Would you like to find a lasting solution to sciatic nerve inflammation? If you're not satisfied with old fashioned remedies (vinegar baths!?) and stretching on the floor has only provided temporary relief, it's time to try something else.
Most remedies for sciatica address the symptom rather than the cause. Yes, of course, the inflammation of the nerve should be reduced or even unblocked, but what if the problem comes back? Here are the 4 NeuroMovement® essentials to eliminate sciatica from your life.
Tip #1 - Tackle the problem by the root (hint: it's higher than you think)
Clearly, the problem with sciatica is not the leg, it's the back. In fact, it's not the back, it's the brain! Since it is your brain that organizes your posture and movement, it is your brain that needs to be re-taught how to organize an efficient and painless movement. You need to help your brain re-map your body and get rid of inefficient habitual patterns. How do you do this? Through movement.
Start by making small, simple movements - for example, if you're sitting down, imagine that you want to bend over to your feet, but don't go all the way. Make very small, slow movements, without stretching or straining. In fact, avoid going all the way down, stay at the beginning of the movement. Imagine it. Do you have to round your back to get there? What are your ribs and shoulders doing during this time?
Tip #2 - Life in Slow Motion
You get hurt when you go too fast. When you go fast, you only do what you know. If what your brain knows is pain, going fast will cause pain. Even though life pushes us to go faster and faster, you must learn to slow down to organize an efficient movement. An efficient movement is one that is reversible, from which you can change direction easily, and that uses as little energy as possible. Imagine your movement in great detail, as if you could detect every millimeter, every pixel.
For example, if you are lying down, bend your knees and put your feet on the ground. Then cross your knees quietly and tilt them to the left. Make the smallest movement possible and as slow as possible, paying attention to what is happening in your spine, ribs and head. Do it just as long as you don't feel pain. Every millimeter counts. Do not repeat more than 2 or 3 times. Stop before it hurts. You are giving your brain a new experience of movement.
"Chronic pain is not all about the body, and it’s not all about the brain – it’s everything. Target everything. Take back your life." - Sean Mackey, MD, PhD.
Tip #3 - Pay attention to yourself (yes, the brain again!)
Our brain is a machine that works by habit. Unused connections are eliminated; and overused ones take up all the space, til there is no room for newness. To change your brain and therefore change your body, you need to become aware of your habitual patterns. For example, be aware of how you sit, since sitting often aggravates sciatica. Are you tight in the back? Is your back arched or rounded? Are your abs working (too) hard? Are you carrying your head with your chest, rather than your spine? Are your feet on the ground? Don't judge yourself! There is no right way, there is only your way...
Forget your parent's lessons: it's not about staying straight as a peg, but about being flexible, about keeping the possibility of movement even when you are not moving. The worse you sit, the harder it will be to get up, and the more likely you are to pinch your nerves or displace a vertebra. Slowing down and becoming aware of how you organize your movement or posture allows you to explore new possibilities. Try watching yourself a few times a day. You will be surprised!
Tip #4 - BST (Brain Savings Time)
To heal sciatica and prevent it from returning, you'll need to change your attitude toward movement. What better way to do this than to be lazy? Instead of doing repetitive exercises and movements that only teach you pain, wouldn't you like to adopt an attitude that mobilizes your brain's natural ability to heal gently? In movement, as in life, do as little as possible, avoid unnecessary effort. Pay attention to the way you move in your daily life. What is contracted unnecessarily? For example, shoulders, jaw, wrists... do you need them? Avoid inefficient energy spending, save your brain, and you will find greater vitality. You deserve comfort, you deserve a pain-free life. It's all at your fingertips... or should I say, in your mind?
To relearn how to live pain-free and heal sciatica for good, Neuromovement® teaches your brain how to organize your body through small, slow, varied and conscious movements.
Click here for a Private Lesson!