Why you should avoid stretching to relieve sciatica

Sciatica can actually worsen the more you stretch it.

The burning pain that runs from your buttocks down your leg.

Trying to get rid of that by stretching is actually quite painful for the nerves.

In the first place, sciatica is a condition where pain, numbness, and tightness occur due to irritation of the sciatic nerve or nerve roots.

The causes vary from person to person, such as the intervertebral discs or the nerve pathways, and cannot be narrowed down to just one thing.

Think of a nerve as being like a rubber tube.

It stretches, it slides, and it shifts.

It is a tissue designed to move, and the sciatic nerve is the same.

The three things necessary for the sciatic nerve to function properly are movement, space, and blood flow.

Imagine a knot has formed in the middle of a rubber tube.

If you pull the tube in this state, the parts other than the knot become thinner, and the tension concentrates at the knot.

If further tension is applied to a nerve that is already irritated, symptoms can become more intense.

That is why the direction of "stretching" is often incompatible with sciatica.

Moreover, it is impossible to stretch only the muscles in a pinpoint manner.

When you stretch a muscle, the nerves running through it are pulled along with it.

This is the mechanism by which stretching often makes sciatica worse.

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Therefore, what you should do is not to "stretch," but to "open up space" in the nerve's pathway.

When there is more room in the pathway, the nerve can slide more easily, which in some cases helps symptoms subside.

Drills that help the nerve slide effectively come into play after that.

Today, I will teach you three exercises in that order to open up the path from your lower back down to your legs.

Exercise 1: Side-lying rolling (creating space in the lower back)

*All exercises are posted on my X account.

The sciatic nerve starts in the lower back and branches out from the sides of the spine.

If it is stiff here, everything downstream suffers the consequences.

So, first, we will return the lower back area to a state where it can move without irritating the nerve.

• Lie on your side and place a thick cushion under your abdomen and pelvis (an AbMat is ideal if you have one).

• Stack your knees with your hip joints at about 70–80°, and extend your arms forward, stacking them as well.

• Keep your mouth closed and breathe quietly through your nose.

• Slowly roll your body backward like a log (within a range that does not create a stretching sensation or tension).

• Stop if you feel a 'stretching' sensation in your legs or lower back (or rather, stop just before that point).

• Do the same for the forward motion, rolling only to the extent that no stretching sensation or discomfort occurs.

• Repeat the cycle of: slowly backward → relax → slowly forward → relax.

• The most common is rotating too far (it's not about 'how far you can rotate').

• This is an exercise to learn how to move without tensing the lower back area; that relaxation creates space in the lower back and helps calm the sciatic nerve.

• Another mistake is trying to stretch; stretching an irritated nerve increases tension and becomes a source of pain.

2 to 5 minutes for each side, slowly and gently.

I start with my right side down, then move to the left (due to the body's natural left-right asymmetry).

Exercise 2: Step-over (opening space through internal rotation of the hip joint).

After the lower back, we move to the pelvis.

The sciatic nerve enters the pelvis and exits near a muscle deep in the buttocks called the piriformis.

If the pelvis and hip joint area are stiff, the nerve is easily compressed at that exit point.

Tight hip muscles pull the leg in an outward rotation direction (external rotation), so instead, we introduce inward rotation (internal rotation) to widen the exit space.

• Lie on your side and place the outer thigh of your bottom leg on the floor.

• Place your foot against the wall and pull it up, keeping the sole of your foot flat.

• If you cannot keep it flat and your outer thigh lifts off, slide your leg further up the wall (point your toes downward if necessary to keep it flat).

• Step over with your top leg and place your shin on the floor.

• Lightly press your heel and the ball of your big toe against the wall (do not lift the outside of your bottom leg off the floor).

• However, do not try to press your knee into the floor; stay relaxed without tensing up.

• Keeping the bottom leg in that position, lift the top leg up and back, and place the foot on the floor (like a clamshell opening).

• When returning, keep the bottom leg relaxed on the floor and do not lift it.

• Return to the starting position.

• If it is difficult and your bottom knee lifts, a simpler version of just lifting and lowering is fine (keep the bottom leg relaxed on the floor).

• Once you get used to it, gradually work toward keeping the bottom leg completely flat, but do not force it.

• If your bottom thigh lifts when you lift your leg, the movement is not effective.

• Do not try to reproduce the pain; perform the movement within a range where the area around your hip joint moves quietly.

Lie with the painful side down, 10–15 times × 3 sets.

Exercise 3: Nerve Slider (Restoring Nerve Gliding)

By this point, the space in your lower back, pelvis, and hip joints will have opened up, so we will now restore the movement of the nerves that had become stuck.

Nerves are naturally meant to glide and move.

The slider is a drill that glides the nerve along its natural path, acting as an exercise to re-teach the nerve that it is okay to move again.

• Sit on a chair or the floor and clasp your hands behind your back (as if you were handcuffed behind your back).

• Round your back and tuck your chin firmly down.

• From there, extend your knee and pull your toes upward (lifting your head in sync with this).

• Next, lower your head and lower your leg as well.

• Repeat the sequence: extend your leg smoothly -> flex your toes -> lift your head -> return everything to the starting position.

The most common one is getting the sequence wrong; move your head and knee "together."

• If you feel increased pain, numbness, or an electric shock sensation while sliding, stop immediately.

• This is not an exercise to create a stretching sensation; it is just to gently glide the nerve, so do not pull it strongly.

10 to 20 times

If you have just injured yourself, you need time for it to heal, so do not force movement or skip steps.

Many people find that it gets easier as they continue, with the fastest cases taking a few weeks.

The longer you have had sciatica, the longer it will take to heal.

If you can perform all three without any issues, it is a sign that you are heading in the right direction.

However, if you clearly cannot put strength into your leg, cannot lift your ankle (your toes droop), have lost sensation, have abnormal reflexes that cause you to stumble, or have issues with urination or bowel movements,

if even one of these applies to you, please see an orthopedic surgeon before trying to move on your own.

When these signs are present, you need a doctor's evaluation before exercise.

I am only talking about how the body works, and this is not a substitute for a professional evaluation.

Sciatica that cannot be relieved by stretching cannot be relieved by stretching.

What nerves need is movement, space, and blood flow; stretching does not increase these.

This is a topic that directly overlaps with the future of the trainer profession as well.

Creating menus, managing meals, checking form, and analyzing posture.

These areas will increasingly be replaced by AI from here on out.

The moment it becomes 'whoever I ask is the same,' customers will flock to the cheaper option.

We are entering an era where the difference in technical skill is becoming invisible to the customer's eyes.

When that happens, what will be the weapon of the trainer who remains until the end??

The landscape of the next five years will be different for those who realize this and prepare, versus those who still think 'if I just increase my technical skills, I'll be safe.'

I will continue to share technical information on X.

What I will share on LINE is about how to stand on the side that cannot be replaced by AI.

• Why do you end with 'I'll think about it' even though you have the skills?

• Why do contracts not close even when you close carefully?

• Why are trainers who don't hype things up the ones who get retained?

• Why are customers who just signed up the most likely to drop out?

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