Sciatica is not so uncommon among the masses, especially those who hit the gym regularly. Sciatica is the unusual pain in one or both legs radiating from the lower back. Usually, the herniated disk presses the nerve endings, giving a pain sensation throughout the lower body. This is a general health issue that can be fixed through routine physiotherapy and targeted exercise. However, some negligent actions might aggravate the pain, so read this article to find a bunch of activities that you should cut back on with sciatica.
Hamstring stretching
Stretching is the first thing we do before we start our exercises. One of the common stretching actions is to bend down with the straight knees to touch the toes. This stretching action definitely works our entire body and loosens up the muscles.
But what it also does is exert unusual pressure on the hamstrings. People who do Romanian deadlifts can relate. Therefore, the sciatica nerves that run along the hamstring may feel high pressure, and your sciatica pain may aggravate.
Bent over rows
Bent over rows are very popular with people who want bigger backs. The posture in this exercise needs extreme care and caution. The body positioning in this exercise is such that there is an added tension on the spine. One bad move, and you will get a herniated disk.
This can also put you in a bad place regarding the spinal injury. Additionally, continuous repetitions with heavyweight will exert unusual pressure on the spine and may cause inflammation. Therefore, find some safe alternatives to bent over rows if you are suffering from sciatica.
Straight legged sit-ups
Straight-legged sit-ups are a go-to exercise for people who are working on their core. However, the movement pattern involved in this exercise can be quite risky for people who have back problems.
The back lifts half of the body weight, which exerts pressure on the spine and may lead to inflammation and aggravated pain.
Abdominal stretches
Abdominal stretches are common with people who follow a fitness regime either under yoga or under resistance training. This is yet another exercise for training the core.
However, abdominal stretches also put extra pressure on the spine and sciatica nerve. Therefore, people with sciatica may feel pain and numbness in their lower body if they perform high repetitions of this exercise.
Full body squats
One of the highly celebrated compound exercises is the full-body squats which work the entire body in general and lower body in particular.
People who prefer barbell squats put their lower bodies under extreme pressure when they sit, which leads to nerve compressions. This extra pressure can trigger the sciatica nerve present in the legs and buttocks and lead to chronic pain.
Visit informative fitness websites like Health Report Live regularly to get updates about correct postures and relevant exercises to keep your back healthy.
Heavy dead-lifts
Dead-lift is yet another full-body compound movement exercise. However, the primary target muscle in this exercise is the back.
People tend to lift heavy weights on dead-lifts, which creates tension during lifting. This added tension can trigger pain in the lower back.
Therefore, use safety tools such as belts while performing this exercise.