This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in April of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/Tc94WefcrLQ
Mike: Today we're going to discuss the six worst exercises for sciatica.
Brad: That's right. Now some of these exercises can be good and help you out, but if you have sciatica, they can actually make the sciatica worse or just give you more problems and drag the problem and the pain on. All right, now we actually have a high-tech model here at Bob and Brad, but it does a really nice job of visualizing what happens to the disc that actually causes sciatica, in other words, a pain down your leg. So here we have representation of a vertebra, L5, L4, which is a very common, place to have a bulging disc, creating sciatica and then the markers represent a nerve, the spinal nerve. There it is. Now a bulging disc can be caused or created, made worse, by certain movements of your back. Mike, do you want to talk about it?
Mike: So if you are bending or flexing forward and you have a compromised disc, which is the red gel-looking thing here, you can actually go forward, you can see the disc will push backward touching that nerve root and that can cause your pain. Obviously, if it's sciatica, it's hitting your sciatic nerve root region, which will refer to pain from your back down into your leg region.
Mike: So these exercises commonly can push that disc back there if it's already weak or herniated.
Brad: Now keep in mind this is not exactly anatomically accurate, however, the concept is.
Mike: First is hamstring stretching. We're going to show a couple of variations that can be problematic for some people. I am doing what's known as the hurdler stretch. So sitting in a long position, I'd be stretching my hamstring on the right leg and then I'd bend forward and if I have sciatica, this is probably painful and irritating my back and my leg right now, mainly because I'm rounding my back and flexing forward like this, putting that disc pressure on the nerve root like we talked about earlier.
Mike: So if you get an upright seated position like this and there's no pain, that's fine. If you can manage to keep a flat back and bend forward, it's okay.
Mike: But if any of this causes pain, just do not do it.
Mike: Right. Be very cautious or, again, I would just avoid it. Another common one is when people's hamstrings stretch with one leg up on a bench or other high surface. Watch my lower back. This is really a big no, no. I'm rounding the back, everything is being stressed, a lot of stress on that low back on that disc area.
Brad: If you do it with a straight back and go forward like this, then it may be tolerated. Again, it's still a red flag. There are other ways to do hamstring stretches and we do have some videos on that as well.
Mike: Now if you don't have sciatica and you can do the stretch with a flat back, it's perfectly fine. But if you have sciatica, just avoid it.
Brad: And number two is forward bending or forward stretching. Simply fingertips to the toes like Mike is demonstrating.
Brad: People use this for a hamstring stretch as well. Again, the rounded back really puts stress on that disc where the problem is and could flare up that sciatica, even if you go forward and bend the knees, that takes the hamstring out, but it still does the same thing here.
Brad: This is the type of thing, we just don't do it all. If you do this with your back arch and straight, there may be an argument that that's going to be helpful for it. But if you have sciatica, I would just not do the bend forward at all till it resolves.
Mike: So the next exercise you want to avoid is double leg lifts. This is commonly a core-type exercise people will do. So both feet are together, I bring them up as high as I can. You can see right here my back is starting to flex and round.
Mike: It's just the opposite way of a forward bend because my legs are moving and not my upper body. Now if you do these with a single leg, keeping a nice flat back, something like this, this is okay. But if you have sciatica, you probably just want to avoid this altogether for now.
Brad: Right.
Mike: So the double leg lifts avoid. You get a lot of rounding in the lower back, you can see how this is problematic.
Brad: Right, right. Again, this stresses the lower back quite a bit. Big caution with it and hold off. All right, now if you like this Superman, quote-unquote, superman exercise to strengthen the low back, this is one I would definitely avoid if you have sciatica.
Brad: Stuart McGill, who's done a tremendous amount of research on the back, talks about how much stress it actually puts on the lower back. He does not recommend this one. So even though it strengthens the back, too much stress with sciatica puts it on hold and actually puts it on hold forever.
Mike: Number five is any type of twisting motion with the spine or rotation component. Typically this can irritate sciatica as well. Brad, I'll show some stretching variations people do. I will show a core exercise. So this is often a core exercise. Obviously, I'm sitting weird on the mat right now, but just so you can see it. People will lift their legs up and turn from side to side. Yes, it is working at my core. It's a workout, but if you have sciatica, it's going to cause some irritation.
Brad: That's right. The other thing is a common stretch we call windmills, where you bend forward, even if you keep your back straight, you do not want to do this with sciatica where you're simply working this rotational stretch. So avoid that.
Mike: Exercise number six is a full sit-up. When you sit up all the way like this, you can see how my back is rounding and this is causing bad posture.
Mike: Now it is a core exercise, but if you have sciatica, this is going to flare things up terribly. If you want to do core strengthening, something Stuart McGill recommends for people that have back pain is to actually lie in a bent knee position like this to begin and just simply lift the back of their head and their shoulder blades go up straight towards the ceiling, keeping my back in full contact with the mat the whole time and you can strengthen your core this way.
Mike: If you do enough repetitions of this, you're going to start to feel it.
Brad: Right, it doesn't look like much and it really isolates the low back out of the equation. So it's a good option while you have sciatica. So why don't you sit up Mike?
Mike: I am doing sit-ups.
Brad: All right, so avoid all those exercises for your lower back safety. However, we do have a wonderful exercise program from Rick Olderman who has a program. Can you talk a little bit more about this?
Mike: So you can click the video link on the screen. It'll bring you right to that video. These are "One in 5,000 Know This About Treating Sciatica." So these exercises are safe for you and will probably help.
For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways
Bob and Brad’s Products
Pain Management:
C2 Massage Gun (US)
Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US)
Fitness:
Stretching:
Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop
Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.
Comments