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Nerve Mobility · Phase 3 · Strength & Resilience

Session 59

Week 12 · Day 4 · Mobility day · 7 exercises

Before you start

Red Flags: When to Stop and Seek Medical Care

Most back pain is manageable with the right approach. But there are specific symptoms that require immediate medical attention. These are non-negotiable. If you experience any of the following, see a doctor:

• New bladder or bowel problems (difficulty controlling either) • Numbness around the saddle/groin area • Rapidly worsening leg weakness • Unexplained fever, chills, or weight loss • Severe pain after a significant trauma • Feeling physically unsafe

These are rare, but they're serious. Everything else in this program assumes that red flags are not present. If any of these show up at any point, pause the program and get in-person care.

Every session has a “Does this hurt?” button. Tap it if something doesn’t feel right.

This educational content does not constitute medical advice. For diagnosis or treatment, please consult a clinician.

Walking: 30 min

Also walk on rest days at the same duration

Today’s exercises

Some soreness during exercise is normal. Sharp, escalating pain is not.

  1. Seated sciatic nerve slider

    Exercise 1

    Seated sciatic nerve slider

    20+ slow reps/side

    Preferred slider. Can't comfortably hold your leg up? Swap in the lying slider: same drill, with the floor doing the holding. ⚠️ Peripheralizing (symptoms moving DOWN the leg) → stop. Centralizing (retreating toward the spine) → continue. Progressive weakness, saddle numbness, or bladder/bowel changes → seek medical care.

    How to do it
    1. 1Sit tall near the front edge of a chair with both feet flat on the floor.
    2. 2Bring your leg and chin up together: straighten your working leg out in front of you while you lift your chin and look up. The leg stays extended from here on.
    3. 3Now sync your ankle and your head. Pull your toes back toward you as your chin lifts up, then point your toes away as your chin drops down toward your chest.
    4. 4Repeat that rhythm, slow and steady, for 20 or more reps, then switch legs. The rhythm matters more than the range: ankle and chin move together, like they're on the same string.
    5. 5STOP rule: if symptoms spread further DOWN your leg (peripheralizing), stop for the day. If they draw back UP toward your spine (centralizing), continue. Progressive weakness, saddle or groin numbness, or any bladder or bowel changes mean stop and seek medical care.

    Why this exercise

    This is the preferred slider because the synchronized head movement keeps neural tension low. When your toes pull back, the nerve is tugged from the bottom end; lifting your chin at that same moment feeds in slack from the top, so the nerve slides through its path instead of being stretched at both ends. Floss sliding back and forth, not a rope pulled tight.

    Make it easier

    • Can't hold your leg up comfortably? Use the lying slider instead; the floor does the holding.
    • Soften the knee; the leg doesn't need to be perfectly straight.
    • Smaller ankle and head movements.

    Make it harder

    • More reps (25-30 per leg) before anything else.
    • A slightly straighter knee, only if symptoms stay calm.
  2. Bird Dog

    Exercise 2

    Bird Dog

    1-2 × 3/side, light holds

    Keep the groove, strict neutral spine. No sag or arch

    How to do it
    1. 1Start on hands and knees with your knees directly below your hips and hands below shoulders.
    2. 2Breathe in and brace your core, then slowly extend one arm forward and the opposite leg back without letting your low back sag or twist (the raised arm and leg should be parallel with the floor). Hold for the prescribed time in the extended position, then return and switch sides.

    Why this exercise

    Life is basically 'keep your trunk stable while a limb does something.' Bird dogs trains that skill. Another favourite of Dr. Stuart McGill's and the final exercise of his 'big 3'.

    Make it easier

    • Arm-only reach
    • Leg-only reach (toe slide back)
    • Shorter holds

    Make it harder

    • Longer holds and more repetitions
    • Slower tempo (3-5 seconds out, 3-5 back)
    • Increase the width of your hands and knees on the floor (the width of your base)
  3. Curl-up

    Exercise 3

    Curl-up

    1-2 sets, light
    How to do it
    1. 1Lie on your back with one knee bent and the other leg straight, hands gently under your low back to keep a small natural arch.
    2. 2Breathe in to expand your belly and brace your core lightly as if someone is about to poke your belly, then lift your head, shoulders, and upper back just a few centimetres off the floor without curling all the way up.
    3. 3Hold the curl-up for the prescribed time, then slowly lower and repeat as directed.

    Why this exercise

    This modified curl-up was popularized by Dr. Stuart McGill. It teaches you to brace and create support around your low back while the hands tucked underneath stop your spine from flexing.

    Make it easier

    • Shorten the range of your curl-up (barely lift your shoulders from the floor)
    • Shorter holds/fewer reps
    • Rest longer between reps

    Make it harder

    • Longer holds
    • Increase the range of motion of your curl-up (lift shoulders a little further) without performing a full sit-up
    • Graduate to the front plank (start on your knees if needed)
  4. Side Plank (from feet)

    Exercise 4

    Side Plank (from feet)

    1-2 holds/side, light
    How to do it
    1. 1Lie on your side with your legs straight, elbow under your shoulder, and body in a straight line from elbow to shoulders.
    2. 2Lightly brace, then lift your hips so your body forms a straight line; hold for the prescribed time, breathing steadily, then lower with control and repeat on both sides.

    Why this exercise

    Same idea as the knees version, just more difficult due to the longer lever from being on your feet instead of your knees! This is the middle rung of the side-plank ladder.

