Understand why it’s happening. Then decide what to do.
Sciatica describes a pattern of symptoms — not one diagnosis. Where you feel it doesn’t necessarily tell you where it comes from, and that changes what actually makes sense to try.
Three things worth knowing before you start
Sciatica explains the symptom but NOT the cause.
It describes what you are feeling. It does not, by itself, tell you why you are feeling it.
Glute and leg pain might be coming from your back.
The nerves that reach your leg begin at the lower spine. A symptom in the calf or buttock can be felt a long way downstream of its source.
Depending on the root cause will determine the mobility routine.
People with very similar symptoms may need different approaches. Everyone with sciatica does not need the same list of stretches.
Start with the foundations
Cornerstone 01What is sciatica?
Why a problem in your back causes symptoms in your leg, what an MRI does and does not tell you, and where to actually start.
Read it →
Cornerstone 02What causes it?
Disc-related, stenosis, problems outside the spine — or something that is not sciatica at all. Why a scan finding is not an explanation.
Read it →
New or rapidly progressing weakness, significant bowel or bladder changes, or numbness in the saddle or groin region warrant prompt medical evaluation — not another exercise from the internet.
Sciatica HQ is educational and self-management oriented. It is not individualised physical therapy, and nothing here diagnoses your condition or replaces assessment by a qualified clinician.