Title: Why Your Herniated Disc Pain Feels Like It’s Spreading — Live Q&A

In this live Back In Shape session, Mike explains why an L4/5 or L5/S1 herniated disc can start as “just” lower back or buttock pain and then seem to spread into hamstrings, tendons and other joints over time. He walks through how inactivity, deconditioning and disc thinning work together to make you more vulnerable, why most people simply don’t have much strength “in the bank” to lose, and how this leads to that familiar downward spiral of flare-ups, failed treatments and growing fear. You’ll also hear discussion around epidural injections, laser therapy, float tanks, dry needling, decompression tools and when these can sensibly support your rehab rather than distract from it.

From there, the focus shifts to what actually turns things around: learning safe technique on squats, hip hinges, dead bugs and marching bridges, then progressively loading them through Phase One to Four so your spine, discs and hips genuinely get stronger. Mike tackles common myths (“my glutes don’t fire”, “swimming will strengthen my back”, “core work doesn’t heal discs”) and shows how to think about flare-ups, imaging and timelines more realistically. Use the chapters to jump straight to the topics that match your current phase, then come back to the replay whenever you need a reset. Start here → https://backinshapeprogram.com/start/

Highlights

🔹 Why herniated disc pain seems to “spread” over time
🔹 How inactivity thins discs and deconditions your whole system
🔹 Epidural injections, laser and gadgets — what they don’t do
🔹 Squat and hip hinge done properly vs chasing “glute activation”
🔹 Swimming, stretching and cat-cows vs real rehab and strengthening

#backinshape #sciatica #herniateddiscs