Sciatic can be painful, especially when you don't know how to deal with it. People who suffer from sciatica will often feel pain in their leg which can travel from the back of their thigh up to the thigh and in some cases up to the hip or down towards the foot. For some people not only will they feel pain but they may find that their leg become numb and they will have problems in trying to either move or control their leg.

Common pain relief method may suggest bed rest for about two days. This may be helpful, but only in a limited time, as inactivity may actually cause even more pain from your spine and legs because they lose their condition and support. Evntually it may lead to further injuries and pain. Exercise, on the other hand, can help in keeping the proper flow of fluids and nutrients to the discs affected, making healing faster.

Sciatica exercises provided by most doctors, web sites and health care providers generally focus on the strengthening of both back and abdomen muscles that can help in providing more back support. Stretching exercises work best for sciatica sufferers as it helps in strengthening and stretching the muscles that have tightened (tense) and thus help hasten recovery from flare ups and even prevent future sciatica episodes.

Asking your doctor about the proper exercise is really important to prevent causing more pain. These exercises may depend of the case every patient may experience and other underlying conditions, thus asking medical help and permission is necessary.