Sciatic nerves are the longest nerves in human body. These start at lumbar spine and travel down to anklebones. Pain can be caused due to several things such as pregnancy, herniated disks, and sports related injuries.
1. Maintaining Poor Posture
Poor posture can add a lot of strain on spine, adding pressure to sciatic nerve.
2. Sleeping on Tummy
Belly sleepers can make their sciatic pain worse. Tummy sleep adds excess strain on neck and spine, aggravating your sciatica. Sleeping on back or left side with a pillow under knees will help.
3. Improper Lifting
In case, your job involves lifting, make sure you lift from your legs. Any extra strain on your back can stretch and pull the sciatic nerves resulting in pain and severe conditions. Visit one of the spine centers and get guidance from specialists on proper lifting techniques and ways you can avoid aggravating the pain.
4. Exercise that Strain your Back
Exercise is not banned for patients of sciatica. However, make sure you are not doing it wrong. A bad squat, strain on spine or an injury can make things worse. Avoid indulging in high impact sports such as soccer, football, rugby, and ballet.
5. Sitting or Standing For Prolonged Periods.
Office work involving sitting or standing for longer periods of time can affect your back and worsen sciatica pain. So make sure you get up at regular intervals. Rotate the toes outwards or do a toe touch. It helps turning out your hips to relieve sciatic pain.
6. Ignoring Core Strength
Stomach and back muscles should be strong enough to support your body. It will help to ease strain on spine. Crunches and leg presses can help in developing core strength and keep your spine in a healthy state.
7. Wearing High Heels
This may be heartbreaking news for ladies but wearing high heels will make sciatic worse. Heel higher than an inch and a half will shift your body weight forward. It throws spine out of natural alignment and adds strain on back and legs.