Often, the way you move about your day is the cause of bodily pain. (Of course, this is definitely not always the case, there are causes of pain that are not related to habitual movement patterns.) In this post, I want to address some habits you may have that are causing pain from sciatica. Here are some things you can try to do to lessen the pain and help you figure out "why me?"!
Stand up and drop a magazine (or something) on the floor right now. Leave it there until you are done reading this. Now that you are sitting at your computer again, freeze right where you are.
What position are your legs in? Are they crossed? What parts of each foot are on the ground, and what parts are not? Where is your back in relation to the back of the chair, is it against the chair or are you leaning forward? Where is your chin, is it jutting forward? Your shoulders?
You must look at your whole body when trying to rid yourself of sciatica. An indepth look at proper ways of sitting at your computer are really for a future post. But for now, really look at yourself. With sciatica, stop crossing your legs. Instead, place both feet flat on the floor, hip width apart, with the whole sole of the foot on the floor. You'll have to learn to use your core to hold you up in a seated position. Time for a pilates class!
I once taught this way of sitting to a client who said, "Now I'm sitting like such a dork!" Sorry, being a pain-free dork is better than being a dork in pain!
When you drive, make sure you don't have your wallet in your back pocket, that is a cause of sciatica that can be easily remedied.
Get up and walk around normally. Stop and look down at your feet. Is one foot angled outward or stepped wider more than the other? Is that the foot of the sciatic leg? Moving around your day with a constant, excessive external rotation of the leg can cause Periformis Syndrome. If you exercise, like running or working out on the elipical machine, with a rotated leg, your pain will increase. Paying attention to your leg position can diminish pain.
Try flipping your mattress over so its more firm and flat. You should do this about once every six months.
What shoes are you wearing? Having adequate support is so important. I have personally found that Puma gives me the best support, not to mention they look the coolest.
Now get up and pick that magazine up off the floor. Stop! How did you pick it up? Did you bend over with your legs straight? Did you not even get out of the chair, but instead twisted around to pick it up? Did you not even do the exercise?
To cause the least amount of strain while picking something up is- lunge forward to pick it up. Or, squat down and then lift yourself back up using your core.
If you didn't even do the exercise... give me a call when you decide to start taking yourself seriously and you want to live pain free! Read more!
Stand up and drop a magazine (or something) on the floor right now. Leave it there until you are done reading this. Now that you are sitting at your computer again, freeze right where you are.
What position are your legs in? Are they crossed? What parts of each foot are on the ground, and what parts are not? Where is your back in relation to the back of the chair, is it against the chair or are you leaning forward? Where is your chin, is it jutting forward? Your shoulders?
You must look at your whole body when trying to rid yourself of sciatica. An indepth look at proper ways of sitting at your computer are really for a future post. But for now, really look at yourself. With sciatica, stop crossing your legs. Instead, place both feet flat on the floor, hip width apart, with the whole sole of the foot on the floor. You'll have to learn to use your core to hold you up in a seated position. Time for a pilates class!
I once taught this way of sitting to a client who said, "Now I'm sitting like such a dork!" Sorry, being a pain-free dork is better than being a dork in pain!
When you drive, make sure you don't have your wallet in your back pocket, that is a cause of sciatica that can be easily remedied.
Get up and walk around normally. Stop and look down at your feet. Is one foot angled outward or stepped wider more than the other? Is that the foot of the sciatic leg? Moving around your day with a constant, excessive external rotation of the leg can cause Periformis Syndrome. If you exercise, like running or working out on the elipical machine, with a rotated leg, your pain will increase. Paying attention to your leg position can diminish pain.
Try flipping your mattress over so its more firm and flat. You should do this about once every six months.
What shoes are you wearing? Having adequate support is so important. I have personally found that Puma gives me the best support, not to mention they look the coolest.
Now get up and pick that magazine up off the floor. Stop! How did you pick it up? Did you bend over with your legs straight? Did you not even get out of the chair, but instead twisted around to pick it up? Did you not even do the exercise?
To cause the least amount of strain while picking something up is- lunge forward to pick it up. Or, squat down and then lift yourself back up using your core.
If you didn't even do the exercise... give me a call when you decide to start taking yourself seriously and you want to live pain free! Read more!