Lower back pain and sciatica rehab guide
Take control of lower back pain and sciatica, at home, over 12 weeks
An at-home rehab guide for lower back pain and sciatica-type leg symptoms, built from what works in my clinic. Find the one first-aid movement that calms your back down, then rebuild breathing, support, hip drive, and real strength, week by week, on video.
Who this is for
Does this sound like you?
- Sitting, standing up from a chair, bending to tie your shoes, or getting down to the floor sets your back off.
- Lifting feels risky, and everyday things make you brace for it.
- You’ve tried soft tissue work, stretching, core work, even chiropractic, and the relief only lasts a few hours.
- The pain isn’t only in your back: piriformis, hamstring, IT band, groin, calf, heel, or foot symptoms that come and go with it.
- You’re generally active and in good shape, with fleeting problems that keep coming back.
See a doctor first if: you can’t find any position where the pain eases, or you have numbness between the thighs, new weakness or foot drop, or bladder or bowel changes. Not for imaging-confirmed high-grade spondylolisthesis, spinal fractures, or recent trauma.
The problem
Your back pain has a driver
The way a bus has a driver: if you don’t stop the driver, the bus keeps moving. Stretches and exercises that only give temporary relief mean something is being missed.
What I see most often
The wrong program is why pain drags on.
In my clinic the two most common drivers are a lumbar disc and a pinched lower back nerve. Misdiagnosis or the wrong program is the most common reason pain drags on.
Most people never had the correct first aid.
Most people do not feel better from the care they get because the correct first aid was never selected. The corrections here are movement-based and hands-off.
If it doesn’t land, there’s a next step.
They work for a lot of people. If the first aid doesn’t land for you, that is what the week 4 one-on-one option is for.
The further it travels, the more it matters
Leg symptoms are the back talking
The further symptoms travel down the leg, the worse the progression, and compensations can outlast the original injury. Cool it down first, then build it back up over the following weeks.
What's inside
Twelve weeks, 56 videos, one first aid at a time
12-week online course
A classroom lesson every week, with written circuits, reps, hold times, and days per week
56 videos
42 exercise and first-aid demos plus 14 classroom and education videos
12-minute Start Here assessment
The directional preference test that finds your first aid
Week 4: optional session offer
A one-time discounted video session if you want eyes on your form (not included)
Weeks 1 to 2
First aid and safety nets
- Three first-aid patterns: extension (Press Up), lateral flexion (Side Opener), and flexion (90-90 Breathing, Door Jamb Squat). Pick one and dose it day by day for 5 to 10 days
- Positions of comfort, sitting posture, and up to an hour of walking a day; breathing and walking are “the easiest wins in the book”
Weeks 2 to 5
Build the support system
- Birddogs, side bridges, wall bugs, dowel split squats from week 2; hard style planks, quad rocks, and the kettlebell deadlift from week 3; farmers carries from week 4
- Core endurance in short bursts in week 5. Stuart McGill’s guy-wire idea: tie the cylinder up on all sides
Weeks 6 to 8
Wake up the hips
- Glute primers (accordions, banded bridges), goblet squats, rows, crawling, and gentle spinal mobility to shake the rust loose
- Expect to be sore; that’s normal
Weeks 9 to 12
Strength you keep
- Dan John’s five basic human movements, push, pull, carry, squat, and hinge, at a “rule of eight” load
- Movement flows, suitcase carries, plank drags, stork hinges, and halos for reactive stability
How it works
Four steps from first aid to strength
Pick one first aid.
Watch the 12-minute assessment. Test a daily movement, do the first aid, retest; a 30% improvement means you’ve found it. If symptoms move down your leg, that’s the wrong one: switch.
Run it for 5 to 10 days.
While you walk and breathe. Then one circuit session a day, five days a week for most weeks, three days a week in weeks 6 to 8.
Progress week by week.
Support, then hips, then core endurance, then strength.
Keep the basics, and the first aid.
The five basic movements and movement flows you can keep for years, with your first aid in your back pocket as a 5-to-10-day reset if a flare-up hits. It is not a forever exercise.
“Do the hardest thing that you could do well.”
Why Performance Place
Dr. Sebastian Gonzales, DC is a sports chiropractor in Costa Mesa, CA. This guide is the clinic’s structure, delivered at home: the same directional preference and first-aid method we run in clinic. It is hard to do on yourself, which is why the guide is this detailed and why one-on-one help is a click away.
Reviews
- Verified ownerPaul CoxSeptember 2, 2022
I had on and off lower back pain for 10+ years and spent countless trips to the chiropractor and lots of $$$. Adjustments al ways provided temporary relief but never "fixed" the issue. I found Sebastian online and set up a initial video call to discuss my symptoms. I did the 12 week program and followed it exactly and have not been back to the chiropractor for lower back issues in about a year. This was the actual fix I have been looking for and it worked!
- Verified ownerJohn JadiaMarch 2, 2022
I've had lower back pain for a few years that started when I was working out in my home gym. I was doing bench press, squats, and deadlifts 5 days a week, and after a few weeks I developed lower back pain that was so intense I couldn't get up from the ground for a few days. It was the most painful thing I have ever felt. It mostly went away after a few weeks but my lower back hasn't felt the same since then. It felt weak and ready to go out when I reached for small objects but it felt fine while lifting. After watching Sebastian and Dawne's Youtube videos I decided to give their online program a try. Within the first week, I felt about 50% better. My back was feeling more stable overall but most of the change came in week 3 when I started the core work. Doing these exercises daily really helped my back feel as good as it did before the injury. I don't normally write reviews and I am far from completing the 12 weeks but it has been so helpful so far that I wanted to share my experience. Thanks guys!!
