Back In Shape Podcast

Back In Shape
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Health & Fitness
  • Updated Weekly

This podcast is dedicated to providing you with the help you need to fix your lower back pain and sciatica. From specific diagnoses, myths and injuries to the low back, to strategies to recover, we're here to help get your Back In Shape. This podcast is an extension of the Back In Shape Program, an online back rehabilitation program that helps members from all over the world. Created by the founders of The Mayfair Clinic, a specialist back and neck pain clinic in central London and winner of the prestigious Queens Award For Enterprise Innovation In 2020.

  1. 21h ago

    Spondylolisthesis: Why "Mobilising" Your Stiff Back Is Making It Worse

    Spondylolisthesis sounds frightening on a scan report, but for most people it's been there quietly for years — and it responds to the right rehab. If your MRI or X-ray has come back with spondylolisthesis, spondylolysis, or a retrolisthesis and the words alone have you worried, this session is for you. We walk through what each term actually means — the pars defect (spondylolysis), the forward slip and its grading (spondylolisthesis, grades 1 to 4), the isthmic and degenerative types, and the backward slip (retrolisthesis) — usually at L4/L5 or L5/S1. Then we get to what matters most: the three guidelines for recovering, whichever type you have. Because the slip has almost always been there far longer than your pain, and the answer is the same as it is for any back injury — build resilience. 🎓 Join the Back In Shape Program: https://backinshapeprogram.com We explain why a slip almost always predates your current pain by years, and why it usually only becomes symptomatic when deconditioning and life catch up — not because the vertebra suddenly moved. We cover the three guidelines in order, why the standard "get it moving" advice is worse for a spondylolisthesis than for anyone, and then the questions that always come up: whether you should deadlift, what the McGill Big 3 misses, what decompression and injections can and can't do, and the three simple tools worth owning. The thread throughout: it's an instability problem at its root, and the answer is to build stability and strength, not chase the stiffness. 🔑 Key Topics Covered 🩻 What the words on your scan actually mean: spondylolysis (a stress fracture in the pars), spondylolisthesis (a forward slip, graded 1 to 4), the isthmic and degenerative types, and retrolisthesis (a backward slip). We translate each one and where it usually sits. ⏳ You've probably had it for years: a grade 1 or 2 slip almost always predates your pain by a long way. It usually turns symptomatic when deconditioning and life catch up — not because the vertebra suddenly moved. That reframe changes everything. 🚫 Why "bend and twist" advice is worse here than anywhere: cat-camels, knee hugs, child's pose and pelvic tucks are handed out as standard — but an unstable segment needs to be stabilised, not wiggled. For a spondylolisthesis that advice actively works against you. 🏗️ The three guidelines for recovery: first, learn to control and protect a neutral spine; second, build load-bearing capacity through the squat and hip hinge, because life has load; third, build better-than-average hip mobility so the lower back has to bend less. Chapters 00:00 Spondylolisthesis: terms and three guidelines 01:00 The terms on your scan: spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis 04:00 Isthmic vs degenerative spondylolisthesis 07:00 Retrolisthesis: the backward slip 09:00 Don't just go to the gym with a bad back 13:00 You've probably had it for years — and why your scan doesn't change the plan 20:00 The "chest pot" cue for sway-back posture 24:00 The three guidelines for recovering from spondylolisthesis 28:00 Why "bend and twist" advice is worse for spondylolisthesis 32:00 Should you deadlift with spondylolisthesis or a bulging disc? 36:00 Osteopaths, physios and the McGill Big 3 42:00 Regret, and what a steroid injection really does 45:00 Getting the most from decompression and laser therapy 48:00 Before a fusion: have you really done rehab? 52:00 Sauna, cold plunge and how fast results come 55:00 Red light mats, and sleeping in a flare-up 1:01:00 The three tools worth buying 1:06:00 Where to go next: masterclass, article and program #Spondylolisthesis #BackPainRelief #BackInShape #Spondylolysis #Retrolisthesis #Sciatica #LowerBackPain #SpinalRehab

