What Actually Helped My Back Pain (and Focus): A Ground-Up Routine + Smart Recovery

I’m not a clinician and I don’t train people. I run The Recovery Outlet, and I’ve been the guy who tried “everything” while sitting through back pain and brain fog. This is the routine that helped me get out of pain and, honestly, helped me feel present again. If parts of it resonate, borrow them. If not, skip freely.

The honest starting point

I stretched. A lot. It helped… a little. What changed things for me was thinking from the feet up and adding the right recovery inputs around my movement. The idea: fascia. The connective web that links everything, has a say in how we move and how we feel pain. It’s richly wired (including nociceptors), so when it’s unhappy, you feel it. PMC+1

I also realized that “tight” often means poor glide between layers, not simply “short muscles.” That glide is helped by a gel called hyaluronan; when it gets sticky from stress or lack of movement, tissues don’t slide well. Gentle, multi-directional loading and heat helped me more than yanking on one line. PMC+1

The small daily stack that moved the needle

1) Foot wake-up (2–4 minutes).
Barefoot. Short foot holds, slow toe spreads, light arch pulses. This improved my balance and how my legs “stacked” over my feet, subtle but big upstream. Systematic reviews back intrinsic-foot work for function and postural control. PMC+1

2) Breath to organize pressure (2 minutes).
Rib expansion through the sides/back (not just belly), then exhale to “stack” ribs over pelvis. When I breathe better, my back stops gripping. Adding diaphragmatic breathing to core work has shown added benefit in low-back pain patients. PMC

3) Gentle coils (2–3 minutes).
Standing, slow figure 8s with a miniband, just enough rotation to create shear (glide), not strain. Fascia cells are mechano-sensitive; the shape of load matters. PMC

4) Walk more.
Boring, yes. But walking volume was the quiet game-changer for my back and headspace. New cohort data links ~100+ minutes/day with a lower risk of chronic low-back pain; walking stacks well with anything. PMC

That’s the “movement container.” Then I layered recovery tech that made those minutes work harder.

How I used our products (and why)

Sauna / Infrared (most days).
I treat heat like “opening the canvas.” It loosens the feel of the tissue and sets me up to move without guarding. Large cohorts link sauna use with better cardiovascular and all-cause outcomes, and smaller studies point to improved pliability/flexibility. I feel the difference immediately. PubMed+2BioMed Central+2

Red Light Therapy Panel (nightly before bed).
I think of Red light therapy like a signal to the builders that organize your body's collagen. Clinical work shows improvements in skin/ECM quality and fibroblast behavior; for me it translated to better sleep and more smoothness in my movenment practice. PMC+2PMC+2

HBOT Blocks (periodic).
I started taking “power naps” in the chamber, 20 minutes felt like a full nights reset. It feels better than having a coffee, I get out feeling wide awake and my body feels much lighter. Don't just believe what I'm saying though, there’s brain data worth noting: oxygen under pressure doesn’t just top off energy; it helps teach the brain to repair itself and create better signaling. 

Here are a few studies for the affects Hyperbaric chambers has on your brain. 

• Neuroplasticity & cognition: Randomized trials in chronic stroke and long-standing post-concussion show HBOT can improve cognitive scores and functional measures, with imaging evidence (SPECT/DTI) of brain changes. PMC+2PMC+2

• Cerebral blood flow & network function: Studies report improved perfusion/functional activity alongside symptom relief in select neurological conditions. PMC+1

• Neuroinflammation & cellular cleanup: Reviews describe HBOT lowering pro-inflammatory signals and up-regulating antioxidant defenses—one way it may create a better environment for the nervous system to recalibrate. PMC+1

• Mitochondria & “hyperoxic-hypoxic paradox”: Cycling higher oxygen can trigger adaptive gene programs linked to mitochondrial function and repair (the “HHP” concept). Early human transcriptome work shows shifts in pathways tied to resilience. MDPI+1

• Aging & cognitive health (emerging): Preliminary clinical evidence suggests potential benefits in aging populations and select neurodegenerative contexts, though research is ongoing. PMC+1

Cold Plunge (as needed).
This is more of a relaxation tool, not a personality test, its hot here in Miami so I use the cold plunge to wake the body up. I used short post-session dips on high-volume days to curb soreness so I could keep moving and not feel as sore. Meta-analyses show cold water immersion can reduce DOMS and perceived fatigue; I avoid it right after sessions where I want max strength/hypertrophy signaling. PMC+1

The 15-minute “Back-to-Present” routine (what I actually do)

• Heat primer: 10–15 min sauna or a warm shower.

