3 minutes to relieve sciatica. People who sit for a long time should lie down and practice this one trick

Sitting at work, sitting while eating, sitting while watching TV...how much time do you spend glued to your chair every day? A "Health Survey for Urban Office Workers" once found that 83% of Taiwanese office workers sit for an average of more than 6 hours a day, which puts a long-term burden on the lumbar spine and causes sciatica. In severe cases, they even have difficulty walking and are in great pain! In this regard, experts recommend lying down and practicing sciatic nerve relaxation exercises. It only takes 3 minutes each time and the pain will be gone!

Sitting for a long time and having bad posture cause sciatica in younger people

The sciatic nerve is the longest and largest nerve in the human body, extending from the waist to the lower body. Any pain caused by compression or damage to the sciatic nerve is collectively referred to as "sciatica."

In the past, sciatica usually occurred in middle-aged and elderly people over 50 years old, mostly caused by lumbar degeneration or bone spurs. However, modern people are affected by habits such as sitting or standing for long periods of time, incorrect posture, obesity, smoking and drinking, and lack of daily exercise. They often have problems such as herniated disc, spondylolisthesis, scoliosis, and fasciitis. These problems can also cause sciatica to appear earlier, and it has gradually become a common problem for office workers aged 25 to 40.

In the early stages of sciatica, there is often recurrent low back pain. If the patient is not aware of it and does not actively improve or treat it, the pain will gradually extend to the buttocks, outer and back thighs, outer calves and soles of the feet. As the symptoms worsen, in addition to pain, it may also cause paralysis, leg weakness and incontinence, and ultimately surgical treatment is required to improve the condition.

Stop torturing your sciatic nerve! Nothing to do, just lie down and practice this move

If you don’t want sciatica to disrupt your life, you might as well learn how to protect your lumbar spine from now on! Develop the habit of regular exercise, get up and move around for 10 minutes every 60 minutes of sitting, maintain correct posture, control weight moderately, and don't smoke or drink. In addition, Japanese yoga teacher Atsuko Fanta also recommends a sciatic nerve relaxation exercise in "Lying Down Shoulder Blade Relaxation Exercise". As long as you feel discomfort in the sciatic nerve, just lie down and flip your hips to relax the muscles below the hips, allow the lymph to flow smoothly, and relieve the pain caused by the compression of the sciatic nerve.

【Sciatica relaxation exercise】

action:

1. Lie on your back, bend your knees and open them to shoulder width.

2. Place your right foot on your left thigh.

3. Hold the inside of your left knee with both hands and gently pull it toward your body.

4. Slowly push your left foot vertically upwards with the sole of your foot facing the ceiling as much as possible, then swing your whole body left and right. Continue for 10 to 30 seconds depending on your personal situation, then switch sides.

Note: If you think your limbs are too stiff or feel pain when performing action 3 or 4, you can use a towel to assist. Wrap the towel around the inside of the knee and pull it towards the body with both hands to easily complete the action.

In principle, this exercise can be done at any time, but avoid doing it right after a meal, because the body's blood is concentrated in the stomach at this time, and if you keep exercising, it may cause indigestion.

It should also be noted that holding your breath is a state of physical exertion and it is impossible to relax. Therefore, do not hold your breath during the movement. It is better to combine it with slow and deep nose breathing. The so-called "nasal breathing" is to inhale only through the nose and exhale through the nose or mouth. Compared with people who only inhale and exhale through the mouth, nasal breathing can allow oxygen to circulate to the brain and the whole body, and is more conducive to the flow of blood and lymph, achieving the effect of clearing the mind, burning fat and comfortable relaxation.