and painful!and painful!. As far back as the 5th - PDF document

and painful!and painful!. As far back as the 5th imaginative remedies, from leeches and hot coals in Romantimes to 20th-century use of creams and injections. The princi- Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine body. Each originates from several nerve roots that exit fromgluteus medius and gluteus maximusgluteus medius and gluteus maximusthe deep mus-cles of the back of the thigh, and down through the outer edge Fig. 1Fig. 1 Finding the Cause The presence of sciatic pain often leads doctors to look for a herniated disk in the lumbar spine, which may be pressing These seven simple poses targetthe tight muscle that often causes By Doug Keller ASANASOLUTIONS Soothe Your Sciatica Burning and tingling inare signs of sciatica. ꤀2009 Yoga + Joyful Living. All rights reserved. yogaplus.org spring 2009 yoga hotography: Jim Filipski / Guy Cali Assoc.; Wrrbe: Ashbury Elsa pant and Katie top by Prana; Fig. 2: Reprinted frm ciatica Solutions y Loren Fishman, M.D., and Carol Arman, 006, with permission of the publisher WW Norton & Co., Inc. electric shocks down your sciatic nerve,and/or tingling, burning, weakness, orbut significant muscle deep within your Fig. 2Fig. 2 . In fact, an- Journal of Neuro- showed that nearly 70percent of sciatica cases are caused byfew small deep hip rotators that you useto turn your thigh out. It also extendsi.e., takes it out to the sidei.e., takes it out to the sideyour hip is flexed. The sciatic nerve isthe small hard tendons that lie againstthe bone of the sacrum and pelvic bone.it exerts pressure on the sciatic nerve andpushes it against the tendons beneath it,known as the piriformis syndrome. ꔀPain and a pins-and-needles sensa-ꔀDifficulty walking on your heels orꔀBurning in the back of your thighPain from sitting, accompanied by thigh. The pain may be relieved by stand-ing, but you still experience numbnessꔀButtock and sciatic pain from exer- Internally Rotated): Lie on your side Fig. 3Fig. 3 floor against a small amount of resis- Symptoms of Sciatica overespecially drivingespecially drivingand during many other everyday move- ꔀPain anywhere along the sciatic nerveꔀFatigue, numbness, or loss of feeling inꔀAn electric, tingling, burning, pinching, ꔀWeakness that can cause your knees toꔀFoot drop: a condition in which you areeduced reflexes in your Achilles ten- SCIATICA TEST If you feel sharp pain in the hip of the 2 THE SCIATIC NERVEoriginates fromthe lower part of the spinal cord andTHE PIRIFORMISThe sciatic nerve Internal Rotation s Sciatic Nerve PiriformisMuscle How Yoga Can Help If the source of your sciatica is a herni-require surgery, and yoga can help youby the herniation, sometimes even reduc-ing the herniation itself. However, itÕsIf the source of your sciatica is pres-our approach should be gen- The Basic Piriformis Stretch:Ardha Matsyendrasana A simple half spinal twist (ardha matsyendrasana) itÕs important to proceed carefully, usingthe pose so that you feel minimal dis- ep for Spinal Twist floor in front of you. Take your right footoutside of your left hip. Your right kneeshould point straight forward. For the joyful living spring 2009 yogaplus.org of your right knee Fig. 4Fig. 4 sets at a time. As your piriformis mus- Simple Seated Twist In the full version of ardha matsyen-the upright knee. To help your upper Fig. 5Fig. 5 . Keep your heart lifted and keepback. Use your inhalation to lift, length-Let your inner thigh or groin relax, al-lowing it to soften and melt downwardcle further, so itÕs best not to try to go so yogaplus.org spring 2009 yoga 5 SEATED TWIST PREPWith your rightknee pointing forward and your left SEATED SPINAL TWISTAs you twist,gently draw your left knee towardyour right chest and resist the pull bypressing your knee into your hand. Standing Twist version of the stretch in ardha matsyen- FAIR thigh into adduction and internal rota-tion. Place a chair against the wall. Toright foot on the chair, with your kneebent to roughly 90 degrees. Keep yourthe wall. Lift your left heel up high, com- Fig. 6Fig. 6 .As youexhale, lower your left heel to the floor, More Stretches for Sciatica Hamstring stretches also play an im-caused by a tightening of the ham- Standing Hamstring Stretches Put your right foot on a support such , a table, or a bench. Your foot Fig. 7aFig. 7a . If your knee joyful living spring 2009 yogaplus.org Doug KellerÕspracticing in Siddha Yoga ashrams, intensive train-nearly a decade of teaching in the U.S. and abroad. STANDING TWISTTurn to the rightyour left heel off the floor. As you or a deeper stretch, bend for-To help the descent of the right hip, Fig. 7bFig. 7b . Tighten the beltor pull gently downward on the belt atyour outer hip to help draw the thighou can alternate legs orconcentrate on the affected side. Holdfor a few breaths. Helpful Hip Openers In general, sciatic pain is helped by stretch the hip withfrom poses such as baddha konasana cobblerÕs posecobblerÕs pose the thigh outward and thus tighten thedeep hip rotators. Modified Gomukhasana cowÕs face posecowÕs face pose right, you can sit on the edge of a blan-a towel nearby. Bend your right kneehip. Move your left foot across the mid-floor, or your left knee locks or hurts Fig. 8Fig. 8 YouÕll probably feel the most stretchhip. Keep your quadriceps engaged to help the hamstrings release. To in-shin. Keep the toes pointing directly yogaplus.org spring 2009 yoga right knee pointing upward, yourlevel. To deepen the stretch, bendHAMSTRING STRETCH WITH BELTTo help draw the left hip down in linewith the right hip, loop a belt aroundforward from the hips. HAMSTRING STRETCHES PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN RELIEVING SCIATIC PAIN. King Pigeon Hip Stretch Raja kapotasana angle. Keep your foot flexed to protectyour knee. To stretch the right piri-tuck your left toes under, and slide orwalk your left leg straight back, allow-ing your right thigh to rotate out pas- Fig. 9Fig. 9 . Keep your hips level to theblanket if it does not reach the floor, Fig. 10Fig. 10 joyful living spring 2009 yogaplus.org PIGEON POSEMove your right heelto a 45-degree angle. Keep your frontfoot engaged to protect the knee. STANDING PIGEON POSEKeepyour hips level and square to thefront of the room as you draw yournavel toward your bent leg. s