an “ouch” as soon as it happens. This shooting pain down the back of legs is known as sciatica.
There are several conditions for which sciatica itself is a symptom, but there are many instances in which this pain can be prevented as well. Much of the pain caused by sciatic nerve compression that people experience is a result of their day-to-day activities.
Following these sciatica prevention tips can help you to avoid this pain and to maintain a healthy, happy back.
Sciatica Tip #1:
Always warm-up and stretch before exercising. (Actually, it’s a good idea to stretch every morning anyway, to help loosen stiff muscles and to get the blood flowing into every nook and cranny of your body). Nerve compression in the lower back and hips can be caused by the tightening of the muscles in those areas, resulting in sciatica symptoms. A proper cool-down after exercise is just as important in preventing muscle tightening and sciatica as well.
Sciatica Tip #2:
Practice proper ergonomics and maintain a good posture. Sitting in one spot or in an awkward position can cause misalignment of the spine and result in nerves that run along the back and down the legs becoming compressed. This sciatic nerve compression results in shooting pain, tingling or numbness in the lower back, buttocks and legs.
Sciatica Tip #3:
Avoid a sedentary lifestyle. Get plenty of exercise by staying active. Regular stretching and exercising helps to keep your lower back strong and in shape. When your back muscles become weak, there are several areas in the lower back and hip that will be vulnerable to nerve compression, which can result in sciatica.
Sciatica Tip #4:
Perform core muscle strengthening exercises. Exercising your core keeps your abdominal muscles and lower back muscles in shape, holding all of the bones and nerves in their proper places. When these muscles become weak, it’s easy for things to become misaligned, resulting in nerve compression and pain.
Following these four simple tips will help to keep you from having that spontaneous nerve pain and having to deal with the “ouch” of sciatica.
Many people don’t realize how much they use their back on a daily basis until it’s been injured in some way. Sciatica is a wake-up call to start practicing better ergonomics, lifestyles and posture. Don’t wait until you’re in pain to appreciate everything your back does for you on a daily basis.
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Comment by Georgina on 11 November 2008:
I had hip replacment about 11 years ago and now have this shooting pain so bad I use a walker so I don’t fall in my upper thigh from hip.
What is that sciatica? It’s bad Have had heart attack and have diabetes as well and am 74
Georgina
Comment by PT Health Team on 14 November 2008:
Hi Georgina, It doesn’t sound like sciatica. Sciatica tends to send shooting pain down the back of the leg. However, a different nerve (femoral nerve) can send shooting pain into the upper thigh. Also there are other structures that could cause pain in the upper thigh, such as muscles, joint capsules, other nerves and the hip joint itself.
The hip replacement may have caused muscle imbalances that could have led you to the following pain description. The walker is a good idea in the meantime as it is very important that we reduce the risk for falls. Given the length of time since you had your hip replacement it may want to see your family physician to have it x-rayed to assess the integrity of the prostheses, as well as visit a physiotherapist to help determine the source of your pain and help improve your function and mobility. If you have any other questions please feel free to contact us at PT Health.
Comment by Jeanette on 19 November 2008:
HI,
I have been to a chiropractor to treat a shoulder problem. After he performed almost 15 sessions on my lower back as well, in a way that I found harsh on my back because he pressed the sacral zone (the last session) I got sharp pain on the both sides of the sacral zone, pain who was moving (at the beginning, from one buttock to the other). This was two months ago. The sharp pain stays in my bottocks in the sacral zone and lateral (every day in a different point). I have numbness in my legs and tickeling feet but not all the time when I have the sharp pain. After going to massage and physiotherapy for a number of session, the pain increased even though I was doing just gentle stretches to build stomac and buttock muscles. Other exercises included rock with the knees on the chest and pulling the knee on the chest one at the time. I did perform “Cat and dog” exercise as well.
My question would be if there is a sign of sciatica? It could be pression on a different nerve? Or maybe it is just an inflamation? The X-ray do not show anything. It is hard to determine what the proper exercises would be in this case.
Comment by PT Health Team on 23 November 2008:
- Yes there does seem to be a sign of sciatica, however the question becomes were is the nerve being irritated, which would need to be determined by some clinical tests.
- There is some recent evidence to support inflammation within the pelvis (sacral region) can result in sciatica-like symptoms. However, given the manipulation occurred 2 months ago, there should not be any active inflammation. Nevertheless, the joints of the pelvis do move and perhaps they are moving too much or not enough. Either way this can result in abnormal stress placed on various structures and lead to chronic inflammation.
- It is not surprising that the x-ray was negative. However, there are many other clinical hypotheses that could be the cause of your current symptoms:
- joint dysfunction of the low back and/or pelvis
- muscle imbalances that have occurred secondary to the manipulation and the pain you experienced
- nerve irritation due to being pinched/compressed or overstretched
- ligament irritation in the pelvis or lower back
- disc irritation in your lower back
I would suggest discussing the exercises you were doing with your physiotherapist and provide them with feedback on your progress with them. The intention of exercise with your presentation would be to not reproduce your symptoms or result in more pain and tingling. If nerves are irritated they will not like to be stretched so you will have to ensure that the exercises you are doing in the early stages of physio treatment are not stressing the nerve. The correct exercises may require some trial and error.