Should You Walk If You Have Sciatica? A Physiotherapist’s Advice

Is it necessary to walk with sciatica for the situation to improve? Is it possible to walk with sciatica without worsening the condition? Yes, and yes again!

That said, for those of you who want to go a little beyond this simple, straightforward answer, I’ve written this article based on :

• exploration of the international scientific literature on the subject;
• my experience as a physiotherapist;
• my own experience as a patient who has experienced sciatic pain on several occasions.

Happy reading! 🙂

(Any questions, comments or experiences to share? Feel free to use the comments section at the end of the article! 🙏)

♻️ Last updated: November 23, 2025
Written by Nelly Darbois, former physiotherapist and science writer

First and foremost, a pitfall to avoid when talking about sciatica

There’s a pitfall to be avoided when talking about “sciatica”. In fact, the word “sciatica” can mean two things:

1️⃣ may refer to the sciatic nerve, the longest nerve in the human body;

2️⃣ it can mean pain behind the leg, starting in the buttock and going more or less down through the thigh, calf and sometimes the foot.

This pain is often associated with a sciatic nerve problem. As this nerve also runs along the back of the leg, it seems logical to believe that it is the cause of the pain.

However, this is not necessarily the case. You can have this type of pain behind the leg without any obvious sciatic nerve problem.

What else but the sciatic nerve can create this type of pain? you may ask. The problem is, it’s often very difficult to know!

That said, as I explain below, whether or not your sciatic pain comes from the sciatic nerve makes no difference to the question of walking.

However, before asking about walking, it’s important to know whether your problem requires urgent treatment.

Source: Schmid, 2023

The red flags of sciatic pain

There are a number of situations known as ” red flags” which, when associated with sciatic pain, require urgent attention.

These situations include :

🚩 severe pain , i.e. pain that :

• is constantly present;
• discomfort in thinking or speaking;
• prevents sleep ;
• severely disrupts simple activities such as getting out of bed, going to the toilet, washing or getting dressed.

🚩 signs of neurological deficits (for example, loss of feeling, numbness or loss of strength in the painful leg);

🚩 urinary or defecatory problems ;

🚩 f ever, loss of appetite, severe fatigue or weight loss;

🚩 recent trauma (e.g. a fall);

🚩persistent and disabling sciatic pain beyond 3 months, with no improvement despite conservative (i.e. non-surgical) treatment.

On the face of it, if you’re reading this article and wondering whether you should walk with sciatica, my guess is that you’re not in either of these situations.

If you have any doubts, perhaps it’s still time to consult (or reconsult) a doctor?

Source: Jensen, 2019

Should you walk with sciatica: 2 questions in one!

Experiencing sciatic pain with no signs of severity is a fairly common experience. I experience it myself every time I drive for more than 1h30.

When it comes to walking with sciatica, there are 2 types of questions:

1️⃣ Should you walk with sciatica to reduce pain?

2️⃣ Can you walk with sciatica without making the problem worse?

For each of these questions, a distinction must be made between acute (less than 3 months) and chronic (more than 3 months) sciatic pain.

Acute sciatic pain

With regard to acute sciatic pain, a distinction must be made between those that occur :

➡️ when holding the same position for a long time, e.g. sitting in a car (as in my case, after about 1.5 hours);

➡️ following the occasional or regular performance of an activity that strains the lower back, e.g. chopping wood;

➡️ for no obvious reason.

In the first case, experience shows that leaving the position and starting to walk quickly relieves the pain.

In the othertwocases, it’s not clear that walking reduces the recovery time for sciatica. Direct scientific evidence is lacking.

However, the good news is that there’s no reason to think that walking will make your problem any worse! (Reasonably, at least: see below.)

What’s more, lack of activity is bad for your health. That’s why we advise people not to be intimidated by pain and to stay active.

And since walking is an easy way to get active, we recommend that people walk when they have sciatica.

Sources: Dahm, 2010; Olaya-Contreras, 2015; Khaled Shoukry, 2023

Chronic sciatic pain

⚠️ Caution: sciatic pain persisting beyond 3 months (chronic) should be the subject of a new medical consultation.

But in any case, the reasoning behind walking is the same as for acute sciatica:

• although it’s uncertain whether walking can directly improve your pain,
• There’s nothing to suggest that reasonable walking practices will make the situation any worse.
• And since walking is an easy way to take care of your overall health, it’s highly recommended!

As far as these last two points are concerned, it would nevertheless seem wise to respect a few principles: let’s take a look at what they are.

How to walk with sciatica: principles to follow

You have sciatica-like pain with no signs of severity, and you’re convinced that walking won’t hurt you – quite the opposite, in fact. And you’re right!

However, I would encourage you to follow certain basic principles, depending on your profile as apre-sciatica walker:

✅ If you are a regular walker

Stay as close to your usual walking volume as pain allows.

If you find yourself wanting to do more, do it gradually so that your body gets used to the new dose of activity .

✅ If you’re not used to walking (but want to get started)

Be sure to increase your walking distance or time gradually.

Don’t go and create more pain elsewhere! Once again, give your body time to acclimatize to the new effort you’re asking of it.

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