Have you been looking for the right way to commence your sciatic nerve flossing? This is your holy grail!
This article will give you a detailed guide to effective sciatic nerve flossing.
It is important first to understand what sciatic nerve flossing is.
Nerve flossing, otherwise known as nerve gliding or neural gliding, is a range of simple and gentle exercises that help improve your nerve movement.
The sciatic nerve starts from your lower spine and runs down to your legs and toes. It coordinates movement and connects the spinal cord to the muscles of your lower body.
Sciatica is a blanket term that refers to a range of symptoms that may arise due to exerting pressure or strain on the sciatic nerve.
These symptoms may occur as irritation, pain or inflammation of the nerve.
Therapists may recommend sciatic nerve flossing to patients who may have had injuries that affected their sciatic nerve or patients who may have underlying medical conditions such as piriformis syndrome.
These simple stretches aimed at relieving the pain or discomfort associated with the sciatic nerve are referred to as nerve ‘flossing’. These exercises do not need any sophisticated gymnastic equipment, so you can just be flossing at the comfort of your home.
Much as these exercises may be simple, they should be taken very seriously so that the patient may fully recover.
You should consider seeing a doctor when you start experiencing symptoms like pain in your lower back, inflammation, weakness or numbness of your legs, pins and needles in your foot.
WHAT IS SCIATIC NERVE FLOSSING?
These are simple exercises that are aimed at mobilizing irritated nerves to relieve the pain or discomfort experienced.
Sciatic nerve flossing helps improve neurodynamics (nerve motion) and coordinates the movement of the lower body.
The idea of flossing is that when a nerve is trapped, it grinds along with the muscles and bones, causing the scar tissue to pile up along the nerve fibre.
This brings about discomfort when you move because the injured nerve does not glide smoothly.
Flossing can help remove the distractors around the injured nerve so that it can pop and glide smoothly as you move.
After a proper examination, your therapist can recommend the preferred combination of exercises that will help improve your specific condition.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR NERVE FLOSSING TO WORK?
It should be noted that the time taken for nerve flossing to work may differ from one person to another.
Due to the simplicity of the exercises, any person committed to flossing won’t take long before seeing results.
You should start feeling better after the first few weeks, and within a span of six to eight weeks of consistency, the pain or discomfort you were previously experiencing should be gone.
However, you should not be in a hurry to complete the flossing exercise because the healing you need or the pain you have will gradually go away as you continue with flossing.
According to Brett Sears, PT, when you rush with these exercises, you may end up missing the targeted nerve and be doing the wrong thing that could worsen your situation.
HOW DO YOU POP YOUR SCIATIC NERVE?
A sciatic nerve can be trapped due to an overgrowth of bone or a herniated disk in the spine.
When this happens.
It may come with a lot of pain, and so you may need to have it popped.
According to William Morrison M.D, you can do this by clasping both of your hands behind the thigh; then, you can lift the left leg and put your right ankle on the left knee.
Maintain that position for a while. This will aid in stretching the sciatic nerves that cause discomfort and pain.
CAN YOU PRESS YOUR SCIATIC NERVE?
According to a study by Jiman He, he notes that there will be an acute short-term relief from pain when pressure is exerted for two minutes on the sciatic muscle.
He concluded that putting enough pressure for two minutes is a powerful technique that can help treat clinical pain.
There are plenty of sciatic nerve gliding exercises, but these are the most effective. Please note that this is a gentle exercise and so there is no need for rushing.
SCIATIC NERVE FLOSSING WHILE SEATED
-Sit in a chair with back support. Recline your back straight to it with your shoulders relaxed.
-With your knees at 90 degrees and feet on the ground, gently stretch the affected leg forwards as you simultaneously recline your neck backwards. Stretch your leg only to the point where the pain is bearable.
-You can then lower your leg back to where it was. See to it that you complete 20 leg stretches five times in a day.
SCIATIC NERVE FLOSSING – ELEVATED LEG
– Lie straight on your back and put your injured leg in an inclined position, like on a footstool, so that your heel is slightly higher.
-Stretch the inclined leg and flex your feet in all directions. Your upper body should be firm on the floor.
-Note that the elevated leg should not be lifted so high that it brings about pain during foot stretch.
-Repeat the stretch several times.
SCIATIC NERVE FLOSSING WHILE STANDING.
This is a McKenzie Method known as flexion in step standing stretch. So first:
-Stand with one foot on the ground and the other one on a chair. The leg that is to be stretched should be the one on the ground.
-Gently bend forward, targeting the sensation of stretching nerves in the injured leg.
Maintain that position for a few seconds, lean back and complete fifteen similar stretches.
SINGLE KNEE-TO-CHEST STRETCH
-Lie flat on your back, then let your hands clasp one leg and softly pull it to your chest.
-A good stretch will be felt on your lower spine and buttocks.
-Hold the stretch position for 5 to 10 seconds each time you do it.
BACK FLEXION STRETCH
The action of bending your spine is called flexion. Back flexion exercises may aid in spinal mobility and relieve tension in your spine.
An easy back flexion would involve:
-Laying on your back. Hold your hands behind your legs and pull them towards your chest. As you do that, your head should be raised close to your knees to improve the stretch.
-Hold on to that position for around 10 seconds every time you do it. Do that 10 to 15 times a day.
CONCLUSION
Sciatic nerve flossing is not limited to the exercises highlighted above but can also be combined alongside other methods for better results.
If you have been working out right yet, there is no change, and you should go back to your doctor or seek a fitness instructor to guide you along the way.
These simple stretches can still be done not only when you experience a problem, but for the sake of your general wellbeing; they are highly recommended.
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