The 5 best stretches for sciatica pain, according to physical therapists

By helitra·November 11, 2026·12 min read

After sitting through a meeting that could’ve been an email, you finally get up from your desk, only to feel a sharp pain shoot from your butt all the way down your leg. Then your foot decides to get in on the action with some tingling, too. You’ve barely made it across the room, and you’re already mentally scrolling through every stretch you’ve ever done, hoping one of them might offer relief.

That could be sciatica, and while stretching might seem like the obvious solution, your sciatic nerve isn’t necessarily going to appreciate you pulling and twisting every which way. Depending on what’s causing the irritation, certain movements can actually make things worse, and considering you’re already having a pretty lousy time, choosing the wrong stretch is the last thing you need.

Fortunately, sciatica often improves within several weeks, and there are ways to make the recovery period a lot more comfortable. We spoke with physical therapists Carrie Lamb and Anthony Pavlich, as well as two orthopedic spine surgeons, to find out which stretches for sciatica might be worth trying, how to do them safely, and when your back really deserves a visit to a professional.

So what is sciatica, exactly?

Your sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in your body, running from nerve roots in your lower back through your butt and down each leg. When those nerve roots become irritated or compressed, pain often radiates to the leg or foot. This is what differentiates sciatica from just another back ache. Dr. Jeremy S. Smith, chief of spine surgery at Hoag Orthopedic Institute, explains, “Ordinary back pain usually stays in the back and comes from the muscles, joints, or discs. Sciatica is nerve pain that goes into the buttock and leg.”

The pain associated with sciatica often feels like a burning sensation, a sudden electric jolt or something shooting all the way down to your foot. You may even get some numbness and tingling thrown in. And most confusingly of all, your back might barely hurt at all.

As for what’s irritating the nerve, there are a few possibilities:

A herniated disc. When a disc tears or leaks material that presses against a nerve root; this is most often associated with younger or middle-aged adults
Spinal stenosis. When the space around the nerves narrows and compresses the sciatic nerve; this is more common in older adults
Piriformis syndrome. When the piriformis muscle that’s located deep in your butt is inflamed and irritates the sciatic nerve; uncommon

Knowing which one you’re dealing with matters, especially when you start stretching, since two people with seemingly identical symptoms could react differently to the same movement. “Patients with spinal stenosis often feel better bending forward because it opens up the spinal canal,” says Smith. “Patients with a disc herniation often feel better arching back or lying on their stomach because it can take pressure off the nerve.”

Thankfully, Smith notes that most cases improve within roughly six to 12 weeks, and getting some professional guidance can make a difference along the way. There’s some research to back this up, though the benefit was modest. One randomized trial of 220 adults ages 18 to 60 with recent-onset sciatica found greater improvements in disability among people who received four weeks of early physical therapy (including exercise and hands-on treatment) than among those who received education and advice alone.

5 physical therapist-recommended stretches for sciatica

There’s no shortage of exercises for sciatica online, but before you grab a yoga mat and start experimenting, Lamb has a pretty useful way to check in with yourself to assess whether a particular movement is helping.

“A good rule of thumb to follow is to monitor how low the pain goes,” she says.

Say you’re feeling pain from your hip all the way down to your toes. You try a stretch, and afterward the discomfort only reaches your knee. Lamb says that’s a good indicator the stretch is helpful. However, the opposite is true too. If the pain originally stopped around your knee and after a stretch you’re suddenly feeling it in your foot, whatever you just did probably isn’t agreeing with your sciatic nerve.

If the sciatica is new and particularly intense, especially when everyday movements or even coughing and sneezing make it worse, Lamb recommends checking in with a physical therapist before trying to stretch things out on your own.

As for the exercises below, she generally suggests holding each position for 30 to 60 seconds, working up to about two minutes per muscle group, two to three times daily. That comes out to approximately two to four holds per stretch each session. There’s no need to work through the entire lineup — just stick with whichever movements feel comfortable for your symptoms.

1. Double knee-to-chest stretch

For people who get some relief from curling forward, Lamb recommends starting with the double knee-to-chest stretch, which lets you work on your lower back without having to stand up and bend over.

“Lying on the back tends to be less stressful than standing and bending over,” she explains.

