This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in October 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/HCdO37IWGV8 Mike: Today, we are taking your physical therapy questions and answering some of them. Brad: That's right. Well, let's just get right to it, Mike, first question. Mike: So this username is really hard to say, but @lainiesmajovits says, " Hi guys, I suffer from osteoarthritis in my fingers. Sometimes it's so painful that it wakes me up at night. Can you help me with some exercises to relieve the pain? " Brad: We would absolutely love to. Actually, we're going to do what we call the Mayo Clinic six pack. This came right from Bob. It's got nothing to do with a six-pack of beer. I'm from Wisconsin. That came to my mind. But here it is. There are six specific exercises, and it's going to start with your hand. You can do this with both hands at the same time. We'll just do one, now, put your fingers straight up. Get it as straight as you can. If your fingers are hooked from the arthritis, you can try and straighten them a little bit with the other hand. Get a little stretch on there. And then we go to the hook. Simply like this, there will be a gap between your fingers. So we're just trying to get those joints and the fingers moving so you can go back and forth if they're stiff. Mike: What if I want to call this the claw? Brad: Yeah, well, you call it whatever you'd like, Mike. Let's get onto the next one. Now we're going to go to the flat fist. This is where you bring your fingers down, and you actually flatten out. So you can see your fingernails, like Mike's got an excellent position of that. And you can repeat that, if they're not going down, you can give a little help with the other hand and straighten them. Brad: Spend about 10 to 15 seconds on them if they're tight, okay? And then we go to the regular fist where you curl the fingers underneath, curl the thumb around, and you're making an actual fist, a full fist. And work that sometimes the other hand can go over and stretch them just to get a little more stretch with that. Brad: And then the tabletop is simply like this, a flat tabletop. Do what you can to get it straight as you need. Brad: And then touch thumb, first finger, thumb to second finger, finger tip or thumb tip to fingertip. And do that one or two times. And do that with each hand or again, both at the same time. It's a wonderful way to get a complete range of motion throughout your fingers. Mike: Now, when you're done, clap. That's more finger exercises. Brad: There you go. Alright, let's go to the next one. Mike: So our next question comes from @blueeyedsoulman, and the question is, " How about traction, and can traction be administered to someone with moderate to severe scoliosis? " Brad: The answer is yes. However, if you have severe scoliosis and pain associated with it, particularly, you need to see your doctor and get it okayed. If you just scoliosis with no pain, but you have it, you can do this as long as it does not create pain. We're going to show you three options for traction. The first one is a simple one on a firm chair with good, firm armrests. You're going to relax your core muscles around your stomach, and you have to have strong arms for this. If you don't, it will not work. We'll go to the second option. Here you simply push up, and then I'm going to bring my legs out, and right now my core muscles are very loose, and I can feel my back actually getting a little bit of gravity traction. Again, I'm gonna hold it. Your arms will probably get tired, so maybe for five to 10 seconds, so you get arm strengthening and traction. If this doesn't work for you, fine, let's go to the second option. Mike: Now, for this, you're going to need something to hang onto, a pull-up bar. You can technically do this on an open door, but it's a little bit different. So what you're going to do is grab on and slowly sit your butt down and just kind of hang like this. I am relaxing my stomach muscles. And that way it's going to let that traction apply to your spine. Now, if you're doing this and you have a full pull-up bar where you can actually dangle your legs, that is fine. You just don't want your core engaged holding up like this because it's not going to allow the spine to separate like you need it to. Brad: And again, no pain should be experienced with this. It should feel good. If it's painful, you scratch it off. It's not an option. Mike: You can just start with like 15, 30 seconds if it feels good. If you have the tolerance, you can go for longer durations, like a minute if you want to. As long as it's feeling good. Now there are some other traction options available, but we don't want to spend a lot of time on this. You can watch the video, " Top 3 Ways to Apply Traction (Decompression) to Spine (Back Pain/Sciatica) With Equipment ." This one involves actual traction units. Some of them are Saunders units, and some of them are inversion tables. So click that video link if you are interested in that. The next question comes from @christywells-reece, and they say, " I wish you guys would do a video on the exercises we could do for sciatica pain in the behind, (thinking they mean buttocks). Until it happened to me, I didn't know it was even a thing. " Brad: Okay, this is kind of a difficult one to deal with, Christy. So we're going to give you two simple exercises. There could be a lot more, but you could try these if they offer immediate relief, and after you're done, they continue to feel good, do them. If they don't, if they do not feel good and the pain does not improve, scratch both of them. It's one of those things you'll need to see a therapist directly. Mike: If these stretches don't help, we do have tons of videos on sciatica pain. It's the same exercise as if it's in your butt or down your leg or just in your back. So just a heads up. To do the first stretch. We're going to show it's the same stretch, just done differently, if you're specifically having one-sided pain. So typically, that's what it is with sciatica. Say it's my left side. What I'm going to do is do a stretch to try to open up the spine and decompress it. So I'm going to grab the top of the doorframe. You can certainly use a pull-up bar, whatever you have. I'm going to relax, bend my knees, and I'm going to lean into it. Leaning into it like this is going to separate those vertebrae, give that disc some room to breathe, and possibly take pressure off that sciatic nerve that is irritated right now. So you're going to hold this for roughly 15, 30 seconds. Make sure to relax and breathe, and do it a couple of times a day. Brad: And if that's not an option because you're too short or the door is not solid, you can simply take a stick four to five feet long, you can use a Booyah Stik . It has to be solid, rigid. Put it on a chair next to you so it doesn't slide. If it does slide, you take your shoe off and put that right there. Reach up, grab here. If it's my right side, the right-sided pain, then you're gonna lean without letting your hand slide, and it's going to stretch this side. Again, I'm going to repeat this. Brad: When you do this, it should make that sciatic pain you're experiencing get better while you're doing it, as well as when you're done holding it for like he said, 15 to 30 seconds. Walk around; it should continue to feel better. If it does not feel better while or after, scratch it; you do not want to continue that exercise. Mike: I'd like to mention your door does not have to be on wheels or stairs like that. Alright, question four comes from @ConnyGermangirl. " Do you have any stretches for people with arthritis in the lower back? Hugs from Texas. " Brad: Well, you're in luck, Conny. We have some excellent stretches to get that arthritis loosened up. You can do it in bed before you get out of bed or lie down on a carpeted floor throughout the day. The first one, Mike, is going to actually show a modified version of what I'm doing in a chair. A firm chair works best with an armrest. Bring your knees up while you're lying down, and we're simply going to relax. Keep your hips still with your hands at your hips, and just let your knees go back and forth. I always tell my patients you're doing like a windshield wiper in a car, and you can let one knee separate a little bit, and I cannot feel my lower back actually loosen it up a little bit. So nice stretch. Do it 10 to 15 repetitions. If any of these create pain, you do not do them. How are you doing, Mike? Mike: I'm doing just fine. Brad: Let's go to the next one, then. Mike: So the next one you're going to do, single knee to chest to begin with. Now, if you're in a chair, just grab one leg, bring it up as far as you comfortably can. If you're limited, just a small motion, that's fine. You're just going to kind of hold it there for a few seconds. You can either hold this for 15 to 30 seconds in one spot if that feels good. Or you can kind of do some repetitions. Just bring it up and back down. Make sure to do this on both legs. Mike: If this is easy, you can do both knees to the chest, which is a little awkward in the chair. So we would recommend this one lying down, like Brad is showing. Brad: There you go. Yep, it's as simple as that. Relax, again, they should feel good. Get those joints in the vertebra nice and moving and relaxed. Let's go to the next one. Mike: So the last one is the prayer stretch. Now Brad is going to show it in bed, and you can do this in a chair. So what I'm going to do in a chair is just sit up, arch my back, lift my arms above my head, and stretch this way. And then you can even come back down and go to what is comfortable. Notice I'm having a nice straight back. I'm not rounding like this. Just go down to what you feel is comfortable, just getting that spine moving. Mike: Obviously, the version Brad is showing is quite a bit different. Do you want to explain how to do that one? Brad: Sure, so on your knees, hands out, and you just let your bottom go back to your heels, and feel the stretch right across your back there. If you want to get one side more than the other, simply place one hand over the other, or this way, and do it as many repetitions as you feel comfortable. Typically five, maybe up to 10 maximum. Mike: Now, one other thing we kind of talked about with the other two, with back issues or sciatica, is you can certainly try hanging if that's an option for you personally. Again, you're going to need something sturdy, like a pull-up bar or hanging handles, to hang onto. Mike: Again, just distract, and they'll get more traction in there, where the other ones are working on rotation and flexion, and extension patterns. Brad: Again, good luck with these. Only do them if they feel good while you're doing them, as well as afterwards. Good. Let's go to the next one, Mike. Mike: Okay, our last question comes from @placeboreality, hopefully this isn't a placebo. Anyway, " Can you please do a video on pelvic tilt? Is it a myth or true? And some stretches we can do to help if you have an anterior tilted pelvis. " So, for those of you who aren't aware, this is your pelvis and your spine, and anterior tilt means you are arched forward like this. I'm obviously exaggerating on this model, and your butt sticks up. Mike: This can cause a lot of low back pain issues, hip issues, and anything related to the hip or pelvis in this region. Typically, what is common with this is that people have tight hip flexors. Your hip flexors are located in the front of the pelvis. If they are tied from sitting too much and not standing up or stretching, they can cause this pattern. So it is true, this can be a problem. And in order to fix it, most of the time we need to stretch the hip flexors. Brad: Now, the hip flexor stretch is a very well-known stretch, but there's only one way to do it to get the rectus femoris, which happens to be the muscle that gets neglected most of the time. So we got this from Rick Olderman . He has had extreme success with it, written books, and taught therapists about it. Can you show how to do the Thomas? Well, we call it the Thomas test, but it's actually the Rick Olderman hip flexor stretch, to be complete. Mike: So what you're going to want to do is sit on the edge of a firm surface like I am here. If you happen to have stairs, this is the top, and your stairs go down, you could try it there. We've met some people who have done that. You could also do it on a tabletop, whatever you have. Hopefully, your mattress is firm enough, and you can try it there as well. Anyway, what you're going to do is lie down, and you're going to bring both knees to your chest to begin with. Now, if I'm doing my left side, I'm simply going to drop it down. Once I'm here to get that rectus femoris, I'm going to bend my knee, and it's important to pull the opposite knee up towards my chest. So you can see when I do that, my hip wants to go up a bit. Try to keep it down. Hold this for 30 seconds, and also make sure your leg is staying in a nice straight line. Mike: Don't let it wander out to the side like this or drift in too far. You should feel a stretch. If you are stuck way up here. Your hip flexors are tight. Mike: If you can get to the mattress or down a little bit, you're probably okay, and it's not causing too much discomfort. But again, try to hold this stretch, and check it on both sides. Most people are going to notice a difference from one leg to the other. It may not be super noticeable, but you will definitely feel it when you are stretching. Brad: There