    1h 9m

  2. 2d ago

    Sciatica: Why "Feeling Better" Isn't Getting Better

    Your sciatica stopping hurting isn't the same as your back being healed — and mistaking the two is why so many people relapse. If your sciatica has settled before — only to flare again the moment you got back to normal life — this session explains why, and what to measure instead. When the pain eases, it's tempting to assume the injury has healed. But the pain easing and the back being rebuilt are two different things. The symptoms — pain, numbness and tingling down the leg — come from an injury in the lower lumbar spine, often a herniated or bulging disc at L4/L5 or L5/S1, and your body quietly settles them down on its own without ever restoring the strength and resilience that stops the next flare-up. 🎓 Join the Back In Shape Program: https://backinshapeprogram.com In this session we explain the mindset flip that changes everything: instead of waiting to feel better before starting rehab, you do the rehab, which drives the recovery, which brings the pain down. We cover why pain is the worst marker of progress, the real measure to use instead — how much load your spine can carry relative to your body weight — and why simply sitting down already puts 20 to 45% of your body weight extra through your lower back. We get into why a nerve decompression surgery can leave you feeling fantastic yet still fragile, why nerve glides and the usual stretches chase the symptom while irritating the injury, the three types of relief work (and which one quietly sets you back), and the difference between feeling better and being better — told through a simple story about a grazed knee that still bled when it got knocked, even though it didn't hurt. The thread throughout: it's the injury, not the pain, and your load-bearing capacity is what tells you where you really are. 🔑 Key Topics Covered 📏 Pain is the worst way to measure recovery: the real measure is how much load your spine can carry. Just sitting down puts 20 to 45% of your body weight extra through your lower back — so your rehab needs to build past that, whatever your pain is doing. 🔄 The mindset flip that changes everything: stop waiting to feel better before you start rehab. Do the rehab, which drives the recovery, which brings the pain down — not the other way round. It's a small inversion that changes how you approach the whole thing. 🩺 Why surgery (and feeling fantastic) can still leave you fragile: taking pressure off the nerve can settle the pain beautifully, but if the resilience was never rebuilt, the back is still vulnerable. Feeling great and being strong are not the same thing. 🩹 The scab that bled when it got knocked: a grazed knee healed enough to stop hurting, but bled the moment it was knocked — because the structure wasn't restored. Your lower back does the same, except you can't see it. That's the whole trap. Chapters 00:00 Why feeling better isn't being better 01:00 The mindset flip: recovery comes before the pain goes 03:00 Why pain becomes your measure — and why it misleads 06:00 The nerve isn't the problem (and why surgery can leave you fragile) 09:00 Can it fully heal? And why hip and buttock pain tag along 12:00 The real measure: the 20% and 45% loading figures 18:00 New: the progress journal and workout logger 23:00 Why the trap bar isn't worth it 26:00 When do you get full lumbar flexion back? 30:00 The Core 6 exercises and how the phases work 34:00 Phase four: how to add load over time 42:00 Don't push your rehab during a busy spell 45:00 Nerve glides: chasing the symptom, not the injury 48:00 The three types of relief work 51:00 Hip mobility: keep your lumbar spine out of it 54:00 The scab story: why feeling better fools you 58:00 The biggest gift: training for the long term 1:00:00 Cauda equina, red flags and closing questions #Sciatica #SciaticaRelief #BackInShape #HerniatedDisc #SlippedDisc #BackPainRelief #SpinalRehab #BackPainRecovery

    1h 13m

  3. Jun 25

    Is Piriformis Syndrome Causing Your Sciatica?

