Sciatica: effective exercises and acupressure points for sciatica pain
Drawing pains that seem to tear at the lower back, strike out like lightning bolts into the buttocks, and can be felt all the way into the calves or even the feet. This is how ischialgia makes itself felt. Many sufferers describe the pain as extremely severe, almost unbearable and, above all, one thing: a major restriction in everyday life.
In this article, we'll explain what's behind the nasty pain, let a sufferer tell you more about her story, and give you practical exercises to guide your sciatica treatment.
Sciatica: cause and origin of sciatic pain
You may be wondering: What is sciatica, anyway? It is a nerve that exits the spine and extends down to the leg. If this nerve is squeezed, overloaded or kinked once very strongly or by repeated movements and pressure, so it can happen that a strong irritation takes place.
You can imagine this as if you were to rest your elbow in the same place over and over again - eventually it will look red, feel sore, and you will be in pain. Something like this can happen to your sciatic nerve, for example, if the muscles in your butt or calves are constantly tense and pressing on the nerve.
What happens then is that the nutrient fluid moving in the outer sheath of your nerve can no longer circulate properly due to the excessive pressure. Because the system comes to a standstill - or at least slows down considerably - waste products and toxins that are supposed to be removed remain in place and the fluid becomes overacidified.
Because this is very unhealthy for the nerve, it sends a help signal - the pain you feel. If you endure this condition for too long, the pain can become chronic. This means that your body gets so used to it that this pain becomes your new "normal" and you always feel it.
So the goal we have is to get the system going again and to relax the muscles that are pressing on the nerve. But before we start with the concrete exercises, we would first like to let Christiane have her say.
Christiane and sciatica - An open interview by a sufferer for sufferers
Many people are affected by sciatica. Christiane is one of them and would like to share her story, tips on how to deal with sciatica and the experiences she has had with the ShaktiMat in relation to her condition in this interview:
Dear Christiane, we would very much like to know more about your medical history. When did you notice the symptoms and how did you come to be diagnosed with sciatica?
I have been on medical leave since July 2019 for sciatica. However, I have had problems with my back and pain in my lumbar spine for much longer. Since I work as a nursing assistant, I first attributed them to my stressful work.
In July, directly after a late shift with a friend, I went to the hospital as an emergency. Walking, standing or even lying down was only possible with great pain, work was out of the question. The entire summer and fall I went from specialist to specialist and in December I luckily ended up in the DRK pain clinic in Mainz. There I was diagnosed with ischialgia and my pain was classified as chronic.
In the pain clinic, we had relaxation sessions almost every day to reduce stress. Well, lying around quietly was unfortunately not one of my strengths. Especially as a chronic pain patient, relaxation is very important. The muscle tone [tension of the muscles; note ShaktiMat] increases constantly, because the body has permanent stress due to the pain - more tension means more pain. You find yourself in a vicious circle of tension and pain.
How did you become aware of the ShaktiMat as a tool and how was the first time on the mat for you?
A fellow patient from a previous course told me about his acupressure mat and even lent it to me. As soon as I got home I "threw" myself onto the mat and even fell asleep on it. What a relief!
Of course, I had to tell my mom (yoga enthusiast and ShaktiMat devotee) about the success of the Akurpessur mat - and she then recommended the ShaktiMat to me. Sustainability and social justice are very important to us (her, my stepdad and me). So no other mat than the ShaktiMat came into question for me.
In January my own acupressure mat arrived. The first minutes took some getting used to for me, as the ShaktiMat was "sharper" than the borrowed mat. The legs were restless at first and the sciatica was flashing diligently. However, that subsided after 5 minutes and the back became quite warm. My legs and my insides became completely calm. So deeply relaxed I fell asleep - and the intended 15 minutes became 30 minutes.
In the meantime, I have incorporated relaxation music into my routine and look forward to my time out on the mat in the evening. Since, in addition to sciatica, my thighs burn and are numb in places, I also use the ShaktiMat here for pain relief and lie down with my legs on the mat (with thin jogging pants) 2 - 3 times a week.
Besides the ShaktiMat, do you have any tips for other sufferers on what measures make everyday life with sciatica easier?
In addition, stretching exercises and gymnastics, with the Redondo Ball or a fascia roller, help me to keep moving and counteract the pain. If I strictly adhere to my own routine, I am almost no longer dependent on painkillers.
