Is Biking Good for Sciatica? Everything You Need to Know 

According to Cleveland Clinic, upwards of 40 percent of the United States population has sciatica, making it an incredibly common condition. With painful symptoms such as pins and needles sensations and lower-body aches, you might look for any relief you can get. Can biking improve your sciatic pain or make it worse?

Biking can relieve mild sciatic pain, but only casual cycling and not strenuous riding like mountain biking. You should always speak to your doctor before you incorporate new exercises into your routine.

In this extensive guide, I’ll explain where sciatic pain comes from and what cycling’s effect on sciatica is. If your doctor gives you the green light to ride a bike for your pain, I’ll provide some tips and advice that will come in handy.

After reading this post, you’ll understand everything you need to know about cycling and sciatica.

What Is Sciatica? Understanding the Symptoms 

Although you live with it every single day and might have done so for years, those who have been newly diagnosed with sciatica or have a loved one with sciatica might not quite understand the ins and outs of sciatica. 

This section will be very explanatory. 

What Is Sciatica?

Sciatica affects, appropriately enough, the sciatic nerve, which starts around the glutes or buttocks. 

The size of the sciatic nerve (no other nerve is as thick or long) and its multiple nerve roots (five in total) mean that the sciatic nerve spreads through the hips, buttocks, and down both of your legs.

The sciatic nerve also connects to nearby nerves in the toes, feet, and legs. 

Sciatica Causes

Exactly what causes sciatica? Having certain conditions can contribute to your risk of being diagnosed with this disease, including the following:

• Cauda equina syndrome: Although a rare condition, those with cauda equina syndrome have weaker nerves near the end of their spinal cord. Both sciatica and cauda equina syndrome have overlapping symptoms.
• Piriformis syndrome: The piriformis muscle is a smaller muscle within the buttocks. If you have piriformis syndrome, then this muscle regularly spasms, which in turn affects the sciatic nerve. 
• Spinal tumors: Lumbar spinal canal tumors especially can directly impact the sciatic nerve, even compressing it.
• Osteoarthritis: While being osteoarthritic increases your risk factor for sciatica, the condition can also lead to sciatica outright. Bone spurs might develop that press on your lower back nerves.
• Spondylolisthesis: When the spinal vertebra slips out of place, the nerves have a thinner canal to move through. Having spondylolisthesis can cause pinching of the sciatic nerve. 
• Spinal stenosis: The spinal cord becomes narrow when you have spinal stenosis, limiting where the nerves and the spinal cord itself can go.
• Degenerative disc disease: When spinal vertebrae naturally wear down during degenerative disc disease, the nerves lose their full passageways. Some nerves can become pinched, including the sciatic nerve.
• Slipped disc: A slipped or herniated disc applies nerve root pressure. Of all the causes of sciatica, this is the most common. 

Although sciatica is caused by damage to the sciatic nerve, certain lifestyle factors, conditions, and hereditary factors put you at an increased risk of developing sciatica. 

They are as follows:

• Smoking: The nicotine in cigarettes can contribute to the breakdown of discs in the vertebrae; bones and spinal tissue are also weakened.
• Sedentary lifestyle: A sedentary lifestyle can weaken your muscles, which might increase your risk of sciatica.
• Osteoarthritis: If you’ve been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, the nerve and spinal damage from this condition might make you likelier to develop sciatica.
• Diabetes: Diabetics could have nerve damage if they don’t manage their condition, and such damage could cause sciatica.
• Lack of form while exercising: When you lift weights or exercise at the gym, do you follow the proper form? Doing so spares your sciatic nerve and thus can help you ward off sciatica.
• Being overweight: Those who are overweight have more pressure on the spine, muscles, and joints. This could in turn lead to sciatica in some people. 

The Symptoms of Sciatica

If you’ve been diagnosed with sciatica by a medical professional, then these symptoms will seem familiar to you:

• Potential bladder and bowel control loss 
• Tingling sensation or pins and needles feeling in the feet, toes, and legs
• Pain that might get worse if you don’t move as well as when you do move
• Weakness in the feet, legs, buttocks, and lower back

Sciatic pain usually affects the legs, buttocks, and lower back. The pain can travel down one or both legs, although the latter is considered far rarer.

