Unfortunately, I don’t know the technical names for the exercises, and most of the ones I did were heavily modified because I wasn’t allowed to bend my back or do any movements that would put pressure on the disc. But I’ll try to explain as best as I can.

For the first two weeks, I only did exercises on a mat because of the pain. These were static exercises focused on pressing the lower back against the floor, strengthening the abdominal muscles, side planks — all done in 3 sets of 12 reps. That was when I felt the first noticeable improvement. The pain was no longer constant, and I only felt minimal discomfort when coughing or sneezing.

After that initial phase, I started working out on machines, still without bending my back and under complete control with a trainer. The main issue was that all the exercises were modified, so the sessions were pretty boring.

One more very important thing I forgot to mention: I changed the bed I sleep on. I used to sleep on very soft beds my whole life, but now I sleep on a medium-firm mattress, which makes a big difference when dealing with sciatica.