- Your chair can be used to help perform stretches that will relieve sciatic nerve pain. Sit with your back as straight as possible and remove any wallets or other objects in your pants pockets. Cross one ankle over your knee, starting with the leg with the most sciatic pain. Put one arm through the hole formed by your crossing legs and the other arm around the outside of the "down" leg's thigh. Interlock your fingers and pull up on the "down" leg as you bend forward a little. Be sure to breathe deep as you stretch. Don't hold this position more than a minute or you could cause your leg to fall asleep.
- If the pain is fairly acute in the buttocks, a floor stretch can help relieve it. Sit on the floor with legs crossed. Unfold the pain-free leg and try to rotate it behind you as much as possible without lifting your hips out of position. Raise your arms high, reach forward and touch the ground in front of you. Your body should be over your folded leg, with your pain-free leg still stretching backward. Hold for a minute while breathing deep and then switch legs. If you do this stretch correctly, you'll feel a nice burning sensation in your folded leg's buttock.
- Heat and Ice can alternately be used to relieve pain. Ice is good for numbing a constant pain, while heat can be applied to help loosen up muscles around the sciatic nerve as well as promote blood circulation. Do not apply either for more than 20 minutes at a time in two-hour intervals. Any longer than that and your skin can suffer from freezer burn or first-degree burns (if not worse) from the heat pack.
