When you have a painful shoulder, you want to avoid certain activities and perform others with the correct form: 1. Avoid putting your shoulder in an awkward position and end-range positions like reaching into the back seat or throwing a ball. 2. Avoid overhead lifting and repetitive or prolonged overhead activities such as painting or pruning a tree. 3. Avoid forceful pulling. Examples include pulling a weed out of the ground, lifting a suitcase, or pulling on the starter cord for a lawn mower. 4. Maintain good posture with any activities that involve raising the shoulder and arm (especially above level). Examples: working at a desk, writing on a whiteboard or smart board, painting, or driving a car. 5. Keep your arms and hands as close to the body as possible when lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying, or working with objects. The shoulder is at greater risk for injury when the arm is furthest away from the body. The muscles in the shoulder are short in length. They must generate a lot of force to lift the “long lever” of your arm. General rule of thumb. We recommend keeping your elbows on your side. Avoid this. Keep elbows at your side 6. Overall, avoid any movement, activity, or position that increases your pain. 7. If forced to do any activity that increases your pain (lifting, pulling, pushing, carrying, or working overhead) stop every few minutes and extend and stretch the shoulder behind you, using the opposite arm to help. Check out the full Shoulder Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/shoulder-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in February of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/J8qFlRYF7Mw Brad: Oh wow, back pain! You know, I've had back pain like this a number of times in the last 20 years, and myself, as well as many people with back pain, the big question is, can I get rid of the pain without doing any awkward exercises or taking medications? Mike: And the answer is yes you can. So we're gonna show you some of the best options you can do at home. Brad: As therapists, we know specific exercises can be very beneficial and effective on reducing and abolishing back pain. However, the first thing we always need to do is get the pain to settle down, so you can do the exercises properly. Mike: Plus, some older adults do have difficulty doing back pain exercises due to things like arthritis or weakness. So these options, you don't have to worry about those things. Brad: That's right. From our decades of combined experience in the clinic, we are going to give you five options of the best treatment you can do at home to calm down your back pain and get on with life. All right, so the first option is one of my favorite ones because it's very simple, and it doesn't cost you anything, you simply lie on your bed, or you can do this on the floor. I've done it both ways myself and with patients. Take a few pillows, you need two or three, and get them underneath both legs. And what that does is it brings up the hip, flexes the hip, and that puts the back in a more neutral position, less stress on the back, and it actually, very comfortable. Mike, how do you feel like that? Mike: I feel good. Brad: If this works, and you want to get a device that actually works better, we have found, and in the clinic this has been, I'd say we use this leg ledge, 90% of the time people are very happy with it. I've had a number of patients buy one just because it works so well, and it's firm, it has the angle, and you want to make sure, can you lift your legs up a little bit, that it's right up into your buttock and hamstrings, that really makes a big difference. Then that's a real nice option. We're going to show you a combination with this using the pillows or the wedge in just a couple more minutes. Brad: Now hold onto your pillows because the next thing we wanna address is seated posture. Poor seated posture can aggravate and cause back pain and really make it linger on for a long period of time until you correct it. Mike, couple simple ways to do it. Mike: So poor posture can be caused by just not paying attention and gravity working so you get flexed over. Another common problem for some people is the seat pan depth is actually too far back. So they're not comfortable getting all the way back with their legs depending upon their height. So simple solution for both of these would be to use a throw pillow, put it in your low back region. This will shorten the depth of the seat pan, and also it reminds you to have something there to push against to keep up good posture. Some people, this is enough, and this will work. Not everyone, some people may need just a full pillow. Put it up the vertical way here and place it behind them. Now this is typically common in standard chairs like this or maybe a recliner or sofa because they can get soft and squishy over time. Just feel what can fill that void the best and keep your back in a good neutral position. Brad: Right, you'll know the pillow's right one because it feels like good support. The pain is gone or almost gone as a result of putting the pillow in right away. So go ahead, use those pillows in your recliner, in the chair, et cetera. All right, let's go on to number three. Mike: Three. Another good option is to use a hot or cold pack. You can do this in a chair or laying down. This one can be both. We have some other options we will talk about as well. Now when it comes to hot or cold packs , it's important to not always put it specifically this type directly on your skin. If you have a shirt or sweatshirt on, that could possibly be enough layers. If you feel like it's too warm or too cold, simply place a towel over it, and if it's my low back, could just put it in my low back between the pillow and my body and that should suffice. You can leave it on for 10 to 20 minutes. Brad: Now the next question, I'm sure a lot of people are wondering, so what's better, hot or cold? Well, that's a question of the century, and from clinical experience myself, I've used initially cold packs. So it works really well for me, but I run into people where they just don't tolerate them. It makes them tighten up. Then we get the hot pack out, and they have release of the muscle, tightness feels better, increases circulation. So try each one. See how you feel better with each one and how it responds after you take the hot pack or cold pack away, should continue to feel good for a period of time. 30 minutes to an hour. Mike: So with laying down, it's important to make sure you have layers on because you will be applying more pressure from your body weight onto the hot or cold pack. So again, just simply place a towel over it and put it under your back. I'm not going to do that for video sake purposes, just find the spot that is sensitive, and you can lay on it while keeping your feet elevated. You get a double bonus here. Now there are a couple other heating options we'd like to talk about, if people are in the market, they'll get something. Brad: Right, so if you want to use a hot pack that's electric, you may already have one, and you can certainly use that, use it the same way. The big precaution is is that you set a timer on it or hopefully has a timer on it because you do not want to fall asleep lying down like this and have that hot pack on your back for a couple hours, 20 minutes, 30 minutes maximum. Now there is a hot pack that's a little higher end and it's the Thermotex Platinum Far Infrared Heating Pad. The big advantage to this is the heat will penetrate into your skin or your tissues over two inches, 2.36 inches actually. So it gets in more blood flow, gets into the muscles, into the joints where a standard hot pack just goes skin deep. The disadvantage to Thermotex, they do cost more, but they are built well, and they do what they say. Now, if you want a hot pack that covers your whole back because you're the type of person that really responds well to heat and you want to have this, particularly if it's a winter day when you have this back pain, here, I call this the cape, but it's not really called the Cape, it's the Bob and Brad heating pad . And I really do like this because it covers it. You can sit back in your recliner, read a book, watch TV, and it does not get real hot, and you can control the time as well as the intensity of the heat. So there you go, let's go onto the next options. Mike: Another option to help with back pain is to actually massage the muscles that are painful in the area in your low back here. Now the problem is doing it yourself, after a while, your fingers get tired because back muscles are rather firm and stiff. So you really have to dig in there, and it's not really that relaxing to do it yourself. Brad: Yeah, I mean if you've got someone in the house, or you can go to a masseuse, great, but it's not an option for a lot of people. One thing I do at home when I want to work my back muscles in here is you could use a cane. I use the Booyah Stik . You just need a stick that's about four foot long and relatively sturdy, and I'll put it behind, and I'll just work up and down with this. And it works out fairly well. It's not the best, but it does offer some relief and relaxation. Brad: Now some people do have massage guns already. They're very popular. They've been out for a number of years, and they're quite effective. Now we've got a couple here that that we sell. This one actually just came out. This head actually cools down or heats up . So if you like cold, you adjust it for cold. If you want heat, adjust it for heat, and I'm amazed at how well it actually works. The only problem with doing massage on your back with a massage gun is the same thing as doing it with your hands. You need a lot of range of motion with your hands or your shoulder and elbow, and it works. And if you lie down on your bed, it's a little easier. Mike has a smaller one, and he's got a standard airhead. Can you talk about that, Mike? Mike: So this is a airhead. So it's soft and cushioned, so it feels fine on your back. When you get in the back, you're going to kind of probably run over your spine at times or even your pelvis bones. That's not going to feel too good with a hard, firm plastic massage head. So typically a soft foam ball or the airhead like this is a good option. Brad: There you go. Now what we feel is the best option for low back in particularly is there's a massage pad that fits behind your chair. So here is our low back massager . It actually works good on hamstrings and calves as well and even your upper back. But what it does, it massages, and the heads, you can see them rotating here, and they actually heat up as an option. You don't have to have it heat up. Now I'm going to show you how to use it. Now, it can be pretty aggressive, and if your back is sore, you may wanna put, they actually have a Velcro pad on here that lessens the intensity of the massage. So let's go to a chair and show us how it's done in the chair. We always joke about this as looking like a tooth because it kind of does. You can put it either end up, whatever feels better on your back. These really get it to the right muscles. Brad: This is one thing that we've all tested here at the Bob and Brad crew, and it works really well. I am just totally impressed with how well this works. Simply sit with it behind your back, and you can run it for 15 to 20 minutes. It does have an automatic shutoff, I believe it's in 20 minutes. You can do this in a recliner, which I like to do. You can recline back, and it really is a comfortable way to get a massage by yourself, firm chair, or actually lying down. You could try that. I don't like that so much, this is the way I do it. So do that and get those muscles to relax. All right, that's enough of this. Mike, what do you got to say? Mike: The last thing is to avoid bending over and picking something up with bad posture while you have back pain because this is probably going to flare things right back up. Notice how rounded my spine is. So Brad's going to talk about some better options when it comes to lifting mechanics. Brad: That's right, so the first thing you want to do is if you need to pick up, say your back massager fell onto the floor, you're going to bring your legs about two shoulder widths wide. So you got a wide base, and