Why Hongkongers get sciatica, and three yoga moves to deal with the lower back pain
Sciatica is caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve from a bulging disc or tight buttock muscles. Yoga teacher and therapist Dilip Pillai shows how to stretch properly to alleviate symptoms of this painful, debilitating condition
If sitting is the new smoking, then it’s no surprise that sciatica is the new tennis elbow.
Sciatica – a pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve – is often caused by prolonged sitting and/or weight gain. It can also be caused by incorrectly doing something physical. There are many misconceptions about both the causes of and remedies for this condition.
The sciatic nerve is the largest in the body, starting in the lower back and running down the back of the legs. Pressure on this nerve can cause excruciating, sometimes debilitating, pain down the back of the leg and up into the pelvis and buttocks. This condition may be caused by a bulging disc in the lower back, or from tight buttock muscles (the gluteus medius and/or the piriformis) muscle. A disc can herniate from injury, weakness, excessive weight or constant physical movement – lifting, twisting, bending – done incorrectly, such as not bending down properly to lift something heavy.
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Sciatica may also be the result of very tight buttock muscles, as the nerve runs straight through the gluteal and piriformis muscles. If these muscles are overworked, they can impinge on the sciatic nerve and cause pain, which will travel through the buttock possibly all the way to the foot, and sometimes up into the lower back. Loosening the piriformis muscle with deep body rolling tools can be a great reliever.
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One key misconception is that the best way to relieve sciatica is to stretch. Stretching in a forward bend (either standing or sitting), if done improperly, can worsen the condition. Many people aggravate their sciatica by doing this. If your doctor advises that the sciatic pain could pass with the right exercises, a good stretch is key. But don’t simply get out there and bend it like Beckham.
You first need to lift your body ‘up’ to extend it before forward tilting at the hips to stretch forward and reach for your toes. Your hips need to be tilted forward, with one knee bent, stretching just one leg at a time.