How Writers Can Prevent and Treat Painful Sciatica

It’s a common affliction for writers: painful sciatica.

Perhaps the worst thing about it is its persistence. Just when you think you’ve seen the last of it, it shows up again to make your writing time miserable.

If you’d like to say “goodbye” to sciatica for good, read on.

Why Writers Often Suffer from Sciatica

Sciatica is a unique type of pain that occurs in the sciatic nerve—the largest nerve in the body. It begins in the spinal cord in the lower back and travels through the buttocks and down each leg all the way to the heel and the sole of the foot. It is responsible for stimulating movement in the leg muscles and carrying sensory messages from the legs to the spine.

Sciatica occurs when this nerve becomes irritated, compressed, or inflamed for some reason—usually because of a herniated disc in the spine. Other common causes include:

• a bone spur (overgrowth of bone) on the vertebrae
• lumbar stenosis (spinal narrowing)
• piriformis syndrome (read more about this in our piriformis post)
• sacroiliac joint dysfunction
• muscle spasm in the back or buttocks
• genetics (if someone in your family had it, your risk is higher)
• pregnancy

Rarely, a tumor may compress the nerve, or it may become damaged by diseases like type 2 diabetes.

For most people, though, sciatica begins as a back problem. And what often causes back problems? Sitting too much.

Welcome to the writer’s world!

Because we’re often working with our computers, laptops, and tablets, we are likely to sit for hours a day. Add to that the time we spend sitting while commuting, eating, and relaxing, and you have a lot of hours of sitting, which puts you at risk for sciatica. Excess body weight and age both make things worse, as does type 2 diabetes.

Dr. David Petron, a sports medicine physician, goes so far as to say chronic sitting is the primary cause for sciatica.

“We’re not designed to sit for hours at length,” he told Dr. Tom Miller at the University of Utah. “And so the most common presentation I’ll get is somebody will go on a vacation and they’ll be sitting in a plane for a prolonged period of time and then they’ll go to a medical conference and they’re sitting for a long time. And they come back and they try to figure out how this happened and they think they picked up luggage or did something to injure it, but most of the time it’s just the prolonged sitting.”

If you’re suffering from sciatic pain, ask yourself: Have I been sitting a lot lately? There could be other causes of course, and you can talk to your doctor about those possibilities, but if you spend a lot of time writing or doing other work at the computer, sitting is likely the source of your pain.

What Does Sciatica Feel Like?

How do you know if your pain is being caused by a pinched or inflamed sciatic nerve? The most common symptom is pain that radiates from the lower back to the buttocks and down the back of the leg to the foot. It ranges from a mild, aching pain to a more severe burning sensation, and may sometimes occur as a shocking, jolt-like pain or a throbbing, pulsating pain. Prolonged sitting usually makes the symptoms worse, while lying down makes it feel better.

Some people may also experience numbness, tingling, or weakness in the affected leg or foot, while others may feel like the pain radiates around the hip or buttocks to resemble hip pain. Usually, lower back pain accompanies sciatica pain, but not always. Often the leg pain is worse than the back pain, and may affect the front or back of the leg as well as the top or bottom of the foot, and even between the first and second toes.

Sciatica may go away on its own with time, but often it sticks around to become a chronic condition. Symptoms may come and go, flaring up at certain times and then backing off at others, and overall the condition is likely to get worse without treatment. Severe sciatica can make walking difficult.

How To Tell If You Have Sciatica

If you think you may be suffering from sciatica, talk to your doctor for help. You can also try these two tests at home.

1. Straight Leg Test

Lie on your back on the floor with your legs straight out. Slowly lift one leg up, keeping it straight, while keeping the other leg down. Repeat with the other leg. If you feel pain while lifting the leg on the painful side, you likely have sciatica.

2. Slump Test

Sit up straight in a flat chair with your hands behind your back. Slowly slump or bend forward, rounding your back. Bend your neck down so your chin is touching your chest. You’re essentially adopting bad posture, here. Then extend the affected leg straight out. If you experience pain at any point during this test, sciatica is likely the cause. You can see how to do this test in the video below.

Keep in mind that even if you don’t have any problem with these tests, you could still have sciatica. These tests work only if the nerve is compressed. If something else like inflammation is causing your pain, these tests will not work.

10 Ways Writers Can Ease Sciatica Pain

If you’re sick of the pain, try the following potential solutions. Usually, a combination of lifestyle changes and exercises can help you feel better.

1. Get up more often.

Since your sciatica is likely caused or at least made worse by sitting, find ways to avoid sitting for any length of time. You can set a timer to make sure you get up every 30 minutes to walk around and stretch your muscles.

Try too to get up more often when driving, flying on an airplane, or relaxing in front of the television. The important thing is not to sit for extended periods without breaking it up. Moving around for five minutes can help.

2. Use a standing desk.

To avoid sitting all the time, get some sort of standing desk. Alternating between sitting and standing while working at the computer can help ease pressure on your lower back and reduce your risk of sciatica. If you already have the condition, the combination can help ease the pain.

If you’re not sure which standing desk may be best for you, check out our post, “How to Find Your Best Standing Desk.” If you stand for long periods, it also helps to rest one foot on a stool or small box from time to time to take the pressure off your back.

3. Practice good posture.

When you are sitting, remember to practice good posture. Slumping forward puts extra pressure on your spine and can lead to lower back problems, which in turn, can cause sciatica.

Choose a chair that provides good lower back support, and consider using a rolled towel in the small of your back to maintain the normal curve. Refrain from crossing your legs, and recline a little to open up the angle of your hips. The oft-recommended 90-degree angle actually puts more pressure on your spine. (Check out the video below for more information on that.)

