8-Minute Disc-Bias (McKenzie) Routine
For sciatica suspected to be disc-driven: sharp electric pain following a dermatomal pattern, worse with sitting and bending forward, occasionally relieved by walking. Built around the centralisation principle.
Best for: Pain runs into the leg below the knee, worse with sitting and forward flexion, better with standing or walking. Centralises with extension.
The centralisation principle in this routine
Centralisation is the dial. As you press up into the cobra, watch where the pain lives. If it moves UP toward your spine, the protocol is working. If it moves DOWN further into the leg, stop. This is the wrong direction for your case. The McKenzie centralisation principle is the single most reliable real-time signal of whether extension-bias is your direction.
What you'll do
- 01
10 reps. Watch for centralisation. STOP if pain peripheralises.
- 02
One sustained hold at the top position
- 03Sciatic Nerve Flosspulse30s each side
Nerve glide between sets of extension. PULSE, not hold.
- 04
Final 10 press-ups
- 05Supine Piriformis Stretch30s each side
Half hold. Gentle counter to the extension load.
How the timer works
When you hit start, the timer reads out each step. Three-second get-ready, the hold (with a ten-second warning), five-second rest, then onto the next move. Voice can be muted from the top right. The nerve floss is flagged in the timer as a pulse (do not hold the end position).
If pain shoots further down your leg, stop. That is peripheralisation, which signals nerve root irritation rather than therapeutic stretch. Switch to the acute flare routine and see a physiotherapist if it persists past 48 hours.