Is stationary cycling good for sciatica? [How I cured my sciatica pain]

Sciatica is a very particular issue. I have been dealing with this since my late teens and originally felt very sorry for myself until I found a way to work with it and live a happy, functional life. When I first began dealing with sciatica, I was filled with pain and spent many days in bed. It’s debilitating and frightening because it is a pain that you are not used to. It feels like something outside of a simple tight muscle is going wrong with your body. The problem is that sciatica is very difficult to diagnose. What I have found is that there are many ways to treat it and I will talk to you about how I dealt with my sciatica. Is stationary cycling good for sciatica? This and many other options that I will talk about are good for sciatica.

In this post, I will discuss how I cured my sciatica pain. I will discuss how stationary cycling and ultimately all cycling is good for sciatica. I will also discuss what sciatica is and what causes sciatica. I will also discuss why cycling helps sciatica and when to know if it is okay to cycle with sciatica. Finally we will finish with a discussion on how cycling can aggravated by cycling if you are not taking good care and how walking and cycling have different effects on the body for sciatica. I am no doctor or physical therapists, but in my experience with sciatica I have talked to countless of both, and had to almost get surgery and procedures twice. Now, I am looking to ride my next century.

Is stationary cycling good for sciatica?

Yes, I began my sciatica journey as a distance runner and middle distance track athlete. At which point when I began getting older, my physical therapist suggested that I ought to discontinue running as much if I wanted to decrease the level of pain that I had in my body. Always looking to stay in shape, I moved to ellipticals and stationary cycling. Stationary cycling is great for sciatica because you are still able to get a workout in the lower back, rotate the pelvis, work the hamstrings and piriformis without putting any impact on the sciatic nerve. I’m happy I went that route. There was a dramatic improvement in my sciatica simply from switching from running to cycling.

How I cured my sciatica pain?

I still run from time to time. Though the majority of my exercise is done through cycling. The reason why cycling and stationary cycling is good for sciatica is because there is no pressure put onto the nerve which causes the pain that will speak directly to you. You also are working the muscles in your upper back too while flowing blood to the nerve and the muscles.

Along with cycling, I stopped all anti-inflammatory medication so that I could specifically figure out exactly what actions in my life was causing inflammation in my body that triggered the pain that I so dearly wanted to go away. From there I noticed that most of the effect was from incorrect eating (There are plenty of anti-inflammatory diets floating around), excessive distance running, not stretching after exercising, and also too much rest. If I don’t work out for a week or two then the pain comes back. So it’s all about keeping active without working your body too much to increase the inflammation.

Why is stationary cycling good for sciatica?

Stationary cycling is good for sciatica because it works the specific areas all around the nerve. It allows the inflammation to go down (if you are not working the muscles too hard) and also provides blood flow so that the area does not become sedated. That area of the body is something like a teenager – if left alone for too long and not given constructive activity, then it will find something very bad to do.

Is it OK to cycle with sciatica?

Yes, it is OK to cycle with sciatica as long as your bike is fit correctly. If your bike is not fit correctly, it will cause a lot more harm. Read this guide here to get started with a good bicycle fit, and if you have the extra time, go to a local bike shop to be fitted correctly. Of course, the pain does speak – so if the pain is telling you to stop cycling, then stop, rest, ice and massage.

Is walking or cycling better for sciatica?

If you are currently in pain at a level of 9-10, then rest, ice and massage is better than anything rather than moving your body. Cycling is good for sciatica at a higher range. For example, if your pain is between a level of 3-7 out of 10, then cycling is a better choice. Taking a long walk is good for your sciatica if you are maintaining a good feeling that you have now (meaning your pain is less than a 3). If you are currently in pain, the impact of walking may cause furtherinflammation and make the feeling worse. Of course, after all exercise, rest, ice and massage.

Can sciatica be aggravated by cycling?

Sciatica can be aggravated by cycling if your bicycle is not correctly fit to you. This means that your seat could be too low and you are not allowing the sciatic nerve to breath the way it ought too, or perhaps your bicycle is too small and you are too scrunched. If you have any questions and are riding with sciatic pain over a long period of time, go to a bicycle shop and get fitted professionally.

Conclusion

Sciatica is a very personal problem that many people experience and you are not alone. Speaking with many other athletes, physical therapists and doctors was the way that I came to be able to heal my sciatica naturally without any surgery, pain medication or procedures. The one thing about having sciatica and how I have treated it is that I typically now need to be active and outside, which is probably the best thing to ever happen to me.