“What should I avoid if I have sciatica?”
I am a 34 year old male and I have sciatica. What should I avoid if I have sciatica?
11 Answers
It depends on the cause. The most common is related to disc issues. In these cases, you want to avoid increasing intraspinal pressure. Avoid lifting, bending, holding objects, tools, etc., away from the body. Sitting is not a good position for the discs. Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
It is important to maintain mobility through stretching exercises and foam rolling. Proper muscle and joint care will ensure that pressure isn't placed on the sciatic nerve. Areas you want to focus on are low back and leg stretches and foam rolling. The glutes are a common area for causation of symptoms so you want to have a routine that includes these muscles. If these activities don't help it's time to get professional guidance but if you are just wanting prevention, Google foam roller exercises for low back pain/sciatic as well as low back and leg stretches. Hope this helps answer your question.
The first step is always proper diagnosis. A lot of times a pinched nerve in the low back can look a lot like sciatica. And those are two very different conditions. The amount of things that sciatica prevents you from doing is pretty significant, rather than avoidance, especially being that you are so young, I would not recommend changing your behavior to prevent the condition from being worse. I would instead, recommend a proactive approach to look at the underlying reasons why you have sciatica, if it is in fact truly sciatica.
Hello,
There is nothing in particular you should avoid doing, you should see a chiropractor to get your structure aligned and they will give you exercises and self help to release the nerve impingement.
Thank you,
Dr. Churchill
There is nothing in particular you should avoid doing, you should see a chiropractor to get your structure aligned and they will give you exercises and self help to release the nerve impingement.
Thank you,
Dr. Churchill
Two things. Avoid heavy lifting, and don't have anything in your back pocket thicker than a handkerchief. When you sit on something like a wallet, it causes the pelvis to project forward on that side lending to sacroiliac joint misalignment and spinal rotation. The sciatic nerve passes over this joint on its way down the leg. If this joint is misaligned it causes muscle and ligament contraction that will irritate the sciatic nerve. Avoid heavy lifting because it could also be a lumbar disc problem. See a chiropractor before it gets worse and it will. Medication may help for awhile, but it will come back.
Yours in health,
Doc J
Yours in health,
Doc J
Depending on the cause of the sciatica, you would avoid heavy lifting, twisting, bending, and other excessive activity. Prolonged sitting should also be avoided. The cause could be a disc bulge or herniation in the back or muscle spasm in the buttocks muscle. You need to determine the cause in order to resolve it.
Vishal K. Verma, DC, CCSP
Vishal K. Verma, DC, CCSP
There many thigs should be avoided. I would recommend to see a doctor of chiropractic first to rule out pathology. X-rays and MRs might be needed as well. Chiropractic adjustment will definitely help. Things to avoid: high heels, poor posture, tummy sleeping that will increase strain on your spine, avoid sitting and standing for prolonged period of times, lifting incorrectly, bad exercises, lacking a core straight.
Sitting.
Bending combined with a twisting motion. They’re the two worst motions you can do together. Keep your back straight when bending. I’d avoid impact exercises like running and jumping. I’d also avoid heavy weight lifting. Above all, I’d be looking to get rid of that sciatica, of course. Go to the chiropractor if you’re able. Otherwise search ‘lower back workout with Dr. Eric Goodman’ on YouTube for a great back exercise to help heal the sciatica. This will take you doing the exercise daily, likely for a few weeks to start improving the sciatica.
Avoid bending forward and rounding your low back. Avoid heat and stretching to the low back.
Obviously, any function or movement that causes the symptoms to worsen , should be avoided. If you have suffered for any length of time, you will usually know what things to avoid. If you do this and it stays same or worsens, please go get evaluated. Early intervention always pays off.
