The lower back and the hips must be checked when a person feels sciatic nerve pain for some time. Stretching can help a lot.

Unfortunately, it’s a type of pain which can spread towards the lower limb as well as the feet. The sciatic nerve actually connects the spine with the femur. It’s the most important muscle we need to move our hips, feet as well as upper legs.

Doctors can recommend the usage of aspirin, ketoprofen, muscle relaxants, acetaminophen, antidepressants, as well as many other painkillers.

Still, we’re here to recommend you a better way to recover from the pain. You could use some interesting exercises that will prevent you gaining the side-effects you get when you take painkillers. It is very important to visit a doctor before you decide to start with the exercises.

Warm up before you do them and take a look at the videos for further instructions!

1) Supine Piriformis Stretch

This exercise is done while lying down with bent knees. The leg that hurts should be crossed and the other leg should be facing up and going towards the chest. Hold your ankle very strong using one of your hands. Use the other hand to hold the knee.

After that, you need to align the shoulder with the ankle. Stay like this for 30 seconds. You need to have a feeling of extended glutes and bottom.

2) Standing Piriformis Stretch

Stand up and then put the leg that hurts above the knee of your other leg. After that, lower your hip while you’re at an angle of 45 degrees. The torso should be bent upfront. The arms should be extended and aligned with the ground.

Make sure the spine is straight. Remain like this for 30-60 seconds. Repeat the movement with your other leg.

3) Outer Hip Piriformis Stretch

Lie down. The leg which hurts should be bent. The foot should be close to the knee of the other leg. Curl the leg towards the opposite side and use your knee to touch the floor.

During the extending of the left leg, the right hand should be put on the knee and the left hand should be raised. Try to touch the floor using your shoulder. The arm should be lowered in the opposite direction of your knee.

Remain like this for 20 seconds. Repeat the same movement using your other leg.

4) Long Abductor Stretch

Sit down. The legs should be extended and far apart. The torso should be bent upfront. The hands should be on the floor. Use your elbows to touch the ground. Remain like this for 20 seconds.

5) Short Adductor Stretch

Sit down. Close the feet together in front of you. Use the left hand to hold the right foot ankle. The right hand should be used to hold the left foot ankle.

The knees should be pushed towards down. Remain like this for 30 seconds. Use your legs to wave rapidly for 30 seconds.

6) Side-Lying Clam

Lie on the side where your hip hurts. The legs should be tilted back forming an L shape. The feet should be one on top of the other. The legs should be in a parallel.

The hip which hurts should be kept high, but don’t tilt your spine or body. Keep the feet close. Use the top knee to raise it and stay like that for several seconds. Repeat the same movement for 15 times.

7) Hip Extension

The knees and the hands should be placed down. The hands should be in the same line with the shoulders. The leg that hurts should be raised and the knee should be kept tilt. After that, use the leg to lower it once again. Repeat the same thing for 15 times.

8) Supine Piriformis Side Stretch

Lie on the floor. Make sure your legs are flat and your back is straight. The leg that hurts should be tilted up.

The foot should be placed outside your other leg which should be close to your knee.

The knee of the leg which hurts should be dragged across the middle line of the body. Don’t raise your shoulders or your hips. Make sure they’re on the ground. Remain like this for 30 seconds. Repeat the same thing with your other leg. You can do it 3 times.

9) Bottom Stretch for the Piriformis Muscle

Stay on all fours. The foot of the leg that hurts should be placed under the stomach. It should be curled towards the opposite side, but make sure it’s close to the hip. The knee should be directed towards the shoulder.

Use your forehead to touch the ground. Make sure you have your pelvis straight and your other leg extended. Push your hips towards the floor. Remain like this for 30 seconds. Repeat the exercise for 3 times.

10) Seated Stretch

Take a chair. Sit. Then, cross the leg which hurts over your other leg. Make sure the chest is upfront. The back needs to be straight.

Breathe deeply twice. Then, bend slowly. Stay like that for 30 seconds. Breathe deeply twice. Then, bend slowly. Stay like that for 30 seconds. Repeat the same exercise using the other leg.

11) McKenzie Press Up

Lie down on the floor. Your face should be facing the floor. You can rest your head for 2-3 minutes on any side you want to.

The elbows should be on the floor. Try to lean on.

Breathe deeply for several times. Go down. Relax for 2-3 minutes. Watch the video to see the following position.

