Hey Emma, I just turned 31 myself, and I have sciatica from a herniated disk too (L4/L5) ! I understand your pain to some extent. My pain is in my right buttock, not down the leg.

Have you seen physical therapists about the pain ? What kind of medical or other treatment have you sought for it ?

I know you don't wanna hear this, but excess weight and improper body posture will exacerbate your pain.

One thing that I have trained myself to do is to squat whenever I need to bend my body, and to engage my abdominal muscles to protect my back.

I also just ordered a book from Amazon.com that explains how to manage Sciatica. Fixing You: Back Pain: Self-Treatment for Sciatica, Bulging and Herniated Disks, Stenosis, Degenerative Disks, and other diagnoses.: Rick Olderman MSPT: 9780982193709: Amazon.com: Books

You're still quite young ... you can absolutely get over this problem.

I'm here for you if you want to talk more about this or about exercise or anything. I know you can get better, and that's why I'm eager to talk to you about it.