    Make it easier

    • Back to knees version
    • Stagger feet for a wider base
    • Shorter holds with perfect alignment

    Make it harder

    • Longer holds
    • Lift your top leg a few inches and hold it (abduction) while you brace
    • Add resistance (a weight or object) onto your side while you hold
  5. Figure-4/piriformis stretch

    Exercise 5

    Figure-4/piriformis stretch

    1 × 20-30s/side

    Safe: bent knee + neutral spine slackens the nerve

    How to do it
    1. 1Sit on a chair or lie on your back with both knees bent.
    2. 2Cross one ankle over the opposite knee so your leg forms a "figure-4" shape.
    3. 3Gently lean your trunk forward (if sitting) or draw the uncrossed leg toward your chest (if lying down) until you feel a stretch in the buttock and outer hip of the crossed leg.
    4. 4Hold for the prescribed time without bouncing, then relax and repeat on the other side.

    Why this exercise

    This is a personal favourite of mine, and I swear by performing this daily. This is a common stretch recommended to those with sciatica as the piriformis muscle sits right near the sciatic nerve (and for some poor people, the nerve runs right through the piriformis muscle). Stretching this muscle may help with nerve compression. This stretch reduces tension in the piriformis, hip extensors, and external rotators.

    Make it easier

    • Do it lying down on your back (often easier to control)
    • Don't lean your torso into the stretch very much
    • Shorter holds

    Make it harder

    • Slightly deeper stretch over time (lean deeper with torso)
    • Longer holds
  6. Hip flexor stretch (half-kneeling)

    Exercise 6

    Hip flexor stretch (half-kneeling)

    1 × 20-30s/side

    Ribs down, don't arch

    How to do it
    1. 1Kneel on one knee with the other foot flat in front of you, both knees at roughly 90 degrees.
    2. 2Squeeze the glute of your kneeling leg, tighten your lower abs, and push your pelvis forward slightly. Don't arch your back. Stay upright.
    3. 3Lift the arm on your kneeling-leg side straight up toward the ceiling, keeping your ribs down.
    4. 4Lean slightly deeper into the stretch (pain permitting) while maintaining a neutral spine. A subtle lean toward the opposite side can increase the stretch.

    Why this exercise

    Tight hip flexor muscles can pull your spine into extension. The psoas major in particular can pull your lumbar spine into excessive arching (hyperlordosis) and contribute to anterior pelvic tilt. Reducing tension in the hip flexors helps reduce this pull on the spine.

    Make it easier

    • Keep your arm down instead of reaching overhead
    • Decrease depth of the stretch

    Make it harder

    • Increase depth of the stretch
    • Reach and lean farther
  7. Standing hamstring stretch

    Exercise 7

    Standing hamstring stretch

    1 × 20-30s/side

    Straight-leg. GATED: skip until your leg/nerve symptoms have calmed down (it tensions the sciatic nerve)

    How to do it
    1. 1Stand facing a low step or sturdy support and place one heel on it with the knee straight or slightly soft.
    2. 2Keep your chest up and a gentle arch in your low back, then hinge forward slightly from your hips.
    3. 3Lean until you feel a comfortable stretch along the back of your thigh, avoiding bouncing or forcing the position.
    4. 4Hold for the prescribed time while breathing, then return to standing and repeat on the other leg.

    Why this exercise

    Think of the standing variant as a mobility-friendly version of the seated stretch. Same goal, but easier to get into and easier to keep a neutral spine, and you can do it quickly on almost any raised surface.

    Make it easier

    • Lower the height of the support
    • Softer knee (slight knee bend)
    • Shorter holds

    Make it harder

    • Slightly higher support
    • Longer holds
    • Add a gentle hip hinge (not rounding) to target the hamstrings, not your discs
Optional relief techniquesas needed

Give each of these a try if you haven’t already. Whichever ones become your favourites, do them as desired for extra relief.

  • Floor 90-90 decompression · As needed

    Featured relief: lie on your back, calves up on a chair/couch; offloads the nerve

  • Bench / countertop decompression lean · As needed

    Optional relief: useful, decompresses the posterior disc off the nerve

  • Prone tummy lying (relaxed) · As needed

    Optional relief: some people get no relief from prone or decompression, and that's completely fine. Stop if it worsens leg symptoms

  • Seated sciatic nerve slider · 20+ slow reps/side, as needed

    Preferred slider. Can't comfortably hold your leg up? Swap in the lying slider: same drill, with the floor doing the holding. ⚠️ Peripheralizing (symptoms moving DOWN the leg) → stop. Centralizing (retreating toward the spine) → continue. Progressive weakness, saddle numbness, or bladder/bowel changes → seek medical care.

  • Lying sciatic nerve slider · 20+ slow reps/side, as needed

    Optional alternative if holding your leg up is too demanding. ⚠️ Peripheralizing (symptoms moving DOWN the leg) → stop. Centralizing (retreating toward the spine) → continue. Progressive weakness, saddle numbness, or bladder/bowel changes → seek medical care.

  • Figure-4/piriformis stretch · 1 × 20-30s/side

    Optional: bent knee + neutral spine, safe

  • Hip flexor stretch (half-kneeling) · 1 × 20-30s/side

    Optional: ribs down, don't arch

  • Standing hamstring stretch · 1 × 20-30s/side

    Optional: straight-leg hamstring tensions the nerve; skip until leg/nerve symptoms have calmed down

Something not feeling right?