The pain is usually anything but dull and usually occurs as jolts or sharp, stabbing sensations. If not a stabbing feeling, then sciatic pain can feel electric or burning to some sufferers. 

Some people with sciatica have on-and-off pain while others deal with the pain and discomfort constantly. 

Is Sciatica Curable? Current Treatments 

Sciatica has many treatments depending on how severe it is.

For mild cases, stretching, taking NSAIDs or other over-the-counter medications, and using ice and heat treatments might suffice.

Spinal corticosteroid injections, physical therapy, and prescription medications might put a dent in more severe sciatica. Surgery is another possible treatment. 

Is Biking Good for Sciatica? 

Now that you better understand sciatica, it’s time to talk about whether riding a bike is going to help with your sciatic pain. 

Alternative therapies for sciatica can include exercises like biking as well as treatments such as acupuncture and chiropractic work. 

Now, I must be clear above all else. While cycling can help with mild sciatica, you must choose a less strenuous type of riding and follow proper form. Otherwise, you will worsen your sciatica.

If you hunch and ride a bike for hours, the positioning of your coccyx on the bike seat can apply even more pressure to your sciatic nerve. 

Not only will you deal with that terrible shooting or stabbing pain, but your lower half can go numb while you’re riding. 

You’re now at a much higher risk of falling off on your bike or crashing. If you get hurt when cycling, then your sciatic pain will only be compounded. 

You also need a bike seat and a bike that’s sized to your body when cycling for sciatica. If the seat is too small, it will apply unnecessary pressure to the coccyx, which you already know will affect your sciatic nerve. 

I want to go back and address a point from that bolded paragraph above, and that’s the mildness of your sciatica. 

If you have mild enough sciatica that your doctor recommends treating it with NSAIDs and ice packs, then you’re a good candidate for cycling for your sciatic pain.

Even if you do physical therapy and are on prescription medications to alleviate the pain, then you could still possibly use cycling as a means of getting some relief from your sciatica. 

If you have severe sciatic pain that’s constant and exacerbated by strenuous activity, then you should not cycle to lessen your pain. You should see a physical therapist and do the exercises they recommend instead. 

The intensity of your sciatic pain is not something you should assess for yourself. You should see your doctor and ask if they think it’s safe for you to ride a bike.

If they say no, then don’t do it, even if you believe it will help. 

Tips for Bike Riding for Sciatica Pain

To wrap up, I want to share some tips to ensure you always ride your bike safely and (hopefully) painlessly with sciatica.  

Buy a Bike That’s Sized for You

This is a huge point if you want to reduce your sciatic pain when cycling. 

As I talked about in the section above, if your bike is too small, you’re going to hunch over. That will increase sciatic pain as your coccyx induces more pressure on the sciatic nerve.

If you sit on a bike that’s too large, then you’re going to strain to reach the handlebars and the pedals. This can make your already achy lower back, legs, and buttocks hurt even more. You could also strain muscles which could lead to sciatica pain. 

You can use your height as a gauge to determine the right bike size for you. Here’s some handy info.

• If you’re 4’11” to 5’3”, your bike should be 13 to 15 inches
• If you’re 5’3” to 5’7”, your bike should be 15 to 16 inches
• If you’re 5’7” to 5’11”, your bike should be 16 to 17 inches
• If you’re 6’0” to 6’2”, your bike should be 17 to 19 inches
• If you’re 6’2” to 6’4”, your bike should be 19 to 21 inches
• If you’re over 6’4”, your bike should be over 21 inches

You can also use your height to choose a bike frame size. Here’s the correlating info if you’re interested.

