Sciatica is a type of lower back pain that is incredibly common. Many people develop this condition by engaging in unavoidable activities, such as working in an office.
One of the most common culprits behind the development of sciatica is sitting in ways that apply undue pressure on the lower back. Learning and practicing alternative positions for these types of activities can help reduce sciatica irritation. Often, patients will need to seek out the services of a sciatica treatment specialist.
If you struggle with this condition, check out this list of sitting positions that improve sciatica and reduce its impact on your life.
What Is Sciatica?
Sciatica is a common lower back pain that originates in the nerves. This type of pain often expresses itself through symptoms like severe lower back pain, numbness, weakness, and tingling. Areas of the body such as the buttocks, legs, and calves are also often affected.
Sciatica often expresses itself when a patient is sitting. Although sitting is an inescapable aspect of our lives, this simple act has the potential to severely impact the discs of the spine and compress nerves in one’s spine. The resulting pain can be quite severe.
A physician might prescribe some medication to assist you with managing this pain. A more effective route towards finding relief is to adjust elements of your body while you sit. There are many different causes of sciatica, with some of the more common being the following:
- Herniated discs
- Spinal stenosis
- Degenerative disc disease
- Bone spurs
- Piriformis syndrome
Having a pre-existing lower back pain condition or spine disorder can also increase your chance of developing sciatica.
Sitting Positions that Improve Sciatica
1. Keep Your Feet Flat
One helpful tip for reducing your sciatica pain is to attempt to keep your feet flat on the ground while you sit. This helps to reduce tension on your extremities for long periods of time. If you leave your feet dangling, gravity pulls your feet forward, causing undue tension in your lower back muscles. Keeping this in the forefront of your mind can help you reduce the amount of tension in this regard for longer.
2. Sit Up Straight
Sitting up straight is another helpful tip for reducing sciatic back pain long-term. When you have to sit for hours at a time, small adjustments in your posture can have very big impacts on your overall physiology. Keeping your shoulders relaxed while you straighten your spine can help distribute the weight more evenly throughout your body.
3. Keep Your Hips Wide
Most people sit with their knees and hips at a 90-degree angle. However, your long-term health and physiology will benefit if you sit with your hips wide for long periods of time. When your knees and hips are spread wide for long periods, it helps to relax your muscles and hip flexors. Additional steps that can be very useful for assisting this process include:
- Increasing the height of your seat
- Using a prodigious cushion
- Keeping your feet tucked underneath your chair
4. Use Proper Lumbar Support
Utilizing proper lumbar support is another method for reducing sciatic pain. This can be achieved using several different methods, including using support on your chair, like a firm pillow. Small efforts like this can help to correct your poor posture and support the natural inward curve of your lower back. If you do not have the correct type of pillow, you can make do with various makeshift methods of lumbar support, like using a rolled towel or another set of firm objects, which can achieve a very similar effect.
5. Sit Cross-Legged
Sitting cross-legged is another method that can benefit those suffering from sciatica. Sciatica usually affects only one side of the body, so many patients feel disproportionate discomfort on that side. Sitting cross-legged can help minimize the one-sided nature of this type of pain and offer patients some level of relief by redistributing discomfort across the lower half of the body more evenly.
The Best Spine Surgeon in LA
Dr. Yashar is the leading spine surgeon in Los Angeles and has the expertise to help you recover from even very formidable cases of sciatica. If you’re interested in discussing how you can improve your quality of life by reducing sciatic pain, contact Dr. Yashar today.
