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Running with sciatica – No need to stop

Running with sciatica – No need to stop

Running with sciatica

Running with sciatica sounds counterintuitive but it can be done and may be better for you in the long run. You need to pay attention to your symptoms and employ a few useful strategies to help you as you recover. Sciatica can really mess with your running routine. At times it can feel as if you’ll never be able to run again, but if you’re a keen jogger you can take some simple steps to enable you to keep pounding the pavements.

Sciatica is usually linked to spinal nerve root irritation in the lower back which can spread to the buttock or hip and down the back of your legs. The motion of running can make sciatica symptoms worse, but conversely exercise has benefits which could also ease the pain.

Running can help us lose weight, strengthen muscles in your legs, back and abdominal muscles. Becoming stronger in these areas can help alleviate the pain of sciatica and there are other ways by which you can reduce the risk of jogging irritating the sciatic nerve.

Tips for running with sciatica

The way you run can have a big impact on how much the “bouncing” action contributes to sciatic pain. Landing with force will lead to compression forces through the body so checking your running action and developing a smoother heal toe action with less bounce may be beneficial.

It’s best to try running for a short distance at first to ascertain if the pain gets worse. If it doesn’t, you can go a little further and a little faster. It can be frustrating to build back up to your normal pace and distance at first, but it is well worth taking it steady.

You need to work out how far and intense you can run without  significantly aggravating your symptoms. What is too much? How long is a piece of string? This will vary for each individual. As a general rule discomfort increasing with time and distance is too much. Feeling ‘something’ but it does not increase with time and distance may be about right. The next step would be to monitor symptoms a few hours later and the next day. Are they more or less than before. If they have not increased then carry on. If they are worse you need to back off next time out.

It can also help to reduce your stride length when running. Long strides may irritate the sciatic nerve by causing more flexion (bending) in the lower back while running. If the sciatica symptoms are due to lumbar nerve root irritation then while symptoms are present limiting the amount of flexion in the lower back while running may help.

Running in worn-out shoes won’t help either. Opt for a pair of cushioned trainers which will reduce the pressure on your hips and knees each time your foot hits the pavement.

It’s always important to warm up properly before you head out. Light exercises to get the muscles warm and activated by getting the blood pumping around the body and into the muscles that need it. Running on grass or soft ground can also help, so stay off the road if you can.  A hot pack will help loosen up the muscles before you begin and remember to stay hydrated, as this is one of the most critical things to do when exercising.

The benefits of running outdoors and getting fresh air is far the best way to enjoy running, but if you like running on treadmills and are not always able to get outside to run then it would be worthwhile taking time to research what to invest in or what is available in different gyms. The features of different machines could be beneficial or have an adverse impact on sciatica symptoms. A key feature to look out for will be cushioning and whether it is adjustable. The following blog discusses exercises machines that may be useful.

Take inspiration

You’re not alone. There have been lots of famous athletes who have suffered from back pain. Six-time Olympic champion sprinter Usain Bolt cited lower back pain as a factor holding him back from breaking his own 200-metre world record at the 2012 Olympics. Bolt even stopped training for a time in 2010 but still went on to win three gold medals in London two years later.

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Matt Soan
Matt Soan
6 months ago

I’m currently unable to run with what I feel is sciatica, (pain in left buttock and down hamstring in the leg). I have rested for two weeks but tried to run yesterday but straight away felt the pain again. Really frustrated at the moment, I was hoping to run a half marathon in 9 weeks but that is looking unlikely at the moment. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

SPRC
Admin
Reply to  Matt Soan
6 months ago

Hello Matt,
Symptoms from acute sciatica can settle in a few weeks, but as I am sure you can appreciate every case is very different from individual to individual. An assessment from a physio that works a lot with runners is probably your best bet for advice that may get you to the start line of your half marathon. Good luck and best wishes.

Mark Kelly
Mark Kelly
1 year ago

Thank you for the advice I’ve not ran in two weeks with the pain. I will ease back into a light jog when the pain eases up.

AndyB
AndyB
1 year ago

Useful read this thanks, I’m a long time runner who is just restarting after a four-week lay off due to sciatica – decided to see if I could just run through it. Managed 4k yesterday (slightly off normal pace) and shorter strides definitely helped reduce the impact during the run.

Sore quads today (that’s due to the lay-off) but sciatica no better or worse so will go again tomorrow and see how we do. Won’t push beyond 5k for the time being, I rarely exceed 10 on most runs as normal.

Hoping this eases off in a few months time, trying to avoid painkillers.

Andy

SPRC
Admin
Reply to  AndyB
1 year ago

Hope the recovery continues to go well for you Andy.

Sage
Sage
1 year ago

Alright I’m going to go for it some light jogging at first and see how it feels. Will try to update here on my symptoms either good or bad…my body needs the excercise thanks for this post and good luck to anyone else having sciatica!!

Caz
Caz
2 years ago

I’ve been running for years but after sciatica I have stopped, mainly due to worry it will get worse. I have a half coming up in April, so I have set a goal to start steadily mid Jan I will be ok as I love running.

SPRC
Admin
Reply to  Caz
2 years ago

Hope all goes well for you:-)

Victoria
Victoria
2 years ago

Running actually triggered the round of Sciatica that I have struggled with non stop since September. My first round of it started last year after an injury I then went months and as soon as I started jogging again it came on worse than before. It hasn’t gone since so I am not going to be running if this is what happens. And I was jogging/running outdoors. I actually have an NVQ that covers sport injury and if it triggers it once it may trigger it again.

SPRC
Admin
Reply to  Victoria
2 years ago

Hi Victoria,
It’s really important to manage the load (distance and speed) and be conservative when trying to reintroduce running when you have sciatica. Sounds like you know your stuff. If any amount of running is a trigger for symptoms then it makes sense to fully recover before running and trying other forms of exercise. Best wishes.

Rich
Rich
2 years ago

So glad I found this. I’ve not run since October 2020 due to sciatica. I used to do marathons and feel as if I’m stuck. This article has given me hope.

Thanks

SPRC
Admin
Reply to  Rich
2 years ago

Hope you recover soon Rich.

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