Sciatica Relief for Authors

Wed, Apr 15, 2015

If you have a pain in the butt, down the leg, or lower leg pain, you may not only be sitting too much or getting too little exercise, you may be suffering from Sciatica or Piriformis Syndrome. These conditions are responsible for pain anywhere along the pathway of the sciatic nerve.

Here are a few tips and exercises that may help (p.s.: see link to video demonstration of exercises below):

Start the Day Off Right

“Trigger Point Releases” - get a tennis ball and sit down on a mat or carpeted area (Hint: perform all four releases on your “bad” side first. If you have time, repeat the releases on your “good” side.)

1. Sacrotuberous Ligament - sit on the floor with your knees up and feet flat

• place the tennis ball under the hip, half-way between the tailbone and your sitting bone (Hint: after placing the ball, put your hands on the floor behind you to help keep your balance.)

• sink onto the tennis ball, focusing on letting go of tension in the area

• slowly rock from side-to-side

• continue for four breaths

2. Piriformis Muscle

• with the ball in place under your hip, lie down onto your back

• move the ball to a spot about halfway between the tailbone and the side of the hip

• let the bent knee of the side you are working on drop open to the side

• take four breaths while you gently roll the hip over the ball

• (Hint: if you feel pain or pins and needles down the leg, you may be pressing directly on the sciatic nerve. In that case, move the ball to a more comfortable spot between the tailbone and the side of the hip.)

3. Gluteus Maximus

• with knees up and both feet flat on the floor, move the tennis ball up toward the fleshy section near the top of the hip (Hint: place your off-hand in a fist under the off-side to keep your hips square.)

• slowly tuck and tilt the pelvis forward and backward and from side to side to massage tension out of the glute

• take four relaxing breaths while you tuck and tilt, etc.

4. Gluteus Medius

• roll onto your side as you shift the ball to the side of the hip to the fleshy area just above the hip bone

• sitting up on your elbow, take four breaths as you let go of the tension in your hip

At the Desk

“Healthy Passive Sitting”

• place a large folded towel in your chair to use as a wedge

• sit on the edge of the towel so that the pelvis tips slightly to the back

• touch your lower back lightly to be sure that you’ve tipped the pelvis enough to create a small, even groove

• round the rib cage slightly forward

• one-at-a-time, roll the shoulders forward, up, way back, and down

Break Time

1. “Twisted Triangle” - Stand facing the wall with legs apart in a wide `vee' and arms opened straight out to the sides

• keeping the arms stretched and legs straight, twist the upper body toward your “bad” side as you gaze out to the center of the room

• tip down toward the foot on your “bad” side

• hold for a 5 count

• repeat to the opposite side

• (Hint: after twisting both directions, with knees slightly bent, rest your back and hips against the wall.)

2. “Piriformis Stretch” - Lie on your back on the floor, with knees bent and feet flat on the floor

• lift one knee and bring it toward the chest

• cross the ankle over the opposite knee and place the ankle just above the knee

• press the top knee away with your hand, using gentle pressure

• press and relax the top knee with your hand while you take 4 breaths

Proofreading & Business Calls

“Knees Up” - Lie on your back on the floor near the sofa

• bend your knees and place your lower legs to rest on the seat cushion (Hint: maintain a 90 deg. angle between the thighs and lower legs in this legs up position.)

• “rest” in this position for 15 minutes while you proof your manuscript or take a business call from your editor

20-Minute Rule

Back experts warn that we should not sit for more than 20 minutes at a time

• Get up every 20 minutes to stretch

• (Hint: keep your waterglass in another room so you’ll have to walk to get it. Also: set a timer for yourself at your desk, if necessary, to be sure you stand up every 20 minutes.)

Video Demonstration of Exercises

Take this link to watch my YouTube video demonstrating the exercises:

https://youtu.be/CdMAmjET9c4

Happy pain free writing!

![Twisted Triangle] (/image/twistedTriangle-2-600x338.png)

— Rebecca