"Sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve — which branches from your lower back through your hips and buttocks and down each leg. Typically, sciatica affects only one side of your body."
As I wrote about in my Wine and Dine recap, I was messed up in a bad way. I couldn't walk, I couldn't sit and I sure did have a hard time dealing with rides as well!
I was able to fix it by googling "can I run with sciatica" and finding this website which has fantastic stretches and moves to help loosen you up. I went from barely being able to walk to 45 min later sleeping without issues and then going to run Wine and Dine. I did similar things before Avengers.
I was able to fix much of it with stretching and rolling and a lot of icyhot and heat packs. After both the wine and dine and Avengers, I took much of last week and felt like a bum but it was well worth it. My leg no longer hurts and I feel ready to tackle my crazy running week.
Since then I have decided to add a few things back to my routine:
- Hip circles (morning and night) to help stretching my hip flexors
- Core workout at night. I stopped this when my running picked up and I can tell my core has lost some strength
- Daily stretching and rolling including pigeons-I was slacking on this but it is crucial to help keep my legs loose
- Sleeping in compression socks
- Wearing compression pants for recovery after long runs-I finally bought ProCompression leggings and love them!
What preventive measures do you take to stay healthy and injury free?