you're strong that way. We're going to actually bend, keep our back straight. I want you to pretend there's like a two by four taped to your back, and it's keeping you straight and steady. Bend with the knees and pick that up. There we go. You have to look down with your eyes, not your head. So always good body mechanics, good posture, and that will help reduce those flare ups. Brad: Now the other thing is called the golfers' lift. If you're going to pick up something lighter, this is known as the golfers' lift. And you've probably seen this, if you watch any golf, the back leg, use a hand to steady somewhere if you need, and then kick that leg up. That keeps your back in neutral position. Brad: It really lessens how much stress you put on the back when you pick up something light. Or you can certainly pick it up doing the squat as well. So now once your back starts to feel better, you need to calm down from one of these methods, you're lifting properly. You really need to get back to moving. So one of the recommended ways, one of the top back specialists in the world, Dr. Stewart McGill recommends along with other therapists like us, start a walking program. Now, when you do a walking program, you're not going to go out and walk one mile the first day. You may just start walking on the flat, not on a trail, maybe only a hundred yards, and then come back, and then we're going to progress as your back tolerates. As a matter of fact, we've got a video, Mike want to help him out with that video? Mike: Yes, if you want more videos on how to stop back pain and walking correctly, you can check out the video "Fastest Ways To Walk Correctly To Stop Back Pain!" Brad: This video will show you in detail how to start walking when you're recovering from a back injury. It's wonderful, well, we did do it, so of course it's good. Mike: It's perfect. Brad: Very good, good luck with your back pain and get it calmed down. Visit us on our other social media platforms : YouTube , Website , Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , Pinterest , LinkedIn , TikTok , Wimkin , Mewe , Minds , Vero , SteemIt , Peakd , Rumble ,  Snapchat , Clapper , Threads   Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Knee Glide   Eye Massager   EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager White EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager Black EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote T2 Massage Gun   T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager   Weighted Heating Pad Fitness: Resistance Bands​   Pull Up System Pull Up Bands   Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener   Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Stress Balls   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 is 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 February of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/PgWjX8YHAjQ Brad: Now in the past when Bob was younger, of course, he would do an extension stretcher, which made his back feel better. He tried that this time and it was not working, which is amazing because I had the same scenario. That used to work for me and no more. Mike: So he tried the prayer stretch instead. Also commonly known as the child pose and he saw immediate relief. So this is an example of testing and retesting to see what is helping his back pain. Brad: So the same system you can use at home, So you can determine what stretch is going to work for you. It always works well. Mike: So the prone press-up test like this, which Bob first did actually increased his back pain. Now for some people extending their spine like I'm doing here can actually increase their pain while for others, it may actually help. Brad: That's right, so let's look and see what's actually going on with the spine. Go ahead and do your press-up and look at the spine in the lumbar area, it's extending it, putting it into an arch in one direction, okay? Brad: And now what you need to do is assess the pain or if it feels good while you're doing 5 to 10 repetitions, but not only that, but how it feels after you get done within the next five minutes up to an hour. Sometimes it may be a little uncomfortable here, but then when you get up and walk around, it's, oh, it feels good as a result of doing it. So it's important to note how it feels while you're doing it and after. So that's the test, and then the retest is how things feel after the exercise. Mike: Now the stretch Bob did perform known as a prayer stretch or child pose, you simply get on all fours like this, and then you rock your butt back towards your heels. And as you can see, I'm doing this, my back is actually flexing more, which helped relieve some of Bob's pain issues he was having. Brad: Right, now if we want to look at the spine to see a more detailed example of what's going on in the spine, the other stretch was arching it. Now this stretch is actually rounding the back in the opposite direction. And with Bob's case, this felt much better while he was doing it and afterward. So that means this would be the stretch you'd want to continue versus the press-up stretch because it responded much better. Mike: So to perform a prone press-up, you may only start on your elbows like this and this may be as far as you can go to begin with and that is certainly fine. Now some people over time, you can actually push up to the full range of motion. For some people, it may only be here. For others, it may be extended all the way. Important thing to remember is keep your pelvis on the mat or floor, wherever you are doing this. Do not lift it up. It is not going to stretch your lower back. As you can see, if I just go up like this, my back stays in the same position, or if it's dropped down, now I have more of an arch. Brad: Again, you're going to do these because they feel good the more you do of them. So this is really important. A lot of times with patients, I'll actually put my hand on their lower back to give them some feedback that this needs to stay down on the floor or the bed, wherever they're doing this exercise. Mike: And oftentimes, you want to perform 10 repetitions at least of this exercise. Brad: Okay, now we're going to go over the prayer stretch or the child's pulls, whatever you want to call it. Actually, we got this exercise for this particular diagnosis, or pain from Rick Olderman , a physical therapist who has written books on this. He's developed programs for it. He's an expert in this. And go ahead, show him what Rick wants us to do. Mike: Bob and Rick wrote a book together too. Brad: Oh, that's correct. Mike: So in order to perform this, like I said before, your knees are going to be apart. I like to bring my heels together. You can put them wherever you want, whatever's comfortable for you. Then you sit back slowly while keeping my hands in the same place and my buttock will touch my heels. Stay here for a few seconds, feel a good stretch, and then come back up. You're gonna do 10 repetitions of this and this should feel good on your back. You may notice some stretching in your shoulder muscles as well and that's perfectly acceptable. Brad: That's right. So again, repetition's 5 to 10. You can hold the stretch as it feels good. Bob says he holds this for 15 to 30 seconds. You may not start with that. You may start with just a few seconds. I personally hold mine for about, well, 5 to 10 seconds and I do repetitions. Use good judgment and listen to your body. Mike: Now some people cannot get on their hands and knees we realize. So we will show a variation you can do seated. Brad: That's a good word, variation. Now if you're not comfortable doing this, getting on your hands and knees on the floor or even the bed, simply take a towel and on your kitchen table or cupboard that's smooth. Put the cut towel like this, take a chair so you can sit comfortably. A firm chair works best. Hands here, and what we're simply going to do is use the towel so that you can slide your hands very freely across the surface. And right now my back is going through that flexed mode, that stretch that makes your back feel good, hold it as needed, and then come back and there you go. Now the really other big benefit for this is you get your kitchen table, your countertop cleaned off. So it's a win-win situation. Pain-free back, clean kitchen table. Brad: Now there was another exercise that Bob does that actually helps his back as well. And he has tight hip flexors of the muscles in the front of the hip. Now what happens when you have tight hip flexors? If we look at the spine, they're deep and they connect to the spine and go down to the hip. When they're tight, when you stand up and when you walk, they actually pull the pelvis forward like this, which arches the back, which is similar to the arch in the back when you do the prone press-ups, which also irritate the back. Brad: So to stretch those muscles out, to minimize that, is what we're going to do. And go ahead, Mike. Let's show them the tricks in this particular exercise. Mike: Okay, to stretch your hip flexors, you're going to need to sit on a firm surface at the edge. Whether that is a kitchen table at your house or a firm bed, it's up to you. Once you're in this position, you want to lay down on your back bringing both knees up towards your chest. You're going to take one side and drop it down. I'm going to be stretching the right hip flexor. Once I'm down here, I'm going to bend my knee. And you'll notice once I bring the left knee towards my chest, you can see my tightness coming because my hip flexor will probably pop up a little bit. If you're not feeling much of a stretch here, you may have to scooch your bottom more towards the edge of the bed to let more of your leg go off. Mike: Now it's important to remember to keep the right leg in a straight line. Do not let it go out to the side. It's not going to stretch the hip flexor muscles. We're going to hold this for roughly 30 seconds. Reset the back with both knees to the chest and then drop the other side. Again, hold for 30 seconds, breathe through it. You may notice one side is tighter than the other. Maybe do three sets of 30 seconds on one side and the other side you only have to do two. Brad: Now I want to make sure that it's very clear that the knee that's not being stretched needs to be pulled up because if you don't do that and you allow that to come down, that's going to allow your back to arch and it's causing that pain that we don't want to cause. So that's very critical this is up and then you just relax this leg and let that stretch, that hip flexor. Mike: Now the last exercise Bob did to help with his back pain was actually strengthening his glute muscle or his butt muscle because typically when one muscle is tight it can make the other muscle not engage as much. So by engaging this more, we can get the hip to relax more. Brad: That's right, and Rick Olderman's book explains this clearly. We'll just have to show the exercise and you can read the book to get details. Mike: To strengthen the glutes, we're going to perform butt pumps in a slightly different way than you may be accustomed to. So I'm actually going to get down on my elbows on all fours like this. We will show a variation where you don't have to kneel down if you have knee pain. So what you're going to do is lift one leg up into the air. You're not going to go all the way up like a true glute pump exercise. You're going to pick a spot in between down on the ground and all the way up and you're going to do little oscillating movements. Try to perform 30 repetitions and focus on your buttock muscle engaging. Now if you're having some trouble, sometimes people can rotate their foot in like this and it isolates the glute max a little bit more. Mike: So once you can do 30 repetitions total on each side and you feel comfortable with it, to progress, you would simply place a cuff weight on the back of your thigh like Brad is showing here. And then you perform the same exercise with some more weight. Rick himself said he has a 70-year-old lady doing this with hip pain and it solved it. Brad: Wow. Excellent job. So this is a standing option for the same exercise, working the same muscle for the same reason. You put your hands on a countertop, which works well, or a table, you can go