You can treat both types of sciatica with sciatic nerve stretches. You want to stretch the muscles that are irritating your sciatic nerve. But you have to be careful about choosing the right stretches and exercises. Some may have no effect on your pain, while others could make it worse.

One easy sciatica cure provides immediate relief for many sufferers. In order to complete this stretching exercise you need to get down on the floor and lie flat on your back. Take the leg that hurts and cross it over your opposite leg so that one knee rests on the other. Lastly, reach around, grab hold of your knees and pull them towards you. Stretching should feel good so stop if you experience pain. Hold this position for a few seconds and release, then repeat this several times a couple times a day and see if it helps the pain.

But, do not think that alleviating the ache will cure the actual cause.

Ideally, your personal sciatica plan should be based on your individual imbalances. Almost everyone is walking around with one or more of these dysfunctions. Most people don't even realize it, because they are conditions that build up over time due to daily life, our work habits, sitting in front of a computer all day, etc.

When looking for relief from sciatica, it is very important to not just treat the pain but also to deal with these muscle imbalances. Otherwise, your sciatica symptoms will eventually return. In this case, fixing the pain does not fix the problem; you have to correct the deeper level imbalances that are creating all the problems in the first place.

A good sciatica treatment program will help you identify which muscle imbalances you have and then prescribe a set of specific sciatic nerve stretches that are unique to you and your condition.