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Ask the expert |
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Soothing stretches |
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By Alison
Finney | | |
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Are there simple exercises I can do at home
to ease lower-back pain and sciatica?
The
sciatic nerve is the largest single nerve in the body. It
begins at the base of the spinal cord as a number of roots and
passes through the pelvis and down the back of each thigh to
each heel. In yoga it is referred to as the "life nerve"
because it carries impulses for muscular action and sensations
between the lower back and thigh and lower leg.
It
is important to stretch related muscles every day to help
prevent lower-back pain problems and conditions such as
sciatica, a painful condition caused by pressure or
imbalances of the muscles on the sciatic nerve. Here are a
couple of simple stretches you can do every morning to help
keep your sciatic nerve in good shape.
1. Hamstring
stretch while lying on your back
Lie on your
back with feet flat on floor and knees bent. (You can adjust
the position of your feet and knees, even straightening the
legs completely, in order to make the stretch more comfortable
for your body.)
Gently raise one leg, supporting it
behind the knee with both hands or a towel, until your foot is
facing the ceiling.
Slowly straighten your knee
until you feel a stretch in your hamstring muscle, at the back
of your thigh.
Hold the position for 20 to 30
seconds, breathing deeply.
Lower the leg and repeat
on the other side.
2. Hamstring stretch while
sitting
Sit on the edge of a chair, feet flat on
floor.
Straighten one leg straight out in front of
you with the heel still on the floor.
Sit up straight
then start bending forward at the hips, keeping the back
flat.
Bring the navel toward the thigh until you
feel a stretch in your hamstring muscle, at the back of your
thigh.
Hold for about 30 seconds, breathing deeply,
then repeat on the other side.
Click
here to read about more ways to prevent back
pain.
Alison Finney is a certified hatha and kundalini
yoga teacher in Ottawa. She is registered with the Yoga
Alliance and the International Kundalini Yoga Teachers
Association and is the founder of PranaShanti, a health and
yoga resource. For more information, visit www.pranashanti.com.
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