Water gymnastics also relieves the back and is fun - just give it a try. Nordic walking is the ideal running sport - you don't look as stupid as you think you do at first, and in a group it's a lot of fun. In addition to the acupressure mat, I do ice rubs in the morning to distract the body from the actual pain.
What would you like to say to others affected by the disease to encourage them?
What would I recommend to other patients? In any case, stay on the ball and don't resign, because then the pain has won and you become trapped. Look for contact to other patients, for example in the acupressure Facebook group. Talk about your pain and accept it. Then it will not gain the upper hand!
Acupressure for sciatica and helpful exercises
To counter the pain, it is necessary to re-energize the tissues around the sciatic nerve. In addition, one can press certain acupressure points to relieve the pain and stimulate the regeneration of the body in the affected areas.
Exercise 1: Heel acupressure against sciatica
Place the ShaktiMat in front of you on the bed or flat on the floor, depending on where you can sit better. Now press your heel into the mat as shown in the picture and start to move your foot to the left and right again and again with as much pressure as you can stand.
A second alternative to press the point is to sit on the couch or a chair, place the heel on the acupressure mat as shown in the photo and now simply breathe deeply for two minutes while the tips of the mat exert pressure on the acupressure point by the weight of the leg.
Exercise 2: Gentle circles
For particularly painful days, or when you are just starting your exercises, it is worth slowly preparing the body to relax the tissues around the nerve. Use either a body brush with a handle as an arm extension or your own hands.
First, circle for two minutes with both hands (or with the brush if you are not so agile), starting at the level of your tailbone, on your upper buttocks. The circular motion goes around on both sides so that you draw circle from your rump upwards.
Repeat the same exercise for two minutes on your thighs.
If you dare and the pain allows it, you can lie on the ShaktiMat with your buttocks after the exercise. To do this, first put on a pair of leggings or place a towel on the mat so that the peaks do not feel too intense for you.
Exercise 3: Apply pressure to B54 and tighten legs
Acupressure point B54 is also called the "commanding center". It is located in the middle of the back of the knee, right in the crease of the knee joint. To press the point, lie on your back (preferably on a blanket or sports mat) and first briefly pull your knees to your chest. Breathe deeply 3-5 times while closing your eyes. If it feels good, you can also rock slightly to the left and right.
Now place the fingertips in the center of your knee joint crease, as shown in the photo. Now press firmly and slowly move your legs up and down for about one minute. The pressure on B54 remains firm and even.
Rest after the exercise by placing your feet on the floor and taking another 3-5 deep breaths.
Exercise 4: Rolling movements over B48
Point B48 is also called the "genital point". It is located one to two finger works outside the sacrum (the sacrum is located where a bandage of bones can be felt at the bottom of the spine) and midway between the top of the hip bone and the base of the buttocks.
You don't have to hit the point exactly, just do the following exercise to press on it: You lie on your back and put your feet up. Place your hands under your buttocks, palms facing down, next to the base of the spine. Breathe slowly and deeply as you now lower your knees alternately to the left and right. Change the position of your hands by a few inches several times and do the exercise for about 2 minutes.
If you feel up to it, you can also lift your feet and thus perform the movement with more pressure on your hands.
We keep our fingers crossed that the sciatica can be alleviated and wish you much strength on your way.
If you would like to share or ask questions about sciatica, acupressure and acupressure mat, feel free to leave us a comment or visit our closed Facebook group.
Antje Wickboldt is a freelance writer from Berlin. She has been working with the body's self-healing powers for over 10 years and, as a lecturer, explains in interactive lectures for companies and offices how tension can be released with the help of acupressure and massage.
Sources for this article:
Andrews, Synthia and Dempsey, Bobbi: Acupressure & Reflexology for Dummies. Wiley Publishing, Indianapolis 2007. pp. 186 ff. and 346.
Dr. Sharma, Krishna: Acupressure for Backache made easy. An illustrated self help guide. Amazon Group Publishing, USA 2013. p. 14 ff.
Reed Gach, Michael: Healing Points. Acupressure for the self-treatment of diseases. Knaur, Munich 1992. p. 288 f.
Schwind, Peter: Fascia. Tissue of life. 2nd edition, Irisiana, Munich 2015 p. 144 ff.