to your forearms. Because my table is short, I'm doing it on my hands. Do the same thing, we're going to put a 90-degree bend or so in the knee, okay? And then I'm going to bring it up to the mid-range. Again, not way up, not too low, right in the middle, working that oscillation type of motion, 30 of those. And again, rotate the foot in and do it to isolate that glute max even more. And I can definitely feel that muscle working more now. When that gets too easy, just put a weight around the leg to get the advanced, more strenuous version for that muscle. Brad: Alright, we're going to talk about one option that you may or may not want to do. If you respond well to heat, you can use a hot pack on your back for 15 to 20 minutes prior to the exercises. Loosen them up those muscles and get better results. This particular hot pack is one that we recommend. It works very well. It heats up the whole back. It does plug in here. You can take us off and actually wash it. It's an amazing thing. It's got the remote here with different levels of heat and a timer as well, so it turns off just in case you fall asleep with it on. Mike: And you kind of feel like a cool super villain because it's almost like a cape. Brad: It is really a nice hot pack. Alright, so once you do your test and retest, you decide which exercises are going to help you out. Work with them, as we had mentioned. And actually for both of them, when you feel well enough, you can actually start walking. Don't walk too far right away, but that will help in either scenario. Plus, we've got another video that will help you just to give you additional work. Mike: So if you want to check out more videos on back pain, check out our video " How to Fix Low Back Pain in 90 Seconds, Bob and Brad Concur! " This is about completely different techniques so you can try this as well to see if it works. Brad: And it's had excellent success as well because we did it. Visit us on our other social media platforms : YouTube , Website , Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , Pinterest , LinkedIn , TikTok , Wimkin , Mewe , Minds , Vero , SteemIt , Peakd , Rumble ,  Snapchat , Clapper , Threads   Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Knee Glide   Eye Massager   EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager White EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager Black EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote T2 Massage Gun   T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager   Weighted Heating Pad Fitness: Resistance Bands​   Pull Up System Pull Up Bands   Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener   Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Stress Balls   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 is 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 February of  2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/1tTR4Zva8VI Mike: When Bob, Brad, and myself have worked with people that are 55 and older and have neck or shoulder pain, there are some inherent issues we are cautious of, including an aging spine and some tight muscles. Brad: We're going to explain two techniques that are going to be fast relief as well as done very safely. Mike: The general area we're talking about is when pain coming from the neck often can radiate from the neck and down into the shoulder blade region. And we're going to show you a couple of options to try to alleviate this pain. Brad: That's right. First, we're going to show you one option Bob and I had great success with years ago, but there were always certain people that it didn't work on. Now we have the option that'll help take care of that as well. It's going to be linked at the end, so you're going to have good success one way or another. All right, before we go any farther, we want to talk about the biggest precaution that you need to with neck exercises. Now, one of the treatments that works so well is neck cervical extension. So Mike demonstrates it here. Brad: Come back up. Now, if you're 55 or older, there are certain things that happen within the cervical spine, the neck bones, as well as the muscles get tight. This exercise can be uncomfortable, and we have found to keep it safe, we're actually going to do it supported with a towel. So we always recommend, if you're going to try this exercise, use a towel to support it. We're going to give you details in just a second. Are you ready, Mike? All right, when we get to the exercise, we're going to show you specifically that precaution with the towel. But before we get on with it, I want to show you how to test your neck, and then we'll do the exercise, and then retest. And it's a good way to find out your particular success and how often to do the exercise. So you have this pain near the shoulder blade. Now, what I want you to do is flex your head forward like Mike is doing, and then extend your head back. Now, at this point, you can see Mike's grabbing for shoulder. We've seen this many times. This motion oftentimes is limited in range of motion and makes this pain worse. Brad: If that's the case, then we need to do the stretch using the towel. Now, the stretch is actually the same exercise as what hurts. So the towel is going to help out with that. Go ahead, Mike. We're going to roll the towel up and then get it behind the neck. Low on the neck, not up by the top of the head or behind the ears, but low down by the shoulders. And at this point, you're going to be in a chair, a nice firm one like a kitchen chair that does not have a backrest that goes up too high. It has to go at shoulder blade level or a little lower works better. Now what happens is you'll get to a point typically and it's going to start to hurt. But if you can go back further and the pain is less than it was when you did the testing, that's a sign that this is going to be a good exercise. Brad: If you do it three or four times and the pain continues to improve and your range of motion is actually getting better, you're right on, continue to do it. The big precaution is do not do it too fast. If it does create pain or creates pain down into the shoulder, red flag, stop, do not go any farther, you do not want to the go. Go to the video that we have linked down below, and that's going to give you an option where it does not do this type of approach. If you find that this helps, the towel support feels good, you can go further, and there's less pain in that shoulder area, that's what you want to do is every hour do this exercise in the same chair or one just like it, and you'll find within a day or two you're going to have no pain anymore. It's a great way to go. Again, remember, if it makes it worse, particularly into the shoulder, stop, and go to the other video. When you start out with this and you find you don't have any pain going back like that and you have a normal range of motion, everything is good, but now we're going to test rotation right to left. So in Mike's situation, it hurts when he turns to the left, it increases pain. He is starting to wince, you can see it in his eyes. So we have a simple stretch. Well, it's not a real simple stretch, but it is once you learn it. How to stretch that using the towel again so it's safe, you're going to do it gently, gently, gently with all of these. Go ahead, Mike. We'll use the edge of the towel. Now, notice the towel's low around his shoulders more. He's going to cross his right hand to the left tail of the towel, and his left hand to the right tail of the towel. Now, the left one stays low on the chest. The right one's going to go across the jawline, okay, in a gentle stretch. If it hurts, particularly sharp pain, it's a red flag, you stop, and in don't go any farther. Try going the other direction. Brad: There you go. So you have to switch hands. Again, the towel goes across the jawline. And you'll be amazed how the towel support around the neck really makes us feel much better. However, if it's a sharp pain when you do this, you stop, you're done with it, it is not for you. If it feels better and every time you do the stretch at a frequency and speed that Mike is going and it feels better each time up to 10 reps, then you continue to do it once every hour or two. Good. Okay, now the third scenario is, let's say you do the range of motion back extension, no pain, feels normal, flexion, no pain, feels normal, looking straight ahead, rotate to the right, all the way over, or to the left. Everything feels pretty normal, but you still have pain and it feels like a knot in that muscle right in the upper trap area. Sometimes you need to get into that muscle and massage it deeply with your fingers. And you'll find a trigger point. There is a trigger point there where the muscle tightens up in one spot. If you can break or release that trigger point, it can take care of it and you'll feel much better. The big problem with this is it's kind of hard to massage this back by yourself because your fingers get sore, they get tired. If you have someone else in the house to come over with their thumbs and work in that spot, that can work. But if you're by yourself, another option is if you happen to have a massage gun that reciprocates, we're going to show you a good option for that right now and the technique on how to do it. All right, a big precaution when you're using a massage gun that reciprocates when you work around the neck, you DO NOT want to massage anywhere near the cervical spine or the neck bones here. We can work this on the trapezius and it works well, but not up on the neck. So, okay, don't even try it. It's not fun. It doesn't feel good don't do it. I'm going to use a soft head. Mike will show one with a rounded head, which I prefer for this situation, and you can just work in the area. Brad: Again, you notice I stop before the neck. I'm not getting up into the neck, feels good. The trigger point is right there. Everyone has a trigger point there. And you're just going to work that for a few minutes. And boy, it really beats doing it by hand with, you know, when you're doing a self-massage. Mike, you want to show them with that particular gun? Mike: Yes, this is the Q2 massage gun . It is very small and lightweight. Again, you can do the same type of massaging, just simply reaching over if your knot is up top. You can possibly reach behind your back too, which I sometimes do to get in the shoulder blade region. But obviously, you have to have flexibility for this, because oftentimes I have the knots in the shoulder blades themselves. Brad: So a wonderful thing about these massage guns is outside of the neck, they work really well on most all parts of the body, the thighs, the calves, the back, the hip, the mid back, the arms, the shoulder. They really are universal. Mike: Feet. You forgot feet. Brad: The feet. Anything from the neck up you stay away from. But everything from there down is pretty darn close to being good. Mike: You can find them in the link down below. Or you could find them on Amazon as well. Brad: Oh, this is the Air 2 Mini massage gun . I don't know if I mentioned that. All right, now the other video that we talked about, if this option is not working for you is, Mike, give the details, please. Mike: Another video on neck pain, " Most People With Neck Pain Should Try This ." Now this uses Rick Olderman's technique, who is a friend of ours. So he has a different approach to treating neck pain. So if these didn't work for you, this may, so just click the video link. Visit us on our other social media platforms : YouTube , Website , Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , Pinterest , LinkedIn , TikTok , Wimkin , Mewe , Minds , Vero , SteemIt , Peakd , Rumble ,  Snapchat , Clapper , Threads   Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Knee Glide   Eye Massager   EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager White EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager Black EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote T2 Massage Gun   T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager   Weighted Heating Pad Fitness: Resistance Bands​   Pull Up System Pull Up Bands   Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener   Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Stress Balls   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 is 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.

