What Is Nerve Flossing?
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Nerve Flossing for Piriformis Syndrome and Sciatica

Conditions like Piriformis and sciatica irritate your nerves, make it hard to do some everyday activities like sitting down and cause pain in your legs, feet and more. Lucky for you, there are various physiotherapy and chiropractic exercises that you can quickly learn and do at home, like nerve flossing exercises. But first, let's understand what nerve flossing is, who performs it and its purpose.
Nerve Flossing
Nerve flossing is a set of easy chiropractic exercises that targets various nerves in your body. These exercises have the objective of gently mobilizing irritated or compressed nerves. Furthermore, you don't require any exercise material to do these exercises.
By doing so, nerve flossing enables a range of motion and relieves muscle pain, especially in conditions like piriformis syndrome and sciatica. It also builds up general flexibility and strength and helps in reducing damage to the nerves. Some people combine nerve flossing with other natural remedies for nerve pain or treatment options.
Who Performs Nerve Flossing

Both chiropractors and physiotherapists are caregivers who use nerve flossing to help patients. However, they have differences; a chiropractor concentrates more on your nerves, spinal joint or disc, and muscles. In contrast, physiotherapy sessions focuses on the spine, thigh and buttocks' soft tissues.
Common Conditions That Nerve Flossing Treat
As mentioned earlier, nerve flossing treats two common conditions, sciatica and Piriformis:
Sciatica
The sciatic is a nerve running from your lower back to the legs and toes. Irritating the sciatic nerve causes sciatica causing pain in the feet, back, calves and legs. Nerve flossing improves motion and reduces pain in the hip area.
Nerve flossing exercises for sciatica include gluteal stretch, back extension, knee-to-chest, hamstring and mobilizing stretches.
Piriformis
The Piriformis is a connective muscle joining the spine and upper leg and placed too close to the sciatic nerve. When you irritate the sciatic nerve, you may develop piriformis syndrome causing pain to the hips, buttocks and hamstrings. You may find walking upstairs or sitting down challenging if you build piriformis syndrome.
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome irritates your brachial plexus nerves in the shoulder and upper arm. Its symptoms include weakness, numbness and pain in your chest, arms and neck.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome causes pain in your wrist area. It mainly affects people who perform repeated actions with finger or hand movements. Other diagnoses requiring nerve flossing include:
- Herniated disc
- Carval radiculopathy
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Cubital tunnel syndrome
- Muscles strains
- Tarsal tunnel syndrome
- After surgery
Book for a Chiropractic and Physiotherapist at Barrie today
We know that joints, muscles, and nerves can impact your immune system when left untreated. Please book an appointment with one of our physiotherapists and chiropractors at myodynamic to guide you for nerve pains. Our physiotherapy treatment plans focus on our patients to ensure maximum recovery and improved quality of life.
The Bottom-Line
Please remember that nerve flossing is an effective physiotherapy when you combine its physical activities. While you can perform nerve flossing exercises at home, consult with your chiropractors before trying anything. When you develop any pain during nerve flossing exercises, stop for a while and talk to our physiotherapist too.