    Piriformis syndrome gets blamed for sciatica all the time — but for most people the real problem is an injury in the lower back, not a muscle. If you've been told a tight piriformis is pinching your sciatic nerve and causing your sciatica, this session is worth your time. Piriformis syndrome is one of the most common labels handed out for buttock and leg pain — but it's often a catch-all. For most people with sciatic-type symptoms (pain, numbness or tingling down the buttock and leg), the real driver is an injury in the lower lumbar spine, usually a herniated or bulging disc at L4/L5 or L5/S1, referring symptoms into the buttock and leg. Treat that, not the muscle, and the symptoms settle. 🎓 Join the Back In Shape Program: https://backinshapeprogram.com In this session we explain what the piriformis-syndrome theory actually claims, the two specific (and clearly felt) ways you could genuinely injure the piriformis, and the "wallet case", where the problem is constant pressure on the sciatic nerve rather than the muscle at all. We cover why the classic test — a practitioner pressing deep into the buttock until you flinch — is usually just prodding the sciatic nerve, why the figure-four stretch so often handed out only rounds and irritates the injured segment, and why a back injury naturally produces tightness in the glutes and lateral hip rotators without that being "piriformis syndrome". Along the way: why bridges build nothing, whether deadlifts are bad for your back (you already do one every time you lift a toddler or a suitcase), and why the squat and hip hinge remain the foundation. The thread throughout: it's almost never the muscle — it's the lower back, and stabilising it is what resolves the symptoms. 🔑 Key Topics Covered 🎯 Piriformis syndrome is usually a catch-all: for most people with buttock and leg symptoms, the piriformis isn't pinching anything — there's an injury in the lower back (often L4/L5 or L5/S1) referring symptoms down the leg. Treat that, not the muscle. 💺 The wallet case — and the "positive test": sitting on a wallet can press the sciatic nerve directly, nothing to do with the muscle. And when a practitioner digs into your buttock until you flinch, they're usually just prodding the sciatic nerve — not proving piriformis syndrome. 🚫 Why the common piriformis stretch doesn't help: the figure-four knee-hug just rounds the lower back to stretch a muscle that isn't the real problem, irritating the injured segment in the process. A back injury makes the glutes and hip rotators tight without it being "a syndrome". 🏋️ Are deadlifts bad for your back? You already do them — every time you lift a toddler, a dog or a suitcase off the floor. The question isn't whether to deadlift, it's whether you've built the skill and capacity to do it safely. The squat and hip hinge are how. Chapters 00:00 Is piriformis syndrome causing your sciatica? 01:00 What "piriformis syndrome" actually claims 04:00 The two ways you could actually injure it 06:00 The wallet case: it's the nerve, not the muscle 08:00 Why you walk like a robot (and why "just move more" is wrong) 12:00 Why physio and chiro give such different results 14:00 Why the squat and hip hinge beat calisthenics 18:00 Why bridges don't build strength 22:00 Buttock pain isn't piriformis syndrome — here's why 28:00 Massage, massage guns and "realigning" the spine 33:00 Is your pain coming from the SI joint? 40:00 Why the figure-four stretch won't fix it 42:00 Squatting around your own anatomy 44:00 Are deadlifts bad for your back? 52:00 When weights make your sciatica worse 54:00 Adding gym work back in without flaring up 57:00 Lumbarization, Bertolotti and post-surgery 1:00:00 Closing thoughts: keep it simple, skip the yoga #PiriformisSyndrome #Sciatica #BackInShape #SciaticaRelief #HerniatedDisc #SlippedDisc #BackPainRelief #SpinalRehab

    1h 5m

  4. Jun 23

    Sciatica Recovery: How Long Does It Actually Take?

