Gazette columnist and former Gladiator PANTHER aka HELEN O'REILLY, offers her tips on coping with sciatica

Hello Helen I have been using the gym on and off for about four years and am a fairly active, retired lady. However, I am having a lot of lower back pain but I also have severe cramp-like pains in my buttocks and thigh area.

Should I stop exercising until the pain goes away?

Thank you.

Pat, Hillingdon

Dear Pat You are showing the signs of sciatica. However, a quick trip to your doctor would be advisable to confirm this.

The sciatic nerve is the main nerve into the leg, which has been irritated in some way. The pain is usually caused where the nerves pass through and emerge from the lumbar vertebrae (the lower bones of the spine).

SYMPTOMS

In sciatica there is a pain down into the leg, which travels below the knee and may involve the foot. There may be numbness and there may be weakness of the lower leg muscles. These symptoms may come on their own, but are often combined with low back pain.

CAUSES

The most common cause of sciatica is a slipped disc - one of the cushions that separate the vertebrae. These discs allow for some flexibility between the bones of the spine, and also act as shock absorbers.

When we bend or twist, the pressures within the discs can be quite high. If you hold your arms out straight and try to carry something heavy, the pressure is even higher. The disc may press against the nerves or be squashed between the disc and the bone to cause severe pain.

There are other more serious reasons for sciatica, and your doctor may choose to send you for an MRI scan to rule these out. The scan is different from an X-ray as it also shows soft tissues.

Sciatica usually get better within a few days or weeks.

KEY POINTS

* Stay active - it is so much better to keep moving. [25a0] Avoid activities likely to put unnecessary strain on your back.

* Use anti-inflammatories or a painkiller, but never before or during exercise.

You must not take painkillers before exercise because you won't know if you have aggravated the problem or not. It is not a good idea to mask pain when exercising.

Painkillers should only be taken in consultation with a doctor.

SOME SIMPLE EXERCISES TO HELP ELEVIATE LOWER BACK PAIN

Exercise 1: Hip Rolls Stand with legs at shoulder-width apart. Tighten your stomach muscles and place your hands on your hips. Imagine you have a hula hoop and rotate your hips clockwise five times, then rotate them anti-clockwise five times. Relax and breathe naturally.

Exercise 2: Waist Twists

Place your hands relaxed by your sides and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Start swinging your arms gently, right then left. Be sure not to swing too hard, just in a relaxed easy motion.

Breathe naturally. Do 10 and then relax.

Exercise 3: Knee Bends

Do some gentle, relaxed knee bends. If you have knee or back problems, it would be better to place a chair in front of you to hold on to for balance.

Stand relaxed, feet in shoulder-width position and place your hands on the support. Tighten your stomach muscles and breathe out while bending your knees and going down as far as you can without falling or straining your knees. Inhale while standing up. Ensure your knees do not go over your toes - you should be able to see your toes when knee bending.

Do 10 of these.

All these exercises can be done in a few minutes. If you do them when you wake up and again before going to bed, you will be surprised how much they help.

Best of luck and I hope your pain eases - keep active and healthy as you don't want your back to seize up.

* For any of your fitness or nutrition questions, you can contact me by e-mail at enquiries@panthersgym.com  or visit www.panthersgym.com