It’s an option for people dealing with lower-back stiffness or certain cases of spinal stenosis, provided the position feels comfortable.

How to do it:

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, and use a pillow to support your head if needed.
Bring one knee toward your chest, then bring in the other.
Hold your knees with your hands and gently draw them closer until you feel a stretch across your lower back. Keep your head and shoulders on the floor.
Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, release and repeat until you’ve stretched for about two minutes.

Keep in mind: There’s no need to pull your knees as close to your face as humanly possible. If bringing both legs in feels uncomfortable, Lamb suggests trying just one. And for anyone who’s especially flexible and barely feels anything, slipping a small folded towel beneath the tailbone can make the stretch more noticeable.

2. Side-lying torso twist

You can also introduce a little rotation to your lower back without having to get back on your feet. Lamb recommends this one for certain people dealing with stiffness, particularly if curling forward eases their symptoms.

How to do it:

Lie on your side, with whichever side is bothering you facing upward.
Straighten your bottom leg and bring your top knee toward your chest.
Gently rotate your top shoulder backward until you feel a stretch in your hip or lower back.
Let your bent knee rest on the floor or a pillow, depending on what feels most comfortable.
Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, and repeat until you’ve accumulated approximately two minutes.

Keep in mind: You don’t need to twist until your shoulder touches the floor. Even a small rotation might be plenty, so pay attention to how your back and leg respond rather than seeing how far you can turn. If bringing your knee toward your chest makes the pain worse, Lamb recommends skipping this one.

3. Piriformis stretch

One possible culprit for sciatica is the piriformis, a muscle that sits close to the sciatic nerve and can cause some pretty unpleasant discomfort when it becomes irritated.

Lamb recommends this stretch for people whose hips feel tight or whose butt aches when standing, particularly once the more intense symptoms have settled. It requires a little coordination with your hands, but you should be able to settle into the position comfortably.

How to do it:

Lie on your back with a pillow beneath your head.
Bring your right knee toward your chest, holding the top of it with your right hand.
Guide that knee in toward your midline until it’s roughly lined up with your nose.
Keeping your knee in position, reach your left hand to your right ankle and gently draw the ankle across your left thigh and in toward your body until you feel a stretch deep in your hip.
Keep your lower back affixed to the floor — don’t let your hips roll or lift as you draw your ankle in.
Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, repeating until you’ve stretched for about two minutes. Switch legs and hands if your symptoms are on the left.

Keep in mind: Your opposite leg can stay bent or straight, depending on what’s comfortable. Straightening it makes the stretch more intense, though that doesn’t automatically make it more effective. Lamb has a helpful way of judging whether you’re pushing things too far: “You need to be able to feel some easing happening within the stretch or you may be overdoing it.”

And if that deep hip stretch turns into pain shooting down your leg, call it quits.

4. Supported standing quad stretch

Between working at a desk, sitting in traffic and spending whatever time is left on the couch, your hips and thighs can end up doing an awful lot of sitting. This standing stretch gives the muscles along the front of your thigh some attention, and having a chair or wall nearby means you won’t have to worry about your balance while doing it.

Lamb emphasizes keeping your knee pointed down and your pelvis gently tucked, which helps prevent you from putting extra strain on your lower back.

How to do it:

Stand beside a sturdy chair or wall and hold on for support.
Bend the knee of the leg you’re stretching, bringing your foot behind you.
Reach back and hold that foot, keeping your bent knee pointed toward the floor.
Gently tuck your pelvis underneath you until you feel a stretch along the front of your thigh.
Hold for 30 to 60 seconds and repeat until you’ve stretched for approximately two minutes on that side.

Keep in mind: If you can’t comfortably reach your foot, Lamb suggests resting the top of it on a chair seat or the arm of your couch behind you. You may also want to use a stretch strap or a belt to hold your foot at a level that’s comfortable without sacrificing form. Slightly bending your standing knee can also increase the stretch, but you should be mindful of your lower back, especially if arching backward tends to aggravate your symptoms.

5. Prone press-up

If sitting or bending forward makes your sciatica worse, deliberately arching your back might sound like a questionable idea. But according to Pavlich, this exercise for sciatica can help some people with disc-related pain, particularly those who feel better when standing or walking. Just keep in mind it may not be appropriate for anyone with sciatica related to spinal stenosis, says Smith.

