Tightness in your buttocks, hamstrings, and calves can worsen the pain along your sciatic nerve , which runs from your lower back to your feet. Loosen and strengthen those muscle groups by performing these 3 easy stretches:
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Strong, flexible hamstrings can help to alleviate sciatic nerve irritation.
Watch: Scissor Hamstring Stretch for Low Back Pain and Sciatica Relief Video
Tight hamstring muscles can pull on your pelvis, increasing stress on your lower back and irritating your sciatic nerve. Target your hamstrings with this standing stretch:
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Strong, flexible hamstrings can help bring sciatica relief and lessen further aggravation.
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If your calves are tight and you're experiencing sciatica-like pain, try this stretch.
Watch Video: Standing Calf Muscle Stretch
Calf muscles are easily overlooked, but their tightness is often associated with sciatica-like pain. Here’s one simple yet powerful stretch to keep these muscles loose:
Carefully step out of the stretch, and try it with your left leg forward and right leg back.
The supine piriformis muscle stretch helps to relieve sciatica pain caused by piriformis syndrome.
Watch Video: Supine Piriformis Muscle Stretch for Sciatic Pain Relief #2
Stretching the piriformis muscle, located deep in the buttock, is often necessary to help relieve pain along the sciatic nerve. Here’s how to do this stretch if your left leg is affected by the pain (alternate directions if your right side is affected):
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Try to work your way up to 3 sets of stretches.
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The above stretches may help decrease painful symptoms and improve your range of motion. A doctor can help diagnose the underlying cause of your sciatica and identify which stretches might work best for you.
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