Many of us spend a lot of time sitting in cars (driving or riding). The typical posture we see in the car is as follows: Head forward posture Upper back rounded Shoulders internally rotated Shoulders forward Low back rounded When you adopt this type of posture you are limiting the range of motion of your shoulders. Compare slumped sitting (lift and move arms forward) and make note of the range of motion. Sit up as straight as possible, (lift and move the arm forward again) and compare it to the previous movement. You will note your shoulder motion decreases with poor posture. When the movement of the shoulder is impeded by poor posture, you are more likely to impinge the shoulder tendons. Repeated impingements can cause the tendon to gradually wear and break down. It eventually could result in a partial or full tear. By making adjustments in your car, one can make it easier to correct common posture mistakes and reduce or eliminate stress on your shoulders. Foam Back Supports We believe it is important in your car to use some type of back support to help avoid the “C” position and to obtain a good sitting posture. In this picture, one can see a foam roll is being used to keep the spine from slumping into the “C” position. Proper placement of a foam support 1. The foam roll should be placed approximately at the level of your belt (either a little higher or lower- depending on comfort). 2. Your bottom should be slid all the way back into the seat. 3. Lean back against the roll and attempt to keep your body in a straight alignment. Your body type will dictate the size of back support you need. A larger person with greater curves is more likely to require a thicker back support. If you are a thinner person with less pronounced curves, you may want to try a thinner support. Either way, let comfort be your guide. Some cars have an adjustable lumbar roll built into the car seat. Check to see if your car has such support. Before you purchase a foam or air-filled back support, we recommend you try the following: Take a towel and roll it into a tube shape. Place it behind your back when sitting and gauge your comfort level. Through experimentation, you can determine an appropriate thickness for your support. 4. Use your left foot to prevent your bottom from sliding forward on your seat, which causes your back to slump. Use the stationary inclined footrest (also known as “dead pedal”) located to the left side of the brake pedal (if this feature is available on your car). 5. Try moving your car seat slightly forward. When your knees are too straight, the tendency will be for your bottom to slip forward on the seat and cause you to slump. Slumped with knees straight Correct Posture 6. Lower your hands on the steering wheel. The least stressful and fatiguing position for the shoulders, arms, neck, and back when driving is with the arms hanging nearly vertically. This is accomplished by placing your hands on the steering wheel in the nine o’clock - three o’clock position or the eight o’clock - four o’clock position. Placing your hands on the steering wheel in the ten o’clock - two o’clock position will cause your upper back and shoulders to round forward. 7. Excessive back inclination will also cause your back to slump forward. 8. Avoid reaching into the back seat. This maneuver places great stress on your shoulders. Check out the full Shoulder Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/shoulder-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in February of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/aa5rTo45ZWk Mike: Many people try traditional shoulder exercises to treat their shoulder pain without success. Brad: You're right, and actually through our podcast we ran into a physical therapist who is an expert at shoulder pain as well as many other parts of the body. He's written many books. His name is Rick Olderman . Mike: And in fact, we think only one in 5,000 people know about Rick Olderman's solutions for shoulder pain. So we're going to teach you these now. Brad: That's right. Mike: So if you want to find out more information about Rick, you can just go to rickolderman.com and find everything there. Brad: Now, one of the things that Rick found out is the problem or the root cause of shoulder pain oftentimes is from the shoulder blade. Let me explain. Mike, can you stand up and turn around? All right, so we're looking at his right shoulder. The pain is on top of the shoulder, and what happened is we have the shoulder blade, as the shoulder blade actually depresses or goes downward, and what that does is it positions the shoulder in a way that the shoulder joint is not working as effectively as it should. This can cause pain, as well as the muscles that connect from the neck or the cervical spine down to the shoulder blade gets stretched out. Another source of pain. So we need to elevate the shoulder blade so the mechanics are normal, decrease in stress to the neck and the shoulder, creating a good shoulder joint, and good mobility. Brad: Now the first area you want to address is in a seated posture, particularly if you're working at a computer workstation and your shoulder blade is slightly depressed. We need to elevate that arm so that the shoulder blade comes up and that releases tension on the muscles in the neck, releasing that pain. So let's see what we're going to do about that and how this works. Brad: Okay, here's how we're going to address this and elevate that shoulder blade so it's back where it belongs. We're looking at Mike from the front side here, and we're going to actually elevate this arm. And we want it in a relaxed position, so we're going to need something to hold it and support the weight of the arm, allowing this to be in the right position and pain-free. Go ahead, Mike. Mike: So as you can see, the armrest is still kind of low. It's not elevating enough if I'm having pain. So you can simply take a pillow, fold it in half, and you put it next to you between yourself and the armrest, and that is higher up and that will support this shoulder. Mike: You typically just have to do it on the painful shoulder. If you have issues on the other side, you can certainly double up and do it on both sides. And you have pillows in case you want to have a pillow fight too. Brad: Now if you find that works out well and what you'd like to do is have a permanent fix, get an office chair while you work that has armrests that adjust, that way it's going to fit anybody's height or make sure it's customized to you. So here it's a little bit low. I want it up about an inch or so. I'm going to elevate both of them and the ones that rotate in are helpful but not necessary. And there we go, I can definitely feel my shoulders relaxed now as the weight of my arms is through my forearms and where it should be. I'm ready to go to work. How do you feel, Mike? Mike: Perfect, but I have pillows. Brad: Okay, now we're going to go to phase two of the exercises. First we did the raising and elevating the shoulders while you're seated. Now we need to strengthen the muscles that pull the scapula up or the shoulder blade so that it stays up where it should be permanently. And this exercise will do it. Mike, go ahead and we'll talk our way through it. Mike: So you're going to do the painful side. For camera filming purposes, I'm going to use my left side here. You're going to place your hand against the wall with your pinky touching all the way through to your elbow. You're just going to do the painful side. Now what I'm going to do is start sliding up the wall. As I slide up, I'm going to try to engage my scapular muscles, kind of shrug motion as you push up. Once you get to the top level for you, whatever that may be, some people may be down lower, it's fine. Just go where you can that's pain free. Stay there for three to five breaths. Breathe slow and relax, and calm back down, keeping contact with the wall the entire time. We're going to do five to 10 repetitions of this and really focus on pushing that scapula back up into place Brad: Right, now I know when I do this one, I really need to focus once the elbow gets horizontal with the shoulder, that's when you want to engage the muscles in the neck and elevate that shoulder blade, and then hold it for three breaths. That's something that takes a little concentration, at least it does for me, and then come back down slow. Do it while you're relaxed. And again, pain-free range, like Mike mentioned. Mike: Now you can still do this on your non-painful side too, just to see the difference. And over time, if they become more equal, like for me, for instance, I don't have any shoulder pain now I just do both together like this to save some time, instead of doing 10 repetitions on both sides. You get a really nice good stretch here. The only thing is this is once you go up, you're going to end up getting closer to the wall as you do it, but I feel a good stretch when I do this Brad: This is a good maintenance program to keep those shoulders and the shoulder blades where they need to be so that the future you do not have this problem. All right, the third exercise. Now this exercise you're going to do lying down. It's actually going to help stretch muscles and strengthen muscles to position that shoulder blade where it needs to be. It's just another way to work at it. You could do it in your bed, but probably a nice, firm or carpeted floor would be the best. Mike, go ahead and show them how it's done. Mike: So you're going to lie down in a position with bent knees, like I have here, and a flat back the whole time. We don't want to be arching with this exercise. And you're basically going to be making a snow angel. If you don't know what a snow angel is, you're just going to bring up your arms, like you have angel wings. So you're going to come up, try to keep in contact with the floor, with your arm as much as you can. You could see as I start going up to a certain height, my elbows start popping off because my shoulders are a bit tight. You can see here. Go to a pain-free range, hold it there for a few breaths again, and then come back down. You can try to do five to 10 repetitions. If you want to hold it up here a little bit longer, say 30 to 60 seconds, that is perfectly acceptable. But this is going to teach those scapula muscles to get back in place and really stretch out good. Take your time with this. And we're going to actually show you a more advanced version if you are better at this than I am. Brad: Now I just want to emphasize, Mike has got relatively flexible shoulders. If I do this, my arms actually come off the floor right about there, up, up, up, right there, and that's okay, as long as it doesn't hurt. If it creates sharp pain, don't go up so high. Just go up a pain-free range, work your repetitions, over time, things will loosen up. Make sure we don't irritate things with sharp pain. All right, let's go to the, what was it, the advanced version? Mike: The advanced version. Brad: Yeah, I'm not to that one yet. All right, now let's show the advanced version of the floor angels. You're going to use a six-inch or four-inch foam roller. It is helpful if you have a one that is a soft density, it's more comfortable to lie on, and three foot-long. Mike, show them how it's working. Mike: So in order to get on the foam roller, you normally have to have your buttock towards one end and then lay down. Make sure you feel balanced and safe here. So you can see, I have to scoot down. Now, to begin this just without weights in your hand, doing the same movement is going to be more of a stretch because before the ground was here, now it's way down here. I'm really feeling a stretch, especially in the pec muscles. As you can see, I struggle to get more above head with this variation. If you find this easy to do, you can actually grab dumbbells. Same thing, palms up, and you kind of hover above the ground, bringing it up. The weights in your hands will actually push you more into a stretch if you're unable to get down there without them. Brad: I just want to also clarify, your head should be resting on the foam roller. If you have tight neck muscles or a stiff neck, you can certainly put a pillow in there to make it