The prone press-up, sometimes called a McKenzie press-up, gently extends your lower back without requiring you to get off the floor.

How to do it:

Lie face down with your hands beneath your shoulders, as though you’re getting ready to do a push-up.
Keep your hips and pelvis relaxed against the floor while slowly pressing your upper body upward with your arms.
Allow your lower back to arch naturally, stopping wherever feels comfortable without increasing your leg symptoms.
Hold for one to two seconds, then slowly lower yourself back down. Repeat 10 times.

Keep in mind: You don’t need to push yourself into a full arch, especially on your first attempt. If the stretch feels too intense, Pavlich suggests starting on your forearms, similar to a half cobra, with a recommendation of 10 repetitions every two to three hours while symptoms are active, gradually reducing to two or three sessions daily as things improve.

What else can help relieve sciatica at home?

When your back and leg are giving you trouble, time lounging on the couch probably sounds like a pretty appealing plan of attack. But Lamb has seen how quickly people can become reluctant to move at all when they’re hurting. “Often, when people hurt their body goes into lockdown mode and they stop moving,” she says.

That’s one reason she’s a big fan of walking, even if you’re initially just taking a few laps around your living room. Some people find it easier to get around while leaning on a shopping cart or using a walker for support, and both Smith and Dr. Hooman Melamed, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon, recommend staying gently active rather than spending entire days in bed.

Of course, staying active doesn’t mean you have to power through a flare-up. Take a break lying down when you need to, or see whether a heating pad or ice pack makes you more comfortable. And if sitting tends to aggravate your symptoms, try switching positions throughout the day instead of staying planted at your desk for hours.

From back braces to massage tools, there are plenty of products out there for back discomfort. Lamb and Pavlich have a few suggestions for making stretches easier and working on tight muscles, without requiring you to turn your living room into your very own at-home physical therapy studio.

OPTP; background generated/edited with ChatGPT

The OPTP Stretch Out Strap is one of Lamb’s favorites for people with tight muscles who have trouble relaxing into certain stretches. Its multiple loops give you different places to grip, which can make assisted hip stretches easier when reaching is difficult.

Amazon; background generated/edited with ChatGPT

For tight muscles around your hips and butt, Pavlich recommends using a massage ball — like the Coniflor Deep Tissue Massage Ball — against a wall to gently work tight glute muscles. Its compact foam design lets you work on smaller areas without the unforgiving pressure of a hard lacrosse ball.

Amazon; background generated/edited with ChatGPT

Getting to the hip-flexor muscles on your own is easier said than done, which is why Lamb likes the Thrival Bullseye.

“I like the adjustability of this model to accommodate different pelvic widths,” she says.

The tool is designed to apply pressure on one or both sides, though Lamb warns that the sensation can be pretty intense. Given the sensitivity of the area, it’s worth having a physical therapist demonstrate how to use it before giving it a shot yourself.

When should you stop stretching and see a doctor?

When you’re hurting, it’s tempting to think stretching a little harder or holding a position longer will finally give you some relief. Melamed has seen plenty of patients take that approach, often without getting the results they were hoping for. “I’ve had patients try to work through sharp pain because they think stretching will help but it might be making things worse,” he says.

If a movement sends pain farther down your leg, stop immediately, with Lamb also recommending staying away from any stretches that leave your symptoms worse for more than about 20 to 30 minutes afterward.

And listen to Smith, who advises making an appointment for worsening pain, new leg weakness, foot drop or symptoms that started after a fall or injury. Fever, unexplained weight loss or a history of cancer also warrant prompt medical evaluation, and if the pain hasn’t improved after a few weeks, a check-in is likely worth it.

There are a few symptoms that require more urgent attention, like trouble controlling your bladder or bowels, numbness around your groin or inner thighs, or significant weakness in one or both legs (which can indicate cauda equina syndrome, a serious compression of nerves at the base of your spine). “It requires emergency evaluation, because delays in treatment can lead to permanent loss of function,” Smith warns.

Finding comfortable ways to move can make recovery a little easier. And if you’re spending more time trying to figure out why something hurts than actually feeling better, it’s probably worth getting some professional help.

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