Sciatica is one of those words that sounds vaguely familiar to everyone, but you still might not be able to really define it.
It congers up a vague impression of discomfort in the back of the legs.
If you're a health care professional or yoga instructor you may have studied it and know what causes it and what might relieve it.
But for the many people who suffer from sciatica pain, there is nothing vague about it.
At least that's what I hear.
In studying yoga and the ways it could benefit my back pain, I also came across information on sciatica.
The two are interrelated and there are overlaps between the causes and the cures.
Sciatica pain is defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as "pain along the course of a sciatic nerve especially in the back of the thigh; broadly: pain in the lower back, buttocks, hips, or adjacent parts.
" The sciatic nerves originate in the pelvis and run down the back of each thigh.
A misalignment in the pelvis or low back can cause this nerve to be pinched, causing discomfort, typically burning and tingling down the back of the leg.
If its severe, the condition can cause numbness in the toes, and even more intense nerve-related difficulties.
Sciatica pain, like back problems, seems to become more common with age, as the results of years of wear and tear and poor posture accumulate.
You'll hear people say that their sciatica is "acting up" as if because they've experienced it once, it is something they have to live with for life.
People that are sedentary and spend the majority of their time sitting in office chairs at work and recliners at home find that the condition develops or "acts up" because the very position of sitting can put the pelvis in a position that aggravates the nerve.
Sciatica pain can also affect younger people.
With so many modern professional jobs keeping people in front of computers for long hours, sitting, often in less than ideal positions, this discomfort is effecting computer programmers and other office workers.
I've even known women whose pregnancies have aggravated their sciatic nerve due to the relaxing of the muscles and ligaments in the pelvis that happens during pregnancy.
The good news is that sciatica pain is responsive to the same types of yoga exercises that can relieve back pain.
A regular routine that includes stretches that lengthen the muscles of the legs and all along the back of the body and open hips can improve the alignment that caused the discomfort and relieve the pain over time.
So yes, yoga is a solution for yet another of the challenges of life.
It congers up a vague impression of discomfort in the back of the legs.
If you're a health care professional or yoga instructor you may have studied it and know what causes it and what might relieve it.
But for the many people who suffer from sciatica pain, there is nothing vague about it.
At least that's what I hear.
In studying yoga and the ways it could benefit my back pain, I also came across information on sciatica.
The two are interrelated and there are overlaps between the causes and the cures.
Sciatica pain is defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as "pain along the course of a sciatic nerve especially in the back of the thigh; broadly: pain in the lower back, buttocks, hips, or adjacent parts.
" The sciatic nerves originate in the pelvis and run down the back of each thigh.
A misalignment in the pelvis or low back can cause this nerve to be pinched, causing discomfort, typically burning and tingling down the back of the leg.
If its severe, the condition can cause numbness in the toes, and even more intense nerve-related difficulties.
Sciatica pain, like back problems, seems to become more common with age, as the results of years of wear and tear and poor posture accumulate.
You'll hear people say that their sciatica is "acting up" as if because they've experienced it once, it is something they have to live with for life.
People that are sedentary and spend the majority of their time sitting in office chairs at work and recliners at home find that the condition develops or "acts up" because the very position of sitting can put the pelvis in a position that aggravates the nerve.
Sciatica pain can also affect younger people.
With so many modern professional jobs keeping people in front of computers for long hours, sitting, often in less than ideal positions, this discomfort is effecting computer programmers and other office workers.
I've even known women whose pregnancies have aggravated their sciatic nerve due to the relaxing of the muscles and ligaments in the pelvis that happens during pregnancy.
The good news is that sciatica pain is responsive to the same types of yoga exercises that can relieve back pain.
A regular routine that includes stretches that lengthen the muscles of the legs and all along the back of the body and open hips can improve the alignment that caused the discomfort and relieve the pain over time.
So yes, yoga is a solution for yet another of the challenges of life.