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Why does my bum cheek hurt? Posture and sciatica.
Why does my bum cheek hurt? have you considered your posture? Posture and sciatica are linked particularly by poor body alignment causing muscle tension that can result in increased irritation, inflammation, discomfort and pain. Awkward sitting, poor stance, incorrect lifting and work station positioning can all make a big difference to your sciatica.
What is posture?
Posture refers to the way we hold our bodies and position ourselves. There is static posture which is how we hold ourselves while generally being still e.g. sitting, standing and lying down and dynamic posture e.g. walking, bending or working at a desk – there’s a great You Tube video here on work station placement and posture that I’d really recommend a watch.
Poor posture can lead to many problems.
When you’re suffering with sciatica the last thing you need is more ailments! Poor posture can affect many parts of the body leading to pains in the neck, shoulder, hip and back! Anything then that helps realign our bodies so they naturally adopt a posture that’s less prone to discomfort will add to our well being leaving us with more mental energy to help us focus on beating our sciatica.
How can posture improve my sciatica?
The main cause of sciatica is when your sciatic nerve, either in the lower back or the piriformis muscle, gets impinged and so the space available for its normal function becomes restricted. This causes irritation to the nerve and you begin to enter what I call a pain spiral (restriction, irritation, inflammation, pain and so on). So anything that can expand the space available for the sciatic nerve (or stop its restriction) will help reduce the amount of irritation the nerve feels. A great posture technique my physiotherapist showed me a few years ago was, when standing, to rotate my hips slightly up and forward. This caused the alignment in my lower back to change allowing more space for my sciatic nerve, resulting in less pain.
What often happens when people suffer pain in a certain area is that they shift their body position to alleviate some of the hurt. Unfortunately this can cause issues elsewhere in your body such as misalignment of joints etc. This can lead to further problems. By assuming a correct posture and position you help eliminate these further issues developing.
Posture and sciatica. Where to start?
There’s loads of free advice and articles out there but a great starting place to learn more about how you can improve your posture is on the NHS website where they have a guide to common posture mistakes and fixes.
What are the best aides to help with posture?
Here then are some of our recommended posture products for people who ask “why does my bum cheek hurt”?
Highly recommended: Back Brace and Support
What users said: “For my back pain this has worked wonders”.
“If you suffer from sciatica this is a must buy”.
Highly recommended: Posture Corrector and Back Support
What users said: “The results from using this has been amazing for my stenosis”.
“This has lessened the hurt I feel in my lower back”.
Highly recommended: Knee Pillow for Correct Alignment
What users said: “I suffer with sciatica quite severely. Using this at night means I suffer less in the day”.
“Since using this I don’t notice my sciatica as much in the morning”.
Highly recommended: Adjustable Floor Chair
What users said: “Using this over my normal chair and my back pain is better”.
“This has helped with the pain in my back. Love it”.
Highly recommended: Seat Cushion for Sciatica Relief and Healthy Posture
What users said: “This completely stopped my sciatica while driving”.
“For my back problems this has been a life saver”.
Highly recommended: Sit Stand Mobile Desk
What users said: “I can sit or stand as I like which for my posture is great”.
“Perfect for what I wanted”.
Highly recommended: Lumbar Cushion and Back Support
What users said: “The main reason I got this was for my sciatica. It’s been tremendous”.
“I have a herniated disc and this really helps with my posture”.
Highly recommended: Strengthen Your Back & Improve Posture
What users said: “Easy to follow”.
“Practical advive on how to help back pain”.
Highly recommended: McKenzie Original Airback Lumbar Support
What users said: “Excellent for sciatica sufferers”.
“Because it’s inflatable you can get it to the perfect size”.
Highly recommended: Kneeling Chair
What users said: “Naturally improved my posture”.
“I highly recommend this for office jobs”.
Highly recommended: Saddle Stool
What users said: “Brilliant for maintaining good posture”.
“Takes the back ache out of certain jobs”.
Highly recommended: Adjustable Wedge Pillow
What users said: “Sleeping flat with my sciatica is painful. This helps me get into a better position”.
“This eases my back pain and allows me better sleep”.
Highly recommended: The Posture Pain Fix Book
What users said: “Easily understood with great drawings”.
“Great that it also shows you illustrations of incorrect posture”.
Highly recommended: Height Adjustable Foot Rest
What users said: “If you’re not too tall this is brilliant”.
“Great that you can adjust the height. Since using this my posture has improved”.
If you have any tips for improving posture it would be great if you could share them with us by getting in touch through the contact page.
Please make sure you check out our other tips on the Remedies page below.