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YOGA FOR SCIATIC NERVE PAIN

I have been asked so many times what Asanas will help with Sciatica, that I have created a separate page just for this. 

First of all, Sciatic Nerve pain affects a wide cross section of society now.  It is not just pregnant women, those who sit for long periods of time, or the elderly.  I have students from age 15 on up, in excellent health, except for Sciatic Nerve pain.  Of course you should see your Doctor to treat this condition.  The information provided on this page is simply a helpful stretching routine that may aid in the alleviation of muscle pressure (generally the piriformis) on the sciatic nerve.

TEACHERS - If you have additional asanas or flows that would benefit this condition or others, please share your information!  I can post it on this web site and credit your name with the knowledge.  Thank you for sharing.

1. Dear Yogini,

Can yoga help with Sciatica (Sciatic Nerve Pain or Pressure)? If so, what poses?

- T. N., Harvard, MA

Thank you for your question! Many people suffer from Sciatica, and find relief with a regular yoga practice. Each person is unique, so find the program that feels best in YOUR body, and make sure you check with your health care professional first!

Sciatic Nerve Pain often is most intense around the Sciatic crest of the pelvis - basically, the middle of the buttock cheek. If pressure stays on the nerve, keeping it compressed or pinched. this pain gets worse and begins to expand down the entire nerve, down the back of the legs. To alleviate pressure in this area, it is helpful to stretch the gluteal muscles, piriformis, the I.T. band. It is also helpful to widen the pelvis and increase the rotation of the hip. Opening the hips can also help with low back pain.

The following yoga poses can be very helpful in this:

1. Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana (pigeon)

2. Vajrasana (the variation that is the bottom half of GoMukhasana) - fold the body forward, reaching your chin past your knees as you do this pose

3. Supta Padangusthasana series, with reclining lunge

4. Supta Matsyendrasana - supine spinal twist

5. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog), slightly pigeon toed, with the feet wider apart - reach the sitting bones back laterally from the body

6. PavanaMuktasana

7. Upavistha Konasana

8. Janu Shirshasana, paying attention to the outstretched leg, maintaining internal rotation, sit bone back, and extending the lesser trochanter distance out laterally away from the opposite hip bone. This increases the distance between the lesser trochantor and the sacrum and stretches the piriformis. In other words the inside of the outstretched leg continues to lengthen to the side widening the pelvis.

9. Child Pose (Garbhasana) with the sitz bones pressing out laterally.

There are a plethora of asanas which may offer you some benefit. Stretching the piriformis is generally considered to relieve sciatic discomfort. I got this info from material in my teacher training, BKS Iyengar, Erich Schiffmann's web site and contributions from the yoga teacher forum (http://www.movingintostillness.com) and 'Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha' by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.

Here's an excellent resource of more detailed information about sciatica:

http://www.nevdgp.org.au/ginf2/murtagh/Musculoskeletal/sciatica.htm