Sciatic pain doesn’t have to be debilitating. Essentrics® can help you reduce discomfort and enhance your quality of life. With proper stretching and strengthening exercises, the condition can be improved or even disappear!
What is Sciatica?
Sciatica is caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve, which is about the size of your thumb. If we imagine the flow of information through the nerve, like water through a garden hose, we can see how pinching it would cause inflammation and pain. Sciatica is characterized by sharp intermittent pain that radiates through the buttocks, down into the leg. It is extremely uncomfortable, and sufferers often describe it as an unbearable burning sensation.
Common Causes of Pain
When it comes to nerve pain, often a herniated disc is to blame. The most common cause is disc degeneration which happens gradually as we age. The second leading cause can occur if we suffer a serious fall or accident. Some professions require us to hold awkward postural positions for extended periods of time (e.g., hunched over machines) or demand that we lift heavy objects repeatedly. If we combine any of these factors with weakness in our core muscles, back problems can occur. It is important to be assessed by a medical professional if you are experiencing back pain.
Why Good Posture Matters for Sciatic Relief
Learning to be mindful of our postural alignment throughout our day is key to avoiding sciatic pain. Poor posture that finds us hunched over a computer keyboard or molded to our couch for hours on end can lead to tight, weakened muscles and damage to the joints of our spine.
Think of the hinges of a door. If the top one is loose, the door will tilt slightly to one side. Even though it might work for a short time, eventually the hinge will wear down and break causing the door to drag along the floor. If we spend most of our time in poor postural alignment, eventually the discs in our back will experience unnatural wear and tear, resulting in excruciating pain.
Every aspect of Essentrics is designed to rebalance and strengthen the spine, which is one of the reasons it is so helpful in reducing and often eliminating back pain.
– Miranda Esmonde-White
How Essentrics Can Relieve Sciatic Pain
Think “Up” Thoughts
First and foremost, Essentrics exercises aim to enhance our posture. Students learn how to pull the muscles of the core upwards, decompressing the discs in the spine and the hips. One way to remember this throughout our day is to think “up thoughts” as a way of correcting spinal alignment. Gravity is constantly pulling us toward the earth. Pulling Up helps us to keep the cushions between our discs plump and healthy, reducing any chance of nerve pinching.
Full Body Rebalancing
Many of the trademark exercises in Essentrics focus on strengthening the muscles of our spine, which helps maintain proper posture and reduces strain over time. However, flexibility is equally important for overall balance.
For instance, tight gluteal muscles can pinch the sciatic nerve resulting in a painful condition known as Piriformis Syndrome. To address this, Essentrics incorporates targeted lower body exercises like Hip Cleaners, Figure 4 Stretch, as well as stretches using a barre or chair. These movements help alleviate tightness and improve flexibility, contributing to a balanced body and ultimately bringing relief from sciatic pain.
The Magic of Movement
One of the most effective ways that Essentrics maintains nerve health is a method similar to what physiotherapists call nerve flossing. This technique involves extending and contracting muscles, such as the hamstrings, while imagining resistance against the movement. In Essentrics, we use techniques like Movement Within a Stretch, Eccentric Muscle Contractions, and Short Lever/Long Lever to achieve similar results. These sliding and gliding motions gently mobilize the nerves and surrounding tissues, helping to keep the nerve pathways clear and unobstructed.
3 Tips to Help You Deal with Sciatic Nerve Pain
1. When we are experiencing a high degree of pain, it is important to rest and not push ourselves too hard. Always follow the advice of your medical professional.
2. Breathing is especially important during our Essentrics exercises so that we do not increase tension in the muscles. Remember to exhale during exertion.
3. Rebalancing the muscles of the hip and lower back are key to managing sciatica. If you have tight hips, you might need to improve flexibility by stretching. Alternatively, if your hips feel weak, strengthening exercises that decompress the joint will help relieve pain! A full body Essentrics workout will ensure you are rebalancing all 650 muscles in your body.
Contributing Writer Beth Oldfield, Essentrics® Level 4 Instructor
Relieve pain and feel your best again with our workouts designed specifically to relieve & prevent sciatica!
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