What is sciatica? Sciatica is the official name given to a pain in the leg, foot, or buttock, brought on by a form of irritation to the sciatic nerve, the longest nerve in the entire body.

Sciatica is most commonly caused by a slipped disc in the lower back, some form of arthritis, or a pinched nerve. It begins with back pain, followed by calf or hamstring pain, and sometimes included numbness in the toes. Forms of sciatica, resulting from inflammation get better with time, healing themselves. However, bed rest is not the best way to treat sciatica. It is shown that remaining active and performing exercises that are not weight bearing can help. Given time, even herniated spinal discs can heal.

Treatment for sciatica is varied. It is only possible to find out what treatment is best for you by going to your doctor for an accurate diagnosis. Your doctor may order an MRI to conclude the exact cause of sciatic pain, although many physicians can determine the cause through physical examination alone.

Proper stretching and exercising, combined with over-the-counter pain medications can assist on the road to recovery. If your pain is not relieved by the milder pain medications, your doctor may prescribe a naroctic analgesic. However be advised that these medications can cause nausea, dizziness, and drowsiness, and may result in dependency if taken over long periods of time. In extreme cases, surgery may be required to remove fragment of the disc.

It is important to stay active. Do exercises that develop muscles in your back and stomach. This helps to stablilize your spine. It is also important to maintain a reasonable body weight. Ensure that you practice good posture, and sleep on a mattress that is neither too hard or too soft.
You should always discuss health matters with your physician, especially if you suffer progressive weakness, as this may constitute a medical emergency. The problem thought to be something easily treated may be a serious condition caused by the compression of the nerve roots in the lower end ofthe spinal canal, which requires immediate medical attention.

Even in the case of general fitness, training has its own well established rules. These rules refer to different aspects of doing the exercises dosing the number of series, repeating, intensity, rhythm, etc; but considering all these aspects is not enough. It is very important for the exercises to be performed correctly.

It is not easy at all for a beginner who has read something about fitness or to whom somebody described exactly how to do an exercise, to do it impeccably starting with the first sessions of training. Many times he has the impression that he does a movement correctly, even when he can see himself in a mirror from the gym. But only the experienced ‘eye’ of an instructor who has worked many programs for beginners is able to correct him effectively.

On the other hand, it is possible for the beginner to have the feeling that his modality of doing the exercises is wrong. If this is not the case, he needs, again, the instructor, to assure him his performance is correct. It is dangerous for the fitness practitioner’s health and body state to self-educate from the first sessions. There are many positions, angles, programs of the machines which could be unadvisable in different situations, determined by every person’s characteristics. Some examples of these particularities are deformations of the spine, old accidents, operations, limits of the mobility of the joints, etc.

Another advantage of working under the supervision of an instructor is a good choice of exercises, machines, movements, which helps avoiding any risk of accidents.
The role of the fitness instructor is not limited to working with beginners. Even the advanced might have the tendency to ‘cheat’ in doing some exercises or to introduce really difficult exercises, necessitating closer supervision. Also, an experienced sportsman might need, from time to time, a look ‘from the outside’, which could help him perfect his technique.

Another aspect closely related to the fitness trainer’s assistance is the conception of the training programs. While for beginners the impossibility of creating their own training programs is obvious, the advanced could lose themselves in the jungle of possible choices, getting not to see the wood for the trees. In the same case of the advanced, the dangers of routine can be avoided much easier with help from the outside.

Maintaining the motivation and the interest for training is also one of the tasks the fitness instructor must face. He needs to show tact, intelligence and even diplomacy when working with the sportsmen or with the ones who practice fitness just for pleasure or for maintaining their health.

There could be some disadvantages of the involvement of the fitness trainer. His presence might be felt as patronizing, stressing, or unpleasant. Some cultural or social incompatibility between the trainer and the practitioner could make their communication, which is so important in this relation, really difficult.

However, the benefits we can have from working with a competent trainer are much bigger than the possible disadvantages and they make the effort of the sportsman more effective.