Article Reviewed & Updated on 9/08/2022
Medical Reviewer: Kari Haberman
Do you suffer from pain in your lower back right above the buttocks? Many people with low back strain face this issue. Fortunately, there are lots of remedies for it, including medicinal help and home remedies.
While some work, others don't. In the worst-case scenario, many people choose surgery, but that may not be the most feasible solution. We have the solution for you right in our palm: a tennis ball. Before we explain how a tennis ball can help you, let's discuss what Sciatica is.
What Is Sciatica?
Sciatica is a medical condition that causes pain stemming from the sciatic nerve. This pain runs along the sciatic nerve, from your lower back down to your feet. There can be multiple reasons for your sciatic nerve to cause pain. Patients can either have a herniated disk, bone spur, or a narrowed down spine that is causing pain in the Sciatica nerve.
The pain can range from mild to debilitating. Some patients have reported experiencing a burning sensation, a jolt, and an electric shock. The pain might worsen when you sneeze, cough, or sit for a long time.
However, the pain is limited to just one part of your body and usually gets better within 4-6 weeks. If it does not get better on its own and you are looking for a quick solution, try using a tennis ball.
Is A Tennis Ball Good for Sciatica?
You may be wondering how a mere tennis ball can help you with your Sciatica. According to the experience of several individuals, a tennis ball is perfect for reducing Sciatica related pains. It focuses on the exact points of your piriformis muscles and pushes on them to relieve pain. The pressure on your muscles brings relief from the pain, which improves blood circulation. There are multiple ways you can use the tennis ball for your sciatica, depending on where your pain is and its intensity.
Does Sitting on a Tennis Ball Help with Sciatica?
Sitting on a tennis ball for your sciatica will help you immensely as it exerts pressure exactly where you want to. By pushing against it, you can apply targeted pressure on your buttocks. This pressure relieves the actual pressure on your sciatic nerve, providing you relief.
Where to Put the Tennis Ball for Sciatica
There are multiple ways you can use a tennis ball for sciatica nerve pain. You can place the ball on the floor. Alternatively, you can lay on top of it or put the tennis ball in front of you and lower yourself on it.
There are many ways you can utilize the tennis ball to reduce your Sciatica pain. Let's discuss some of the best sciatica tennis ball exercises you can start today.
5 Best Tennis Ball Sciatica Exercises for Immediate Relief
Roll The Ball Under Your Feet
This is one of the most common tennis ball exercise for those that experience pain radiating from their sciatic nerve down to their foot. All you need to do is sit upright on your chair and loosen up your body.
Place the ball on the floor and roll it around with your foot. You must apply pressure on the ball to ensure it presses into the muscles in your foot.
How to Roll the Tennis Ball Under Your Feet
Make sure you utilize the arch on the bottom of your foot and roll the ball with it. Doing so will target intrinsic muscles and improve blood circulation. With improved blood circulation, your pain is more likely to decrease, which will be ideal for your sciatica.
It is important to keep in mind that you must not stand on the ball and only do this exercise while you are sitting on a chair. This will prevent you from damaging your muscles by exerting more pressure than you should.
Lower Back Sciatica Tennis Ball Massage
The piriformis muscle connects the sacrum and your hips. This muscle usually tightens up, causing a lot of pain. Not only does the muscle tighten up but the sciatic nerve right below it also causes a great deal of pain.
Because of the muscle tightening, the sciatic nerve gets pinched, which can amount to a lot of pain. To target this muscle, you can perform a sciatica tennis ball massage.
All you need to do is place the ball on the floor and try to perch on it. Use your hands and legs to hold your weight so that you can ease into it and place the ball right on the trigger point. If you’re on the correct spot, it will give you instant relief.
Roll around on the ball for a maximum of 20-30 seconds, and you will experience the pain going away. Do not overdo the exercise. If it starts to get uncomfortable, stop immediately and put an ice pack on the target area.
Two Balls And A Sock
If you have a pulled back muscle, this exercise will help you ease the pain. The three things you need are two tennis balls and a sock.
How to Remove Muscle Knots from Your Back
To start the exercise, you must put two tennis balls inside the sock and tie the end to ensure it doesn’t come out. Put it on the ground, place one ball on either side of your spine, and roll it up and down. This exercise will help you loosen your muscles and increase blood flow.
Piriformis Release
To do this exercise, you must understand what the Piriformis is. A Piriformis is a flat muscle located under the gluteus maximus. This muscle helps rotate the hips, and if it tightens up, the sciatic nerve is pressed.
How to Relieve Piriformis & Hip Pain
You can easily fix this issue by taking advantage of this exercise. To execute the piriformis release the right way, you can start by placing the ball on the floor, perch on it using the outer center of your glute.
Keep the other leg straight and bend the one resting on the ball. Rotate the ball in circular motions. Do this for 20 seconds at a time and take breaks if the pain becomes unbearable. You can do it on both sides.
Wall Release
How to Release Knots Out of Your Shoulders
The last exercise is relatively straightforward. The benefit is improved posture which decreases stress on the low back and limits sciatic pain. You don't have to do much but take the tennis ball and push it between your back and the wall.
Roll the ball in circular motions and ease into the movements. Avoid pushing too hard as it can worsen the pain. Once again, take a few breaks in between, and you will feel the pain reduction with time.
In Conclusion
These tennis ball exercises are an excellent solution for your sciatica pain. You do not need to rush off to a doctor. Instead, you can help yourself with the exercises discussed in this piece and a tennis ball. It is not only cheap but also a great alternative to going all the way to a chiropractor or physician.