4. Use a coccyx cushion.

Part of the problem with sitting is that the surface you’re sitting on puts excess pressure on the spine. Using a coccyx cushion can help. It has an opening in the back to help ease pressure.

I’d recommend this one by 5 Starts United. It’s firm enough to provide the support you need but soft enough to be comfortable. I have been very happy with it.

5. Keep your core muscles strong.

Strong core muscles—those surrounding your abdomen—are critical to supporting your back. The problem is we writers don’t often work these muscles, so they become weak, increasing pressure on the spine and raising the risk of a herniated disc and related sciatica problems.

To make these muscles strong again, you need to work them. Pilates is one of the best exercises you can do for a strong core. Other good options include planks, push-ups, bird-dogs, and crunches. Make sure you start slowly if you haven’t done any for a while, and always practice good form to keep from injuring yourself.

If you’re just starting and you’re 40 or over, try these five abdominal exercises.

6. Perform the seated nerve glide exercise while at work.

To ease sciatica pain while at work or while writing, try this exercise:

While sitting in your chair, straighten one knee while keeping your other foot flat on the floor. Slowly bend your ankle so your toes are pointed toward you. Then point them away, then toward you again. As long as the pain isn’t uncomfortable, you can try the same exercise with your head bent forward, bringing your chin toward your chest.

Pump your ankle up and down this way 15 to 20 times and then repeat on the other side. Try to complete three rounds for each leg, twice a day.

7. Get the best mattress you can afford.

I can tell you from personal experience—having a quality mattress can make the difference between suffering from back pain and sciatica and not suffering from it. Many days end with me experiencing some level of back pain, but usually after a good night’s sleep on my mattress, I feel better in the morning.

If you wake up with back pain or sciatica pain, it’s time to get a new mattress. Most last only about 8-10 years, so if yours is older than that, go shopping. In most cases, you get what you pay for, so don’t skimp on this purchase. Your back health is extremely important to your daily life. Get a mattress that helps you wake up feeling better than when you went to bed.

8. Take a walk.

Walking is one of the most commonly recommended exercises for treating sciatica because it helps. If you can walk for 20-30 minutes every day, you will likely notice an improvement in your symptoms.

Follow these tips to get even more relief from your walk:

• Slow down: A slower pace usually translates to shorter steps, which is better for your lower back.
• Don’t reach with your toes. Land between your midfoot and heel, then roll onto your toes and push off into the next stride.
• Walk tall. Stand straight and keep your gaze forward.
• Tuck in your stomach. Pull your stomach in toward your spine while walking. Don’t tuck so hard it feels uncomfortable, but tuck enough to help support your spine.

9. Avoid twisting.

Twisting movements, such as those used by some athletes or when lifting weights, can increase the risk of sciatica or make the pain worse. Make sure when lifting that you keep your back straight and avoid twisting, and squat down to pick something up from the floor—never bend over from the waist.

10. Stretch regularly.

Performing certain stretches regularly can help ease the pain of sciatica while gradually allowing it to heal.

1. Touch your toes: Tight hamstrings (the muscles in the back of your thighs) pull on the lower back, causing strain and potentially leading to sciatica. If you can’t touch your toes that’s okay. Go as far as you can keeping your legs straight and hold for 20 seconds. Stand back up, then repeat 3-4 times a few times a day, particularly after sitting for a while.
2. Reclining pigeon pose: This is a yoga move that helps stretch the muscles in the lower back and buttocks. To start, lie flat on your back on the floor, legs bent, feet on the floor. Bring the right knee up and place the right ankle on the left knee. Clasp both hands behind the left thigh and pull it toward your chest, bringing the bent right leg with it. You should feel the stretch in your buttocks. Hold the left leg as close to your chest as you can for 15-20 seconds, release, and stretch the other side. Repeat with each leg three to five times.
3. Press-ups: Lay down on your stomach, then prop the upper body up on the elbows, keeping your hips on the floor. Move slowly and carefully to avoid causing pain. Hold the press-up position for 5-10 seconds, then gradually work up to 30 seconds each time. Try to complete 10 repetitions.
4. Sitting spinal stretch: Sit on the ground with your legs straight out in front of you and your feet flexed upward. Bend your right knee and place your right foot flat on the floor outside of the opposite knee. Place your left elbow on the outside of your right knee and gently turn the body toward the right. Hold for 30 seconds. You should feel the stretch in the lower back. Switch sides. Repeat on each side three times each.
5. Pelvic tilt: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Tighten your abdominal muscles and tilt your pelvis up slightly while keeping the low back on the floor. You should feel your ab muscles working. Hold for 10 seconds, then release. Repeat three sets of six to eight reps.
6. Glute bridge: Again, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, heels a few inches away from your buttocks. Push through your heels and squeeze your butt muscles to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from the knees to the shoulders. Hold for 10-20 seconds, then lower down. Perform three sets of 8-10 reps.
7. Back flexion stretch: This exercise can help stretch the lower back and ease the pain. Lie on your back and gently pull your knees into the chest with both hands until you feel the stretch. Then bring your head up and forward toward your knees. Hold for 10-20 seconds then release and lie back down. Repeat 5-10 times.
8. Knee to opposite shoulder: This exercise relieves pain by loosening the gluteal and piriformis muscles. Lie on your back with your legs extended. Bend your right leg and clasp your hands around your knee. Gently pull that right leg across your body toward your left shoulder and hold it there for 30 seconds. You should feel a nice stretch in the lower back. Return to starting position, and repeat three times on each leg.

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_{Source
Petron, David. “Sciatica? Maybe You’re Sitting Too Much.” University of Utah Health | University of Utah Health. Last modified August 30, 2016. https://healthcare.utah.edu/the-scope/shows.php?shows=0_0l018iyx.}