Lifestyle Strategies to Prevent Sciatica Flares: Movement and Nutrition

Last year around this time, I decided to start running again after nearly eight years away from it. I’d been active in other ways, but running simply hadn’t been part of my life for a long time — and I missed it.

About a month in, something really unexpected happened.

I started experiencing a deep pulling pain down the back of my left leg, but only when I tried running. I could walk just fine — but running triggered instant pain. It wasn’t normal “new-runner soreness.” My hamstrings and calves would seize up to the point where I had to stop running and walk. Over the course of a month or two, the pain also moved into my hip.

This raised internal alarms for me. I hadn’t had any joint pain in years — and this felt very different from simple muscle fatigue. It came on quickly, without an obvious injury, and even light running triggered it.

So, with the lens of functional nutrition and physiology that I have now, I stepped back and asked myself:

“What could be happening structurally or systemically that my body is responding to?”

Systemically, I knew I was supporting my body pretty well. However, I hadn’t ruled out structural issues beyond knowing that I have flat feet. So I decided to go to a chiropractor who could help assess whether there were other alignment concerns contributing to the pain.

I also want to note what I didn’t do — because that matters, too.

I didn’t take over the counter pain pills, which is typically the first recommendation in conventional care. Instead, I used arnica capsules and topical arnica (a homeopathic), and I increased my magnesium glycinate complex to support muscle relaxation and my nervous system. If the pain had been constant and severe all day long, I would have considered medication. But since the pain mainly appeared during running, the day after chiropractic adjustments, or with certain hip and leg movements, I chose to use homeopathic and nutritional support first. Because over the counter pain medications can affect gut health, long-term gut resilience, and liver health — as shown in clinical research — I now choose to use them selectively when needed.

Discovering the Root Cause

We went back to a chiropractor we trust.

About two years ago, my husband had herniated a disc near the base of his skull while lifting something heavy. He experienced severe pain and couldn’t hold his head upright without symptoms for months. The one thing that accelerated his recovery — and helped his body heal the herniation — was finally finding this chiropractor about six weeks after the injury.

Within three months, he was able to hold his head in a neutral position again, after months of only being able to look downward without pain and not being able to work or do much. In his case, although he did use arnica or magnesium, the pain was so severe that over the counter pain medication was necessary to help him sleep and cope for a short period.

All that to say — when I suspected a structural issue in my own case, I knew I needed an evaluation from this chiropractor to determine whether alignment problems might be contributing to the pain I was experiencing on the back of my leg.

And it turns out — there were.

An X-ray revealed:

• my hips were visibly tilted

• my spine had a mild curvature

• and my naturally flat feet were contributing to alignment shifts up the chain

One of my X-rays showing the curve in my back (front view) shown below...

versus what it should look like...

According to the Chiropractor this misalignment likely developed gradually — most likely due to flat feet — until eventually the misalignment led to the pitching of my sciatic nerve. That structural situation was driving the pain.

I share this because:

✨ One year later, the pain has not returned ( even though the structural situation isn’t going to change)
✨ I can run again without limitation (other than my conditioning!)
✨ And the process taught me a lot about preventing sciatic flares

Here’s what helped.

Step 1 — Get the Right Professional Support When Pain Is High

If pain is severe or limiting movement, having a skilled practitioner assess alignment can be incredibly helpful. For me, chiropractic care:

• reduced pain enough so I could move again

• created space for healing

• allowed me to rebuild with mobility work

What mattered most was a defined treatment plan — not “a once a week visit” This chiropractor is experienced in creating recovery-focused treatment plans. I started with adjustments 3x/week, then gradually tapered over two months. I also shared feedback about new sensations as my body unwound — which helped guide treatment.

🧠 For most people, this phase is temporary.
The long-term foundation comes from mobility + nutrition.

Step 2 — Build Mobility Into Daily Life

Intentional mobility work was the game-changer for fully resolving symptoms.

The goal is gentle, consistent, full-range-of-motion movement and strengthening to keep tissues hydrated, nourished, and resilient.

One exercise that helped me significantly was:

Deep Supported Squats

Think of how small children squat effortlessly while playing — feet flat, relaxed, grounded. That position:

• opens the hips

• decompresses the lower spine

• relieves pressure around the sciatic nerve

You can:

• hold onto a stable support

• lower only as far as your body allows

• rise slowly

• repeat for short holds

Consistency matters far more than depth. The depth will come with consistency.

Mobility isn’t a “stretch and done” activity — it’s a way of teaching the body to move with ease again. A really helpful resource I found is the Moves Method YouTube channel (not affiliated — just sharing what helped). Many movements may look and feel challenging at first, but try what you can do, to the best of your current ability, and build from there.

Step 3 — Support Your Body From the Inside With Nutrition

My nutrition was already dialed in — and I believe that played a major role in how quickly I healed.

Many people I work with haven’t yet supported:

• digestion

• nutrient absorption

• inflammation balance

• blood sugar stability

• circulation and vascular health

So when pain shows up, the body doesn’t always have the nutritional resources it needs to repair tissue effectively.

This is where functional blood work becomes powerful. We can look for patterns such as:

• digestive dysfunction

• malabsorption

• blood sugar dysregulation

• inflammatory activity

From there, we design a plan that lowers inflammatory burden and nourishes healing at the cellular level.

When internal stressors decrease, structural therapies and mobility work become much more effective.

The Key Insight

Chiropractic care helped reduce my pain.
But what eliminated it — and keeps me symptom-free today — is:

🌿 mobility + nutrition as daily foundations

Ongoing intensive treatment isn’t always necessary.
But supporting your nervous system, joints, and connective tissue absolutely is.

Why I’m Sharing This

Experiencing this pain was surprising and honestly a little scary.

But it also reminded me:

💫 Our bodies are always communicating
💫 Healing and health is rarely linear
💫 And when we support the root systems of the body, it knows what to do

Today, I’m able to run as often as I want without joint-related symptoms — and I’m deeply grateful for the tools I’ve learned along the way.

If you’re experiencing sciatic-type pain, know that there are supportive strategies available. And sometimes, combining structural support with the right movement and nutrition allows your body to truly reset.

If you’d like support understanding what’s happening in your own body — especially through the lens of labs and functional nutrition — you’re welcome to connect with me inside the Joint & Nerve Wellness Online Center Starter Package. I help people build individualized nutrition foundations that support joint, nerve, and whole-body well-being.