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Walking with sciatica can be very painful but it’s vitality important you try and get some element of stretching your legs and getting regular mobility and exercise into your day. Going for a walk is such a great way to get that exercise. Just a few of the benefits of walking for sciatica are:

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I know what it feels like to experience pain when walking, and I mean agonising pain! If you didn’t read my story on being on the verge of tears when I was walking around Rome you can read about it here on the Sciatica Help homepage.

My main recommendation is that – if you know your sciatica gets worse when you walk – then it’s much better to pre-empt that and try to prevent the pain getting worse in the first place. In engineering, manufacturing and industrial environments they refer to it as preventative maintenance, looking after a piece of equipment now to avoid problems later.

Once you’ve noticed your pain has increased then you’ve entered the dreaded pain spiral (see my blog “Why does my sciatic nerve hurt”?) Much better to take action before you start feeling your pain has increased.

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I can normally manage a couple of hours walking before walking becomes too painful, I recently did 4 hours in the Malvern Hills! The biggest help to allow me to do this is a daily intake of CBD Oil which has made a dramatic difference in relieving my sciatica, you can read about it here “How CBD oil reduced my sciatica”.

• Before going for a walk I’ll take a few booster drops of CBD oil and may rub some CBD balm on my back.
• If it’s a long walk (2 hours+) I’ll take some CBD oil capsules and balm out with me to use later.
• I’ll take 2 ibuprofen tablets.
• Sometimes I might take 2 paracetamol or co-codamol instead.
• I’ll rub some strong ibuprofen gel on my back along with taking the paracetamol.
• Do some decompression stretches before and during the walk to expand the space between my vertebral discs and create space for my sciatic nerve. See my blog “How do I get my sciatic nerve to stop hurting”?
• If doing stuff around the house, garden or if it’s a short walk I’ll put a flexible ice gel pack on my back under my clothes.
• I’ll bring a small tube of ice gel or an ice patch to use if it’s a longer walk.

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• Experiment with your walking pace. Some people find walking faster is less painful, others prefer slower, mix it up to see which is best for you.
• Shorten your stride. Stride length is a big factor that can affect your sciatica. Many people find a long stride more painful so similar to varying your walking pace mix up your stride to see what feels less painful.
• Stand tall with a good posture, try not to slouch or let your head tilt forward. Keep your eye line level focussing on the horizon.
• Use a walking stick or cane to encourage and support proper posture – make sure the stick is the right height so you’re not leaning or crouching. They’re also great for relieving some of the pressure on your lower spine by transferring some of your weight through your arms. 
• Remember to factor in your distances. If you haven’t been out for a walk for awhile you don’t want to get 20 minutes from your house and realise you’re in agony. You’ve then got a 20 minute walk back! Better to do a few short loops around the block or up to the shops and back to help determine your limits.

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I’ve scattered a few product images throughout this article that I recommend to help reduce the pain from sciatica when walking. If you click on the image you’ll be taken to the Amazon page for that product. Don’t worry – you pay the same price as if you’d gone straight to Amazon yourself.   

You can check all the recommendations we give here on the sciatica home treatments page. There’s even a page dedicated to the importance of having the correct footwear and what a massive difference this could make, have a look here – Footwear and Sciatica. There’s also a great BBC article on the benefits of walking here.

If you have any tips on how to reduce sciatic pain it would be great to hear your story. Please get in touch through the contact page.

“When told by my GP that nothing could be done for my sciatica I doubted anything would ever help. I now lead a pain free life”!