low back pain and sciatica

is flexion exs.done or extensor strengtening exs done for patients with scitica(abdominals/ext)?

Yes these are done to improve core stability. but one needs to resolve the sciatica early. as you know there are many causes of sciatica and for some (eg. disc prolapse) flexion can actually worsen the problem.

in a nut shell one can encourage flexion and extension exs. but the question is; when should one do these exercises.

Hi,

Depending on the cause of pain there are several specific sciatica exercises... You can have a look at the "Sciatica Exercises" which i have posted earlier on.
For herniated discs, extension exercises that arch the spine backward rather than flexing it forward provides more relief. As for spinal stenosis,flexion exercises are encouraged more,coz it increases the size of the passageways and allows the irritation or impingement to resolve.

Cheers!!

Yes you are right. i saw the exercises yesterday. i browsed through them. i hope vinothrayan has seen them. thank you for the good contribution.

Yeah hopefully he does....it's ok no problem.:D

Cheers!!!

where did you post those sciatica exercises? I searched the forum but it came up blank.
Thanks

HI Clarett,
It is under General Physiotherapy Discussion not Ortho.There you can find the word document entitled "Sciatica Exercises". By the way prior to reading that kindly read the overview of the common causes of LBP so that you will understand it more before proceeding to the exercises itself.

:)

Goodluck!!

Regards,
Charlize29