| This is the second part of our article
on sciatica. Please can I re-iterate that if you do get the symptoms
of sciatica you MUST get checked out by a medical professional before
embarking on any kind of exercise.
The symptoms of sciatica are as follows:
- Pain in the lower back that radiates down the back of the
leg.
- A feeling of numbness below the knee; there
may be tingling or numbness in the toes.
- Pain down the back of the leg accompanied with a feeling
of unsteadiness or bowel/bladder incontinence.
Sciatic pain can vary from infrequent and just annoying to
severe and debilitating. Okay, that’s the lowdown. So we assume that you’ve
been cleared to exercise. What can you do to relieve your symptoms?
Well, here are some ideas:
- Try heat and / or ice packs (remember ice must NOT come into
direct contact with skin). This can be applied for around 15
minutes at a time three to four times a day.
- Don’t lie around in bed unless ordered
to. Inactivity can make sciatica worse. Get up and get moving,
Soldier!
- Walking is marvellous exercise. Stride out
there!
- Try some Aqua Aerobic classes. Most public
pools hold them, or you could join a gym that has a pool. Even
walking in the
water is good exercise. Borrow a small child and chase it across
the
pool pretending to be a crocodile. If you catch said child, eat
it!!
Kids never, never get tired of this game…you’ll be
exhausted and have burned zillions of calories by the time they’ve
had enough…
- Go to Pilates classes (well, I was bound
to put that one in somewhere!). Pilates focuses on strengthening
your core muscles
in your stomach and back…I’ve known people in my
own classes who no longer get sciatic pain. Exercises lying on
your
back and stomach are the most effective and least likely to set
the pain off. You have to go to class regularly, though and also
exercise at home…there is no quick fix!
- Stretching exercises can also be very effective
in relieving the pain. It is well worth paying for a few sessions
with a
properly qualified Personal Trainer or a Pilates Instructor
with a one-to-one
qualification.
In short, sciatica can be miserably painful, but the good news
is that permanent nerve damage is rare, and in most cases
there are ways to help yourself. So remember my Three Esses
(!) STRIDE out and have a brisk walk every day. So it’s raining? You
ain ’t
gonna melt!
STRETCH those muscles… STRENGTHEN that core…
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