you go, nice work, Mike. Alright, so those are the end of our questions and our answers. Good luck with them. For this week’s Giveaway, visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Ultra Massage Gun (with red light) A2 Pro Massage Gun A7 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun D5 Pro Plus Massage Gun (with heat) D5 Ultra Massage Gun (with red light) D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D6 Pro Max+ Massage Gun EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote EyeOasis 3 Eye Massager Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Go Back, Neck, & Shoulder Massager EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote EZBack Pro Back Massager EZBack Prime Back Massager Fit Glide Foot Massager G100 Pro Vibration Therapy Massager Hand Massager HandSpa Pro Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   iMaster Pro Massage Chair iNeck Pro Neck and Shoulder Massager Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager M7 Plus Mini Massage Gun with Heat Therapy Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Ultra Massage Gun (with red light) T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraHeat Knee Brace TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun ThermoRed Heated Back Belt Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Zero Pro Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in October 2024. For the original video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZozhqXkGRM&t=604s Mike: So today, we are talking about hip pain and how to stop it fast. But Brad wants to get in a little explanation first. Brad: That's right. The hip joint is an incredible joint. Look at the motion that Mike is doing, all with his hip. Brad: He says he does this when he plays hacky sack. Let's look at the joint itself. It's a ball-and-socket joint, and the motions he did, if we look at them, work very well. The ball fits in the socket very smoothly. Everything works very well. But there are a couple of things that can go wrong with this ball and socket that can cause a lot of pain, and we're going to tell you how to fix it. Mike: I hope my femur doesn't rip out like that just did. Brad: Well, yeah, that is an issue. Mike: So the first problem we're going to look at is called femoral anterior glide syndrome. This issue was brought to us by Rick Olderman , a physical therapist. You can check out his work at RickOlderman.com . But in order to fix this problem, you're going to need a band , or you could possibly use a belt of some sort. And what we actually want to do is get the femur back in place, and Brad will explain that in a second. But in order to do it, you'll need a band or belt, and you'll need to start leaning forward to help get that femoral head back in place. Brad, I'm just talking in circles. You want to explain this? Brad: Right, so if we look at what's going on with Mike and what the band is actually doing is the femoral anterior syndrome is when the ball actually comes forward. Like here, I'm exaggerating a little bit, but it'll be easy to understand. Now, that strap is going around the femur just below the ball and socket, and as he leans forward, it pulls it and helps it get back into place, so once again, proper mechanics are taking place, reducing the pain, getting things back to normal. Brad: Mike has actually demonstrated that you can try sideways. Go ahead, Mike, you're better at talking on this. Mike: So this is just another variation, depending upon where your femoral head is sitting in your socket, like Brad is showing. You could try forward or sideways. With a belt, you're not going to get this play where you can stretch it like this. It's going to be rather firm, and you're just going to push into it, and it won't move much. But we realize most people don't have bands like this at home. Brad: Let's make it clear, Mike, that when they do this, you'll know it's the right thing to do, because with the pressure on it, it's going to feel good. Mike: Yeah. Brad: If it creates pain, particularly sharp pain, you stop. It is not the technique to use. Mike: Now, this band will help get it back in place if this is your issue; however, most of the time, we have muscles in the front of the hip that are too tight and weak glutes. So we're going to show you a stretch to address the tight hips in front, and an exercise to strengthen your buttocks. Brad: That's right. This way, it creates a long-term fix and solution. Now, you may wonder, why does this happen? One common cause is excessive sitting. So, for example, if you work as a truck driver or sit at a computer workstation, that allows the muscles in the front to get tighter. You do not use the glute muscles, so they get weaker, and it causes that imbalance, so that when you get up and walk around and move, it actually pulls that femoral head forward, and that's the syndrome that we talked about and just reduced and fixed with that strap. Mike, show them a nice stretch so that that muscle is no longer pulling the head out of place. Mike: So we're going to stretch the hip flexor muscles. You're going to need something firm to lie on. You can try your bed, but if the edge is not firm, you might slide off. So maybe a countertop, a kitchen table, something you have, and you're going to bring both knees to your chest to start. If I'm stretching my left one, I'm simply going to drop it down off the edge of the mat, then I'm going to bend my knee, pull the opposite knee up towards my chest. You could see it raises up a little bit because my hip flexors are a little tight. Some people may be so tight, they're way up here. So just gradually sit in this stretch, try to breathe. Do it for 15 to 30 seconds on each side. Once you do one side, do it on the other side. Test to compare. One side might be tighter than the other. Brad: Let's go through one more little thing. Go back to this one, Mike. Now, like Mike had mentioned, if you pull this foot underneath, that actually gets an additional muscle that is really critical to make this stretch successful, so make sure you do that. And the other thing is, do not let this knee drift out to the side like that. It is not effective. Keep it in line with the body there. Is that good, Mike? Mike: That's good. Brad: All right. Mike: So do it two to three sets of 30-second holds, and that's a good stretch you can try. Now we want to strengthen the glutes. You can do this in a kneeling or standing position, because I realize some people are uncomfortable on their knees. So you're going to go on all fours. I'm going to be on my elbows. Brad: But wait, Mike, I want to actually explain to them, make sure they understand. We moved it back in, and we stretched the muscles in the front. Now the glutes that Mike is referring to actually pull that joint back into place, so we're working stretching in the front, strengthening and pulling from the back, so you're working on both sides, assuring a long-term fix. And Mike is actually going at it right now. Mike: I got bored. So what you want to do is a glute pump. We're not gonna do the normal one where you go bend your knee all the way up to the ceiling. Yes, this works my glutes, but it works out of hamstrings. We wanna isolate the glute max or your buttocks a little bit more. Brad: Yeah, right there. Mike: So we're just gonna pick a motion. Thank you for hitting me. And we're just going to do little oscillations like this. Feel that glute max engaging. If you don't feel much, try rotating your foot in and then performing. We're gonna do 30 repetitions on each side. Break it up however you need to. Three sets of 10, one set of 30, whatever works. Once that's easy, you can straighten the leg. That's easy, you can certainly throw a cuff weight on there as well. Brad: That's right. Now, we realize this is not going to be possible for everyone to get on their hands and knees and do that, so you can do this in a standing position. Again, make sure you stretch the hips out first, as Mike demonstrated, and then you can do this in this manner. Hands against that cupboard, or a nice sturdy table or furniture. Bend the knee, and again, mid-range motion. We're trying to go as high as we can. The trunk is steady and still, and we can rotate like this to help isolate and get those glute fibers working more efficiently. And after you do this, I can already feel right there those glute muscles starting to fatigue. Mike: So that is all part of the first problem. Now we're going to go into what may be causing your pain as well, so this would be problem number two. Brad: Problem number two, arthritis. So many people know about arthritis, and they experience pain with it. So in arthritis, the ball of the hip actually loses the cartilage, it becomes rough, and it can be bone on bone. It's like having two rough surfaces grinding against each other, causing pain, and the muscles around it tighten up. Brad: So what we want to do is relax the muscles holding the joint into place, and then put some traction and create a separation. I'm exaggerating a little bit. But we're separating it and getting some motion along with it. Mike's gonna demonstrate this. This allows the separation and synovial fluid, the natural lubrication of the joint, to get in there to help less pain and more free joint mobility throughout the day. Mike, take it away. Mike: So in order to do this, you're going to need to be able to stand on a step and go sideways. Once you're here, you can use a rail for support if needed. You do not have to have a weight on initially when you're doing this exercise. I just have one on because it's going to put more of a pulling force downward. If you do not have a cuff weight at home, you can certainly use a heavy winter boot, something like that. So what I'm going to do is relax my hips. If my hips were engaged right now, I'd be level and even. This is putting the hip socket back in place. That's not what we want. We want to relax and distract. Notice how my hips and pelvis drop down. Mike: Once I'm relaxed, I'm going to start swinging my leg back and forth. Again, my leg is relaxed, not contracted. You could just go back and forth for the duration of time if you prefer reps. You can also kind of go side to side a little bit. Whatever feels good for you. Brad: That's right. And like Mike just said, whatever feels good. When you do this, I've had people do this, and they say, "Oh, that feels good." They got motion without pain, and then you know you're on the right thing. You can swing it there for one to two minutes. You'll get tired of balancing on the other leg. Mike: My other leg is getting tired. I've been up here for a while. This one's working hard. Brad: That's right. So use good judgment on that. And that can be done throughout the day as much as you would like, as long as you get consistent results. Okay, another option for an arthritic hip is some range of motion stretching in a non-weight-bearing position. So lying down like Mike is here, on the bed or the floor. If we look at the joint, we're going to actually move the hip at the flexion, actually pretty far range, as long as it's not painful, and then we're going to do some external rotation where it actually moves the joint this way. Brad: Again, do not get too aggressive with this. The first time, it may feel a little pain, and then the next day you try it again, it gets better. You realize that the muscles and the tissues are tight, and releasing that tightness releases the stress from the joint, less pain. Go ahead, Mike. Mike: What you want to do is lie on your back. Did I say that right? Lie or lay? Brad: I think you're doing well with it. The English major will let us know. Mike: So if you're very painful, maybe you can only get your knee to here, and that's enough, and that's perfectly fine. The goal is to eventually try to grab it with your hand. I like to grab behind my thigh and pull up. Maybe you're tight here and painful. Stop here. Wherever the pain is, just bump against it and hold it there for a nice stretch. Eventually, try to work up to getting your knee as close to your chest as you can on both sides. Mike: I'm doing them individually because it'll be a little easier. If you struggle to really reach down and your hip's mobile enough, you could certainly put like a belt, a bed sheet underneath you, and just pull up this way and hold it like this. This is a good option. Mike: For stretching, typically two to three sets of 30-second holds on each side is good. Make sure to perform it on the other side. Relax and breathe through it. Now, for the figure four stretch or that rotational component, some people may need to begin way down here, like this, and just put their foot rotating like this. This may be tight. I have seen people like this. Over time, try to bring your ankle up, your knee higher. Once you can hit your knee like this and this feels comfortable, start bending your other knee. This will start doing more rotation, and over time, maybe it's a few days, maybe it's a few weeks, try to get your hip up more. If you are already fairly flexible here, you can press down. Again, hold this for 30 seconds. Do it two to three times a day, and make sure to perform on both sides. Brad: Right, now, I want to just emphasize, Mike, can you go back to the beginner's phase where it's, let's go the other leg, there you go. Now, if you're to the point where this is pretty difficult, you may not get to the end range. Brad: It may take a couple of weeks to get to that point. But as you get through