From dailymail.co.uk
A neurologist suffering with chronic lower back pain has revealed the five exercises she does to alleviate her discomfort.
Dr Carol Cheatham, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has suffered for decades from agonizing shooting pains down her legs caused by chronic sciatica and degenerative disk disease.
As a natural therapy, Dr Cheatham avoids inflammatory foods that can cause a flare up of symptoms, including gluten, dairy and refined sugar.
She also drinks tart cherry juice, takes magnesium and uses ginger, turmeric and black pepper in her cooking to help naturally relieve pain, as they are known to have anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce inflammation in the body.
But the remedy that works best is a 20-minute, multi-step stretching routine a physical therapist recommended 26 years ago that has left Dr Cheatham feeling nearly pain free for almost three decades.
While her routine usually takes her about 20 minutes, she's shared with DailyMail.com her five favorite moves.
Sciatica, also called lumbar radiculopathy, is a pain that originates along either one of the sciatic nerves, which extend from the back of the pelvis to the back of the thigh.
About 40 percent of Americans experience it, which is often described as sharp and shooting pain traveling through the lower back, hips and legs.
In severe cases, it may extend as far down as the feet and toes and cause tingling or numbness in the back or hips that may also radiate down the leg.
Here are Dr Cheatham's five favourite moves to beat back pain:
Pelvic tilt
The first move she does is a pelvic tilt - which involves lying on the back with knees bent 90 degrees in the air and raising the pelvis in the air in a rhythmic motion
The first move she does is a pelvic tilt - which involves lying on the back with knees bent 90 degrees in the air and raising the pelvis in the air in a rhythmic motion.
The exercise is known to relieve sciatica and lower back pain by stretching and strengthening the abdominal muscles.
Strengthening the abdominal muscles can create stability in the spine, maintain proper posture and reduce strain on your lower back muscles - leading to a decrease in pressure on the spine.
Single leg raise
While lying on her back with her legs extended straight out in front of her on the floor, she raises them one at a time until pointing straight in the air
While lying on her back with her legs extended straight out in front of her on the floor, she raises them one at a time until pointing straight in the air.
Apart from relieving sciatica and lower tailbone pain, the exercise also helps improve balance, strengthen the core, and increase flexibility.
The single leg raise exercise helps strengthen the muscles of the hip and thigh, which in turn can help stabilize the pelvis and reduce strain in lower back and hips.
Knee to chest raise
Her third preferred exercise is the knee-to-chest raise. In this movement, she lies on her back with knees bent and feet resting flat on the floor
Her third preferred exercise is the knee-to-chest raise. In this movement, she lies on her back with knees bent and feet resting flat on the floor.
One at a time, each knee is brought to the chest, held for 15 to 30 seconds and then switched with the other.
The exercise helps relieve tension and pain in the lower back, hips, and hamstrings as well as help those with tightness or disc issues.
Nose to knee touch
The nose to knee touch exercise involves lying flat on the ground, bending one knee towards your nose and raising your head to make both ends meet
Dr Cheatham then prefers to perform the nose to knee touch exercise to help with her chronic pain.
The nose to knee touch exercise involves lying flat on the ground, bending one knee towards your nose and raising your head to make both ends meet.
The position allows the knees to open better, hips to flex easily and reduces pressure at the neck - allowing more pain to be relieved throughout the body.
Figure four stretch
Lastly, the neurologist likes to take one ankle and place it over her opposite knee then pull her legs into her chest and repeat on other side
Lastly, the neurologist likes to take one ankle and place it over her opposite knee then pull her legs into her chest and repeat on other side.
The exercise allows a wide range of motion in the hips, lower back and hamstrings, while helps to alleviate pain and tension in these areas by loosening the piriformis muscle and hip rotators.
The science behind it
Sciatica can be caused by a slipped or herniated disk, spinal or pelvic injuries, tumours or certain chronic conditions.
According to Dr Arthur Jenkins, the founder of Jenkins NeuroSpine and one of the nation's most recognized spine surgeons, physical therapy - particularly stretching - can help relieve sciatica pain.
He told DailyMail.com: 'Daily stretching and physical exercise can definitely help alleviate back and leg pain.
'When there is strain on the back, sometimes that leads to damage to the joints, which can leak either disk material or synovial material [a fluid meant to lubricate and cushion the joints].
'For some conditions, a combination of stretching in the right way can take some of the pressure off of the nerves, and doing that often enough and regularly can sometimes give the nerve more time to accommodate while the body tries to heal itself.
'So it really depends on the underlying problem whether stretching and strengthening exercises can help.'
While most people tend to recover completely from sciatica, possible complications may leave some with chronic pain.
Talking about whether a full recovery is possible, Dr Jenkins explained: 'Recovery is a bit of a misnomer.
While her routine usually takes her about 20 minutes, she has shared with DailyMail.com her five favourite moves that could cure ongoing backaches.
'It is easy to become asymptomatic through a number of interventions ranging from stretching, strengthening exercises, medications (injected, inhaled, taken orally, or applied to the skin), or surgery.'
Some non surgical treatments include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen, heat and cold packs for sore muscles and osteopathic manipulation.
Osteopathic manipulative treatment is described as a 'hands-on approach' to ease musculoskeletal pain.
OMT techniques include doctors applying 'gentle pressure to manipulate muscles, soft tissues and joints' in order to ensure that the bones and muscles are aligned and balanced properly.
Apart form this, people suffering from sciatica pain can also undergo surgery and have their herniated disk or bone spurs removed to stop them from pressing on the nerve.
The procedure is usually very successful at relieving pain - especially if most of the discomfort is in the legs.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14359427/neurologist-sciatica-pain-exercises-relief.html
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