- Verified ownerJeff PhamFebruary 14, 2022
This program has been like no other. I've done other home programs for lower back pain and felt they were not challenging enough for me. I'm 42 years old and am very active. This program was challenging for me and even included weight training as part of the rehab which I love. The first few weeks are slower than the rest but I get the reasons why. I did week 1 and skipped to week 3 and things went well. Thanks for making programs for active people like me!
- Verified ownerWilliam PareFebruary 10, 2022
Great program!! My lower back feels like a million bucks right now. The online program helped me get back to lifting weights and playing pickleball again.
- Verified ownerJesse BeltranFebruary 8, 2022
I was able to quickly reduce the pain within the first week using the first-aid exercises. So far this is an awesome resource, and it's giving me hope that I can get through this. I'm about mid-way into this program and in the "support and strength" phases. Dr. Gonzales has clearly put a lot of time and effort into these videos and his instructions and demonstrations of the exercises have been as clear and concise as the videos on his youtube channel, which is how I found this. Really appreciate you putting out online resources like this. I've been dealing with back issues for years, and no other chiropractor or PT ever showed me movements like what's in this guide. I don't fear things like bending over, getting up from a chair, or worse, having to end a round of golf early because of a flare up.
- Verified ownerAdri HJanuary 13, 2022
The first-aid exercises were very helpful in helping me control the pain. If I sit for too long, my lower back starts to hurt and a few minutes into side lying openers, the pain seemed to fade away. In week 2 it was a different first-aid that worked for me, but it was explained to us that you could need different first-aid exercises as you progress toward recovery. I'm having little wins with this guide each week and it's keeping me motivated to stay the course and follow Dr. Gonzales' guidance. He's great at explaining concepts so it's easy to understand why you're doing specific exercises. I'm more than halfway through and it's been totally worth it. Being able to control flare ups feels like a super power, and the rest of the guide is built to avoid relapses. These guys are onto something with this web-based guide. I highly recommend it!
- Verified ownerApril LynnJuly 13, 2020
I injured my low back working out and this guide really helped me figure out what to do. Dr. Gonzales is clearly speaking from loads of experience because the cues and details in the guide are easy to follow and spot on. I just wish I had found this guide hundreds of dollars sooner. I've been pain free for months and this guide has completely changed my day-to-day comfort levels.
- Verified ownerMarieka DrovinJanuary 21, 2020
I had pain in my right glute and lower back. This guide was very helpful in immediately reducing my pain. After doing it once, I had less pain when sitting and bending down. Moreover, Sebastian was VERY helpful and kind to me whenever we emailed. He checked in periodically to ask how the guide was going for me. He is very informative about back issues and I really appreciated him taking the time to help me. I would recommended this guide to anyone with lower back pain!
- Verified ownerGarrett McFaulJanuary 8, 2020
I had extreme pain in my hamstring and lower back. With all these exercises helped me reduce the pain. Take your time with all the exercises before going back to compete. My pain has gone away in a little over a week. Follow the steps and you’ll be back to do whatever sport or activities you want to do.
What you get
Everything in the guide
- The complete 12-week course: first aid, then support, hips, core endurance, and strength in the five basic movements
- 56 videos: 42 exercise and first-aid demos plus a classroom lesson every week, with written circuits, reps, and hold times
- A red-flag checklist and closing reading on what drives lower back pain
Informational guide. Not a diagnosis, and not a substitute for one.
FAQ
Fair questions
- Is this right for my back?
- Lower backs that act up with sitting, standing up, lifting, tying your shoes, or getting down to the floor, and sciatica-type pain, including the leg-side symptoms that ride along: piriformis, hamstring, IT band, calf, heel and foot, and SI joint pain.
- Do I need an MRI or x-ray first?
- Special tests are commonly requested to “see the problem,” yet they’re not required to start treatment. The red-flag checklist tells you when imaging and a doctor come first.
- How is this different from stretches I’ve already tried?
- If stretches only ever helped temporarily, the direction was probably never tested. This guide is a first-aid test, then sequenced movement corrections, support, and genuine strength work.
- How soon might I feel a difference?
- The first-aid test tells you in minutes whether you’ve picked the right direction (a 30% change in your test movement); it usually takes 5 to 10 days of repetition to take hold. The back can briefly feel worse as leg symptoms centralize; that is what we want, as long as nothing travels further down the leg. Strength is slower, and quitting at week 7 because you feel good is the mistake to avoid.
- What if none of the first aids work?
- Some people won’t get it on their own; Dr. Gonzales says so on camera. It usually means the variation or the way you’re applying it needs tweaking. That’s what the week 4 session is for.
- What equipment do I need?
- Week 1: the floor, a towel or pillow, a chair, and a door frame. From week 2 a broomstick or dowel; from week 3 a kettlebell or dumbbell you can deadlift and carry (the lessons suggest 25 to 55 lb by the strength weeks; the end goal is a 60 to 70 lb deadlift and a 35 lb goblet squat). A cloth glute resistance band from week 8.
Stop the driver. Then build the back that lasts.
One first aid to calm it down, then the support, hips, and strength that make flare-ups less likely.