To sit continuously for hours to do any work can be problematic if you are suffering from sciatica. Since people usually spend their whole day in a sitting posture, it has become a large segment of life. If you are a sciatica patient, then simple tasks such as sitting can be an onerous job as it would not take long when your body starts feeling pain. So, it is most important to acknowledge the best practices to follow to sit with more comfort with sciatica. These practices would help you reduce the pain, however, it is important to understand the cause of it and act accordingly. To deal with sciatica daily, follow the listed below steps to spend your day in less pain and more relief:
How To Sit More Comfortably With Sciatica:
- Have an understanding of correct Sitting Posture
Any improper sitting postures can be a cause of sciatica. So, it is highly important to understand the correct sitting posture to stay comfortable while sitting when dealing with sciatica. To minimize sciatic nerve pain, follow these practices regularly:
- Always sit straight by keeping your buttocks and back in touch with the back of the chair.
- Keep your both the feet in contact with the ground. Keeping your legs hanging on the floor for a long time can cause a huge strain on the lower portions of your body.
- Keep your chair pivoted as it helps you to rotate your chair easily.
- Avoid crossing your legs as it narrows the blood circulation in the lower regions of the body and might cause numbness.
- Give proper support to the lower portions of your body
It is a common tendency of the humans to slouch frequently, that might result in some posture-related problems. The best method to overcome this habit is by providing proper support to your both hips and lumbar spine.
The first step you need to take care of is to avoid sitting on a regular chair and consider buying an ergonomic office chair as it provides excellent support to your lower body properly while sitting and doing work.
It aids you to keep proper posture as well as it is equipped with recliners that aid you to relax the back of your body when required. If you cannot get an ergonomic office chair, then go for a sciatica seat cushion. It is designed to provide tailbone pain relief, which allows you to minimize any pain and discomfort in your buttocks and helps you maintain proper posture simultaneously.
- Keep your belongings close
If you are a sciatica patient, you need to avoid any unnecessary movements in your sitting posture at work. Keeping necessary items close to your desk would aid you to comfortably reach for any items when required. It works very effectively and provides you with ease and comfort.
While opting this procedure, make sure to place the monitor of your computer aligning with your eye level and maintaining both your mouse and keyboard within your arms reach. Moreover, if you are a persistent mobile user, then keep it close to you to avoid moving forward unwantedly.
- Do a regular warm compression
When you are coping with sciatica, the fact of going for warm compress is mostly overlooked. Applying warm compression helps in promoting the healthy blood flow in the lower portions of your body. It is the most convenient method to treat sciatica anywhere at any time.
Heat patches or topical creams can act as a fast and reliant pain relief. These medications have fewer chances of any side effects as this method works effectively by penetrating well into the tissues when applied on your skin surface. So, ensure to read the directions carefully on the packages and follow them accordingly.
- Do exercises and stretches:
According to the article mentioned in the “ Journal of Physical Therapy Science”, it is stated that various techniques of self-mobilization may provide healing to the soft tissues of the sciatic nerves by vitalizing the operations of the human nervous system. Performing these stretching exercises can aid in alleviating the symptoms of sciatica and reduce the pain in the affected regions.
Dr Jose Guevara has provided these three best exercises to combat sciatica or any pain in the sciatic nerve caused by different reasons: Hip bride, Knee to Chest stretches and Piriformis stretch. These exercises are highly effective for people who are office workers. It helps a person to overcome the harmful effects caused by sciatica and it also aids to keep a person active during a day.