• Foot wake-up: 3 rounds of short-foot (10–20s), foot scrunches with a towel, arch pulses. PMC

• Breath set: 5 breaths with rib expansion → long, quiet exhales. PMC

• Coils: 2–3 minutes of slow figure-8s with rope flow (no strain). PMC

• Walk: 10–20 minutes at some point during the day; more on good days. PMC

• Optional add-ons: Red Light Therapy (8–15 min per region) 2–4×/week; short cold plunge after long days; Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy as a boost thats better than coffee. PMC+2PMC+2

I kept this simple and consistent. The goal wasn’t to “biohack” pain; it was to give my body a cleaner conversation every day and let it get back to being efficient.

Why it felt different (quick science without the lab coat)

• Fascia can generate/relay pain. Thoracolumbar fascia is innervated; angry fascia means noisy signals. Making glide and load feel safe matters. PMC

• Glide over “more length.” Hyaluronan helps layers slide; movement + heat helped me restore that smoothness more than static pulls. PMC

• The foot is a steering wheel. Intrinsic-foot work improves function and balance; pairing foot + hip/knee work shows added benefits in knee pain populations—my whole chain felt more “stacked.” PMC+1

• Signals > force. Fibroblasts respond to the shape of load (mechanotransduction), which is why those gentle coils did more for me than yanking a hamstring. PMC

• Heat, light, oxygen, cold are levers, not crutches. Sauna supports pliability and broader health markers; PBM nudges fibroblasts/ECM; HBOT supports collagen remodeling; cold helps soreness when used thoughtfully. PMC+3BioMed Central+3MDPI+3

If you want to try my exact stack

• Sauna/Infrared: Start with 10–15 min, 3–4×/week.

• Red Light Bed: 8–15 min per area, 2–4×/week, then do the coil set.

• HBOT: Run it in blocks when the goal is repair/quality.

• Cold: Short and strategic on heavy days; skip right after strength sessions.

You’ll find all of these in our store. I built The Recovery Outlet to make high-end recovery gear accessible to busy individuals, like myself, so you can build your own system at home, without having to chase appointments.

Important note

This is my experience, not medical advice. If you have a condition (especially cardiovascular issues, neuropathy, uncontrolled hypertension, pregnancy, or ear/sinus/pressure concerns for HBOT), talk to a qualified professional before starting heat, cold, or pressure-based modalities.

If you'd like to check out my Instagram and podcast here are the links below. 

https://www.instagram.com/andrewsnotfit?igsh=MXFrYW12bDk1cWlscQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

https://paa.ge/powertalkspod?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAadve_5fgstRL1FEF9Acv5wQ-z3HsqKxVm_aJMbRaSxY7MNH8eQwjo_Ji-KODA_aem_FExFJXvr_Waz31OCFaKNtA&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fl.instagram.com%2F

References (selected)

Fascia & pain/innervation: Suarez-Rodríguez 2022; Sinhorim 2021. PMC+1
Hyaluronan & glide: Pratt 2021; Ugwoke 2022. PMC+1
Mechanotransduction: Pirri 2023. PMC
Foot training & balance/function: Wei 2022; Huang 2022; Ghuiba 2024. PMC+2PMC+2
Breathing + core in LBP: Masroor 2023. PMC
Walking & LBP: Haddadj 2025. PMC
PBM (skin/ECM/fibroblasts): Wunsch 2014; Couturaud 2023; Hernández-Bule 2024. PMC+2PMC+2
HBOT & collagen: Růžička 2021. PMC
Sauna (health outcomes & flexibility): Laukkanen 2015/2018; Bucht 2019. PubMed+2BioMed Central+2
Cold water immersion & DOMS: Xiao 2023; Frontiers review 2023. PMC+1