there, the hip should be feeling better and better day by day. So take your time with it. Do not overdo it. Too much too soon will be painful, so a word of caution. Okay, just a follow-up with what I just mentioned. After you do these stretches, make sure you walk around, and you should continue to feel, the hip should feel better as a result of doing the exercises. If you do them and you get up and it's painful, that means stop, no more exercises like that. You need to see the doctor and see what's going on. Maybe X-rays, something of that nature. Look into it closely. Mike: If you want to check out more videos on hip pain, watch " Extreme Hip Pain Gone Instantly ." Brad: Right, that video has actually done very well, millions of views, and yeah, I think Liz is in there, so it's just not you, Mike. Mike: Oh, oh, I get it. Brad: I think that's the one, yeah. Mike: I get it. I'm chopped liver. For this week’s Giveaway, visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Ultra Massage Gun (with red light) A2 Pro Massage Gun A7 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun D5 Pro Plus Massage Gun (with heat) D5 Ultra Massage Gun (with red light) D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D6 Pro Max+ Massage Gun EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote EyeOasis 3 Eye Massager Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Go Back, Neck, & Shoulder Massager EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote EZBack Pro Back Massager EZBack Prime Back Massager Fit Glide Foot Massager G100 Pro Vibration Therapy Massager Hand Massager HandSpa Pro Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   iMaster Pro Massage Chair iNeck Pro Neck and Shoulder Massager Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager M7 Plus Mini Massage Gun with Heat Therapy Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Ultra Massage Gun (with red light) T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraHeat Knee Brace TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun ThermoRed Heated Back Belt Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Zero Pro Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

I used the word Tendonitis in the title, but in many cases, you may have a Tendinopathy instead. A tendon is a fibrous tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone. Tendonitis is inflammation of the tendon. Tendinopathy is a degeneration of the collagen protein that forms the tendon. The two have almost identical symptoms, so we will treat them the same. (Tendinopathy of the Patellar Tendon) Both tendinopathy and tendonitis are often caused by stress or overuse of a tendon. Aging and lack of muscle tone can also play a role in the development of tendinopathy. There are at least two common types of tendonitis in the knee. One is felt at the top of your kneecap (directly above), and the other is felt on the bottom of the kneecap (directly below). (ABOVE) (BELOW) Both types of tendonitis can commonly be found in young 15–30-year-old jumping athletes. Their sports typically involve a lot of jumping. However, Bob developed a case of quadriceps tendonitis from performing daily lunges. How to tell: The following are some signs and symptoms of Patellar and Quadriceps Tendonitis 1. Quadricep Palpation a. With your leg straight, use your fingertips to feel along the upper edge of the kneecap and slightly above. If tender, you may have quadricep tendonitis. If you have pain in only one leg, you will want to palpate each leg to compare. 2. Patellar Palpation a. With your legs straight, use your fingertips to feel directly below the kneecap. Feel the area below the kneecap down to the bony bump (tibial tuberosity). Stay on the tendon; you should be able to feel the side borders of it. If tender, you may have Patellar Tendonitis. However, beware of Osgood-Schlatter Disease, which can present in a similar fashion (more tenderness on the bony bump itself). Osgood-Schlatter disease typically occurs in boys ages 12-14 and girls ages 10-13. Treatments: If you have an acute inflammation (recent onset) or suspect a tendon rupture, then massage is not appropriate. 1. Cross-fiber friction massage a. Directly over the patellar tendon. Take one hand and press down on the end of the quadriceps muscle-just above the kneecap. This will cause the upper part of the kneecap to push down and the lower part of the kneecap to rise (putting the patellar tendon in an optimal position). Take the other hand and place your index finger and middle fingers side by side or one on top of another. Begin massaging ACROSS the fibers of the patellar tendon. If tender, it should begin to feel numb, experience less pain, or stabilize within 30-60 seconds. If not, the patellar tendon may be too tender to massage now. Use ice for a while instead. 2. Cross-fiber friction massage a. Directly over the quadriceps tendon. Take one hand and press down on the bottom (lower end) of the kneecap. This will cause the upper part of the kneecap to rise up, putting the quadriceps in an optimal position. Take the other hand and place your index finger and middle fingers side by side or one on top of another. Begin massaging ACROSS the fibers. If tender, it should begin to feel numb, experience less pain, or stabilize within 30-60 seconds. If not, the quadriceps tendon may be too tender to massage now. Use ice for a while instead. Length of time for massage to James Cyriax, 30 minutes (2-3X/week) for 4-6 weeks. Not practical- hands and fingers fatigue. May try 2-3 minutes several times a day (3x per week). A massage gun can be way easier and effective. 5-10 minutes per day. Add in a quadricep stretch. (Quad Stretch) Check out the full Knee Pain Relief Program series of videos, along with downloadable guide sheets, here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/knee-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in October 2024. For the original video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLejw4_pETY Brad: Is it true that you can get two inches taller and look much better, Mike? Mike: I don't know if you look better with that ball under your chin, but we are going to take a stroll down memory lane and see if this is, in fact, true. Brad: And we'll explain the ball later. We're going to talk a little bit about increasing your height in two minutes, or very shortly, two inches. We've got an actual video that Bob and I did a few years ago that really explains and demonstrates this. So let's go back and look at this now. Ho, ho, ho, not that far back. Let's go back just a few years ago. Bob: And I don't look good either. Brad: Yeah, you don't look good, Bob. Okay, here we go. So right there, you can see it lines up with the top of that mark. Now, Bob, can you correct your posture? There we go. Two inches. We did it! Bob: We made it. Brad: And Bob, you look better now, you're taller. Bob: I look better, I look more confident. Brad: Yes. Bob: I'm going to get that job interview. Brad: Right. We just did a video on power posing Bob: Power posing and power posture, yes. Brad: All right, so you can see from our demonstration, you can get two inches taller simply by adjusting your posture. Bob did it, and it actually makes you look better. It didn't make Bob look any better, but most people make them look better. So what we're going to do is show three options on how to adjust your posture. You can do a very simple thing in three different ways to think about it. Mike. Mike: Now, if I were six, six like Bob, I don't think I'd want to be any taller, but anyway, I'm not that tall. So, an option, we're going to go through three different ones. The first one is simply lifting your ribcage up. If you want to think of your sternal notch, the top part here, before you get to your neck. Mike: Imagine you have a nice piece of jewelry there, a diamond necklace or something, and you want to show it off. So instead of squeezing my shoulder blades back like that, we're going to lift up and expand. My shoulders are nice and relaxed. This is easy to keep this position. So if you notice you're slouched over a lot, seated or standing, just think about lifting those ribs and expanding, making it easier to breathe, and you look taller. Brad: There we go, so the sternal notch method, number one. Number two, we're going to talk about the grapefruit method. Now this comes from Sara Meeks , she's a well-known physical therapist for... Mike: Osteoporosis . Brad: Osteoporosis. And if you do have osteoporosis, you'll know, or maybe you don't know, posture is absolutely critical, so you don't compress and have a vertebral fracture in your spine. So what Sara Meeks says is, think you have a grapefruit underneath your chin. And here, I like to use this ball. It's about the same size. We put it there, and I'm going to tuck my chin in, and I'm going to pull back like that sternal notch with the diamond exercise. And, there we go. It puts my head in the perfect position. Oftentimes, people look up or look too far down. This puts you in the perfect position. Shoulders are relaxed. Mike: You try walking around like that all day. Brad: As a matter of fact, I'm going to. Mike: Okay. Brad: I'm going to keep this in there so I have perfect posture while you demonstrate the next option. Mike: You might smell good, too, if you have a grapefruit there, actually. The next option is to go up to a wall. And what you want to do is try to touch the back of your shoulders and the back of your head to the wall. Now, if you really struggle first just to get your shoulders working on just try to touch your butt, low back, and shoulders to the wall. Then work on the head component. Most people, if their neck is tight, they'll cheat and they'll look up, because I can hit my head that way. I want to keep looking forward, with the chin straight. I'm going to try to touch the back of my head to the wall. This is a good way to try to hold this pose. If you need to bring your feet further out, you can, but just work on going forward and back once you can comfortably get in this position. This will get you looking and feeling taller. Brad: And maybe a little chin tuck in there. Just let your chin go down, Mike. You're so tight. Relax. Relax. Mike: You just wanted to touch my beard. Brad: There we go. Mike: Anyway, we have one more bonus option, don't we? Brad: Yeah, we do as a matter of fact. Yeah, this is where the grapefruit or ball really puts that chin in the perfect position. I'm still relaxing my shoulders. Now, the next thing you can do is you can take a Booyah Stik and or any stick four to five inches long. I'm going to do it this. Mike: Well, fine. You get the ball and the stick. I'm just going to sit here. Brad: No, I can do it with the ball in place. You touch this point between, can you show, Mike? Mike: I thought you could do it. Brad: I'm sorry. Mike: You're going to touch the back of the head between the shoulder blades, and then you're going to want to try to get into the tailbone area there. So, not literally having a stick up your butt, and now he lost his ball. Brad: Oh, this is a family show. There will be no talk like that. Mike: Tushy! Tushy! Brad: There we go. And then we're going to be like this, and then I encourage you to do squats so you maintain perfect posture with motion. You can walk around like this. Brad: I don't, wouldn't do it outside, of course, but in-house. And then, yeah, also a good stretch on your shoulders as well. Let me, let me have the ball back. Mike: Now, how often should they do these things, Brad? Brad: Well, this is something you need to do at least three times a day. Really think about it. If you want to put the ball in and hold it like I did for a while, it really helps maintain muscle memory. You know, if you want to go shopping with it, you could. And just say, "Bob and Brad told me to, as well as Mike." Mike: You actually wrote a challenge here. So for the audience, if you're struggling with this, try to work up to five minutes holding the ball in place. Brad: Yeah, I couldn't do it because of the stick; otherwise, I was going to keep it in. Mike: So, Brad, zero. Guests, let us know if you can actually do this. Brad: There you go. Seriously, these are really important exercises that will get you tall, just like Bob in the beginning video. And when you have a habit, you're just always going to look taller. You're going to look better, there's no doubt. Mike: If you want to check out more videos on getting taller, watch "Getting Shorter With Age? 3 Fastest Ways To Mend It!" Brad: There you go. Enjoy the day. Mike: Enjoy your grapefruit. For this week’s Giveaway, visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Ultra Massage Gun (with red light) A2 Pro Massage Gun A7 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun D5 Pro Plus Massage Gun (with heat) D5 Ultra Massage Gun (with red light) D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D6 Pro Max+ Massage Gun EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote EyeOasis 3 Eye Massager Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Go Back, Neck, & Shoulder Massager EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote EZBack Pro Back Massager EZBack Prime Back Massager Fit Glide Foot Massager G100 Pro Vibration Therapy Massager Hand Massager HandSpa Pro Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   iMaster Pro Massage Chair iNeck Pro Neck and Shoulder Massager Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager M7 Plus Mini Massage Gun with Heat