Sciatic nerve pain stretches need not be especially difficult to be helpful. Normally, they can be performed successfully at home and can frequently reduce or eliminate the need for treatment from a health care professional. Whether or not utilized by themselves or in combination with professional forms of care, straightforward sciatic nerve pain treatment exercises and other self-treatment strategies can frequently make the difference between getting better and persistent symptoms.

Sciatica is frequently triggered by injury to one or more intervertebral discs in the lower spine. The disks are the soft-tissue shock absorbers between the spinal bones. When one or more intervertebral discs is damaged sufficiently to bulge into the openings where the nerve branches that make up the sciatic nerve branch off from the spine, the nerves can become irritated. Inflammation from the herniated intervertebral disc can also result in swelling and this inflammatory swelling may result in extra nerve irritation. The resulting nerve irritation creates the pain and other symptoms that go into the buttock area and or leg that is termed sciatica.

The primary outcome of most good sciatica treatment exercises is to "push" the herniated disc material away from the inflamed nerve roots (as can be accomplished using the McKenzie extension self treatment exercises discussed later) and/or alleviate the buildup of fluid from swelling (which can be achieved using any low-impact aerobic exercise like walking on a treadmill). This reduction in pressure on the nerve through reduced disk bulging and swelling often delivers rapid symptom relief. With frequent use of the self treatment exercises over the duration of several days, even resistant cases will ordinarily get symptom relief in the long run and gradual stabilization of the spinal disc wall will take place to control the bulging tendency. As the lumbar disc stabilizes, lasting relief of pain is the end result.

Among the most popular of the sciatic nerve pain self treatment exercises is the previously mentioned McKenzie extension technique, which is very similar to the "cobra" position in yoga. The thought is that backward bending of the spine gently squeezes the gel-like substance on the inside of the disc forward and away from the nerves that produce sciatica.

Besides sciatic nerve pain treatment exercises, there are other methods that could be used to alleviate sciatica symptoms. Using ice packs (separated from the skin with a thin layer of cloth to avoid freezing the skin) for 10 to 15 minutes at a time as often as every couple of hours will often decrease inflammation and swelling around nerves far better than even the strongest anti-inflammatory drugs. Acupressure and self massage can also be of use in decreasing inflammation around the nerves and reduce pain. The reduction of inflammatory swelling resulting from these additional kinds of self-care improve the beneficial effects of the sciatic nerve exercises.

Through repeated utilization of exercises and extra sciatic nerve self-treatment strategies, expensive and time-consuming professional medical treatment, unpleasant side effects from medication and invasive injections and surgical procedures can generally be avoided. By becoming informed about what sciatica pain treatment exercises and other self-care methods to use and what not to use, you can assist in your own healing and prevent a return of the sciatic nerve symptoms in the future.