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