relaxing, because we don't want to have any stress on the neck because your head is not comfortable. Mike: Again, same repetitions, five to 10 reps. Hold it up top if needed. Brad: Yeah, this is nice. It also works the core a little bit and balance. So there's bonuses with this. All right, and the last stretch is actually going to work muscles in this area to help stretch and get that mobility for the upward motion of the scapula. You can simply use a door. Mike's going to demonstrate it. If this doesn't work because of your height, which we'll explain, there's another option. Mike: So stand sideways next to the door. I'm going to stretch my left side. You're going to feel a stretch in your shoulder as well as your lats, and even your low back. So you're getting a little bit of everything. I'm going to face my palm away from me, grab the top of the doorframe here. Make sure you have a good doorframe, so it doesn't fall apart here, and you're going to lean into it this way. This is where I'm going to start really feeling that stretch here, gets my shoulder joint up. I'm just going to kind of breathe here for three breaths again, and then come out. Again, you can do this five to 10 repetitions, you can just hold it for durations of time, whatever feels best for you. Make sure to try both sides. You may notice a difference from one side to the other. Just maybe do an extra set on the side that seems a little more tight. Brad: Again, pain-free, we're just stretching muscles, we're not irritating things. Make you have good judgment with that. Now, if you happen to be too short or too tall to get a hold of the door frame so it's safe and a good stretch, you can simply use either a broom handle, piece of dowelling, PVC, and then put it up on a chair or a cupboard like this. You can do this standing. You're going to reach up, grab the stick, and palm away, I'm going to hold tight to that and I'm just simply going to lean into it. And right now I'm starting to feel the stretch here. Hold and breathe and relax, come back and repeat, and make sure you do both sides. Brad: This can be done in the seated position as well. Just put the stick on the chair that you're sitting on and lean over. Actually, I kind of like this a little bit better, but it's individual thing. It both works. There we go. Brad: Just make sure that whatever you're using sticks or has a good sticky surface. Like this has rubber tips on it, the Booyah Stik, works well. If you're using a stick that is sliding around, simply take a shoe, put it down, put the stick inside that, make sure you don't put a hole in the ceiling like I almost just did, and then it'll work very well. Mike: Make sure to keep your hand in the same place while you're doing the stretch too. Do not let it slide down 'cause you won't get as much of a stretch. Brad: Yep, I had a patient, I went through everything, I thought I was clear, and he came back and he was showing me the stretch, and he would do this and he said, "It's not working." And it's because I was not clear when I said make sure the hand is stuck and that it stays still. All right, now there are four exercises or variations we demonstrated. It is important that you go through each one, pick out the variation that fits you. Again, no pain should be experienced. If you do, either skip that exercise, come back to it as your shoulder gets better. Now, Mike has another video that will help you out if this isn't working. Mike: So if you want to check out another video on some shoulder pain issues you may be having, there's some tests you can check on yourself in this one. " What is Causing Your Shoulder Pain? Tests You Can Do Yourself, Plus Self Treatment (Updated) ." Brad: Yeah. Click it and carry on with your life. Visit us on our other social media platforms : YouTube , Website , Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , Pinterest , LinkedIn , TikTok , Wimkin , Mewe , Minds , Vero , SteemIt , Peakd , Rumble ,  Snapchat , Clapper , Threads   Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Knee Glide   Eye Massager   EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager White EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager Black EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote T2 Massage Gun   T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager   Weighted Heating Pad Fitness: Resistance Bands​   Pull Up System Pull Up Bands   Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener   Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Stress Balls   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 is 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.

We have become a sitting society. And with sitting we have often adopted harmful postures. That we have succumbed to poor posture is not a surprise to most, but what is a surprise is that poor sitting posture can adversely affect your shoulders. Typical sitting posture at a laptop or computer. Head forward posture. Upper back rounded. Shoulders are internally rotated. Shoulders forward. Low back rounded. When you adopt this type of posture you are limiting the range of motion of your shoulders. Compare slumped sitting (move arms forward) and make note of the restricted range of motion of the shoulders. Sit up as straight as possible, move the arm forward again, and compare it to the previous movement. When the movement of the shoulder is impeded by poor posture, you are more likely to impinge the shoulder tendons. Repeated impingements can cause the tendon to gradually wear and break down. It eventually could result in a partial or full tear. Adjusting in your workstation can make it easier for one to correct common posture mistakes and reduce or eliminate stress on their shoulders. Recommended Adjustments These recommendations should be followed when working on a desktop computer, laptop computer, and even a tablet. In the case of the laptop and the tablet, we would strongly recommend purchasing a separate keyboard to use. Without a separate keyboard, it will be virtually impossible for you to obtain good posture and reduce the stress on your shoulders. Working on the computer has become a common source of back, neck, and shoulder pain) Note the “C” posture of the girl in the photo. Many who work at the computer do so for hours on end without any breaks. The lack of breaks and the poor posture lead to shoulder overuse and pain. Recommendations for your Computer Work Station, Laptop, or Tablet: Always adjust your workstation in the following order: A. Chair B. Keyboard C. Mouse D. Screen E. Documents A. Chair Your feet should be firmly on the ground. If they do not reach the ground, you may need a footrest. Use a chair with a firm and upright backrest. If necessary, use a back cushion to provide support to your lower back. Avoid chairs with flexible backrests. The flexible backrest will usually encourage your back to settle into a “C” position. B. Keyboard Your upper arm should be vertical (straight up and down) and your forearm should be level (if you need to look at the keyboard quite often). If able to type without looking at the keyboard, the keyboard may then be slightly sloped below level. This allows your wrists to be as straight as possible. C. Mouse If you tend to use your mouse more than the keyboard, you may want to position the mouse in front of you, instead of off to the side. The placement of the mouse should be level with the keyboard. D. Screen Position the screen approximately 25-40 inches from your eyes. The further you can sit from the screen, the less fatiguing it is for your eyes. To find your ideal eye-to-screen distance, keep moving your screen further back until it is difficult to view. Then, slowly move the screen closer until it is the most comfortable distance from your eyes. Most screens are placed too low. If your screen is too low, you are going to round your upper back and increase the stress on your shoulders. Use books or a stand to raise your screen up. The top of the screen should be at least a few inches above your eyes when your back, neck, and head are in good posture. If you are using a laptop computer, it is essential for you to obtain a separate wireless keyboard. If you wear bifocals or trifocals you should purchase a pair of reading glasses designed to be used with your computer screen. Set so you can comfortably view your screen 30-40 inches away. If you do not, you will be constantly putting your head forward and tipped back to see through your bifocals. It is impossible to obtain good posture in that position and it will indirectly place more stress on your shoulders. E. Documents Use a document holder to help prevent you from looking down at your desk, rounding out your upper back, and placing increased stress on your shoulders. The document holder is generally best positioned directly below your screen, or to the side of it. Remember to move. Get up every twenty minutes and do a few stretching exercises. Walk, whenever possible. While you are at the computer you can perform shoulder shrugs, neck extensions, and shoulder extensions. Check out the full Shoulder Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/shoulder-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in February of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/wRwg5JtHt-E Mike: Today's video is a little unique because we are going to rank the muscles women find most attractive in men. Brad: Yes, now, we've done some extensive research on this and we've found, we went right to the bottom of this, and anyways, we don't go into this area much, but we do have them ranked, one through six. And we're going to start out with number six and go to number one. Mike: And for each muscle group we'll show an exercise you can do to try to get it to grow and maybe you'll attract a mate. Brad: Yeah, let's see how this goes. Now, please give us your comments and feedback about what we're saying here. We want to know, we're just two guys, and Bob's the one who created this topic. So we want some feedback, we're going to have some fun with it. But you know, there is some good advice about exercise. These exercises are good for other things as well. Mike: I don't need to say anything. Brad: Alright, number six, the bottom of the barrel is calves. Now, this actually surprised me. It never even crossed my mind. It's like, either the calves or the calve-nots. Anyways, so having good calves is important. And why, Mike? Mike: Well, they're a very functional muscle in general because you need to walk with them. Plus I did ask a few females if they actually thought this was true, and they said yes, and I was quite surprised, to be honest. Brad: Right, so if you're walking around and you're one of those big muscle-bound people upstairs or above the waist, and then you have skinny little calves, it's a little bit awkward-looking, I understand. Mike: No one likes chicken legs. Brad: Chicken legs. Mike: So we're going to show you an exercise for how to strengthen them. Brad: I like them barbecued on the grill. Alright, so it is an excellent exercise to get these muscles larger, and this is a bodyweight exercise, you just need some stairs, go ahead, Mike. Go through it. Mike: So these are called calf raises. To start, you're going to stand on the edge of a step on the balls of your feet. Hold onto the rails for support, and I'm just going to push up and go down. Brad: Ooh. Mike: Now, doing these on the stairs works the full range of motion of your ankle joint, which helps strengthen the calf muscles and make them bigger. If you want more of a challenge, if this seems easy, you can definitely go to a single leg variation. Obviously, you're not going to do as many repetitions with single legs, it's a lot more challenging. If you want to make it harder, simply hold onto a weight while you're doing this. Brad: Yeah, boy, you've been doing your calf exercises, Mike. Mike: I try, it's just my big upper body gets hauled around by these little legs, so it's developed. Brad: All right, good. It's a really good exercise and it really is complete. Let's go to the next one. Mike: Number five is shoulder muscles, in particular, the big deltoid muscles. Now, women often find this attractive, or at least, we think so because having a strong upper body makes you able to fend off any