Finding Sciatica Relief at the Office — A Short Complete Guide

Sciatica is a painful condition that can occur when the nerve root in your lower spinal region is compressed or irritated. You can feel it as a searing pain along your thigh, and it can go all the way to your foot and leg. This is due to the fact that your sciatic nerve starts at your lower back and runs through your buttocks, hips and down each leg.

The most common cause of sciatic nerve pain is a bulging or herniated disc in your lower spinal region. To help get your mind off of the pain and back to your project or job, we've put together a quick guide to help you reduce your pain levels while you work at the office or at home.

Get a Sit-to-Stand Desk

Sitting down puts stress on the discs in your lower back. This is why, if you sit for hours at a time at work, your discs may irritate the sciatic nerve. In turn, this can cause a sciatica flare.

To help reduce the irritation around this nerve in your lower back, consider getting a sit-to-stand desk. Standing is actually an active process, and if you have an ergonomically supportive position to stand in, it can help reduce the stress on your lower back and minimise your sciatica pain if a bulging or herniated disc is the root cause. You want to switch from sitting to standing throughout the workday, and gradually work yourself up to standing more than you sit.

Take a Short Walk Once an Hour

The discs in your spine get nutrients through the fluid movement that happens when you exercise, which increases your blood flow. Studies show that light exercise, like walking, can help improve how much nutrients get to the disc, and it also helps boost the disc's ability to adapt to different spinal loads.

When your work requires you to sit for hours at a desk, you want to try to get up at least once every hour and walk for a few minutes. Take deep, slow breaths and have a good walking posture. You can add an alarm system to your phone or computer that reminds you when it's time to take a short break and go for a walk so you don't skip it.

Do a Seated Nerve Glide Exercise

One useful exercise to help with herniated discs is one you can do while you sit down. It's called the nerve glide exercise, and it's supposed to help desensitise and relax your sciatic nerve. To do it, you'll:

• Sit up in your chair and straighten out one knee while making sure you keep the other foot flat on the floor.
• Very slowly, start to bend your ankle so that your toes point towards you.
• Keep bending your ankle back and forth, making sure you point your toes toward you and then away from you.
• If you can tolerate it, put more tension on your sciatic nerve. To do so, you'll try this exercise while you bring your chin toward your chest and bend your head forward.
• Slowly pump your ankle up and down 20 times, and then switch legs and do the exercise again. You want to go through three rounds on each leg, at least twice a day.

If you have sciatica pain that starts to severely impact your productivity and workdays, it's a good idea to make an appointment with your doctor for an in-depth checkup. They may recommend you undergo medical treatment, like steroid injections, prescription pain medications or guided physiotherapy to help give you some relief.

If you're having problems with pain from sciatica, we suggest you look for furniture that can provide support and help take the stress off your spine and nerves. Check out Ergonomic Office Furniture and take a look at our supportive office chairs, footrests, desks and much more.