    Your sciatica keeps coming back because you've been treating the symptom, not the injury in your lower back that's driving it. If your sciatica has dragged on for months or years — short-term relief, then another flare, then relief again — this session explains why, and how to speed it up. Sciatica isn't the diagnosis; it's a symptom. The pain, numbness, burning and tingling down your buttock and leg are generated by an injury in the lower lumbar spine, most often a herniated or bulging disc (a slipped disc) at L4/L5 or L5/S1. Treat the injury and the symptom resolves with it; keep chasing the symptom and you go round in circles. 🎓 Join the Back In Shape Program: https://backinshapeprogram.com You'll learn the difference between true sciatica and the far more common "sciatic-type" symptoms (and why it doesn't change what you do), why the five exercises people are handed for sciatica — the piriformis stretch, nerve flossing, child's pose, knee hugs and rocking — all repeatedly bend the very segment that's injured, and the missing piece almost nobody addresses: how you injured it in the first place. Mike also explains why a "minor" disc bulge on an MRI can still cause severe sciatica — the scan is taken lying down, under a fraction of the load your spine carries when you sit or stand — and why your squat and hip hinge, not how you feel, are the real measure of recovery. The thread throughout: stop irritating it, learn to protect a neutral spine, then rebuild its capacity to bear load. 🔑 Key Topics Covered 🎯 Sciatica is a symptom, not the cause: the pain, numbness and tingling down your leg are generated by an injury in the lower lumbar spine — usually a herniated or bulging disc at L4/L5 or L5/S1. Treat the injury and the symptom resolves with it. 🚫 Why the common sciatica stretches keep you stuck: the piriformis stretch, nerve flossing, child's pose and knee hugs all repeatedly bend the very segment that's injured. They can feel good for a moment, but they ride roughshod over the actual problem. 🩻 Why a "minor" disc bulge can still cause severe sciatica: an MRI is taken lying down, under about a quarter of the load your spine carries standing — and even more when you sit. Treat the person, not just the scan. 🔁 The flare-up cycle, and why quick relief traps you: the people who feel better fastest are the most likely to stop, flare again, and slip into years of escalating episodes. Your squat and hip hinge — not how you feel — show whether you're actually recovering. Chapters 00:00 Sciatica: why recovery takes so long 01:00 What sciatica actually is 04:00 Why the common sciatica stretches don't work 06:00 Why stretches feel good but keep you stuck 10:00 How you injured it — and why it's strained, not "out of place" 16:00 Why sciatica drags on for years 18:00 Why the towel stretch feels strange — and tight hamstrings 20:00 Can stress and worry make sciatica worse? 22:00 Loading up: the squat, the hip hinge and the barbell 29:00 Mixing sport and rehab without getting caught out 32:00 Should you stop rehab if it flares you up? 35:00 Why "resting it" makes you weaker everywhere 39:00 What "recovered" really means — and why quick relief traps you 46:00 Plateaus, hip mobility and overtraining 49:00 Why a "minor" disc bulge can still cause severe sciatica 57:00 Hip limits (FAI) and the two biggest rehab traps 1:00:00 Closing questions: leg training and progressing load #Sciatica #SciaticaRelief #BackInShape #HerniatedDisc #SlippedDisc #SciaticPain #BackPainRelief #SpinalRehab

    1h 7m

  5. Jun 18

    Why Isn't Your Herniated Disc Healing? (And How to Actually Rebuild It)

