10 20-Minute Things

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that the only focus you need to have with chronic back pain is reducing the pain.

Gotcha! That’s absolutely not true.

Pain is a message that something in the body is not working right or is damaged. Our medical system puts all the focus on the pain. But, if you shut down the pain without improving the underlying problem, in the long run it only gets worse.

In this post, I’m going to show you ten 20-minute things you can do to help your body reduce your chronic back pain.

By the end, you will have a better understanding of pain and how to work with it. You may even dramatically reduce your pain.

Grab yourself 20 of your very important minutes and a glass of your favorite beverage, and let’s get into how you can lower your chronic before the month is over (or next month).

#1. Use Walk for Relief

When I first started sharing the importance of movement with chronic pain, my goal was to help people step out of their fear of getting worse.

I had no idea how much it would change people’s lives.  

It used to be a common belief that if you were in pain you should stop moving the area. After all, sometimes movement hurts so it must be damaging. 

We now know that to be false. If you have knee surgery, instead of waking up in a splint you will likely wake up with your knee in a Continuous Passive Motion device moving it slowly and gently. 

Why?

Because movement heals!

The plan is simple, you need to move:

  • If your knees and hips allow you to get out every day for a 20-minute walk. You can start slow with 5 or 10 minutes and work up to 20 minutes.
  • If walking isn’t possible, find a pool to walk in or swim.
  • You can also use a bicycle, although the sitting position is less than ideal.

What you can expect:

The result will be gradual. Be careful in the beginning not to greatly exceed your capacity to walk. 

The movement should help reduce your pain both while you are walking or moving, and for hours afterward.

In the beginning you might experience some soreness from using your muscles. This should feel like soreness from doing too much rather than pain. 

#2. Strengthen the Biggest Muscles

strongest muscles of the body. And, this puts even more stress on the lower back leading to more pain. 

A vicious cycle! 

Weak muscles put stress on injured, imbalanced, and arthritic joints.

This causes pain which results in less activity causing more weakness and more pain. When you’ve been struggling to deal with chronic back pain, something as simple as climbing stairs can feel like you are carrying an extra 100 pounds.

But if you don’t do this, it’ll be hard to really change your back pain. 

The muscles of your hips, buttocks, and legs are responsible for moving your body through your day, rising from sitting, climbing stairs, etc. 

The old adage “use it or lose it” comes into play. 

When we injure our back or experience pain we naturally reduce our activity because it hurts. As the pain continues we continue to restrict our activities. This leads to a weakening of the 

What you can expect:

Once you start to strengthen the muscles of the hips and thighs, you’ll have an easier time navigating stairs, hills, and walking.

Here’s how to start:

  • Find a chair with the seat about knee height. Sit on the edge. Now stand up without leaning or bending forward. Slowly lower yourself down. Start with 5 repetitions and work up to 15.
  • Wall Sits: stand with your feet about 1.5 feet from the wall and your back against the wall. Slide down the wall until your thighs are half way between standing and sitting. Hold this for as long as you can. Try to make it 30 seconds in the beginning. As you get stronger, slide lower down the wall and hold it for longer. 
  • Climb stairs keeping your back vertical. Avoid leaning forward over your thighs. 

#3. Squat

One of the best things you can do to take back control of your chronic back pain is to start to squat.  Even when it seems like you’re getting nowhere, taking small steps to deepen your squat can have a huge impact on your back pain.

I remember a story about researchers that went deep in the Amazon and met with a remote tribe. These people had no low back pain. When they observed them they noticed they never sat, they squatted. 

Let’s face it, sometimes the things that have the most impact on our health are simple and childlike.  Next time you see a 2 year old notice how they squat rather than bend over. 

Starting to squat will help keep your hips moving, protect the low back, and strengthen the hip muscles. Keep your back fairly straight and look forward. Only go as deep as you can and rise up to standing.

In the beginning you might want a chair or a counter to hold on to. 

The good news is, squats are a functional movement that is perfect for improving your function.

Instead of committing an hour to work out, just do it for 5 to 10 minutes over the course of the day. 

What you can expect:

Squats are an example of what is called a compound movement. These are movements that involve multiple joints – in this case the hips, knees, and ankles. 