Therapy Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Ultra Massage Gun (with red light) T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraHeat Knee Brace TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun ThermoRed Heated Back Belt Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Zero Pro Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in September 2024. For the original video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXViCFrdir0&t=297s Mike: Welcome to our myth-busting series, where we look at common myths and tell you if they're true or false. Today's question is, can a herniated disc heal on its own? Brad: That's right, we're going to use excellent research to back up what we're going to talk about, as well as our experience. Mike: So, looking at studies, the study is from 2023, and it's titled "Disc Herniation," so they actually look at a lot of studies and put all the information together. So in most cases, people actually respond pretty well to conservative treatment and management of their disc herniation. Brad: As a matter of fact, there's a lot, and they found many herniated discs that are asymptomatic, or there's no symptoms or pain associated with them; they just found out through an MRI scan that they're looking at the spine, perhaps for something else at the hip, and that is well-known. Mike: And they also looked at people who actually had back pain; 90% of them got better within six weeks. Brad: That's right. Now, surgery may lead to quicker results, but they have found that, over a period of time, conservative treatment of a herniated disc, as they heal, ends up with the same outcomes as with surgery. Mike: And we wanted to bring in an expert on back pain. Dr. Stuart McGill did a couple of interviews with us, so this segment is from one he did with Bob, and he is talking about MRI imaging and how it doesn't always correlate to your back pain. Brad: Right, if you haven't heard of Stuart McGill, he is excellent in research. He has done an incredible amount of back research and is really known throughout the world as the leading expert on back pain. Stuart McGill: So an MRI is a picture, and what the MRI shows is the person's full history, historical life, really. And you can look at my face, it has wrinkles and scars and that kind of thing, so when you take a picture of someone's spine, is the feature that you're looking at a scar, something that was done many years ago and no longer is a pain source, or is it a fresh wound, so what's a wound and what's a scar? And this is a fundamental flaw, I think, when a radiologist reads a MRI image of someone's spine, without seeing the person, they don't know if that person is a world champion sprinter or powerlifter, or they are just a couch potato, and they have no idea what their pain mechanisms are. So when we do an assessment, we get a context, then, so when we look at the MRI, we can say, well, we already know the pain is coming from the fourth lumbar root, as an example. Your little toes are buzzing away, you've got pain in your buttocks, and this kind of thing, and then we know. Let's look at the lumbar fourth route and see what the mechanism is, and does it correlate one-to-one with what the assessment shows? Bob: Got it, I understand. Stuart McGill: So my point is, the MRs can be very, very helpful. I'm just thinking of the next patient I see this afternoon. I've already seen the MRs. They have a Tarlov cyst in the fifth lumbar root, so I know that if I can create some tension on that nerve root and that's their symptoms, and I already know they don't tolerate driving, so do you see, I'm getting real context now to interpret that MR very specifically. Mike: So after looking through that study and having Stuart McGill explain MRI imaging, I think we can confirm the myth is busted: a herniated disc can heal on its own. Brad: So the big question I have, or a lot of people have, is how long does it take to have the pain and the symptoms to go away from a herniated disc? Mike: So the average time is typically six to 12 weeks for your symptoms to improve, so you may still actually have a herniation. Herniations can take six to 12 months to fully heal; however, pain often resolves in six to 12 weeks. Brad: Right, and a lot of that depends on the severity. Now, if you have back pain and some pain running down the leg, you can actually resolve that or remedy it in under two weeks or less, sometimes a little more. However, if your symptoms are such that you have not just pain but numbness, tingling all the way down to your foot, and if you have weakness in some muscle groups where you cannot lift your foot up or that leg feels very weak, that's a little more serious, and that is where they can take many more weeks to get that taken care of. If you do have numbness and tingling, you really need to see a doctor, because it could be worse. Make sure you get assessed properly and don't do self-diagnosis. Mike: So now we'd like to explain how a disc itself can actually heal or feel better. Now, there are a few different ways, so we'll kind of explain each separately. Brad: That's right. To do this, we're going to use a model. I have a model here. We've got Gumby, who's got a very sore back, as you can see. Actually, we'll put him off to the side, but if you look at the spine, you can see two vertebrae, L4, L5, and this red disc with a bulge represents the herniation or the bulging disc. Brad: If we go here, I've got these labeled, L5, L4; those are representative of the vertebra, and the red ball is a disc, which does have an annulus and fluid inside. It's not red like this, but you can see it. So a healthy spine looks like this, but if it's herniated, watch right here, the herniation bulges out like that, and then the nerves, or the spinal cord and the peripheral nerves, are in this area, and that's what gets pinched, and that causes a lot of pain and problems. Brad: So the first thing that happens is spontaneous retraction. Mike: Retraction. Brad: In other words, naturally, just through rest and appropriate exercise that you can do, it will come back into itself, where it belongs, and it heals on its own. Brad: That happens more often than you think. These people don't go to the doctor; they have pain, rest for a bit, maybe a few days, a week or two, things gradually get better, and it goes back in. Number two... Mike: Number two is reabsorption of water, so your disc is actually kind of like a sponge, and there's fluid in it, and sometimes, during an injury, some of it goes out a bit like we showed, and it actually gets reabsorbed back in where it's supposed to go, taking pressure off the nerve roots that it is hitting. Brad: That's right, the body wants to heal, and it has an incredible potential to heal if you just give it some time and don't keep irritating the problem. And what is the last one? Mike: Immune response. Brad: That's right, and this is where the herniation is, as pictured, and if things actually bulge or come out or sequester, the bulge actually breaks loose, the body can actually, like little Pac-Man, eat up that tissue and get rid of it and cause the problem to be no more. Mike: The Pac-Man is your immune cells eating that up, but eventually, if that little cell is hitting on the spinal cord, causing the injury from that disc break-off section, the little Pac-Man, or immune cells, come in, eat it up, and your problems go away. Brad: Yeah, well, I hope they appreciate that analogy. Mike: Do girls have Pac-Girl in them, then? Brad: Oh, Mike, this is a family show, let's keep things professional. Mike: Now, the last thing we want to talk about is things to avoid when you have a herniated disc. Typically, with the herniated disc, flexion or bending forward of your spine makes things worse and can flare them up, but typically, extension or going backwards can help. So what flexion activities do we want to avoid, Brad? Brad: Just as I demonstrated, reaching forward, straight knees really stresses that low back and makes that bulge want to bulge out further, and actually, just sitting, particularly if you push your butt forward, a lot of people have habitually sitted like this for years, and they don't even realize they're sitting in really poor posture, actually could be the cause of the herniated disc because of this poor posture over years. There we go, another one. Mike: If you are standing and you are flexed over, whether you are, say, working in a clinic and looking at a patient bending over, you're reaching down to pick something up, maybe you just naturally have poor posture and you're rounded, this is not going to help your herniated disc. Mike: You're going to make modifications. Maybe you can sit more if you need to work on a lower surface, things like that. You want your spine to be upright and not so flexed over. And you also want to avoid flexion when you're lying down or sleeping. If you are a side lier, side lier, side-lying person? I don't know what you call them; you lie in a fetal-type position. Notice my spine is rounded forward; this is not going to be good for a herniated disc. Mike: If you really have to lie sideways, you're going to have to try to straighten out your spine, which is kind of awkward and uncomfortable, but you can try it. Otherwise, we just recommend that you sleep on your back for a while, because now it's nice and straight. Brad: Right, there are some other options for sleeping with that that we do have on other videos. I think you're thinking of a side sleeper. Side sleeper, there you go. Mike: Side sleeper. Brad: Anyways, let's go on. Mike: Now, if you happen to have some back pain or a herniated disc, and you want some exercises, because we didn't really show them in this video, check out our video, " Herniated Disc Clearly Explained & Easily Fixed ." Brad: Good luck with your back problem. I hope you learned something about the myth-busting of, Can a herniated disc heal? For this week’s Giveaway, visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun A7 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun D5 Pro Plus Massage Gun (with heat) D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D6 Pro Max+ Massage Gun EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote EyeOasis 3 Eye Massager Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Go Back, Neck, & Shoulder Massager EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager G100 Pro Vibration Therapy Massager Hand Massager HandSpa Pro Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   iNeck Pro Neck and Shoulder Massager Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager M7 Plus Mini Massage Gun with Heat Therapy Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraHeat Knee Brace TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun ThermoRed Heated Back Belt Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Zero Pro Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

A typical scenario we see is as follows. A 50, 60, or 70-year-old person begins having some knee pain. It is not going away. They see their doctor, who orders some type of imaging test (X-rays, MRI, CAT scan). The test reveals they have significant degeneration or osteoarthritis in the knee. The patient now understands why they are having so much pain. So, they try medications, injections, and maybe even surgery to get rid of the knee pain. However, no one has told them the truth. The truth is that what they are seeing on the imaging tests may just be the result of normal aging and wear/tear. It may not be the cause of their pain. Their nonpainful knee may look worse. Studies have shown time and time again that imaging studies may show significant deterioration and arthritis in a joint belonging to a person with absolutely no pain. So, what is causing your knee pain? Possibly your daily habits and stresses on your knee. In addition, your knee may be tight and weak. Change your habits and stressors. Improve your knee motion and strength. Do both, and your knee pain may dramatically improve. Either way, what have you got to lose? The exercises and habits will be helpful to your knee, even if you do require surgery. Five concerns people bring up about their knee arthritis 1. “My knee arthritis is going to continue to degenerate, and my pain is just going to get progressively worse”. Not necessarily true. We have seen several studies that demonstrate your pain may remain the same or even improve over a period of time, despite X-rays showing continued deterioration of the joint. Bob’s wife is a great example. She had a flare-up of her knee joint to the extent that she required crutches. That was over two years ago. She is now back to running (at age 56). 2. “I wore out my knees due to years of doing (fill in the blank) – running, hiking, roofing, etc.” Not true, the active people tend to have better joints than the inactive or sedentary people. Sedentary people are also more likely to be overweight, which places increased stress on their joints. 3.“I don’t want to make my arthritis worse, so I am going to rest my knee.” Resting the knee (beyond a day or two) can make your arthritis worse. Joints love movement. Most people are not active enough to gain the motion or maintain the strength they need in their knees. The exception to this is when the knee arthritis has advanced so far that the knee is nearly immobile. 4. “My mom had arthritis, and she suffered with it for years. The same is going to happen to me.” Again, not necessarily. Some types of arthritis are inherent, but it is amazing how the body can adapt if you change your daily harmful knee habits and improve your knee strength and range of motion. 