Walking Correctly to Avoid Sciatic Pain

By Randi Morse 

Do you ever get frustrated when you are told all the wrong things you are doing in your life? None of us are perfect, and most people mess things up more often than they get things right. I've always said it's more important to learn from your mistakes than it is to not make mistakes. One thing you may be doing incorrectly is walking. Yes, you read that correctly, you might be walking the wrong way, especially if you are dealing with sciatic nerve pain. 

Understanding the Nerves 

In order to understand why you are walking incorrectly, it's important to understand a little bit about how the nerves in your back connect. Just below the bottom of your rib cage is where a large bundle of nerves leaves the spinal cord in order to move more freely in your body. This is known informally as the horse's tail. Because these nerve bundles are not protected by the spinal cord, it is much easier to injure them, which is why people have problems like a herniated disc. Of these nerve bundles, five of them travel down toward your legs where they form two different nerves known as the tibial and the peroneal. When these two nerves meet directly behind one of the muscles that connects your legs to your spine, it is known as the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is one of the thickest nerve bunches in your entire body; it's about as thick as the diameter of your index finger. 

Walking Incorrectly 

Because these nerves are not protected by the spinal cord, it is very easy to injure them, which can cause a great amount of pain. In order to walk correctly, your pelvis needs to be un-tucked and your trunk needs to be as lengthy as you can make it. This gives the sciatic nerve room to go behind the muscles that connect legs to the base of your spine. When the nerve bundle doesn't have the room to move correctly, the nerves may flare up and cause serious pain. The location of the nerve is why the pain radiates from your lower spine all the way down your leg.  

It can be difficult to learn to walk differently than you're used to, but a visit with your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic may be able to help you with this. Your chiropractor can help you learn how to walk correctly in order to minimize your sciatic pain and they can help with any alignment issues you may also be dealing with. 

To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Columbia, Mo.