    Your herniated disc hasn't healed because you've been treating the stiffness, not the injury — and a herniated disc is a load-bearing injury. If you've got a herniated disc (a slipped disc, disc bulge or prolapsed disc) at L4/L5 or L5/S1 and it still hasn't settled, this session explains why — and how it actually heals. A herniated disc is a loading failure: an injury to the annulus fibrosus, the tough outer ring of the disc. It does heal, automatically, the same way a graze does — but only if you stop aggravating it and start rebuilding its capacity to bear load. 📋 Take the free Spine Resilience Index: https://backinshapeprogram.com 🎓 Join the Back In Shape Program: https://backinshapeprogram.com You'll learn what's actually injured (the disc, but also the facet joints and ligaments of the whole segment), why there's no quick fix and no manipulation that "puts it back", and why the bending-and-twisting exercises so many people are given — knee hugs, cat-camels, nerve flossing — keep the injury irritated. Mike explains why the squat and hip hinge are the two best exercises for recovery: done to a fixed depth, the only thing that changes session to session is the load, so they double as a measure of how healed the disc really is. And the key reframe throughout: how you feel is the worst marker of progress — a back can stop hurting long before it's strong — so your load-bearing capacity, not your pain, tells you where you are. You can come back stronger than before. 🔑 Key Topics Covered 🩺 A herniated disc is a load-bearing injury — and it does heal: it's an injury to the annulus fibrosus, the disc's outer ring. Like any ligament it heals slowly, over months, and automatically — your job is to stop getting in the way. 🚫 Why there's no quick fix: no manipulation "puts a disc back", and the bending-and-twisting exercises so many people are handed — knee hugs, cat-camels, nerve flossing — keep an already-injured segment irritated. Education to stop the daily aggravations comes first. 🏋️ Why the squat and hip hinge are the best exercises: done to a fixed depth, the only thing that changes week to week is the load — so you can build capacity safely and know exactly what your spine is taking, unlike uncontrolled bending. 📊 How you feel is the worst marker of progress: a back stops hurting long before it's strong, which is why people feel "fixed", return to normal life, and flare again. Your load-bearing capacity — what you can squat and hip hinge — is the real measure. Chapters 00:00 Why your herniated disc hasn't healed 02:00 What is a herniated disc? 06:00 Stop making it worse: the daily habits 09:00 Why there's no quick fix 14:00 Spondylolisthesis and retrolisthesis explained 18:00 Pilates, braces, and starting where you are 22:00 Your disc does heal — here's how 27:00 Progressive loading: you're already moving every day 34:00 Why your QL and hamstrings keep tightening up 40:00 Do scoliosis, pelvic tilt or "bad posture" cause it? 46:00 Why the squat and hip hinge beat everything else 50:00 The squat and hip hinge as your healing test 54:00 Signs your back is actually healing 1:00:00 Why how you feel is the worst measure of progress 1:04:00 The lifelong habit — and why walking is relief, not rehab 1:07:00 A surgical case: what does the operation change? 1:13:00 Wrapping up #HerniatedDisc #Sciatica #BackInShape #SlippedDisc #DiscBulge #BackPainRelief #SpinalRehab #HerniatedDiscRecovery

    1h 14m

  6. Jun 16

    Why Didn't Your Steroid Injection Fix Your Sciatica?

    An injection can take away your sciatica, but it doesn't heal the injury causing it — and that distinction decides whether you get better. If you've had, or you're being offered, a steroid injection, epidural or nerve block for sciatica or a herniated disc (a slipped disc or disc bulge) at L4/L5 or L5/S1, this session reframes the whole decision around one question: what is this injection doing to help my injury heal, not just my pain? Get that right and an injection can be a useful tool. Get it wrong and it's a mask — the pain lifts, you carry on as before, and the injury that caused it is still there. 📋 Take the free Spine Resilience Index: https://backinshapeprogram.com 🎓 Join the Back In Shape Program: https://backinshapeprogram.com You'll learn why pain is protective — a warning light, not the fault itself — and why putting your thumb over that light and carrying on is how people end up worse. We cover the two camps an injection can fall into (a collaborative tool to calm symptoms so you can rehab, versus "have it and you're on your own"), why most people considering injections have been weaker than they realised for years, why a disc bulge doesn't need to "go back" to get better, and how flare-ups don't wipe out real rehab. The thread underneath it all stays the same: sciatica is the symptom, the injury is the problem — and what you do at home, not the injection, decides the outcome. 🔑 Key Topics Covered 🩹 The question that changes everything: not "what will this injection do for my sciatica?" but "what will it do to help my injury heal?" That one reframe decides whether an injection helps you or just masks the problem while the injury carries on. 🚦 Pain is a warning light, not the fault: an injection can be like putting your thumb over the engine light and driving on — the symptom goes quiet while the injury continues. We cover when an injection genuinely helps and when it's just a mask. 🏗️ Why most people were weaker than they realised: by the time injections are on the table, most have struggled for years and quietly deconditioned. A disc bulge doesn't need to "go back" — your load-bearing tolerance is the metric that matters. 🔁 Flare-ups don't reset your progress: unlike stretching, which the next flare-up wipes out, strengthening is a skill you keep. We explain why rehab is "sticky", why flares usually come from outside the gym, and why they don't undo real strength. Chapters 00:00 Why injections don't fix sciatica — the question to ask 02:00 The two camps: a tool, or a goodbye 04:00 After the injection: the broken-leg lesson 07:00 How often should you train in phase three? 10:00 Nerve damage or nerve irritation? 14:00 Why sitting loads your spine more than your workout 17:00 Pain is a warning light — don't just cover it up 21:00 Sitting, standing, lying down: managing the load 24:00 Dead hangs vs gentle decompression 26:00 Choosing a practitioner who values education 30:00 Why most surgery cases are chronic — and the acid test 36:00 Want to lift your child again? Rehab is how 40:00 You already lift weights every day 44:00 Do flare-ups reset your progress? Why rehab is "sticky" 50:00 Can a disc bulge go back into place? 54:00 A cautionary tale: when the injection "worked" 57:00 Closing questions: surgery prep, scans and getting started 1:02:00 Wrapping up #Sciatica #HerniatedDisc #BackInShape #SciaticaRelief #EpiduralInjection #SlippedDisc #BackPainRelief #SpinalRehab