5. “I am going to eventually need a knee replacement, so I might as well do it now.” This may be true IF your knee pain does not improve through exercises and improving daily habits. It may also be true IF you are concerned you will not be able to medically tolerate knee surgery in the future. However, if your pain does improve and you are healthy, it is to your advantage to hold off on joint replacement surgery if your quality of life is not suffering. Speak to your doctor about a trial of physical therapy before considering knee surgery. Check out the full Knee Pain Relief Program series of videos, along with downloadable guide sheets, here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/knee-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in October 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/DmVzJUaXnYM Mike: Today, we're talking about tight hip flexors, and do you need to stretch them. So first, we're going to show you a little anatomy, how they can cause problems, then we're going to show you some tests on how to tell if they are tight, and then we'll show you some stretches. Brad: Hip flexors, the muscles's very critical for actually flexing the hip or lifting up, just like Mike is doing here. Brad: There are two primary muscles that do that. There's the ilium and then the psoas muscle. We got the green and the red, demonstrating they both work together to do that. When those muscles get tight, this is what happens. The pelvis actually rotates forward. Oh, Sam, you're tight, or back, and if it's too far forward, it can cause problems in the hips as well as in the back. Let's talk about it. Mike: So, what we're going to do first is show you a stretch, or a test, I should say, that you can do at home to see if your hip flexors are tight. This is called the Thomas test. I do not know Thomas, but I know a Thomas. Brad: I know three Thomases. Mike: Oh, lucky you. Anyway, sit on the edge of something firm. If your bed's not firm enough, maybe try a countertop or a cupboard space there, or a table, I should say. I don't know how you're going to get on top of a cupboard. Anyway, you're going to sit as close to the edge as you comfortably can, bring both knees up to your chest. I'm going to stretch my left one here or just show to see if it's tight. I'm going to drop it down. Say I get down and I try to bend my knee back, and I can't pull it very far, and then when I pull my other knee up to my chest, see how my knee is going up? This would be a sign that you have a tight hip flexor. Brad: Right. Mike: If I can go all the way down and bend the knee perfectly fine, bring this up a bit, and it's not moving too much, or you can get level with the bed, your hip flexors probably aren't too tight. It's important to test this on both sides. If I had extreme tightness on this side, some people might only be able to get to about here. You probably can't see that on the camera too well, so switch legs. Some people are only going to get here, and that's it. They're going to get stuck, so you really need to stretch this out, because this is a sign of a tight hip flexor. Brad: Right, and again, relaxed normal is way down. All right. All right, now, the next test, number two, is actually a much easier test. You simply lie down, it's probably best, maybe on a carpeted floor, but you could do it on your bed if it's not too soft. Lie down flat, just like Mike is doing now, and then monitor how your back feels. If everything feels good in this position, and then you bring your knees up, both together, and compare how it feels in this position compared to your legs flat. Mike, how do your legs feel? Tell them what a positive test is. Mike: So if my legs are lying down like this and I'm having some back pain, that's a positive test that your hip flexors might be tight, because it is causing your sciatica to get irritated, it's causing that anterior tilting of the pelvis in your pelvis. Anyway, so if I'm having a lot of pain here, but then I start bending my knees, and oh, my back pain is feeling better, and then I bring both knees up to my chest and they're feeling even better yet, that is a sign that you are having some sciatica symptoms, so you need to stretch your hip flexors. Brad: Right, sciatica or back pain, and actually, the previous test, the Thomas test, can be used as a hip flexor stretch. Mike: Okay, so we're going to show three stretch options. Pick which one works for you, so the first one is actually just the Thomas test, but we're going to be stretching, so you're going to start with both knees to your chest at the edge of something firm, like we talked about earlier. You're going to drop the leg down, then I'm going to bend my knee, and what that does is it involves the rectus femoris muscle, which actually is a hip flexor and a knee extender, so you're going to stretch that as well. Bring the opposite knee up towards your chest. You're going to breathe and hold this for 30 seconds. Relax, try to make sure your leg is in a straight line. Don't let it venture out to the side. After you do one side, don't karate chop your leg like Brad did. Bring the other one down and stretch both sides. You may notice one side is tighter than the other. Maybe do three sets of 30 seconds on that side, and on the other side, you can just do two sets of 30 seconds. Brad: Right. If 30 seconds is too much for you right away, that's okay. Go 10 to 15 and build up. All right, let's go to the next one. Mike: The next one, you can do in a kneeling position. I don't like to kneel on hard floors, so I'm going to grab a soft pad here. Simply kneel down. I'm going to be stretching my left leg here. All I'm going to do is get in the lunge-type position with my knee down and then lean forward. The idea is to keep a nice, neutral spine. I'm even kind of squeezing my glutes as I'm doing this. I'm feeling a nice, good stretch. Just going to sit here for roughly 30 seconds. Relax, breathe through it, and you're going to switch sides and do it this way. Brad: Right, so again, Mike's tall, good posture. I always tell my patients, put your hands on your hip and think about your hand pushing your pelvis forward as your trunk stays nice and tall to really get that nice hip flexor stretch. Mike: Whichever leg is back is the one getting in a nice stretch. Now, we realize some people can't get on the bed like that or knees, so Brad will show a nice seated option. Brad: There, in a nice, firm chair, an armrest is very much preferable. Scoot to the edge of the chair, like I'm doing here, and simply, we're going to stretch the right one first. I'm going to rotate so my right butt goes off the edge of the chair, and then I'm going to drop that knee down. It's nice if you have socks and a smooth floor, then your toes will slip right across there, get it down here, and then we're doing the same thing that Mike is doing, but we don't have to kneel on the floor. Much more comfortable. Think about bringing the knee back while you're nice and tall, don't lean forward. Stretch back, and I can feel that right in that pocket area. All right, very good. Mike: Now, if you want to check out more videos on stretching your hips, because maybe this one wasn't for you, you can check out our other video. What's it called, Brad? Brad: Yes, " Stretch Every Hip Muscle Daily in 90 Seconds (Seated) ," so it's going to go through this in a little more detail and give you some more options. For this week’s Giveaway, visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun A7 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun D5 Pro Plus Massage Gun (with heat) D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D6 Pro Max+ Massage Gun EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote EyeOasis 3 Eye Massager Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Go Back, Neck, & Shoulder Massager EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager G100 Pro Vibration Therapy Massager Hand Massager HandSpa Pro Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   iNeck Pro Neck and Shoulder Massager Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager M7 Plus Mini Massage Gun with Heat Therapy Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraHeat Knee Brace TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun ThermoRed Heated Back Belt Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Zero Pro Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in September 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/PYhDfNpskDw Mike: So, today we took questions from our viewers and we decided to answer them. Brad: That's right. We have four different scenarios. Real cases, real viewers, and we're going to give them our advice. Mike: So our first question comes from @roadwayrona, that's a mouthful to say. " What should I focus on if I want to be strong and flexible while getting older? Balance seems to be important to practice as well. Feet should remain strong? " Brad: That's right. Excellent question. As we age, including myself, we want to continue to be mobile. So @roadwayrona, we don't have your name, so we're just going to use your username there. Hope that's okay. So we're going to go through some of the exercises that are really important for strength, balance, and everything that you asked for. We have four different exercises. Should we get right to it? Mike: Let's get to it. Brad: Okay. The first thing, ankle strength, along with balance. So, look down at my ankles, and we're going to simply go up on your toes. And you can see, I'm challenging my balance, plus I'm strengthening my ankle. Then I'm going to go back like this. Now, a lot of people, particularly if you're a little older, will not be able to do this without holding onto something. So Mike, you can maybe do it against the door. Mike: Or I can do it seated if I've really lost balance. Brad: That's actually a good idea. I could use the wall and just go up on your toes and back on your heels. So, do 10 of these, and it's going to be great. A good idea for getting your goals established and completed. If it's too easy, you can simply go to one foot, and that'll make it harder for those people who are at that level. Okay, let's go to number two. Mike: So number two, we're going to start working our way up our body. Oftentimes, as we age, we start to get tight hamstrings. I have tight hamstrings, and I'm only 36. So we're going to work on hamstring stretching along with some exercises for the legs. To stretch the hamstrings, you can do it in numerous ways. If you have good balance, you can stand up, put it on a countertop, a table, something lower on the ground, maybe a box or an ottoman, whatever you have. Stretch. To get more of a stretch, simply lean forward. Make sure to hold it for 30 seconds and do it on each leg. If you don't feel balanced this way, you can certainly do it in a chair, like Brad's going to show. Brad: Yep, do it on a firm chair. You can put your leg out like this with a straight knee and straight back, lean forward. Or you can have a chair or a stool and simply do this. There you go. Hold it for 15 or 30 seconds, or on and off, five to 10 times. Let's go to number three. Mike: So we're still on number two, because we didn't do squats yet. Brad: Oh, yeah. Mike: So if you're good at squats, you can certainly just do them holding onto something, not holding onto something. Do them in the air. Brad's holding on. If you feel unsteady, like you're going to tip backwards, you can certainly use a chair or something taller to sit in and just simply do sit-to-stand instead. You can just kind of touch and go back up. You don't have to sit all the way down. You can do 10 to 15 reps. Keep your legs nice and strong. Brad: And with all these, do them once or twice a day, depending on how you feel, if you're sore or not as a result of doing the exercise. This is an excellent shoulder posture in keeping you upright. Critical for balance. If you're flexed forward, you will be unsteady. If you're upright, much easier to balance. Mike is going to show it one way, I'm going to do it another way. Go ahead, Mike, with the door open, of course. Mike: So we're going to stretch our pec muscles. This is going to stretch for your upper back as well. Just make a kind of "W" shape with your arms on the side here, then lean into the door frame. Try to keep good posture. Don't lean forward. Hold this again for roughly 30 seconds, or you can kind of repeat in and out. If you have really bad shoulder problems, you can't get here, but you can certainly put your arms down and stretch this way as well. You're just not going to get as much of a stretch. Brad: That's right. Now you can do that just standing without the door if you want, and stretch back, or use the wall. It's a nice way to know if you're getting back far enough. Do the same repetitions as Mike was talking about. Brad: Then we're going to go right into number four. Arm strength. Once you do the stretch, you can simply do wall pushups if you're having difficulty with pushups. If you're more advanced and that's too easy to do 10, you can do them as Mike is doing them on the cupboard, or simply go down, if you're really strong, to do the GI pushup, as I call them. Brad: Alright, I think that covers everything for @roadwayrona. Please, look at those. It's a great combination. Do the ones that work best for you, or all of them. Should we go on to