You go to stand in the morning, and you feel it, the dreaded shot of pain down your leg, sometimes reaching all the way down to your foot. Sciatic pain – which can oftentimes be so bad that someone can’t get off of the couch or out of bed – can happen for numerous reasons. Let’s break down what sciatic pain is, what causes it, and possible treatment options, including walking, which at the time can certainly sound counterproductive, but is actually beneficial!
What’s Sciatica?
Sciatica refers to the irritation and inflammation of the sciatic nerve. This nerve starts at the spine, then travels through the glutes and hips toward the feet. It’s the widest, not to forget, the longest nerve in the body. It starts with 5 nerves on the lower back that come together to form a single nerve. The nerve then runs through your buttocks and heads down the leg.
That said, sciatica is a certain type of buttock pain radiating down your leg. This may cause you to feel tingling, numbness, and pain through your legs and hips. A research on sciatica involving 650 individuals was conducted and published in the Orthopedics journal. According to the report, 25% of the participants experienced sciatica within 6 months.
This demonstrates that sciatic is very common. Havard Health suggests that 40% of the population will experience it at some point.
Causes of Sciatica
Various factors can cause sciatica/ lumbar radiculopathy. The main causes of sciatic pain include; spinal stenosis as well as herniated/ bulging discs. Osteoarthritis and disc generation can make the spine exert pressure on the nerve.
Compression or repetitive stress injury can also damage the sciatic nerve. There are also other risk factors like an increase in weight/ height and a spinal fracture.
Signs and Symptoms of Sciatica
If you think you have sciatic nerve pain, it’s typically pretty easy to diagnose – especially if the pain runs from your lower back/hip down through the glutes and down the back of your leg. Usually, you’ll notice that the pain is at its worst when you’re moving around, and you might feel weak in the affected leg. If the irritation runs all the way down to your foot, you might notice tingling or numbness down into your toes.
Signs and Symptoms of Sciatica
If you think you have sciatic nerve pain, it’s typically pretty easy to diagnose – especially if the pain runs from your lower back/hip down through the glutes and down the back of your leg. Usually, you’ll notice that the pain is at its worst when you’re moving around, and you might feel weak in the affected leg. If the irritation runs all the way down to your foot, you might notice tingling or numbness down into your toes.
Is Walking Good for Sciatica?
An article on Spine-Health claims that any type of walking is good for relieving sciatica pain. Besides, walking is one of the best exercises for improving the pain in the sciatic nerve. Exercising decreases inflammation and triggers endorphins release.
However, walking outdoors can be dangerous, especially when it’s rainy or slippery. That’s where a treadmill comes in! First, a treadmill allows you to be consistent for a certain period. You can even set your walking pace on a treadmill.
For that, it’s one of the best low-impact aerobic workouts you can try. This simply means that your heartbeats will increase. You may even sweat, but you can still have a conversation as you work out. To be precise, you can walk on walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes at 3% incline and 3 mph. This is an excellent exercise for your sciatic pain.
Another benefit of using treadmills is they increase circulation and enhance joint movement. Increased circulation helps in the healing and repair process. Also, it has a good psychological effect. This will help you to overcome the depression associated with sciatic and neck pain. Walking will also ensure proper chemical and mechanical movement of the discs.
How to Walk on With Sciatica Pain ?
When walking on a treadmill, make sure you choose a comfortable incline and speed. Initially, these parameters can be lower than your normal walking pace. Then increase the intensity and pace with time as the nerve pain decreases.
In general, walking on a treadmill is usually safe with sciatica. However, it can increase pressure on the internal discs, making them bulge even more. In other words, walking may exert more pressure on the sciatica nerve roots, causing more pain. If that’s the case you should avoid walking as a sciatica relief exercise.
As an extra measure, there are some treadmill mistakes you should avoid when you’ve sciatic pain. These measures will help you to avoid irritating your sciatica nerve further. They include; using your core and a shorter stride.
1. Take shorter strides
Taking longer strides when walking exerts more stretch on the back of your leg and lower back. This can increases stress on the sciatic nerve. For this reason, it’s good to take shorter steps and walk slower on a treadmill if you’re experiencing sciatic pain.
Moreover, you need to consider the initial contact of your foot and walking posture. Incorrect walking posture may compress the lumbar discs, thus irritating your sciatic nerve. However, using the correct walking posture will prevent stress on your spine. That’s because your back, core abdominal, leg, thigh, and hip muscles will be working in sync.
As for the initial foot contact, avoid reaching with your toes when walking on the treadmill. Instead, you should land between the heel and the mid-foot. Then roll onto the toes gently and take the next stride. As a result, your strides will be shorter since rolling your foot becomes easier.
2. Support your spine with the core muscles
Using your abdominal muscles correctly can help you relieve sciatica. They accomplish this by reducing pressure on the spine. This aids in protecting the sciatic nerve. However, walking incorrectly will increase stress and fatigue on these muscles. This may aggravate your sciatic pain or even cause more back pain. To avoid this, do the following when walking on a workout machine like Sole Fitness F85 treadmill.
- Slightly pull the stomach towards the body while walking. Don’t tuck in your stomach too hard to avoid staining your abdominal muscles.
- Stand upright.
- Maintain rhythmic breathing and stay focused while walking.