Sciatica

Exercises for sciatic pain

The evidence is clear that exercise and activity is the best treatment for back and sciatic pains.  

There is no set approach that has been shown to be the best so feel free to try different types of exercise and activity.  Be guided by what you enjoy and what you feel able to start. Examples include cycling, swimming, lifting weights or going to an aqua-aerobics class. 

If you are local to Sheffield and you would like support to increase your physical activity, then you can:

• Self-refer to Sheffield Physical Activity Referral scheme to access expert and discounted support in physical activity including select gyms across the city.
• Find sport, leisure and activity groups in your local area.
• Visit our page on physical activity under the wider health section of the website for further guidance and support to increase your activity.

There is more specific exercise information in our Keeping on moving leaflet.  Alternatively, here are some videos to give you some options from an organisation called Versus Arthritis but these exercises are helpful for most people with spinal pains (not just those with arthritis). 

Back and neck exercise programme:  The ‘straight leg raise’ exercise at minute 8-10 may well be a challenge for those with sciatica pains so feel free to skip that one.

How many should I do and how often?

There is no set rule here.  Be guided by how it feels. 

Aim to do these exercises 2-3x daily if you can. 

Make sure that you breathe throughout the exercise and focus on smooth, relaxed movement. By all means start with the directions/movements that feel the easiest to begin with. 

You may only be able to manage a few to start with: that’s fine. Make a note of how many you can do and repeat this each day until it starts to feel easier. Gradually increase how many you practise over time (this can take several weeks).

What if the exercise is painful?

Exercising in pain is acceptable. It’s worth knowing that pain during exercise does not mean you’re harming yourself. As a general rule, if you experience pain at a manageable level, which settles within an hour and is not worse the next day, this is fine. However, if you experience more pain than you can comfortably tolerate and fails to settle within about an hour, you may want to scale the difficulty back next time. If this happens, don’t worry, you can try fewer repetitions and then gradually build it up again. If this still hasn’t helped, then seek professional help for further guidance.

Hands on treatments

There is lots of evidence to show that massage and mobilisation treatments do offer pain relief but this is short lived and should only be used as an adjunct.  It should not be the only treatment method used.