There are many good sciatica treatment exercises.  However, first things first. You must understand what is causing your pain to begin with before taking measures to alleviate it.

Let’s start there.

The anatomy of the lumbar spine is different than any other part of the spine.  The vertebrae are larger and absorb more pressure than the neck or the mid back because the lumbar spine connects with the pelvis.  Of course, the pelvis is where the legs are attached, which causes great wear and tear on your 5 lumbar vertebrae.

This is especially the case with the disc between the last lumbar segment and the sacrum.  The L4/L5 and L5/S1 areas account for most of the disc problems a physician will see in their office.

So, now that you have an understanding of the anatomy, how can you alleviate your bothersome and sometimes debilitating sciatica through exercise?

The answer is multifaceted.  First and foremost you must understand the pressures that occur in between the vertebrae at the disc space.  These pressures are great with daily movements and become even greater with excess body weight.

So, for starters you should ensure your body weight is in line with a person of your height. There are many good charts available giving you an accurate height to weight relationship.

In addition to proper weight, an exercise regime is also necessary.

If you look at a person from the side, you will notice a hollow in the low back.  This is referred to as the lumbar curve. Some are relatively flat, while others are exaggerated.

There are exact angles for this curve, but the rule of thumb is that if the curve is as close to normal as possible, your ear should fall somewhere in the center of the shoulder.

As the plumb line continues down your body, it should fall in the center of the hip and then just in front of the ankle bone.  The lumbar curve can affect the thoracic and cervical curves, altering posture as a whole.

To create a strong low back, you must have a strong core.  Core strengthening can alter these exaggerated curves.  Your core muscles act as a brace to keep you upright and in good posture.

Of all sciatica treatment exercises, I highly recommend you perform a daily core muscle strengthening regime.

While there are many useful techniques out there, I recommend the McKenzie method. Several books are available demonstrating this method.  The McKenzie method has shown to have great results at eliminating the pain associated with sciatica.

Watch your weight, exercise the McKenzie way, and become pain free again!

The Sciatica Treatment News Advisory Board

Sciatica Treatment Exercises For Low Back Pain Sufferers is a post from Sciatica Treatment

Sciatica, also known by the millions of people who suffer from it as the royal pain in the rear, is really a symptom of an underlying problem and not solely a condition.

The good news is that we know this. The bad news is that in sciatica treatment, many physicians will treat the condition without ever addressing the underlying cause.

The usual sciatic treatment programs first line of therapy consists of non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen, or even stronger drugs such as Vicodin or Oxycontin. The problem with this method of treatment is that one is truly only masking the pain and not getting to the origin.

It would be like going to the dentist with a tooth ache, getting the Novocain injections into your mouth, and going home only to find that 3 hours later the pain returns because nothing was done to correct the cavity or the cause of the tooth pain.  All too often this is seen as an appropriate method of treatment.  Hence the necessity of not only good sciatica treatment programs, but first and foremost, a good diagnosis as to what is the cause or irritation of the sciatic nerve in the first place.

There are really very few things that can result in sciatica.  One of the most common is called degenerative disc disease or dry disc disease.  This condition occurs approximately 85% of the time in adults by the age of 55.

In this condition, the center portion of the disc looses fluid over time due to age, trauma or just plain hard work and gravity.  When this happens, an area called the neural foramina (where the nerve exits from the spinal cord) gets smaller in diameter resulting in a condition called foramina stenosis.

At the base of the low back, at the disc space of the 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae, the very large sciatic nerve exits.

When even the weight of a dime presses on this very sensitive nerve, the patient experiences pain that can be anywhere from the buttocks, all the way down to the foot.

It is truly the loss of disc fluid and resultant disc herniations or protrusions that most often causes the symptom of sciatica.

No matter how much medication you take, no matter how much physical therapy treatments you participate in, no matter how many chiropractic treatments you get… nothing will relieve the pain until you get to the cause, that being the degenerative disc or herniated disc disease.

Sciatica treatment has focused too much on symptoms rather than the actual condition causing sciatica. This treatment practice only serves to increase frustration in those suffering from this condition.  Often this frustration stems from wondering when this problem will finally go away, not realizing that it is virtually impossible to get well until you can get down to the cause of the problem.  By keeping this in mind when treatment options are explained to you it is certain to ensure a more satisfying and effective result.

Dr. Mark Schnitzer M.D.
Board Certified Neurosurgeon and Spine Specialist

Sciatica Treatment – Treating a Condition or a Symptom? is a post from Sciatica Treatment

Since this site is run by an expert panel of physicians and clinicians, we will be providing the most current treatments and cutting-edge advancements in the non-surgical treatment of low back pain and sciatica.  Sciatica exercises and stretches will be covered in detail with instructional video demonstrations.

We will also have our experts review the latest sciatica treatment guides and resources, so that you can distinguish the helpful from the harmful.  This is important so that you don’t cause more injury or problems by reading the “junk” that is circulating on the internet by marketers who could care less about your health.

There will be no other site on the internet that will provide up-to-date, practical information to help you deal with both acute and chronic sciatica and sciatic nerve pain, regardless of the cause.

If you want solutions for your lower back pain and sciatica, then you have come to the right place!

Sciatica Treatment News Blog Launching is a post from Sciatica Treatment