Sciatica exercises are extremely important to the long-term relief and management of disc-related sciatica. Although a number of different exercises for sciatica are recommended by various experts and non-experts alike, only a few are actually appropriate during an acute, severely painful sciatica episode, and some of the most commonly-suggested sciatica exercises may actually make things worse when used during times of acute pain.

For example, while commonly recommended to people with sciatica, exercises such as hamstring stretches and the yoga position, "downward facing dog" can be beneficial as part of managing one's condition once the pain is reduced, these exercises can place tension on the sciatic nerve and aggravate an already inflamed and sensitive condition. In general, any exercise that causes pain to increase in the leg and/or extend further down the leg should be completely avoided during the acute phase of sciatica.

During the acute phase of sciatica pain, McKenzie exercises provide one of the best and safest treatment approaches available - more effective than medication and epidural steroid injections in many people. Though often associated with spinal extension and mistakenly called the "McKenzie Extension Exercises", McKenzie method may involve any number of spinal positions/movements. The whole point of the McKenzie method is to evaluate different positions/exercises to find what best produces "centralization" of symptoms.

"Centralization" is a term used by McKenzie practitioners that means that symptoms move out of the areas furthest from the spine. To give an example, in a person with sciatica all the way down the leg to the foot, centralization might occur in which the pain left the foot and lower leg and then only extended down to the knee. Or, if sciatica symptoms started out going as far as the knee, centralization would be if the symptoms left the thigh and only went as far as the hip area.

Any exercise/position that produces centralization is considered beneficial, even if the symptoms increase in the areas closer to the spine. For example, if you had sciatica and low back pain and tried one of of the McKenzie exercises and the sciatica completely went away but the back pain got worse, the exercise would still be considered beneficial and it would be recommended to continue using it. In the long run, a sciatica exercise that produces centralization will usually eventually result in improvement in all symptoms, even if more central (closer to the spine) symptoms get worse at first.

The simplest of the McKenzie exercises for alleviating sciatica is done by simply lying on one's stomach on the floor or a firm surface and propping one's chest up on the elbows. This position puts the lumbar spine into an extended position, which may reduce sciatica by squeezing bulging disc material further forward and away from the spinal nerves that compose the sciatica nerve, thereby resulting in reduced compression and inflammation. This position can be maintained for several minutes at a time when helpful, but I suggest using it for one to two minutes at a time with at least a few minutes' break in between. Taking short, frequent breaks keeps the lumbar musculature from getting tight, but still allows enough time to get good results in the majority of cases. To learn additional, more complicated sciatica exercises, it is advisable to either get an illustrated guide book or to work with an experienced health care practitioner.