    1h 4m

  7. Jun 11

    Why Strength Beats Stretching for Your Herniated Disc, Every Time

    Strengthening beats stretching for a herniated disc every time — and once you see why, the months of failed stretching finally make sense. If you've been stretching for months to ease your sciatica or a herniated disc (a slipped disc or disc bulge) at L4/L5 or L5/S1 and you keep ending up back at square one, this session explains the reason. Stretching is a relief tool at best — it loosens the tightness for a moment, but it isn't "sticky", so the next flare-up wipes it out. Strengthening rehabilitation is different: it's a skill your body keeps. 📋 Take the free Spine Resilience Index: https://backinshapeprogram.com 🎓 Join the Back In Shape Program: https://backinshapeprogram.com You'll learn why rehab is "sticky" and stretching isn't — through two analogies Mike builds out in the session: learning Spanish (a skill you keep and use every day) and an orchestra (getting your muscles playing in coordination before you ask them for a symphony). We cover why most people weren't strong before the injury — the "I just bent to put my sock on" giveaway — why you can come out stronger and more resilient than before, how to load safely from dumbbells up to the barbell, and how to think about surgery, second opinions and getting back to the things you love. The thread underneath it all: sciatica is the symptom, the herniated disc is the problem, and strengthening — not stretching — is what rebuilds a spine you can trust. 🔑 Key Topics Covered 🔁 Why stretching keeps failing, and what makes rehab stick: stretching is a relief tool the next flare-up wipes out. Strengthening is a skill your body retains, like remembering a word of Spanish you use every day — that's the difference between going in circles and getting better. 🌀 The vicious spiral behind your sciatica: an injured lower back tightens the hamstrings, which limits your hips, which forces more movement through the injury, so it worsens. We show how sitting (9.5 hours a day on average) feeds the cycle, and how to break it. 📈 Why you can come out stronger than before: most people weren't strong before the injury — the "I just bent to put my sock on" giveaway. A herniated disc won't look new on a scan, but you can rebuild it to carry load and end up more resilient than you were. 🩺 Surgery, loading and getting back to what you love: why the disc is the problem and the sciatica only the symptom, how to load safely from dumbbells up to the barbell, and how preparing with rehab can change the surgery conversation entirely. Chapters 00:00 Introduction — why strengthening beats stretching 01:00 Why stretching keeps you stuck 03:00 Your sciatica isn't caused by a longer leg 05:00 The vicious spiral: tight hamstrings and sitting 08:00 Why putting a sock on can trigger sciatica 11:00 Can a herniated disc fully heal? 13:00 Why bodybuilding and glute content isn't for your back 16:00 The real goal of rehab: getting back to what you love 20:00 Replacing the "back made of glass" mindset 22:00 Resilience milestones and the deadlift question 24:00 Equipment, loading and where to start 29:00 Why rehab sticks: the Spanish lesson 35:00 The orchestra: what phases one to four really do 40:00 Preparing for surgery and talking to your surgeon 46:00 As you get stronger, stretching finally works 49:00 A training background: asset and liability 54:00 Stop wiggling the injury: neutral spine, not cat-camels 59:00 Why education matters: the variables you can't control 1:02:00 Building real resilience #HerniatedDisc #Sciatica #BackInShape #SciaticaRelief #SlippedDisc #BackPainRelief #SpinalRehab #BackPainExercises

