Relieve sciatic pain with stretches

The sciatic nerves are the body's two largest nerves. They are about as thick as your pinkie and emanate from the lower lumbar spine. They thread through the buttocks down the back of each leg to the soles of the feet and big toes. Pain strikes when a root that helps form one of the sciatic nerves, or when the nerve fibres, become pinched or irritated. You can feel it anywhere along the nerve's branch: low back, buttocks, leg, calf or foot. It can be felt down one leg or both.

Sciatic pains are like snowflakes. No two spasms are ever the same and their severity can change throughout an attack. The pain may feel like a dull soreness, numbness or tingling, throbbing heat or stabbing pain.A common culprit for sciatic pain is a herniated disk (some times referred to as a ruptured disk, pinched nerve or slipped disk.). Your disks can  get fatigued like a wire hanger being constantly bent back and forth. Eventually, a disk may weaken and perhaps break. Or a Vertebra can slip forward and the nerve fibers may become compressed that way, much like a kink in a garden hose. This can happen due to an injury or trauma, long bouts of physical activity (as is the case with many athletic people who suffer from sciatica) or simply from years of constant bending or sitting for long stretches. It's possible to ignite pain with the simplest movement. People may aggravate their sciatica with a sneeze or reaching out for a box of cereal.  

Supta Padangusthasana

(Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose), Variation 1

Lie on your back beneath a doorway or next to a column. Raise your right leg and rest it against the door frame or column for support. The left leg is outstretched. At first, your raised leg may not be flush with the door frame. As the hamstrings release, you'll gradually move more toward a 90-degree angle. If you feel any pain, turn the raised leg out to see if that releases it. Over time you'll be able to bring your leg back to parallel. Resist overworking. Let the door frame help you relax while it teaches the legs and pelvis proper alignment. Hold the pose for 30 second or as long as it's comfortable. Repeat on the other side.  

(Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose), Variation 2

This position is like variation 1, only instead of using a door frame for a prop, you lower your foot out to the side and support the outside of the foot on a chair. Make sure to keep your hips level. Again, allow the prop to pacify the lower back. Hold for 30 seconds on each side, or for as long as it's comfortable.

Utthita Trikonasana

(Extended Triangle Pose)

Stand at a wall with your feet about four feet apart and the heel of your left foot pressing  against the baseboard. Turn your right foot out 90 degrees. Reach your arms out to the sides, keeping your shoulder blades spread wide and your palms facing down. Firm your thighs and turn your right thigh outwards, so that the centre of the right knee is in line with the centre of the right ankle. Exhale and extend your torso to the right directly over the right leg, bending from the hips, not the waist. Rest your right hand on a block or chair so both sides of the torso are even. Rotate the torso to the left, keeping the sides of the waist equally long. Hold for 30 seconds. To come out, push the back foot against the wall and pull up to standing with the back arm. Repeat two to three times on each side.

Sciatic pains are like snowflakes. No two spasms are ever the same and their severity can change throughout an attack. The pain may feel like a dull soreness, numbness or tingling, throbbing heat or stabbing pain.