Whether walking will help relieve or worsen the pain depends on the cause of your sciatica and the severity of your pain. It’s best to consult with a doctor or physical therapist to determine a treatment, exercise, and stretching program tailored to your needs.
Is walking good for sciatica? The short answer is, “It depends.”
Whether you should walk and how much you should walk are questions to discuss with your doctor or physical therapist. The general view now is that movement and activity are beneficial for people with sciatica, as long as they walk correctly and do not exacerbate the pain.
Dr. Stuart Fischer has been in practice for more than 40 years and is the former editor-in-chief of OrthoInfo, the patient website of the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons.
“On the one hand, it’s always good to be moving about and active. On the other hand, too much walking when your sciatic nerve is irritated could even make the problem worse. And what I always tell people who are walking to remember, is that wherever you go, that’s only half the distance. You have to get back,” he says.
Robert Gillanders, DPT, a board certified clinical specialist in orthopedic physical therapy, told Healthline that walking can be helpful because it’s “often one of the first therapeutic exercises one can do.”
“I regularly have patients start this by doing multiple short walks each day. Postural muscles will lose their endurance when in a reactive state, as seen with sciatica, so regular posture changes are helpful.”
He suggested “short walks, gentle stretching, followed by ice, while lying supine [face up] or prone [face down].” Repeat the process often, he said. “Pace should be conversational. The terrain should be flat. Keep distances short, and take breaks…as needed.”
He also advised, “Good posture is essential in both standing and sitting. Supportive walking shoes are a must.”
Fischer stressed that “your goal of treatment is to try to reduce the inflammation so that the pain gets better. So very often, we tell people with sciatica to limit their activity so that the inflammation goes down. And most often it will get better with rest.”
Physical therapist Gillanders specified when and when not to walk. “When pain is greater than 7 out of 10, I have patients do nothing, just rest. (Red light.) Pain from 4 to 6 out of 10 is a yellow light, where I have people do shorter bouts of walking. Pain that is a 0 to 3 out of 10 is a green light; activity should be only minimally restricted.”
Tip: How to rest comfortably
Fischer advised, “Ideally, you want to rest in position with your hip and your knee flexed a little bit, because that takes the stretch off the sciatic nerve. People with sciatica have the most pain when they do things that stretch that nerve. Usually, the worst of all is driving, because that puts the nerve in an awkward and uncomfortable position.”
Depending on your degree of pain and discomfort, you can
- Apply heat or cold packs alternately to your lower back.
- Take over-the-counter anti-inflammatories such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Some people find relief in alternating types of OTC anti-inflammatories.
- Do gentle stretches designed for sciatica.
- Use massage or yoga to help reduce your pain. If yoga makes it more painful, stop and talk with a medical professional.
- Bracing or taping your lower back may be helpful in some cases, according to physical therapist Gillanders.
- Try water walking or water exercises.
Every individual is different, and there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to treating sciatica. If your pain is severe and persistent, consider discussing alternative remedies with a medical professional.
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The doctor may also suggest a steroid injection to relieve inflammation and pressure on the affected nerve.
If your pain is severe and disabling after 3 months of conservative treatment, the doctor may suggest surgery. Surgery to remove the herniated disk has a good success rate.
Your doctor may refer you for physical therapy for an individually designed exercise and stretching program. But many health professionals prefer patients to wait and see if the sciatica improves on its own.
Recent evidence may prompt more doctors to prescribe physical therapy.
A 2020 randomized clinical trial found that early intervention with physical therapy for sciatica produced greater improvement in pain and mobility.
A physical therapist may employ a range of techniques to alleviate pain, enhance flexibility and strength, and reduce stiffness in your joints. These may include passive techniques and more active exercises.
It’s a good idea to see a medical professional early on if you have persistent back pain that radiates down your hip and leg. This will provide an accurate diagnosis of sciatica and the underlying cause. It will also give you the opportunity to seek out physical therapy or other possible treatments as soon as possible.
Sciatica pain can be disabling, but in most cases, recovery prospects are very good. Walking in moderation may help you stay flexible and in better condition if you can walk without pain.
Many pain reduction techniques are available. New evidence suggests that targeted physical therapy begun early on can help your recovery.