Saturday, January 31, 2009
If you've been diagnosed with sciatica, you know well the painful sensation that runs from your back and hip all the way down to your foot, and anywhere in between. Pain, aching, and tingling can flare up at any time, and can range between annoying and excruciating. It's important to know that "sciatica" is not a disease. Rather, it's any collection of symptoms that seem to involve the sciatic nerve.
Patients and practitioners alike may approach sciatica as if the problem is localized where the pain is. The
Feldenkrais Method® has a different viewpoint. A Feldenkrais teacher is curious about how you move, and what habitual patterns you move in, that might be causing or aggravating the sciatic nerve-related pain. The
Feldenkrais teacher then will help you to experience what you are doing unconsciously, and then present alternatives to your habitual patterns. Since the
Feldenkrais Method® actually addresses the motor centers of your brain, you will learn new patterns that help you to move without pain.
Here are some do's and don't's for sciatic pain:
- DON'T sit with your legs crossed, or with the hard edge of a chair pressing on the back of your leg.
- DO sit with both feet completely on the floor (heels, toes, sole of each foot), and slide forward on the seat a bit so that the area just above the back of your knee is free of pressure.
- DON'T stand with your knees locked (straight, hyperextended.) The sciatic nerve is irritated in this position.
- DO allow your knees to be softly bent when standing. You might find it comfortable to stand with one foot slightly in front of the other.
- DON'T tuck your butt underneath you, eliminating the curve of your low back (lumbar curve).
- DO allow the natural curves of your spine -- especially in your low back, and in your neck. These curves provide your skeleton with "architectural support" for your body. Good posture means a vertical spine, NOT a "straight spine." Let there be curves!
Classes and lessons in the
Feldenkrais Method can provide an enjoyable means of learning about your body, and about recovering from or preventing sciatic pain. You can find a
Feldenkrais practitioner near you at
www.feldenkrais.com. Your practitioner will teach you some gentle, easy, effortless movements that will help your sciatica, and improve your overall comfort in daily activities. Soon, you'll be on your way out of pain, and on your way to a healthier and more enjoyable life!
MaryBeth D. Smith, MM, GCFP
Director, The
Feldenkrais Center of Houston
http://www.houfeldenkrais.com
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Copyright 2008 MaryBeth Davison Smith. All rights reserved.