Ep 84: Sciatica: What Yoga Teachers Should Understand

If you’ve ever had a student say, “I have sciatica,” and your go-to response was to offer hamstring stretches or deep hip openers, you’re not alone. Many teachers and students think they’re helpful. Today, let's unpack why that approach often doesn’t work & what you should be considering instead.

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Transcript

Monica: 0:00

If you've ever had a student say, I have sciatica, and they asked you for, or your go-to response was to offer hamstring stretches or deep hip openers, you're not alone. Many teachers and students think they're helpful, but today we're going to unpack why that approach often doesn't work and what you should be considering instead. Welcome to the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast with me. I'm Monica Bright and I've been teaching yoga and running my yoga business for over a decade. This is the podcast for you. If you are a yoga teacher, you're looking for support. You love to be in conversation, and you're a lifelong student. In this podcast, I'll share with you. My life as a yoga teacher, the lessons I've learned, my process for building my business and helpful ideas, tools, strategies and systems I use and you can use so that your business thrives. We'll cover a diverse range of topics that will help you, whether you're just starting out or you've got years under your belt and you wanna dive deep and set yourself up for success. I am so glad you're here. Listen, I don't take myself too seriously, so expect to hear some laughs along the way. Now let's do this together. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm Monica, and I'm so glad you're here. Here we talk about the anatomy, the injuries, the nervous system insights, and all the real life knowledge you wish had been included in your teacher training. Today we're diving into a topic that's often misunderstood and oversimplified in yoga spaces. Sciatica. If you've ever heard a student say, I have sciatica, and they asked you for, or your go-to response was to offer hamstring stretches or deep hip openers, you are not alone. Many teachers and students think they're helpful, but today we're going to unpack why that approach often doesn't work and what you should be considering instead. By the end of this episode, you'll walk away with a clear understanding of the anatomy involved, the difference between true sciatica and piriformis syndrome, and what kinds of movement strategies can actually help your students, especially those dealing with pain and nerve related symptoms. Sciatica is not a diagnosis, it's a symptom. It refers to pain that follows the pathway of the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back through the buttocks and down the leg. This pain can vary in quality. It might feel sharp burning. Shooting or even numb or tingling. It's important to understand that sciatica is about nerve irritation or compression, not simply muscular tightness. So if a student tells you they have sciatica, you should think beyond simply offering a stretch. The sciatic nerve is the largest and longest nerve in the body. It originates from the lower spine, specifically from the nerve roots between L four and S3, and exits the pelvis through an opening called the greater sciatic notch. It passes either through or under the piriformis muscle, depending on the individual's anatomy, and this is important to note. It then continues down the back of the thigh. Eventually it branches out behind the knee into the tibial and fibular nerves which extend into the lower leg and foot. When this nerve is compressed or irritated, anywhere along this path, it can produce the symptoms that we commonly call sciatica. Some people assume that tight hamstrings are to blame for sciatica, but this is a misunderstanding. The sciatic nerve travels beneath the hamstrings, not inside them, and if the nerve is already irritated. Putting it under more tension by stretching the hamstrings can actually increase discomfort. Students might feel worse after a class full of forward folds or intense stretches, and this is why stretching and inflamed or compressed nerve can make the symptoms more intense. So before you cue a hamstring stretch, it's important first to ask where is the nerve? Being irritated and is stretching the best choice right now. Oftentimes sciatica. And Piriformis syndrome can be confused with one another. So what's the difference? True sciatica is usually caused by nerve root compression in the lumbar spine. This could be due to a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, or another spinal issue. The pain often radiates down the leg and may even reach the foot. It may also come with neurological symptoms such as weakness, numbness, or changes in reflexes. Piriformis syndrome, on the other hand, is caused by compression of the sciatic nerve by the piriformis muscle, which is one of the hip. External rotators and is located deep in the buttocks. This pain is typically more localized, often in the gluteal area, and may radiate slightly down the thigh, but rarely goes below the knee. Unlike tru sciatica, piriformis syndrome usually doesn't involve nerve root compression or neurological signs. Understanding the difference matters because the way we respond as yoga teachers should be based on the root cause and not just the symptoms. When a student mentions sciatica, many teachers immediately offer poses like pigeon pose. Calves pose or seated double pigeon. These are designed to stretch the external rotators and the glutes and are often assumed to be therapeutic. But here's the missing piece. if the sciatic nerve is irritated, placing it under tension in a deep externally rotated stretch can actually aggravate the problem. In fact, some students may feel burning, tingling, or worsening pain afterward. It's also worth noting that not all hip tightness is muscular. Sometimes the body is holding tension as a protective mechanism, especially when nerve sensitivity is involved. Students may not know how to distinguish between a helpful stretch and a nerve irritation, so it's our responsibility as teachers to study and understand this so that we can guide them from an educated place and not simply. Guess what to do. So what should you teach instead of defaulting to deep stretches First, encourage a neutral spine early in practice. Avoid aggressive spinal flexion and forward folds, which may increase pressure on the lower back, or stretch the nerve a bit too much. Second, consider incorporating gentle nerve gliding or flossing movements. These are controlled movements that help desensitize the nerve without putting it under excessive stretch. A great example is a supine hamstring stretch with a bent knee and small ankle movements like plantar flexion, dorsiflexion, and rotation to gently mobilize the nerve pathway. Third, shift your focus to hip and core stability. Strengthening the glutes, hamstrings, and abdominal muscles can help support the pelvis and spine, which can in turn reduce irritation of the nerve. Fourth, teach in Interoception help students tune into their body signals. Remind them that any sharp burning electric or tingling sensations are signs that they need to stop and modify. Okay. And finally know when to refer out. As yoga teachers, we are not medical professionals, and if a student is experiencing persistent or worsening symptoms, it's essential that they seek evaluation from a physical therapist or a doctor. Here's why this is important for you as a yoga teacher. When students come to class with pain, they are not just looking for movement. They're looking for understanding, safety and relief. If you continue to offer the same poses and hope they help, you might unknowingly be reinforcing discomfort or doing harm. But when you understand the nervous system, the difference between muscles and nerves and how pain works, you become a much more powerful guide. Being a yoga teacher who understands sciatica means you can support your students more effectively and confidently. You can adapt classes with care, and you can remove pigeon pose from your sequence today and maybe even explain why you're not teaching it and offer them something just as nourishing. Instead, sciatica is complex, but it's something every yoga teacher should understand, especially if you're committed to offering safe, effective, and inclusive classes. For more support around adapting yoga for pain and injuries, check the show notes and inquire about working with me. Let's jump on a strategy. Call and discuss your current needs and ways I can help you write. Now remember, teaching yoga is not about doing more and more stretching. It's about teaching smarter, more informed movement. Understanding anatomy, biomechanics, and the effects yoga oana have on the body helps you help your students. If you've been enjoying these episodes, I know that you're a yoga teacher who's ready to teach with more intention and less fear around injuries. let's continue to raise the bar for how yoga supports real bodies in real life. It's so important for us to have this conversation so that you remember that students of all shapes, sizes, alignment, and abilities come to your classes and you can serve all of them. You know that my goal is for you to love the yoga teaching life. It's important to understand movement and the issues students come to your classes with. Subscribe to the podcast so you're always in the know when a new episode drops. And share it with another yoga teacher who you think would love to be in on these conversations. And finally, thank you for helping to spread the word about this podcast. Alright, that's it for now. Bye.