Sciatica can i still run

Sciatica is a condition of pain as a result of the nerve being compressed. Sciatica can be caused by many different things that can cause compression on the nerve, including:. Sciatic nerve pain can feel different, depending on where exactly the injury or irritation in the sciatic nerve is.

According to the Mayo Clinic, sciatica usually occurs on one side of the body and may feel like:. Whether or not you are able to continue to run with sciatica will depend largely on how and where you are experiencing pain.

The muscles involved with running are all attached to the sciatica nerve, so it is possible to further aggravate your sciatica by running. In some cases, such as if your sciatica does not have an identifiable cause, light running that does not increase your pain may be appropriate.

If you do decide to continue running with sciatica, try these strategies to try to minimize any discomfort:. The good news is, even if you find that running makes your sciatica worse, chances are you may just need some time off to rest and recover. A topic overview on sciatica found that most cases of sciatica improve on their own in around 4 to 6 weeks with no long-term complications.

And, in the meantime, if you are unable to run, you can try alternative sciatica-safe exercises, such as walking, swimming, or yoga. With multiple locations across the state of Utah, the pain management specialists at Southwest Spine and Pain Center are dedicated to helping those who suffer from chronic pain live the life they want to.

To sum it all up, running with sciatica is entirely possible and often recommended, but make sure to check with your doctor. From personal experience of my own sciatica, I can confirm that improving your running form will help you to manage your sciatica when running. Specifically if you focus on maintaining short strides with a high running cadence, you will put your sciatic nerve under less strain. The action of striding out combined hip flexion and knee extension as the foot moves ahead of your body before landing places more strain on the sciatic nerve.

The best advice I can give you is to ask your doctor about the severity of your condition because they will know the nuances of your case and will be able to accurately tell you how fast and hard you can run while recovering. Ultimately, you will learn how your body and sciatic symptoms specifically responds to running.

With practice you will come to learn whether your sciatica can handle running back-to-back days, or whether you need to give your body hours recover between runs to allow for proper recovery.

Another essential thing to consider when deciding how fast and often you can run while recovering from sciatica is your individual pain level. You should never run to the point where you are in pain more severe than a 3 on a scale.

It is better to take it easier and potentially recover faster than for you to test the boundaries and end up making your sciatica worse in the long run. During this period while you are suffering from sciatica, feel free to keep running, but it would serve you well to prioritise your sciatica rehab exercises and core strength work. As stated by Healthline :. An acute episode [of sciatica] may last between one and two weeks and usually resolves itself in a few weeks.

This just reinforces the fact that you should take it easy while recovering from sciatica because, in most cases, the pain only lasts a few weeks. If you have sciatica, running will not usually cause your pain to become worse, although it can happen in some cases.

Just make sure to take it easy, and if it begins to become worse, stop exercising immediately and talk to your doctor. However, occasionally it is the post-workout muscle tightness that can affect the biomechanics of your lumbro-pelvic region and trigger sciatic symptoms in some runners, either later in the day or the following day after a run.

Taking the time to cool down properly after a run click the link to learn how! In most cases, regular exercise can help to minimise sciatic nerve pain. As I just mentioned, by no means should you begin rigorously working out or sprinting when you have sciatica, but light runs, and other gentle forms of exercise are often fine and can be extremely beneficial.

Having sciatica is painful, whether you decide to run while you are recovering or not. In many cases, regular gentle exercise and movement can help to minimise sciatic nerve pain. In runners, the piriformis is particularly susceptible to spasm because of overuse and fatigue. When running, your piriformis works hard every time your foot hits the ground. Together with other stabilizing muscles like the glute minimus and glute medius, the piriformis makes sure your hip and pelvis stay balanced, upright and supported as you absorb each landing.

As the piriformis gets fatigued, over-worked and irritated it will seize up, compressing the sciatic nerve that passes straight through it. Physiotherapists and Sports Physicians go through a thorough assessment process to identify the cause of pain — they will take a detailed history, look at your movement and possibly get scans to look closer at your anatomy. All of these tests help to form a clear picture of what is causing your pain.

One of the most important aspects of this assessment is identifying a pattern of symptoms and comparing that with what we know is typical for Piriformis Syndrome. There are a few telltale symptoms of Piriformis Syndrome that differentiate it to other causes of hip pain and other types of Sciatica. For example, people with Piriformis Syndrome typically have the following symptoms: — Sharp pain in the buttocks — Increased pain with prolonged sitting — Increased pain when walking or running uphill or upstairs — Decreased flexibility range of movement in the hip.

Sciatica that originates in the spine tends to present with a slightly different set of symptoms that are more localized to the lower back. If you suspect you have sciatica or piriformis syndrome, you should see a Physiotherapist or doctor who can perform the necessary diagnostic tests and prescribe an propriate treatment plan.

There are a number of ways the piriformis muscle can be relaxed. Here are some of the options you may be presented with: — Deep sports massage — Glute stretches — Dry needling — Self-massage. You should expect to see some improvement within the first couple of weeks, if not, try another option. The second part of treatment will involve strengthening the piriformis and surrounding muscles. Balance and stability exercises like this hip control routine are perfect click here or the image to play video :.