The post Relieve Sciatica Lower Back And Hip Pain Using These 11 Piriformis Stretches! first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post Relieve Sciatica Lower Back And Hip Pain Using These 11 Piriformis Stretches! appeared first on Healthy Gab.

About 54% of people complain of having some kind of back pain. 26% of these people have accepted that the reason behind the back pain could be from a lack of exercise or from physical work.

1. Hamstring stretch

Steps:

1. Lie on your back with one leg bent.

2. Grab behind your right knee and pull your right leg up into the stretch position. Your knee can be bent a little as you pull your leg back.

3. Stretch it as much as it’s comfortable but keep your tailbone on the floor and stretch your knees to feel the strain on the muscles.

4. With an ideal pose, you should feel the stretch on the back of your thighs and your calves if you pull your toes back.

5. Hold it for 10 seconds and repeat it twice with both the legs.

6. If you have tight hamstring muscles, you’re likely to be more prone to injuries in daily life. Tight hamstrings can affect the movement of your pelvis, which increases the strain on your lower back. Hamstring stretches will give you strong, flexible, limber thighs which support the rest of your muscle groups too.

2. Double leg knee to chest

Steps:

1. Lie on your back.
2. Bend both the legs and hold your one hand with another behind your knees.
3. Now, pull it closer to your chest using both hands. The more you stretch, the more you can feel the strain on the lower back and thighs.
4. Hold the position for 20 seconds and repeat it twice.
5. This exercise, in particular, increases the range of motion of your lower back muscle. Muscles with a bad range of movement are prone to spinal cord arthritis and spinal cord stenosis. The exercise also ensures that the blood supply is healthy and assists the nutrients in that particular area.

Alternative:

Steps:

1. Lie on your back.
2. Bend one leg and then bend the other just below the knee of the first leg as shown in the illustration.
3. Hold your hands together behind your knees.
4. Now, pull it closer to your chest using both the hands.
5. This exercise will affect only one side of the body depending on the leg, so hold the position for 20 seconds and repeat it twice with both legs.

3. Knee stretch to the chest

Steps:

1. Lie on your back.
2. Bend your right leg and hold it with your hands.
3. Now, pull it closer to your chest to feel the stretch on the hips and thighs.
4. Hold the position for 20 seconds and repeat it twice with both legs.
5. It has the same effects on the body as the double-knee to chest stretch. This one, however, uses the partial weight of the body to relax the thigh muscles while correcting the backbone and related muscles.

Alternative:

Note:
Steps for the alternative version are the same, but in case you are not able to keep your other leg straight, this one could be used as an alternative.

4. Psoas stretch

Steps:

1. Stand straight.

2. Move your right leg forward while keeping your left leg back. Bend your right knee and keep the upper body straight.

3. Hold on to this position for a few seconds and then lower the left knee close to the floor.

4. Keep both hands on your right knee for support and move the upper body forward. This exercise will affect the psoas.

5. Hold the position for 30 seconds and repeat it twice with both legs.

6. The psoas is the most important and biggest muscle in the hip flexor muscle group. They ensure the movement of the thigh and torso in coordination. This helps in daily activities like bicycling, weight training, running, etc.

5. Spinal stretch

Steps:

1. Lay on your back and stretch your arms perpendicular to your head.

2. Raise your right leg up and use your left hand to pull it over your left leg to the ground on the left side.

3. Turn your head slowly toward the right side while feeling the stretch on your back and thigh respective to your leg, all while keeping your hands perpendicular to your head.

4. Hold the position for 30 seconds and repeat it twice with both legs.

5. If you sit in the office or classroom for hours, sit behind the wheel of a car or simply stand with poor posture, the spinal cord suffers, causing bad back pain. A spinal stretch or spinal twist stretch ensures the mobility of your spinal muscles, helping you to maintain good posture.

6. Quadriceps stretch

Steps:

1. Stand straight.
2. Stand on your right leg and hold the left foot with your right hand. You can use both hands if one isn’t sufficient.
3. Try to touch your heel to your butt to stretch the hips, quadriceps, and back.
4. Hold the position for 30 seconds and repeat it twice with both legs.
5. The quadriceps stretch increases blood circulation in that particular area. As a back to knee connecting muscle, a poor or stiff pair of quadriceps can lead to back or knee pain.

7. Downward facing dog against a wall or chair

The post 7 Exercises to Relieve Back Pain in 10 Minutes first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post 7 Exercises to Relieve Back Pain in 10 Minutes appeared first on Healthy Gab.