the second person? Mike: We should. Our next question comes from @doraperry1578. " Hello! Dora from Philadelphia. I'm 67, and was diagnosed with osteoporosis. "Where do I begin with exercises? Thanks." Brad: Oh, good question, Dora. Good to stay ahead of the ball game here. This is good news, because there are a lot of things you can do. We have expert advice. First of all, weight-bearing exercise like walking can be a great start. Actually, just consistently walk. Or weight training or resistance training. You don't have to do it real fancy. And actually, Mike, who is the expert and has been doing this for years? We've had excellent feedback from people who've seen her. Mike: So Sarah Meeks , who's a physical therapist, made a whole program that's completely free on our channel. It's on our website in the program section, and you'll see one on Osteoporosis . She has a whole series of videos, very in-depth on what you can do and how to strengthen your bones. Brad: Yeah, she is the best. There's no sense in listening to us when you could go to the best. Mike: Our next question comes from @ivanquartulli6765. " I have a problem with my balance. Do you think I should start using a walking stick? " Brad: Excellent question. And if you have a problem with your balance, you feel a little unsteady, or you're stumbling, absolutely, you do need to get a walking stick or a cane. The walking stick, you could adjust to whatever level to keep your elbow at about a 90-degree angle, you have a little more variance. If it's a cane, you do want to adjust it so that when your arm hangs down, the handle goes right at the crease of the wrist, and use it for whichever side allows you to feel more stable. Brad: There are a few exercises we can give you. They're very simple, and you can do them at home once or twice a day. Mike. Mike: The first one is simply standing on one leg, and you try to hold this for a duration of time, 15 to 30 seconds. If you feel unsteady, you can certainly hold onto a stick, a countertop, or something steady. If it starts to become easy, try just using fingertips for support. Eventually, try to do nothing if possible. Make sure to do both sides. Brad: The next one I call heel-to-toe walking. And when you do this, make sure you're holding onto the wall, your cane, or something on both sides, but your heel should touch the toes of the foot that you're standing on. And that gives you proprioception training, which is really critical, so your mind knows where your feet are. It is really helpful for balance. Do it that way. Let's go to the third one. Mike: It's also important to do that one backwards, because many people fall when they're going backwards or tip this way. Mike: So the last one we want to do is working on sideways movement. You could do a couple of variations. Simply sidestepping for beginners. Make sure to go right and left. If you have a railing at home you can hold onto for this, a stick, a countertop. Don't let Brad push you around. That seems easy, you can try karaoke where you cross the foot over, back behind, over, behind. Just watch my foot segment. It's kind of hard to talk through this one. So you go both ways with this. This will help you prevent tripping if you happen to get your legs tangled up. Brad: I want to emphasize, if any of these feel too difficult, you don't feel steady, do not do them. You need to have good judgment. Make sure you're challenging your balance, but not too much. Mike: And our last question comes from @YTFloveforever. " How to take care of pain in the wrist joints, and palms? I sit at a desk for work, and typing and using the keyboard makes my wrist and palms hurt, and sometimes my elbows. " Brad: And you're not the only one, Love. I'm telling you, we have some excellent remedies. You just need to do these every hour to one to two hours. The first one is that we need to work on the wrist. You're always pronating or palms down as you type. So we're going to actually stretch the wrist and forearm in the other direction. Move your keyboard forward, palms up, and then actually grab the wrist and keep your shoulder still with good posture, and stretch the other direction, just like that. Mike is showing a good sample for going from underneath. You can do it from on top. Do about three to four stretches on each side. You'll probably find one side a little tighter than the other. Brad: And then some good range of motion with the wrist. Again, good posture. If your posture is not good while you're working, make sure that's attended to as well. And we do our, what do we call these, Mike? The flippers. Mike: The flippers. Brad: Yeah. Simply wrist up, wrist down. And do that five to 10 times. Gentle fist and do rotations, one direction, five to 10 times, and go five to 10 times the other way. There you go. Brad: All right. And now Mike has excellent advice on arm position. Mike: So, when you're at your computer desk, since you probably have a chair for a computer chair, you want to make sure your arm rests are elevated to a proper height. You don't want to be too high up if your table's way down here. You don't want to be too far down, way down here. You want a good in the middle neutral wrist position like this when you are typing at your setup. A lot of people might be flexed too much or even extended, so make sure your wrists are also neutral. Mike: If you do not have adjustable arms on a chair and you have a normal chair, you can try putting a pillow in there and folding it for optimal support, and that may help as well. Brad: Right, so the big idea, with good posture, the weight of your arms is being supported by your armrest. Makes a big difference in everything throughout. Alright, that was four people. We had four solutions. And I'm sure that we're going to give you some good, healthy advice, at least on maybe one of these people, huh? Mike: Yes! Brad: That's right. Enjoy the day. And be healthy, fit, and pain-free. For this week’s Giveaway, visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun A7 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun D5 Pro Plus Massage Gun (with heat) D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D6 Pro Max+ Massage Gun EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote EyeOasis 3 Eye Massager Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Go Back, Neck, & Shoulder Massager EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager G100 Pro Vibration Therapy Massager Hand Massager HandSpa Pro Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   iNeck Pro Neck and Shoulder Massager Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager M7 Plus Mini Massage Gun with Heat Therapy Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraHeat Knee Brace TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun ThermoRed Heated Back Belt Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Zero Pro Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

Generally, no. Knee cartilage has poor circulation. A tear located on the outer third of the meniscus may have better healing properties due to increased circulation. Certain types of tears also have a better chance of healing. However, the better questions to ask are as follows: 1. Does my knee hurt? If you can function normally without the knee cartilage intact, no worries. 2. Does my knee lock up? If the cartilage tear gets folded up on itself or out of place, it may hinder movement. In this instance, you may require surgery. 3. Does my knee lack motion? 4. Is my knee weak? 5. Do I need a gait aide to walk? (Crutch, walker, cane) 6. Does my knee swell up? In summary, it may not matter if your knee cartilage tear heals. In fact, it is possible you may have a tear in your knee that is totally asymptomatic. These tears can be common with the process of aging. Check out the full Knee Pain Relief Program series of videos, along with downloadable guide sheets, here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/knee-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in October 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/8hcFN6eChlE Mike: The topic of the day is, do you wake up having back, shoulder, or neck pain? Because Brad certainly is right now. Brad: Oh yeah. Well, we're going to talk and actually take a trip down memory lane. We have a video that has been viewed by millions, with some helpful tips. Plus, we're going to show a couple of new tips at the end to amend it. Mike: So, go back in time. Brad: Woo woo woo woo woo. It's not that easy. We just can't say don't do this and don't do that. Bob: We have to give them a reason. Brad: We're here for a little education so that once you become educated, you understand, and then you do. There's a whole philosophy. Bob: Sure. Brad: But we don't want to get into that. But the biggest areas that cause pain are the neck, shoulder. Bob: And back. Brad: Right. Those are probably the most common areas that become irritated and painful throughout the night. So we have to take care of this, and address and understand it a little bit. First of all, joints in general, whether it's the joints in your spine, your shoulders, your back, or whatever it may be, your neck, want to stay in what we call the "loose pack" position. Bob: Right. And they don't like being at the end range. Brad: Right. So my shoulder here would be loosely packed. Brad: Up here would be the end range. Bob: Right. Brad: Okay? Bob: Or back here would be the end range. Brad: Right. Bob: So I wouldn't sleep like this either. Brad: Right. So, neck, if we put our neck over to one side this way, or one side that way, all the joints in your neck are pushed to the end range, we call it. Brad: And that's uncomfortable after a period of time. Initially, it may not be a problem, but, you hold your neck over like this for you know, 20 minutes or more, it becomes uncomfortable. So, keeping that in mind, the next thing we want to do is look at the spine. And not just look at it, but understand the spine moves, and it twists and whatnot. But we want to keep it in a neutral position, Bob. Bob: Correct. Brad: Okay. So a neutral position is actually where there's a little curve in the back here. There's a curve in the other direction. Bob: So we've got a curve in, curve out, curve in. Brad: Right. Bob: Yep. Kind of an "S" shape. Brad: Yep. Keep these curves in, in that kind of a general shape, you know? Bob: Yeah. rad: So we're not going way out. And if you look at it from the front view, now that you typically want to keep straight. Bob: Right. Brad: So the curves are there in the side view of the spine, and this is looking straight. So this will all come to play when we look at our positioning with sleeping. So, anything else that I missed? Bob: No, you got it right, Brad. For once. Brad: Yeah, for once. Well, it happens. I was up studying late last night. So the first position we're going to talk about is prone. Lying on your stomach. Bob: So this is a bad position. Brad: Right. This is a bad position because it breaks a number of the rules we just talked about that create pain. It gets you out of that neutral position or puts you at the end range. So if I'm going to lie here, let's just take a regular pillow, Bob once. Bob: Sure. Brad: And there are people who sleep prone, and they have for a while, and they do okay with it. But the problem that can really occur when you're, when you're on your stomach, you almost have to have your head in one position over, over to the right or to the left. And that puts my neck at end range, and I'm lying there for a long period of time. Now, I'm assuming people who sleep like this, who don't have pain throughout the night, turn their head right to left. Bob: Well, the other thing is, though, and I didn't see a study on this, but we did do kind of an informal survey of this at a classroom one time. We asked how many people have headaches. And a hundred percent of the people who lay on their stomachs had headaches. Brad: Sure. Throughout the day? Bob: Throughout the day or throughout the week. You know, they had a higher incidence of headaches. Brad: Okay. Sure. Bob: So that's something to consider, is that if you are having those headaches that start from the back of the neck, the neck headaches. How you sleep is one of the things I would definitely look into. Brad: Sure. And I think, if you are a prone sleeper, you may or may not have a pillow. I guess without a pillow, it puts you more in a neutral position. But still, if you can avoid the prone position for your neck, it's going to be better. And then the other thing is if you lie on your stomach and with your shoulders, if you lie with your arms up, that puts your shoulders at end range, and your brachial plexus can get pinched off, and actually cut the circulation off into your arms or pinch the nerves, and you can wake up with numbness. Bob: I have. One time, I woke up, both my arms were numb to the point I couldn't use them, and I was trying to turn the alarm off, so I was flumbling around. Brad: Yeah. Bob: It's a little embarrassing. Brad: Right. You know, there's a name for that, Bob. When you put your arms up like this. Working overhead. Bob: What is it? Brad: I can't remember. Bob: I know there's honeymoon syndrome where, if your spouse falls asleep on your arm, that becomes numb then. Brad: Right. So, next position, Bob. Sidelying. Now this is very common. Most people do, which I do myself. But, oftentimes, a shoulder problem will happen when you're lying on the point of your shoulder, if you will. And the