The goal of nerve flossing is to coax a nerve to slide more easily by gently and repeatedly pulling the nerve towards one of its ends and then to the other, typically by positioning the body in a particular way to isolate the problematic nerve, then moving usually two body parts slowly and smoothly to get the gliding motion.
Nerve flossing – also called nerve gliding, nerve sliding or nerve mobilization – gained traction among doctors and physical therapists in the 1980s and 1990s.
When deciding whether nerve flossing is something that might help, a therapist or clinician will first assess whether a nerve is the source of a patient’s pain, says Sileo.
It’s possible it could indicate a tight sciatic nerve, said Morgan Sileo, an orthopedic clinical specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery, the treatment for which could include sciatic nerve flossing.
A second theory is that nerve pain can come from disruptions in blood flow and circulation around neurons – so nerve flossing helps by improving that circulation.
