Sciatica Exercises: The Best Stretches for Optimal Pain Relief

Sciatic nerve stretches are a variety of stretching exercises performed to relieve sciatica-related pain. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body, and it's triggered by a variety of conditions and injuries. Sciatica is a symptom of pain in the lower back, or buttock, that typically radiates down the leg to the ankle or foot. Common causes of sciatica include degenerative disk disease, lumbar spinal stenosis, pregnancy, or a herniated disc. These small muscles are the piriformis muscles, and the sciatic nerve runs very close to - or even through - this muscle.