Compound movements more closely mirror the demands of daily life and have a carry over into your daily activities. 

Contrary to popular fears, doing movements like squats is actually healthy for your knees and hips. 

#4. Try Working on Your Balance

If you’ve been firmly on the side of exercise and have to focus on strength and endurance, you may want to consider spending some time improving your balance. 

When you walk 40% of the time is spent on one foot. Often as a result of injuries we lose the ability to easily balance and this puts added stress on the joints of the lower back.

Do this test:

  • Stand on one foot with eyes open for 10 seconds. You should be able to do that easily.
  • Now stand next to a counter and stand on one leg with your eyes closed. Anything less than 10 seconds indicates a joint problem causing a balance problem.

Here’s how to keep this one to 5 minutes so you can improve your balance:

  • Start standing in bare feet on a firm floor. Close your eyes and work up to being able to stand on either leg for at least 10 seconds.
  • Once you can do 10 seconds, move onto the carpet or put a yoga mat under your feet.
  • As you master each step, make the surface you stand on progressively less stable. 

What you can expect:

Almost everyone will have difficulty once they close their eyes. If you have every injured an ankle, that will be the side of difficulty. As you build your balance it will decrease stress to your lower back. 

Balance is critical as we age. Balance problems cause falls and fractures. 

#5. Breathe for Pain Relief

This one might raise some eyebrows but stick with me for a minute or two.

ALL pain is experienced in and through the nervous system.

When we are stressed, get injured, or are in pain the Sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system is activated.

The Sympathetic “fight or flight” System activation results in:

  • Increased muscle tension and pain
  • Increased inflammation
  • Disturbed sleep

On the other hand the Vagus Nerve of the Parasympathetic “rest and digest” system gets inhibited. The Vagus Nerve is responsible for:

  • Rest and recovery
  • Healing
  • Lowered heart rate
  • Quality sleep
  • Lowered inflammation

There are many breath practices out there, but this is the best starting point:

  • Use Your Diaphragm to breathe: start by putting your hands on the sides of your lower ribs and gently push in. As you breathe in slowly through your nose feel your ribs pushing your hands outward.
  • Nasal Breathing: if you are not eating, drinking, or talking, close your mouth and breathe through your nose. Spend 5 minutes a couple of times a day breathing slowly and lightly in and out of your nose.

What you can expect:

Just 5 minutes of slow and light nasal breathing will result in a noticeable reduction of tension in your body.

The Life Chiropractic Corrective Rebalancing Program

I have taken my more than 35 years of chiropractic practice and distilled down everything that works consistently to produce predictable, measurable, and repeatable results for people experiencing chronic pain. 

Here’s what’s included in the program:

  • Corrective Chiropractic Care so you can experience the release of tension from your body and the feeling of structural balance that is the first step in alleviating pain
  • Spinal Joint Flossing to restore motion to the critical facet joints responsible for much pain
  • Posterior Chain Activation to turn on the postural muscles of the posterior chain and improve your posture and ability to move
  • Stress Resilience Blueprint is a course in Self-Mastery teaching you the skill of self-regulation of your autonomic nervous system.

Sounds good? Don’t wait because my ability to deliver this program is limited to a limited number of people at any time. We often have to close registration to limit participants.

You can schedule your initial Consultation and Exam here: Schedule Here

That’s a Wrap! 10 Minutes to Chronic Pain Relief Success

It’s amazing what you can accomplish in 10 minutes when you’re focused and diligent.

The best way to change anything in your body is to be consistent and stay focused, and I hope this guide has been helpful for you. 

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About Dr. Berkowitz  

Dr. Bill Berkowitz is a dedicated chiropractor who brings reliability and depth to his practice at Life Chiropractic in western Nevada County. Focused on addressing chronic issues like low back pain, headaches, and anxiety, Dr. Berkowitz delivers patient-centered care rooted in proven methods without unnecessary extras.

Life Chiropractic, founded by Dr. Bill Berkowitz, offers reliable and results-driven chiropractic care for residents of western Nevada County. With a focus on foundational health solutions, the practice prioritizes quality and effectiveness to help clients achieve relief from chronic issues without unnecessary add-ons.

Schedule your first visit here: Schedule Here