joint, when you relax, you can sublux or actually push the ball, the shoulder joint out slightly, and can put pressure on the ligaments and the capsule, etc, in your shoulder and cause pain. So lying like this on the shoulder can really create some pain. So what you'll want to do is pull this shoulder out a little bit so you're actually on a little bit of a slant here, versus directly on the shoulder. Bob: And you're getting more on the meaty part of the shoulder that can handle it on the back there. Brad: Yep. And that's going to help reduce that pressure. So the sidelying can be a problem, but if you do these little twerks that we're talking about, it'll help you out. Bob: We can show another thing for that, too. But Brad, the other thing, while you're in this position, the other thing is your back is sagging a little bit. Brad: Sure. When you're in this side-lying position. Yeah. Let's get the spine out and show that. Bob: So here, you know, it's straight, but now it's going to sag a little bit right here in the low back. Brad: Yeah. Right. Bob: And so if you're having back problems, and especially if you sleep like this a lot all the time, you should take a rolled towel like we did here, and you can put it in that position. Bob: Or there's actually a sleep roll you can buy, by Mackenzie. And this one you can actually tie around your waist, so it's on your back when you sleep on your back, or it's on your side when you sleep on your side. Brad: Right. Yep. And, you know, in my case, I know I can sleep on my side for about 10 minutes. I never even get to sleep, because my back starts to hurt, then I have to go to my back. But that's just because of my spondylothesis. So this is how this works. This one's a little bit small for me. It doesn't wrap around. But people who have a disc problem often use something like this, so that here you have the support on your lower back in the lordotic section. And then when you roll to either side, you also have that hollow spot being filled in. Bob: There's another possibility right here besides it being too small for you. Maybe your waist is too big for it. Brad: Yeah, there you go. Bob: Just pointing out that possibility. Brad: Should we show them the trick with the pillows? Bob: Yeah, sure. Let's do that. Let's pull this right here. So this is a cervical pillow. So, you know, generally when you're on your side, if you're going to lie on your side, you want to have a thicker pillow. So that your neck isn't going to one side. Why don't you take it out, once, Brad? You want to have your neck right in the middle, too. This one would actually need to go up a little bit. So, the other key, we've shown this many times, is actually you take a pillow, a lot of times it's more of a throw pillow, and that's what I use. And I just created the little canal here. And you can put your arm right in there. And now there's not nearly the pressure on your shoulder there was before. Brad: So this is making sideline tolerable and acceptable to keep the shoulder pain from waking you up. Bob: And now if you're having pain in this shoulder, and you don't want to lie on it, which is good, then you should actually, besides the canal, well, you might not even need the canal. But you would put a pillow in front of you, and another pillow, and support the arm like this. Brad: Right. Right. Bob: And again, it puts that shoulder in that loose-packed position that Brad was talking about. It's not any end range, and it's kind of a little bit forward. And it's not, it's not going to cross the body in front, which is also bad. Brad: Right. Because then you're getting towards that end range, and irritating them. Bob: Right here in the middle. That's where you want to keep it at. It's going to do it well. Brad: Right. And the last thing with sidelying is, a lot of people will get a pillow like this that is memory foam. Bob: Right. So there's a gap for the neck. Brad: Right. So you get the neck in a neutral position. And that's not necessary. You can use a regular pillow. I'll have some people try just a towel roll to fill in that gap to get that neutral position in the neck. So if I lie here now with the towel roll, see how it's, it really cradles my neck nicely. Brad: Right. Bob: So, and now we don't have the neck sagging either. That's actually pretty comfortable. Brad: Yeah. If this works, but it's not quite as cushy, you may want to invest in the memory foam. They cost a little more. Bob: Or there's the cervical roll too. Mackenzie makes a cervical roll too, where you can put it in the pillow. And if you find the towel works well, and you don't want to keep using the towel, you can go and get one of those. Brad: Right. So, what it boils down to, we have two positions to avoid: the prone, for which we don't have any solutions. And sidelying, we have a number of solutions for that we just went through. So you know, we're helping you out with at least half the problem. Bob: We're half smart. Brad: Right. Whoa! And the time machine returns to 2024, and we have Mike with us today. These are in for three positions that weren't mentioned in that film, and Bob said we have to mention these to make this updated. Mike, what are the three? Mike: Well, it's only two positions, but three remedies. So first, two are for stomach sleepers, and then we have sidelying. So the first one, if you are a stomach sleeper, but you are having some hip or low back pain, take another pillow, place it under your waist, and you're going to lie on that pillow there. What does this do, Brad? Brad: Well, it actually flexes the hip and the lower back. And if you have stenosis in particular, like me, this makes a tremendous amount of difference in comfort. Simply put it there, adjust it up and down where it feels comfortable, and you'll know, because it'll just make a night and day difference if that's what you need. And what about the neck? Mike: If you're having some neck pain in your stomach sleeper, I typically use two pillows. I sleep in all positions because I'm a weirdo. Anyway, you place this here; you don't want your neck to be cranked all the way to 90 degrees like this. I've woken up like this, and it's very uncomfortable. Mike: So oftentimes if you put another pillow kind of underneath your chin, and more at a 45 degree angle, and I'm half talking in the pillow right now, so don't mind me, it's much more comfortable. Obviously, you can't sleep like that. So, a 45-degree angle if you're having some neck discomfort and you're a stomach sleeper. Brad: Right. We don't say cranked, we say rotated by. This is a family show and a therapy show. Mike: It's a, it's a medical term, "cranked." Brad: Anyway. Mike: Last one, if you're having some hip pain, side hip pain, and you're a side sleeper, what you can try to do is place a pillow underneath your rib cage, kind of above the hip. And then you can also put a pillow underneath your foot. This is going to help rotate your hip in a different way, taking the pressure off your lateral side. Brad: That's right. A lot of these will help get the spine back in the neutral position, whether it's in the low back or the neck, making it much more comfortable, so you can sleep and relax in that position. We've got another video that will be helpful as well, with more detail. Mike: Yeah, so if you're having shoulder pain, I don't think we addressed it much in the old video or this one. You can click the video link on the screen, " How To Stop Shoulder Pain in Bed (Sleeping Postures) ." Brad: That's right, and the famous Bob's Eerie Canal Theory and Method to eliminate shoulder pain. And that's what he uses. So if you want to find out what it is, check it out. It's very, very new. Mike: No water is involved. For this week’s Giveaway, visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun A7 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun D5 Pro Plus Massage Gun (with heat) D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D6 Pro Max+ Massage Gun EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote EyeOasis 3 Eye Massager Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Go Back, Neck, & Shoulder Massager EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager G100 Pro Vibration Therapy Massager Hand Massager HandSpa Pro Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   iNeck Pro Neck and Shoulder Massager Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager M7 Plus Mini Massage Gun with Heat Therapy Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraHeat Knee Brace TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun ThermoRed Heated Back Belt Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Zero Pro Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in July 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/JiRpEPLy_5g Mike: If you're limited on time or ambition, but want to focus on one exercise for your arthritic pain, this is the one for you. Brad: Yeah. Now this exercise is really beneficial, particularly for people who have their arthritic pain in their low back, in the SI joint just below the belt, the hip, or the knees. Mike: So the exercise we're talking about is actually a form of squat, but we're going to do a slight variation of that, right, Brad? Brad: Right. And actually, these exercises strengthen the muscles that support the joint that has the arthritis, so the force is going through the muscles as opposed to the irritated joint. Mike: So this can help reduce the pain you're having in your extremities or lower back and improve your mobility. Brad: Almost sounds too good to be true, but it works. Mike: First, we want to discuss why regular squats don't always do the trick. Now they are a good functional exercise when performed properly. However, when you have arthritis or pain in the region, you typically will compensate with your weaker leg, say my right leg is my weak one. By using your strong leg more, what that may look like when you stand up as you start going up, and then you just go all the way to the left side, and get all the way up. Mike: Can you get from sitting to standing that way? Sure. However, you're going to start developing more and more imbalances on your weak arthritic side, which can lead to more problems down the road. Brad: Right. And I want to emphasize that if you're doing a squat using a chair to start or a standard squat using weights or whatever, and you're used to doing them, and the arthritic side has always been painful, you probably are compensating using the strong, non-painful side without even being aware of it. Now, the really bad thing that can happen as a result of compensating because you have some arthritic joints on one side, it can carry over into your walking pattern, or your gait, as we call it in therapy. And you can develop what is known as a Trendelenburg gait . It's when you have this waddling type of gait, and you see a number of people with that, and that can be a result of an arthritic joint causing the imbalance. Brad: All right, now one of the common muscles that gets involved with compensation as a result of arthritic pain is the gluteus maximus. This happens with other syndromes as well. They call it gluteal amnesia. In other words, that muscle does not start the fire or contract properly, causing problems. Mike, do you want to explain how it all works? Mike: So what can happen? There's an array of issues, can happen from weak glutes. One is known as femoral anterior glide syndrome, meaning the head of your femur here actually gets pushed forward, or anterior in the acetabulum or the hip socket joint here. Mike: This can lead to a lot of pinching sensations, pain issues, and more arthritis developing. Other issues that may happen from weak glutes are actually a valgus knee stance. So that can mean your knock-kneed or your knees point in together. Mike: For some people, it can actually do various things depending on the individual and how they look. Also, if your glutes are weak, you can actually lock your knees, which is also problematic for arthritic people. Brad: That's right. That puts the joint at end range, we call it, and more force goes into that joint, causing bone-on-bone problems eventually. So I did want to mention we're talking about glute maximum, that big muscle right in the back, the other ones are involved as well, but that's the primary muscle. Alright, we're going to start out showing how to do this exercise properly. We're going to do it from a sit to stand, which is essentially a squat, but it's for someone who has pain or is a beginner and doesn't have the strength. Mike, can you go ahead and show the details? Mike: So you want to start sitting in a chair, have a 90-degree bend in your legs, and we're going to work both sides individually. So we're just going to start working on my left side first. Now, what I'm going to do is leave the left foot down flat on the ground. My other leg, my right one, I'm going to go up on my toes. This is going to help me keep my balance as I stand. If you're really weak and need to push up from the chair with armrests, you certainly can. However, what we're going to do is put the emphasis of using the left leg to actually stand up. This is going to work the left leg more. The right leg is just doing balance. Now, what you want to do is do five, 10 repetitions this way, and then you're going to switch. So you're going to plant with the right leg, and toe touch with the left leg. Again, you're going to try to do 10 repetitions. This is going to teach you to work both legs