Sciatica can literally be -
a real pain in the bum

How do we go about fixing this issue? 

First get advice from a true professional, seeing a good physiotherapist to check where this has come from whether it is posture or muscle balances. 

1. Second thing you should do YOURSELF is prioritise flexibility/mobility (Reclining/sitting and forward Pidgeon pose to stretch and open the piriformis. Follow this by knee to opposite shoulder pulling open the glutes to give release to the lower lumbar region and surrounding inner muscles.

2. Activate your glutes; Glute activation is not highlighted enough with the general public in strength and conditioning this is part of everyone’s warm up. A lot of the issues that can lead to sciatica forming is having an underactive glute, hamstrings doing what your glutes should be doing and in term causing all this mischief. Simple triple sets of double leg glute bridge building up to 8 reps if this is too easy, add tempo in emphasizing glute contraction hold at the top, then if this is to easy do single leg glute bridge followed with tempos, again building up to 8 reps.

3. Finally STRETCH YOUR HAMSTRINGS, CALFS

Simple 3 step method to do daily if you haven’t got access to a gym, make sure you are warm before going through this, even if that means a walk around the block!

*If you do have a gym with equipment, there are more exercises that are more effective. The first step is always increase flexibility / mobility then fire up muscles you wouldn’t normally use. This will decrease most back pain and help reduce the nerve pain in sciatica. Understand that joints need to be mobilised in order for your body to move more efficiently. 

EVERYONE SHOULD DO THIS

*Flexibility comes first, then we mobilize the joints (ligaments in the spine benefit from this), then we fire up the muscles we need to prime ourselfs for our big lifts. Such like are (Olympic high bar squats, sumo box squat, sumo deadlifts, good mornings, Romanian deadlifts.) All exercises I would add in eventually.