harm that may happen to them. Brad: So we're talking in prehistoric days where, you know, the man was more dominant to protect the woman. That's not so true anymore, they don't need us. Mike: Well, what if someone is burglarizing you? I mean, broad shoulders aren't going to do a thing. Brad: That's right, but anyway, if this is true, we're going to show a great exercise to get those stronger. Mike: Okay, the exercise we're going to do is called a lateral raise or shoulder abduction. So what you're going to do is simply raise your arms out to your side, and then back down. We picked this exercise because most men of any age can do this even if they have some shoulder limitations. Brad: Now, it is important in regards to keeping a healthy shoulder, we're going to stop at 90 degrees or straight out. We want to avoid going up overhead. It can lead to some impingement problems or if you've had impingement in the past, it can re-irritate them and cause problems. Not a good thing to have. Mike: You can do these with a resistance band or a dumbbell of sorts. You probably want to do two dumbbells, one on each side, or even a cable machine, if you have one. Brad: That's right, and again, the big advantage with bands is you can get different color bands and when you need more resistance it's very easy. Or if I spread my legs farther out, that adds more resistance, which makes it very convenient to get more resistance. Mike: And for muscular growth, you typically need three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions, depending upon the weight. Brad: Alright, so we're going to go to the number four muscle group or muscle. And we started with the calf, to the shoulder. We're going to stay upstairs and we're going to go to the pectoralis muscles, the chest muscles. Mike: Again, big pec muscles show signs of strength plus, apparently, women like cuddling large chest muscles on men. Who knew? To work the pectoral muscles, they typically, do a pushing motion or a flying motion. If you want to work the upper pec muscles here, you do pushing. If you want to work the sternal area, the inside muscles of the pec, you're going to do a flying motion. Mike: I like to do dumbbell presses at the gym. Obviously, we don't have that set up here so I'll kind of mimic it. I'll be holding a dumbbell on each side here, and I'm just going to do a press. As I press up, I'm almost punching the ceiling. Notice, I like to twist my forearm up as I go up. You don't have to, some people will stay out here and just press up, do what feels best for your shoulder and your pec muscles. Brad: That's right. Now, I have a different system and I do these at home and I use the bands because I'm a band kind of a guy. So I've got my band against, in the wall anchor, and doing the press like Mike was doing, is like this. Okay, that's a good option. Now, I like to do the fly option here. And the one reason I like the band, I do it standing, it actually strengthens my core as well. So I'm getting the chest and my core, which is coming up in one of the other groups, where you're getting two birds with one stone. I do 10 to 15 reps, two to three sets and they're very nice. And if you want to make it more difficult, simply step further away or add some bands. Brad: Alright, let's go to number three. Alright, now we have to go to the next muscle group. We need to be careful, there may be some sensitive people with this, but it's the glute maximus muscle, yes, the buttock. We do want to work on this because people do actually look at this. Mike: No one likes a flat butt. Brad: Now, Mike, you haven't experienced this and you may not, but no pun intended, there is a syndrome called flat butt syndrome. It typically happens to all males, once you get 50s or 60 and older, the old gluteus just starts to shrink. And it's a problem and we know it. Okay, we have two different versions of the exercise for this muscle group. The old man version, of course, and Mike's younger man version. Pick whatever one works for you. Mike: There are numerous other exercises that work the glute as well, but I'm going to show lunges. There are many variations of lunges you can do. You can simply do kind of a split squat stance. Hold on to weight if you want to. If it's too challenging, you don't have to. Now, if you want to really work just one leg at a time, you can stay in the same position, upright torso here. And after a while, you're going to really start working this glute. Obviously, I'm working other muscles in my legs as well, but I often feel it in the glute. You want to do this on both sides, so make sure to switch. Mike: Now, you can also do walking lunges where you're actually walking and doing them. Or you can just do a stationary lunge. You can go forward or backward, whatever works for you. Pick which variation of a lunge you like. Brad: Or you could go with this isolated, weight-bearing lunge, which I like. I'm not saying it's better than that option, but I'm saying this is what I do. All right, I actually started doing this because I wanted to get my glute muscles firing better so that I can run better and eliminate some back pain. But it works for this as well. I use a loop band , a wider one, you need to have something solid like either a bedpost or a post on your steps. I put it on the wall anchors . This is exactly how I do it at home. I come around and I simply do hip thrusters. Now, I can put my hands on my glute maximus and I can feel those muscles contract very well. I'll do 10 of these and then I'll take the Booyah Stik for balance. And now, I'm working just one side and isolating it. And I'm really focusing, I'm palpating with my left hand so I got some biofeedback. In other words, I'm feeling that muscle contract. I'll do 10 on that side and then I'll do 10 on the other side. I really think this is also helping my running as well. Most people don't run, it's not a thing, but if you're working the glutes, it works well, I think. Mike: Looks like a cool dance move, Brad. Brad: Well, yeah, I didn't want to mention that but that is a different video. Mike: Number two is forearms, which is a surprise to me because most people, I think, just say arms, but the forearm in particular. Typically, if a man has developed forearms, it means they use their hands a lot. They have strong hands, and a strong grip can help build a shelter or fend off predators. Brad: And what more does a person need? No, actually, it is very important. And you know, that's why if you roll your sleeves up, you know, Tanner was just saying that it all fits together, that is observed. Mike: I do fend off deer but I don't think they're predators. Brad: Oh wow. Mike: Now, to strengthen the forearms typically, you have to work on your grip. So technically, anytime you're carrying something, you'll be working your forearms. But to really isolate them, you have to go in a flexion motion and an extension motion. To take any other muscle groups out of it it's best to have support, so I'm on a countertop here. If you're at a gym, you can do these on a bench with a dumbbell. So all you're going to do is open your palm up and then curl up and flex your wrist. You're going to do 10 to 15 repetitions of these. Then you wanna work into the opposite direction and work on extending the wrist. Try to keep my elbow here right, lateral of me and not have it too far out in front. Brad: Alright, let's go to the option with bands. I've got the bands with the handles, which is very common. Put that down on the floor like this, step on it with your foot. I've got another tool here that's very interesting, I'll show you in a bit. You simply do the same mechanics that Mike demonstrated, and it's important that you open up and allow the fingers to do some work because that's all part of the grip in the forearm muscles. Then simply turn over and do it the other way. Then make sure you do both hands. Brad: Now, this device here, is a forearm strengthener. It was actually engineered by an engineer who was a rock climber, and he wanted to get his arms and hands strong. And I use this one on a regular basis. I like it for wrist strength, as well as the stiffness in my fingers and my hands. It really works well like this. And I've got all these bands and I strengthen, open it up and it works really well because it's exactly what it is designed for. There are a number of bands so that you can loosen it up. So I use all four bands or all four bands when I do my flexion. And then when I do my extension, which is always weaker than your flexion, I go like this with only two bands, and these are just loose. And then I'll work this way and I'll go one step farther and I'll go thumbs up and work this direction as well. It's a wonderful device. If you want to get serious about wrist strengthening, and forearms, I would definitely invest in one of these. I love it. Mike: And the number one, which may seem a little obvious, is six-pack abs. Obviously, if you have a stronger core, and stronger abs, typically, women just tend to be more attracted to it. Brad: Right, and obviously, Mike or I do not have a six-pack because we're not going to expose our stomachs. But yeah, six-packs are what everybody wants. Now, I'm from Wisconsin, and Wisconsin is a beer-drinking state with a football problem or something like that. There are a lot of beer bellies in Wisconsin. Not attractive. And I know, because I see it all the time. Alright, we're going to show you some really good ab exercises, but right after that we're going to talk about the key to getting that six-pack, there's no doubt about that. Let's show the exercises first. Mike: So the first exercise is going to work the rectus abdominis, or the six-pack muscles. It's a typical crunch, but what we're going to do is show a variation that is safer on your back. So I'm going to keep a straight, flat back. I'm going to crunch up but basically, just lift my shoulder blades off of the mat, and then come back down. If you want to put your hands behind your head, you certainly can, but you do not need to. Also, don't crunch and curl forward, that'll be harder on your neck. Simply go up, hold for a second, and come back down. If this seems way too easy for you, you can simply lift your legs off the mat. Brad: Ooh. Mike: Try bringing one up as you're crunching, and back down. Holding this and doing 10 on each side is going to get those abs firing well. Brad: Wow, that is tough. Alright, another option. This is what I do and it's because I want to have a strong core, you know, six packs' on my mind, but not so much. If you have a ball, this really is a functional exercise and you can do it prone. Simply do the teepee up, I call it. You can do 10 of those, really works that core, that ab, what muscle group was that again? Mike: The transverse abdominis? Brad: Yeah. And then you can advance to one leg. I really, really enjoy working with the ball because you cannot go wrong with the ball. The ball is wonderful. Mike: That's way more balance and proprioception as well. But you're getting some core work in there. Brad: There you go. Now, the number one thing about getting a six-pack has nothing to do with your exercises. It has to do with what you put in your mouth. Mike: Yes, most everyone has ab muscles. They're just often covered with some adipose tissue. Brad: Right, yeah. So diet, you lose weight at the table, you build muscle in the gym. Mike: Or Brad's house. Brad: Well if anybody continued to watch all the way till the end, this was a tough one for us. We really weren't sure what to expect and how it was going to work out. So I hope you've got something out of it. And we do have another video that will help people out, right? Mike: This is " 7 Strengthening Exercises ALL Seniors Should Do! Period! " So a little different, but still good strengthening exercises. Brad: That's right. Visit us on our other social media platforms : YouTube , Website , Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , Pinterest , LinkedIn , TikTok , Wimkin , Mewe , Minds , Vero , SteemIt , Peakd , Rumble ,  Snapchat , Clapper , Threads   Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Knee Glide   Eye Massager   EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager White EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager Black EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote T2 Massage Gun   T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager   Weighted Heating Pad Fitness: Resistance Bands​   Pull Up System Pull Up Bands   Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener   Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Stress Balls   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 is 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 February of  2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/_4PSLK6YZg4 Mike: Because of a recent popular video talking about the horse stance, we thought you'd want to learn another 1,000-year-old karate stance that can help strengthen your legs. Brad: That's right, so we felt that you would benefit from learning the front stance. Now, the front stance has some unique benefits you'll receive other than strengthening the legs. And we're going to get into, and you can do this on a daily basis. Now, Bob talks about the split squat being one of the best leg-strengthening exercises, particularly if you're over 55. There's a lot of truth to that. Brad: But, I'm saying the front stance is actually better and superior. Let's talk about why. Now we're going to talk a little bit about the mechanics of the front stance so you understand why it offers such good benefits with balance. So we have two blue lines here that demonstrate where the foot placement is going to be. So in the front stance, we're going to step out and have a wide base to start and then step forward. Mike, can you step forward? So his feet are staying forward, and the toes are forward, which feels a little awkward, but you get some good stretching as a result. The front knee, make sure that it's over the toe, so you bow it out a little bit. You can put your hands at your waist. Brad: If your balance is not stable, simply hold onto the wall, a cupboard, or a Booyah Stik , so you have stability. Brad: Mike is young and strong and with good balance and will demonstrate how much more solid he is with this wide base and his feet and legs glued to the floor. Brad: The next really important part is the back leg, this knee is straight, look at the heel. It's down, down on the floor and that stretches the heel cord, and this hip gets stretched. This offers hip flexibility for good posture. This offers a stretch on the ankle to help eliminate foot drag or toe drop when you're walking. A nice benefit, particularly when you're older. Brad: Okay, now the exercise itself, I'm going to talk about how we're going to get this to strengthen the leg, feed our wide apart, toes pointed forward. We stepped forward into that wide deep stance. This front leg is going to do most of the exercise. This muscle, the quadriceps is going to strain and probably burn a little bit after about five to 10 seconds. Brad: Make sure you're not leaning forward and you're up in good posture. Brad: After you feel the burn, and approximately three breaths. Breathing is absolutely critical. I need to get up a little bit. I'm starting to burn. Okay, now we'll go to the other side. Do the other leg. Breathe in your nose, exhale out your mouth, and relax everything. When you learn to relax your upper body and allow the lower body to work, you're really going to find a big difference in your balance and your strengthening. And then you feel much more comfortable. I'm going to come back and I'm going to do the right leg again. Again, knees bowed out, toes are pointed forward, and relax. Exhale, three to five breaths, whatever it takes. If it becomes too easy simply take a deeper stance and try to keep that back heel down. That gets more difficult and the strengthening part gets more difficult as well. Brad: Now, make sure that you do use a stick, a cane, or a cupboard for balance when you start out because it is a little awkward at first. So you're going to do this on a daily basis. If you get sore muscles after the first day, which you may if you haven't done these before, every other day is the best sequence. Alright, now let's relate this, not to strengthening, but a practical source in regards to picking something up. Some people have a hard time, particularly as we age, to bend over and pick something up and be steady. Well, with this, you simply step forward. Let's say I want to pick up that shoe. Here we are, we're in that stable stance. Now, I'm going to take this arm, I'm going to rest it on my thigh over here, and I can easily come down and pick up the shoe or whatever it may be that you want to pick up. So another benefit of the front stance. Mike, do you have anything to say about the front stance? This is new to you. Mike: You are much more known in the karate world than I am, so I just want to see you throw a kick with it. That's about all. Brad: Well, you know that's a different program. That's another show entirely. But yeah, we did throw a few kicks from that stance. Mike: Now if you want to check out more videos specifically on leg strengthening, check out our video " One Life Changing Exercise For Stronger Legs (50+) ." This video talks more about the split squat, which is something I am much more comfortable doing, personally. Brad: Yeah, but you just wait until you try this a few times. You are going to be front stancing, back stancing, and horse stancing. Mike: I'm going to lose all my karate fights. Brad: And no dancing at all. Visit us on our other social media platforms : YouTube , Website , Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , Pinterest , LinkedIn , TikTok , Wimkin , Mewe , Minds , Vero , SteemIt , Peakd , Rumble ,  Snapchat , Clapper , Threads   Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Knee Glide   Eye Massager   EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager White EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager Black EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote T2 Massage Gun   T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager   Weighted Heating Pad Fitness: Resistance Bands​   Pull Up System Pull Up Bands   Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener   Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Stress Balls   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 is 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.

It is quite common to experience shoulder pain in bed or while sleeping. Shoulder pain at night can often be attributed to poor positioning. Common problems: Sleeping on painful shoulder side. This may be due to habit. One should avoid sleeping directly on a painful shoulder if possible. If not, we will show you an option. Option One: Sleep on the nonpainful shoulder and support the painful shoulder arm with two pillows. Place one pillow on the bed lengthwise next to the body. Place the second pillow on top of the first pillow. Tuck the pillow in the armpit of the painful shoulder and allow the remainder of the arm to rest on the pillow. Make it comfortable. Option Two: Sleep directly on the painful shoulder. Reduce stress by creating on canal. Use two pillows to support the head in a side-lying position. Have a third smaller pillow or throw pillow to place about 6 to 8 inches from the two pillows. This creates the canal. Lie on your painful side and place the painful shoulder/arm in the canal. Pressure will be distributed to your head, rib cage, and partially to the painful shoulder. But much less stress than normal. Option Three: Sleep on the painful shoulder side but roll back slightly. This will take any pressure off the point of the shoulder and it will be felt more on your shoulder blade and back. Use a pillow to support your back in that position. Sleeping on stomach with arms overhead. This should be avoided at all costs. We suggest this extreme measure if you continue to sleep on your stomach. Sew a tennis ball into the front of a t-shirt. With a ball in place, any attempts to lie on your stomach will be extremely uncomfortable. Check out the full Shoulder Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/shoulder-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in February of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/49139ljPAUM Mike: Today we're going to show you a simple test you can do at home to see if you're at a fall risk. Brad: And if you fail this test, we're going to show you four specific exercises to get you better and back to where you can balance very well. Mike: So the test we're talking about in this video is called the Single Leg Stance Test. So what it does is it challenges your postural balance and awareness. Brad: This test has been used widely by therapists across the country, including myself. I've used it for years. It really does the job and is something that you can do at home. All right, let's go about how this test is performed. Again, it's a single-leg balance test to see how you can balance on one leg, you'll do both legs. Now when I do it in the clinic, I always have my patient in the parallel bars so it's safe. They have something to grab onto when they lose their balance because you're going to go until you lose your balance. That's part of the test. Now at home, you don't have parallel bars. So I'm going to ask you to go to a cupboard, countertop, a solid chair, or probably the best thing is going to the corner of a room so that you have the walls to catch yourself when you lose balance or have in the corner and add something in front so that you have something all the way around so that you can get your balance. And it's a very safe test. Mike, you want to carry on with it. We'll take that out. Mike: If you use a front-wheeled walker, you can certainly place that in front of you instead. Brad: Good point. Mike: Now in order to do the test, I'm just going to stand in the corner and the test begins immediately when you bring one foot off the ground. You'll start the timer or have someone else start the timer. Mike: Now if you cannot stand for more than five seconds, you're at a greater fall risk. If this seems easy for you, what you can try to do is close your eyes. If you're falling over without your eyes closed, do not close your eyes, you're unsafe. Now the test also suggests when you're doing it to actually place your hands on your hips. Some people are going to feel very unsafe doing this. So if you want to keep your hands just hovering by the wall or above the chair, that is perfectly acceptable as well. Brad: Mike, let's go into some detail about what establishes a loss of balance. So we're not going to go until you fall over. That's why you're on the wall. If you touch the other foot on the ground to catch your balance, that's it, you stop the timer. If you have to touch your shoulder on the wall, a hand on the wall, or if you have a walker or a chair in front and you touch it with your hands, that's it, that's where the timer stops. So we don't go until you fall over. It's when you catch your balance with your leg, shoulders, hands, whatever it may be. Mike: And it's important to notice that you're going to do both sides separately. You may notice one side is better than the other, especially if you have an old injury or possibly surgery on one side. Brad: And chances of you being able to go to the eyes closed part, you know that's more for younger people, the athlete, that kind of thing. Mike: It is challenging. Brad: Yeah. Okay, now we've got a really nice chart that gives average values for people in certain age groups. They call that normative values. This is scientifically done. If you look at the chart, the age groups are there. There's another chart to the right. Eyes open, gives you the time that the average time person can stand up with eyes open and then eyes close. So simply look for your age group with your eyes open and compare it. It gives you a good idea of where you are with the average person. And then do the exercises. And we're looking for progress in one or two weeks. Mike: So we're going to go through four balance exercises that Bob actually does himself to work on his balance. You want to do each exercise because they're each going to work different proprioception balance parts within your body and your feet. So the first one we're going to do is actually just standing on one leg, actually practicing the test itself. Again, I am in the corner that way I have a wall