This is my favorite 'go to' exercise for the dreaded 'Sciatica' condition in my clinic. Patients with the following conditions have a tendency to have decreased ability to raises their leg without pain:
- Sciatica
- Lower back pain
- Herniated lumbar spine discs
- Pinched Nerves
- Lumbar ridiculopathy
- and more
When there is decreased stability in the pelvis, there will be excessive and destructive movement in the area. This adds a great deal of stress to the areas and opens the door to disc problems, pinched nerves and other injuries. To deal with this I like starting off my patients with this exercise:
Pointers:
- Squeeze both hands into the ground before initiating leg movement
- Press the opposite leg into the floor at all times throughout the movement.
- Don't be surprised if the leg flexibility isn't as good as it normally is: since you locked your pelvis into place on the floor the hip flexibility will look less
- Don't let yourself hold your breathe