In case you didn’t know, the sciatic nerve is the longest and widest nerve in human body. It starts close to the spine in the area where the lower back is located and goes all the way down to the back of each leg via our buttocks.
The pain associated with this nerve is one of the most intense and unpleasant pains you can witness. When this pain occurs people have problems standing straight and the situation gets worse when they decide to sit down.
Most of the symptoms appear on the right or left side of the lower back and affect the buttocks and legs and in many cases in the feet too.
There are some individuals who witness a burning sensation in one of the legs or buttocks while the rest of the areas feel numb. In most cases, the affected leg feels weak and cold.
Numb thighs and buttocks, weakness in one of the legs or lower back area, tingling and/or burning sensation in the feet and legs and having problems to manage bowel and bladder work are some other symptoms associated with sciatica pain.
In addition, there are some health issues that have impact of the state of sciatica nerve and often lead to pain. Some of these conditions include: spinal stenosis, spinal disorders like spondylitis, cracked or damaged disc, disc diseases and lower back trauma.
While it is true that some people have more problems with this condition than the other, it is also true that if we don’t treat this condition the situation will get worse over time.
*When Does the Pain Occur?*
Typically, the pain starts slowly and gradually and the symptoms are felt more at night or when people are coughing, sneezing or even when they are laughing. Additionally, they can feel pain when walking for a long time, standing or sitting for a long time and don’t bend forward or backward for a very long period of time.
In order to soothe sciatic nerve pain, you can rely on many pharmaceutical medications and conventional therapies. However, even experienced physicians advise people to perform some physical activity like stretching for example.
*Yoga has Proven to be an Efficient Pain Relief Technique*
Seven years ago, The Alternative Therapies in Health and medicine revealed a scientific study in which individuals experiencing moderate to intense back pain who practiced a combination of yoga and standard therapies (using medications) have witnessed a drastic ease in the frequency and intensity of sciatica pain. As a matter of fact, this relief was present more after yoga exercises
*Yoga Poses to Soothe Sciatic Nerve Pain*
*Staff Pose or Dandasana*
This is actually a basic sitting position in yoga which will stretch and relax the legs, activate the lower back, improve blood flow in the problematic areas and bring positive effects to the sciatic nerve.
-Sit on a mat with your legs stretched right in front of your body and keep the hands at the sides. The palms should be pressed on the floor.
-Try to flex the feet forward and stretch the legs at the same time.
-Bring the back up and stretch the spine as much as you can.
-Remain in this position for up to 30 seconds and don’t forget to make deep breaths.
Relax for a few seconds and perform this exercise for ten times (you can perform 5 reps in the beginning).
*Locust Pose or Shalabhasana*
Thanks to this pose, you will support the lower back and boost blood flow to the hips. It turns out that sciatica pain can sometimes be triggered by improper blood flow. If the circulation is not good, you will experience pressure in different body parts that can result in sciatica pain. Enhanced blood circulation will encourage healing and support sciatica pain relief.
-Lie down on the ground with your face positioned to the ground. Put the arms at your sides and keep the palms outwards. The toes must be positioned downward and they must ouch each other. Keep the heels apart.
Touch the ground with the chin; keep the neck elongated and the pubic bone pressed down.
-Inhale deeply and lift the legs, chest and arms up at once. Raise your knees off the floor, place your shoulders close to each other and keep the neck straight. When you feel that you have reached the highest position, breathe out and remain in this position for eight seconds. Try to stretch the back carefully.
-When you are in this position, breathe in and spread the legs away from each other, breathe in and bring them together. Perform this interesting exercise for five times. People use this pose to support the regular locust pose and it was proven that it can reduce sciatic pain.
-Carefully bring yourself to the initial position. Keep the hand under the forehead and take a rest for 60 seconds.