Comeback from Sciatica Pain..

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applepie
applepie Posts: 105 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've had a recent bout with Sciatica Pain which put me out for 4 months. I'm just now ready to start working out again, but not quite sure where to start. I don't want to do anything that will cause that kind of pain again, but I know I can't just do nothing. What I'm most discouraged about is before all this, I was tone..and now, that's all gone. :( Anyone have any good workouts for just starting out..again? Really appreciate it.

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  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
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    I've had sciatica several times over the last ten years .......... but I can't just sit ..... I still had to get to work & clean house & do laundry & foodshop ...... that's plenty of exercise when you feel like your leg's on fire.

    Now that you're feeling a little better, do what you can do comfortably ....... nothing too extreme ...... and maybe add a few minutes to your routine each week ......

    Lifting leg weights helps me, as long as I don't add too much weight ...... and basic yoga poses & stretching are wonderful for my legs & back ..... oh, and use ice after your workouts !

    Best of luck !
  • sscary
    sscary Posts: 5
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    Just to give you some background, I'm 21 and have suffered from Sciatica since I was 19, as well as had surgery (micro discectomy L5/S1) at 20 and was able to get some relief. However, my nerve is damaged so I struggle with it every day, and I'm a former Division I athlete.

    My best advice to you is to start off with jogging. You can jog for as long as you can tolerate it. When I was reading about people who ran marathons with sciatica and back pain, I saw that they said usually jogging 3 miles is where the pain starts to go away more. I've found that 1-3 miles is a perfect amount when I was just getting back. Afterwards, stretch, stretch, stretch.... I cannot stress enough how much stretching helps the pain for me. As for weights, I try not to do too much, but I will do arm curls, shoulder presses, single leg press (PERFECT because you can stabilize your core), along with ab workouts. I tend to do ab workouts that involve no twisting, as well as getting creative so I can tone the same muscles. I also do a lot of my physical therapy exercises.

    I know my suggestions may not do much for you, but they do help me. The best time to stretch, other than after working out, has to be after you take a nice hot/warm shower. It feels great, and you can also use a heating pad for that too.

    If you need ANYTHING, don't hesitate to add me or message me, what have you, I'm more than willing to talk things out with you. And I know I'm no doctor, but I coach a lot and used to be a pretty intense lifter (squatted 200lbs with a herniated disc...) so I know my way around the gym quite well but not perfectly. :)
  • dzarello
    dzarello Posts: 119 Member
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    I, too, suffer from sciatica pain. It was really bad last year to where I had to go to the emergency room. After that happened, I started lifting weights and light stretching. I have found that lifting heavy and strengthening my back and legs, the pain is ALOT less severe. I still have slight pain every now and then but a little bit of stretching goes a long way. Don't be afraid of lifting weights, it will actually benefit you by strengthening those muscles and tendons that surround the sciatic nerve.

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