If you’ve ever felt a sharp or burning pain shoot down your leg, you know how uncomfortable sciatica can be. It can make sitting, driving, or even sleeping a challenge.
Sciatica happens when the sciatic nerve—the largest nerve in your body—gets irritated. The goal isn’t to “stretch it out,” but to calm the irritation and restore healthy movement. Once that happens, the pain starts to fade and strength returns.
At RX Rehab & Performance in Pacific Beach, we help active adults, surfers, and weekend athletes get rid of nerve pain without injections or long rest periods.
1. What’s Really Causing the Pain
Sciatica isn’t a diagnosis—it’s a symptom. Something along the nerve’s path is creating pressure or inflammation. Common sources include:
- Swelling or disc irritation in the lower spine
- Tight hip muscles (especially the piriformis)
- Weak glutes or deep core muscles
- Long hours of sitting with poor posture
When these tissues become sensitive, the nerve sends signals that feel like sharp, burning, or tingling pain down the leg.
Most people recover without surgery once the irritation is calmed and the surrounding muscles learn to share the load again.
2. Early Relief: Motion Over Rest
When symptoms flare up, your first goal is to keep moving—not to rest completely. Gentle, pain-free motion helps reduce pressure and brings fresh blood flow to the irritated area.
Try this simple routine:
- Short Walks: Just 5–10 minutes a few times a day helps your body reset.
- Pelvic Tilts: Lie on your back, knees bent. Rock your pelvis forward and back to loosen stiffness.
- Supported Extension: Lie on your stomach and gently prop up on your elbows. If that eases the pain, you can repeat a few times each hour.
Tip: Avoid long hamstring stretches early on—they often make nerve pain worse by pulling directly on the sciatic pathway.
3. The Exercises That Actually Help
Once pain begins to calm down, specific movements help restore normal nerve motion and build support around the spine and hips.
Nerve Glide (“Sciatic Floss”)
Sit tall and slowly straighten one leg, flexing your ankle up and down. You should feel a light pull, never sharp pain. This helps the nerve slide smoothly again.
Glute Bridge
Strengthens your hips and teaches your glutes to take pressure off the lower back. Focus on slow lifts, squeezing at the top.
Bird Dog
On hands and knees, extend opposite arm and leg. Keep your back flat and steady. This builds deep stability around the spine.
Side-Lying Hip Abduction
Lie on your side and lift the top leg slightly, keeping toes forward. This strengthens the glute medius—a key stabilizer for pelvic balance.
These exercises don’t just reduce pain; they help fix the reason the nerve got irritated in the first place.
4. Common Mistakes to Avoid
People often make sciatica worse by pushing too hard too soon. A few habits to skip early on:
- Forcing aggressive stretches “until it burns.”
- Sitting for hours at a desk or in the car without breaks.
- Returning to heavy lifting or running before the leg pain clears.
Gentle, consistent progress always beats intensity.
5. How We Treat Sciatica at RX Rehab & Performance
Every case is different, so we start by finding exactly where the nerve is irritated and why.
Our approach combines:
- Manual therapy and mobilization to reduce joint and muscle tension.
- Neural mobility work to calm irritation.
- Strength training to rebuild hip and core control.
- Education and movement coaching so you know how to manage it long-term.
We see many local professionals and athletes—from Pacific Beach to La Jolla and Bird Rock—who’ve tried traditional treatments without success. The key difference here is we don’t just treat pain; we retrain the system that caused it.
6. Building Long-Term Resilience
After symptoms settle, the focus shifts to making your back and hips strong enough to handle anything you love doing—surfing, lifting, running, or just playing with your kids.
That means:
- Keeping hips and glutes strong with regular resistance work.
- Staying active daily (movement keeps the nerve healthy).
- Learning proper bending and lifting mechanics.
Consistency beats intensity every time.
FAQ
Q1: What is the best exercise for sciatica?
Gentle nerve glides and hip-strengthening exercises like bridges or bird dogs are most effective early on.
Q2: Should I stretch my hamstrings if I have sciatica?
Not right away. Tightness often comes from nerve tension, not the muscle itself. Stretching too early can worsen pain.
Q3: How long does sciatica take to heal?
Most people improve within 4–8 weeks with guided movement and progressive loading.
Q4: Can physical therapy help sciatica?
Yes. Combining manual therapy and targeted exercise speeds recovery and prevents recurrence.
Q5: What causes sciatica to flare up?
Sitting too long, lifting with poor form, or skipping recovery days after intense activity are common triggers.
Conclusion
Sciatica pain can be stubborn, but it’s also fixable. With the right plan, most people start feeling better within weeks—without medication or surgery.
At RX Rehab & Performance, we focus on the cause, not the symptom. We help you move better, stay stronger, and prevent that nerve pain from coming back.
