Improve Your Hamstring and Sciatic Nerve Mobility

Physical therapists treat sciatica commonly

Pain and tightness on the backside of the leg can stem from a variety of sources, but some of the most common are hamstrings/calf tightness or soreness, nerve compression/tension at the lumbar spine nerve roots, or sciatic nerve compression/tension. However, many people mistake nerve involvement with tightness or inflexibility of the hamstrings or calves.

People will frequently tell me they’ve got “tight hamstrings”, but they can place both palms of their hands flat on the ground with straight knees! This means your hamstrings are likely plenty flexible and not “tight”. So the source of the tight and or painful sensation may be the sciatic nerve or lumbar spine nerve roots, or something else.

Nerve gliding/flossing exercises are a form of neural mobilization which can help reduce radiating nerve symptoms. (1,2)

This nerve glide/floss exercise can help ease sciatic nerve tension and can also help improve your mobility with activities performing deadlifts or touching your toes.

Perform x30 reps. Be careful not to force too much of a “stretch”, as this can cause further irritation and may lead to other injury.

Try this 2-3x per day or more if it feels helpful in reducing symptoms anywhere in the backside of the leg.

It’s important to note that if while this exercise can ease some symptoms you may be experiencing, it likely will not address the under-lying reason the symptoms are present in the first place.

Nerve involvement can be complicated and there are many contributing factors to why a nerve may become irritated. If this sounds like you, I encourage you to seek help from a medical professional such as a physical therapist.

*As always, this exercise is not meant as medical diagnosis or advice. If you are experiencing pain with this exercise should stop and see a medical professional like a physical therapist or physician.

References:

1) Ellis RF, Hing WA. Neural mobilization: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials with an analysis of therapeutic efficacy. J Man Manip Ther. 2008;16(1):8-22. doi: 10.1179/106698108790818594. PMID: 19119380; PMCID: PMC2565076.

2) Anikwe EE, Tella BA, Aiyegbusi AI, Chukwu SC. Influence of Nerve Flossing Technique on acute sciatica and hip range of motion. Int J Med Biomed Res 2015;4(2):91-99