• If you’re 4’8” to 5’1”, your frame size should be XXS
• If you’re 5’1” to 5’4”, your fame size should be XS
• If you’re 5’4” to 5’7”, your frame size should be small
• If you’re 5’7” to 5’10”, your frame size should be medium
• If you’re 5’10” to 6’0”, your frame size should be large
• If you’re 6’0” to 6’3”, your frame size should be XL
• If you’re 6’3” to 6’5”, your frame size should be XXL
• If you’re 6’5” to 6’9”, your frame size should be XXXL

Get a Big Enough Bike Seat

The frame size of your bicycle is one thing. If the seat is too small for you, then the rate of pressure you’ll feel on your coccyx will be severe. 

That will leave you with sciatic pain and numbness shortly after you set off on your cycling journey.

In a recent post on the blog, I shared some methods for measuring the bike seat size you need. 

Essentially, you can sit on some cardboard or aluminum on a staircase and move your feet like you’re pedaling.

Then measure the imprints, as this is where your sit bones go on the bike seat. Select the proper bike seat size from there. 

Maintain Proper Posture on the Bike

Your posture is everything when cycling, especially if you want to limit the nerve pain and pressure you’re putting on your body when sitting on the bike.

So what does proper bike posture look like? Your shoulders should be relaxed, your body upright, and your elbows bent.

Your spine should be in a neutral position, not bent forward. Your knees shouldn’t be over your feet when you pedal. 

Ride in Short Increments at First, Then Increase the Time as You Want

When you learn to do something new, it’s often likened to learning how to ride a bike. That too takes time and patience, both patience with yourself and patience with the process.

Since you have sciatica, I highly doubt you want to gear up for a cycling marathon anyway, but you can’t expect that you’ll be able to ride half a mile in one day. It’s just not feasible.

You’re best off keeping your expectations realistic and setting easy-to-achieve goals. 

Sciatica might hold you back from long-distance riding, and that’s something you could have to contend with.

Either way, whether you ever get to that point or not, you want to start with short rides initially. 

If you cycle for five minutes, it still counts. You can gradually pick up the pace until you’re bike riding or 10 minutes or 15 minutes. 

Go for as long as you’re comfortable and your doctor allows. 

Listen to Your Body

Your body is your compass. 

Although if you always have sciatic pain, it can be hard to tell which way that compass is pointing, for those whose pain is more intermittent, it’s all the more important to pay attention.

When you begin having stabbing pain and numbness out of nowhere, that’s a clear-cut sign from your body that you need to stop cycling for the day.

Take a break, and not just for a few hours, either, but at least several days. When your pain levels are better, you can hop back on the bike and try again. 

Avoid Riding in the Cold

Whether you get into bike riding or other forms of exercise to alleviate your sciatic symptoms, it’s important to stay out of the cold. 

Cold weather is sciatica’s biggest enemy, or one of its biggest enemies, at least. 

The freezing temperatures cause your spinal muscles to become tight. The barometric pressure changes can also cause or worsen sciatic pain.

If you must go cycling, at least use an indoor stationary bike. 

Get Permission from Your Doctor 

Just one more time, I want to reiterate the importance of only cycling if your doctor says it’s alright to do so.

Only you know your sciatic pain, but the only one who knows it better or just as well as you is your doctor. They may have diagnosed you, and they’re the one actively treating you now.

They’ll be able to look at your medical history, your current pain levels, and the treatments you’re on and make an educated decision about whether riding a bike is safe for you.

Even if you have only mild sciatica and your doctor doesn’t want you on a bike, then you shouldn’t ride a bike. It doesn’t matter if it’s an outdoor bike or an indoor bike; stay off. 

Conclusion 

Riding a bike can be a double-edged sword for sciatica pain sufferers. On the one hand, if you have mild sciatica, cycling may be able to reduce the lower-body pain and numbness you experience.

On the other hand, the pressure of the bike seat on your coccyx can travel right to the sciatic nerve and worsen pain, especially if your bike isn’t sized properly, the seat is too small, or you’re not maintaining the proper posture.

At the end of the day, it’s not your choice whether you should cycle for sciatic pain, but your doctor’s. Always respect their word.