    1h 9m

  8. Jun 10

    Stop Stretching Your Hamstrings If You Have a Herniated Disc and Sciatica

    Stretching your hamstrings won't fix your sciatica — but it isn't useless either, and the difference is the whole point of this session. If you've got sciatica or a herniated disc and you've been stretching your hamstrings for months without lasting relief, this one explains why. We look at what's actually driving the leg pain, numbness and tightness — an injury low in the lumbar spine, usually a herniated or bulging disc (a slipped disc) around L4/L5 or L5/S1 — and where stretching genuinely helps versus where it quietly becomes a crutch that keeps you stuck. 📋 Take the free Spine Resilience Index: https://backinshapeprogram.com 🎓 Join the Back In Shape Program: https://backinshapeprogram.com You'll learn why a back that has stopped hurting is not the same as a back that's been rebuilt, why lasting recovery comes down to three things working together — education, relief and rehabilitation — and why the load-bearing work, the squat and the hip hinge, is the part most approaches leave out. We cover what a microdiscectomy does and doesn't fix, what an epidural injection can and can't do, why sciatic nerve flossing so often disappoints, and how to think clearly about a surgery decision and a second opinion. The thread running through all of it is the same: sciatica is the symptom, the injury is the problem, and your body is trying to heal every single day — the only question is whether you're supporting that process or getting in its way. 🔑 Key Topics Covered 🔍 Why hamstring stretching feels good but never fixes sciatica: it can ease tight hamstrings for a moment, but it does nothing for the lower-back injury driving the leg pain. We explain how it becomes a crutch — and the one role it genuinely plays. 🎯 Sciatica is the symptom, the injury is the problem: the numbness, burning and leg pain start in the lower lumbar spine, usually a herniated or bulging disc at L4/L5 or L5/S1. Chase the symptom and you go in circles; treat the injury and the symptom resolves with it. 🏗️ The three parts of real recovery, and the piece most plans miss: education, relief and rehabilitation have to work together, and the load-bearing work — the squat and the hip hinge — is what actually rebuilds the spine. Floor work and stretching alone leave you vulnerable. 💉 Injections, surgery and nerve flossing, and what they don't do: why an epidural or a microdiscectomy addresses the symptom but not the underlying weakness, why sciatic nerve flossing is really just hamstring stretching done badly, and how to weigh up surgery and second opinions. Chapters 00:00 Introduction — should you stretch for sciatica? 01:00 Why stretching doesn't fix the problem 02:00 Sciatica is the symptom, not the problem 03:00 The role hamstring stretching actually plays 05:00 The three parts of recovery: education, relief and rehab 07:00 Healing is automatic — so why isn't it getting better? 09:00 After surgery: what a microdiscectomy doesn't fix 12:00 Your injury sits in a spine, a person and a life 16:00 Why the hamstrings get tight in the first place 19:00 Is Pilates the answer? 22:00 What injections do and don't do 28:00 Working through the program phases 38:00 Sciatic nerve flossing: what it's really doing 42:00 Why sciatic pain comes and goes 47:00 Rebuilding resilience after a back injury 52:00 Surgery decisions and getting a second opinion 58:00 The squat and hip hinge: loading up safely 1:02:00 Wrapping up #Sciatica #HerniatedDisc #BackInShape #SciaticaRelief #HamstringStretches #SlippedDisc #BackPainRelief #SpinalRehab

    1h 4m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

This podcast is dedicated to providing you with the help you need to fix your lower back pain and sciatica. From specific diagnoses, myths and injuries to the low back, to strategies to recover, we're here to help get your Back In Shape. This podcast is an extension of the Back In Shape Program, an online back rehabilitation program that helps members from all over the world. Created by the founders of The Mayfair Clinic, a specialist back and neck pain clinic in central London and winner of the prestigious Queens Award For Enterprise Innovation In 2020.

Information

  • Creator
    Back In Shape
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    321
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Back In Shape
  • Show Website
    Back In Shape Podcast

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