individually. And you might notice one is weaker than the other. Brad: The idea of using a chair with armrests, particularly if you haven't done this before, is a really good idea; it's going to help you be stable and give you a good experience so you don't overdo things. Mike: Now, if this seems easy for you and you want to be a little more advanced or challenge yourself, what you can do with the leg that isn't pushing up is place it out more in front of you, keeping it straight. This is really working my back leg. And also, it's important to focus on sitting down in a nice, slow, controlled motion. You don't want to be plopping down into the chair, because muscles work going up as well as going down. Brad: Right. Boy, I can't emphasize that enough, the idea of when you go down, very good control, you may need the armrest. You see, I'm reaching back. I know where they're at, so we don't have a plop. Again, the whole idea is to train the muscles to work properly, doing one at a time. Go through them. Take your time with these. The first time you do it, it's gonna feel awkward and you may say some bad words, but it's okay. Just continue. Use your armrest, and we actually have another video that's going to help and give some other options. Is that correct, Mike? Mike: Yes, it's another video, " Stop Arthritic Joint Pain, No Meds Needed !" A completely different video talking about another subject matter within arthritis. Brad: There you go. Enjoy the day and keep those joints settled down. For this week’s Giveaway, visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun A7 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D2 Mini Massage Gun D5 Pro Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head Eye Massager  EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager HandSpa Pro Hand Massager Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager M7 Plus Mini Massage Gun with Heat Therapy Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun Uni Massage Gun Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop ​ Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in September 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/IFxAZaUhhfY Brad: So Mike, did you know that if you have a hunched-over posture and your spine is as crooked as a politician's, that your balance is also greatly influenced by this? Mike: No. Brad, I did not know that. But I'm willing to bet you're going to explain to everyone how. Brad: Well, that's correct. However, this is a family show, and there'll be no betting or gambling. So, let's keep that straight. Mike: I want to run the table. Brad: Yeah, let's go on with the program. Mike: So what are we talking about today, Brad? Brad: Well, as I mentioned, slouched-over posture has a lot to do with your balance, putting you at higher risk for falls if you have that type of posture. But now I actually want to demonstrate it so it's very clear. Can you stand forward just a little bit, Mike? We're going to do a simple single-leg balance test. Okay, very common in the therapy world. Mike is standing with good posture, balancing on one leg. I'm just going to nudge him a little bit, see how his balance is. He's off a little bit when I do some nudging. Now, can you put your leg down? Brad: We're going to reset. I want you to face that way so that we get a good view of your slouch posture. Assume a slouch posture, head forward, kyphotic, or slouched back. Now we're going to perform the exact same test on one leg. And now I'm going to do some bumping here. And Mike is having a much harder time balancing. He actually had to grab the table. Mike No. Maybe. Brad: Be honest with them, Mike. Was it harder to stand this straight up or hunched over with the perturbations or the bumping? Mike: It was much more challenging because my center of gravity was not straight underneath my legs. It was shifted forward, making my balance a lot harder to keep. Brad: Yeah, and you know, any therapist is aware of this, but now you are aware of this. So when we can straighten our body up, get rid of the hunched posture, you're going to be more mobile, less at risk for falls, and life will be better. Okay, let's get to it. There are two degrees. I'm going to show you a simple exercise in 90 seconds on how to correct this. But we need to determine if you're slouched are you severely slouched? In other words, you cannot straighten up because you're already tightened up because you've been doing it for so many years. Or is it something, if you think about it, you can actively change your posture to good posture? So the test is, oh, bring the camera over here. There we go. I've done this before. I'll do it again. Butt up against the wall. Feet about a foot away from the wall, shoulders back against the wall. And if you can pull your shoulders back, tuck your chin in, and touch your head, that means you're just mildly slouched. You can correct it actively. Brad: There will be some people who will put their butt up against the wall back here. They will not be able to pull their shoulders back, and with keeping their chin down, will not be able to touch the wall because their body is so tight and contracted from years of being slouched. That takes a different approach. They're very simple, but similar. You'll see what I mean in just a second. We're going to rearrange things so we can show you. Okay, so if you're mildly slouched, in other words, you can get yourself up tall, good posture against the wall, we're going to show you that routine first. And then if you're severe, we'll show you that routine next. There are three stretches. Each one is done for 20 seconds once you learn it. And then there's a balance exercise at the end, equaling 90 seconds total. It's going to take more than 90 because we have to explain each technique a little bit. They're not hard. These are all done. You do not have to purchase any equipment. You do need a door, you do need a wall, and everything else will take care of itself. So what we need to do is stretch the muscles out here, get the head in, and we're going to use a doorway for this. Open the door naturally; otherwise, it won't work. Mike is going to demonstrate it. Arms up here. We call this the "W" form and posture. Now make sure you do not tuck your head forward. It's imperative that you have a straight line and be aware of that while you do that stretch. Go ahead, Mike. Give a little more detail. Mike: All you do is place them on here. If you're tight, you may be way out here outside of the doorframe. Try to lean into it. This is going to stretch your pecs in the front of your shoulder muscles, which often get tight from being forward rounded like that. Hold this for roughly how long? 20 seconds, are we doing? Brad: Right up to 20 seconds, you can go pressure on, pressure off. Now this is one of those things, every time you walk through a doorway, you can do it. You don't have to spend 20 seconds; you can even spend two or three seconds and do that, you know, five or ten times a day. It all adds up. It's a nice way to integrate it into your life without changing things. Now we're going to go to the wall stretch. Now that was a passive stretch, stretching things out. This exercise actually strengthens the muscles on the backside. So they pull your shoulders back, and it becomes a muscle memory activity to correct your posture so you don't have to think about it. But here, the same thing as the test. Pull the shoulders back, chin tucked in. Very critical. Get the head to touch. And now we're just going to go back like this and do "W"'s. Now I personally, my left side is a little bit tighter, and I have to work hard to get my left elbow and hand to touch, and I still do it. I'm pushing it to the wall with my right hand. Brad: So I'm strengthening. You can feel the muscles between your shoulder blades working after you do this about five times. If you haven't done it, they may feel like they're going to cramp. If they do, simply relax, stretch them out a little bit, go back to it, and then actually give it a break and come back later in the day and do it. And let's go on to the last thing. Okay, now you're going to actually do a retest, which is also good practice for balance. You're going to stand, monitor, and really change your posture. So it's good. And actually do a single-leg balance test. You're going to hold that for 15 seconds, see if you need to continue to get help from the wall or your foot, or if you can hold it for 15 seconds and then do the other leg. Monitor the posture. Everything is looking good. Brad: And if you do this twice a day, every day, after one week, you will notice you're going to have better balance. If on the first day you found you had to touch and really assist your balance by touching, I bet you, by the seventh day, you're going to touch much less. If not at all, you'll probably be able to stand and your balance will be much better, you'll be more confident, and it works. Okay, now, if you're one of the people who are really contracted tight, you cannot get back flat up against the wall. We do the same thing, except that we use the floor for using gravity to help relax and stretch. So if you're lying down, and I've had this with a lot of people where I have them lie down, they're in that head-forward posture, and I find out they can touch their head to the table or the floor. And sometimes it's not uncommon, they're so tight, they're stuck there. Brad: Now we're going to do some stretches, but that becomes very uncomfortable very quickly. I'm talking within five to ten seconds. So in that case, you're going to take a pillow and put it there so that the person can relax. You may have to use two pillows, whatever it takes, to be relaxed so that you can rest your head on the pillow or pillows while getting the stretch. Mike, you want to go through the stretch? It's very similar to the wall. Mike: I would like to say, say it, don't spray it, Brad. Brad: Oh, wow. Woo, sorry. Mike: So the first thing you're going to do is just simply work on chin tucks. That is a component of trying to push your chin into the pillow. You can leave the pillow here if you are very tight. And just let gravity kind of pull it down if you can. Brad: Can you show them the wrong way that some people will do it? Yeah, they're trying to touch the head, and the chin comes up. That is not getting the cervical spine stretched out the way it should. Mike: So you can do roughly ten repetitions or kind of hold it gently and work up to 20 seconds, if you're on a time constraint. Over time, if you feel like you can use fewer pillows to say I need two pillows, go down to one, eventually try to go down to the floor. You could see that my neck is in a much more neutral position. It is not flexed forward like this. And again, you can start with the chin tucks. Now, the next progression, if you need a pillow still, you can use it, but you're going to sort of do the "W" stretch like we did on the wall, just on the floor, so gravity is going to pull your arms down like this. You can just sit here. If you're very limited and tight, you can try keeping your elbows straight. I'm not touching your feet. So keep your elbows straight like this, and you may just feel stretched that way. To progress, you can go to a "W." If this is starting to feel good, you can remove the pillow, and if this still feels good, you can actually start going up and doing shoulder movements with this as well. If you cannot fully get flat or do this with the pillow, then just don't do this step yet. Brad: That's right. And then after you get done with this, you're going to stand up and do the single leg. And we're not going to go through it in detail again, but stand up as tall as you can and try to balance again for those 15 seconds on each leg. Use the wall, countertop, or whatever to help your balance. There is one thing I want to mention is if you are contracted forward and you need to lie on the floor, carpeted floor, it's going to take longer. It just makes sense; there's no argument about that. That may take longer than the other people. But once you can do flat on the floor, simply do the exercises on the wall, and that's a good transition. That is really good progress once you get from there to there. And you'll notice it when you're doing your balance testing. Alright, Mike, we have another video that will help people out with this. Mike: Yes, if you want to check out the next video, watch " Top 3 Exercises To Fix Neck Hump And Hunchback ." Brad: Anyway, have a great day. For this week’s Giveaway, visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun A7 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun D5 Pro Plus Massage Gun (with heat) D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D6 Pro Max+ Massage Gun EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote EyeOasis 3 Eye Massager Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Go Back, Neck, & Shoulder Massager EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager G100 Pro Vibration Therapy Massager Hand Massager HandSpa Pro Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   iNeck Pro Neck and Shoulder Massager Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager M7 Plus Mini Massage Gun with Heat Therapy Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraHeat Knee Brace TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun ThermoRed Heated Back Belt Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Zero Pro Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.