here in case I lose my balance. If you are a beginner and really can't do this, it's okay to have your hands on the wall while practicing. Eventually, try to not support yourself if you are able, or if you have a chair in front of you, you can certainly hold onto that. Work each leg three different times for as long as you can tolerate. I typically would have patients try to go 10 to 15 seconds with support if needed and eventually work up to not holding on. Brad: If you feel more advanced, you certainly can use a cane or a Booyah Stik while you do your balance. When you have your left leg, it's a good idea to put it in your right hand. When you do your right leg, hold it in your left hand, you'll find that works much better. Mike: Now the second exercise is going to be a static standing exercise. Again, we're not going to be moving. Again, you can either be in the corner like I am or Brad will show it with a cane or possibly at a countertop. So this is going to be a heel-to-toe stance. You put one foot directly in front of the other. Again, if you need support, go ahead and do it. This is again, is going to be for a time, how long you can hold it. You're going to want to do both legs, so could switch and do the other leg in front. You can do this three times per leg again. Now, if this is challenging and you cannot cross your legs, if say a staggered stance is challenging, then start there. Eventually, over time, try to get them to cross at a midsection. Brad: Good, nice work Mike. Mike: Now the third balance activity is going to be a dynamic balance exercise, meaning we're actually going to move. So Brad is going to demonstrate it. He's going to go sideways. You typically do this by holding onto a countertop or maybe a railing in your house, or you could certainly do it with a cane. Just something for support. Now Brad is just going to go sideways and notice that his feet are facing straight ahead as he's doing this. Typically in the clinic, we would pick a countertop that was roughly 10, or 15 feet long, have them walk in one direction, and then back the other way. Typically we'd have them do it two to three times. Brad: And keep in mind, like Mike said, your toes are forward not turned to the side. And oftentimes people will have a tendency to drag a foot or the other one of your toes. Be really cognizant of that and make sure you do not drag your feet. We want to keep them in the air. It's a good safety thing. Mike: And the last balance activity is going to be heeled-to-toe walking. So it's going to take a progression from the static stance we did earlier. So Brad's going to demonstrate putting one foot in front of the other directly and he's going to hold on for support again, as needed. It's like you're walking a tightrope. So pretend you're going to join the circus soon. Brad: Right, and make sure we want to try to touch the heel to the toe and be aware of that. That's called proprioception. It really can make a big difference in your balance when you're not doing this. For example, in the real world, when you're walking throughout your kitchen or up and down the steps, et cetera, proprioception is key. This is really good for it. All right, so these four balance exercises are comprehensive and they all complement each other. Do all of them just like we did. You'll get through them in a few minutes after you've done them a couple of times and then measure your progress from week to week. And you should see those times improve. Mike: If you would like to check out more videos on how to improve your balance, check out the video " 25 Second Balance Exercises That Stop Falls (PDF Printout) ." Visit us on our other social media platforms : YouTube , Website , Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , Pinterest , LinkedIn , TikTok , Wimkin , Mewe , Minds , Vero , SteemIt , Peakd , Rumble ,  Snapchat , Clapper , Threads   Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Knee Glide   Eye Massager   EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager White EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager Black EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote T2 Massage Gun   T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager   Weighted Heating Pad Fitness: Resistance Bands​   Pull Up System Pull Up Bands   Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener   Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Stress Balls   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 is 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 February of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/IAaApXF7K88 Brad: Healthy leg circulation is absolutely critical to controlling skin integrity, balance, and pain control, particularly as we age. Mike: And we're going to show you the five best options that keep your legs feeling and looking healthy. Brad: That's right. Now this is a subject that I have a personal interest in because my mother has swelling in her legs and we need to work on it. So I continually work on things to get her to exercise, to help remedy the problem, and to keep it under control. As physical therapists, we understand that muscle contraction is a key component of leg circulation. The blood and the fluid need to come up against gravity. And when muscles contract, that's a pump that pumps that fluid and blood up. Mike: Plus these exercises provide extended benefits to your heart and lungs and general health. Brad: Yes, overall exercise in the legs is going to help you out in all realms. So Bob, myself, and Mike have worked with people in this age group for many years and we know what works and what doesn't work in regards to exercises and exercise equipment. Mike: So we're going to show you some exercises you can do at home that don't require any equipment, and we'll also show you some inexpensive things that you could possibly purchase or maybe you have them as a good alternative to say, purchasing an elliptical or a treadmill. Brad: Now, elliptical and treadmill are good devices. However, they're large and they're very expensive and most people may not have the funds or a space in their house to actually use them. Mike: Now, walking outside is certainly a very acceptable and great idea as well. However, we realize not everyone is physically able to go outside due to limited mobility, circulation issues, or possibly weather conditions. Brad: Right, so we have five options and they're going to be very viable for you and we're going to go through them now. So this first exercise is very general and very effective. It works almost all the muscle groups in the legs, plus you can do it lying down in bed, or in a chair. So it's great to do before you even get out of bed in the morning, or in the chair before you eat breakfast, or throughout the day. I'll demonstrate seated. Mike will demonstrate lying on his back or supine. So you simply, with good posture while you're seated, you're going to kick one leg up, hold it as high as you can, and then make sure you do at least three ankle pumps, moving you feet back and forth. I call those ankle pumps. And then do the other leg back and forth. You're going to get some stretching of the muscles involved as well, which is a great benefit besides muscle contraction. You're going to do at least 10 of those on each leg. Mike, do you want to talk about it, doing it supine? Mike: When you're doing this in supine, have your knees bent, I have a flat back, and I'm just going to kick up. You will feel a hamstring stretch if you have tight leg muscles here. Again, you're going to pump the ankles. Now when you're doing it lying down, you actually have gravity assisting to bring the blood flow up to your trunk where you want it, not in your distal feet. So this is a good option again if you just get up in the morning, or if you don't want to do it seated. Brad: That's right. Excellent. Everyone can do this. All right, the second exercise you're going to do standing. This gets the muscles working and the added benefit to this is you have a weight-bearing exercise, so it's going to help your bones as well. It's just a bonus. So we're going to start out holding onto something solid in front of you like a chair, a cupboard, something of that nature. You can use a cane or a Booyah Stik like Mike is doing. We're simply going to do a squat. It's really important you don't go too low. You have to kind of know yourself first. If you get so low that you can't get back up, that's a problem, obviously. So squat as far as you can comfortably, then back up. Now, watch what happens with my feet so that we get complete muscle pumping of the blood. We're going to go up on our toes, holding on as far as you can. And then when you go back, you actually lift your toes up in the air to get the muscle group in front of the leg working to get that extra movement of blood. And it's going to help your balance. So the whole complete set, standing holding onto something, squat down what you feel comfortable, up, up on your toes, down, back on the heels. That's one repetition. You're going to do 10 repetitions. Mike has a couple of other ideas to make it safe. Mike: So if you do not feel safe doing this without something behind you, you can certainly do this on the edge of your bed if you feel safe there, or in a chair, simply sit down to the surface and then come back up. Do the calf and toe raises as Brad mentioned. Make sure, even if there's something behind you, don't just flop down. Still trying to control it, because that's going to get those muscles contracting, helping with the circulation in your legs. Brad: That's right. So, the chair is a safety device if you lose your balance or a place to rest. An excellent device to get the legs moving while you're sitting so you're safe is a seated bike. We have a couple of different options here. Brad: Now, we have used these in the clinic for years because they work quite well. There's one problem with them, if you're going to use this, say for example, under a desk, and you want to do exercise while you're reading a book for example, or working on your computer, the knees come up and sometimes hit the bottom of the desk. See the example below.. Brad: The other problem that we found with these is that they're rather heavy and awkward to pick up and move around. One has a handle, but some of them don't. And then you have to hold them and this is about 20 pounds or so and you have to take it out of the way so that you can function throughout the day, unless you have a home for it. So that's one of the issues. It works quite well. Now, we found a solution to this with another device we'll show you. Mike: Now, if you do have one of these devices at home or you want to use one, we suggest doing 5 to 15 minutes of it. That good duration of time will help get circulation moving in the legs. If you tend to have stiff achy joints in the morning too, this can definitely help with that, because over time it'll lubricate it and get things moving. Brad: That's right, that arthritis, those joints, love movement. It is going to help take that arthritis pain away. All right, so the fourth option is a seated device called the FitGlide , as you can see, you put your feet on it and work it back and forth. I'll demonstrate in a minute. The really big advantage of this is it's very light. You can move it around. It sets on the floor easily. And I'll demonstrate. Here we have it moving back and forth. You can do it with your shoes on, with your shoes off. It also has a nice advantage of an angle so one direction emphasizes the quadricep contraction, as well as just simply moving it around, and the other direction will emphasize hamstring motion. Mike: Now, another benefit of this device is you can actually use it in bed while lying down too. When using this in a lying down position, just make sure you get it low enough so you can get the full range of motion with your legs. And you can do this in bed. Again, it'll help pump circulation throughout your legs and help with any swelling you may be having. Brad: That's right. Let's take a look at this once, Mike. It is a wonderful device. There is one thing you do not want to do, and that is stand on it. It's not made to work with standing on it or pushing body weight through it. It's simply what we said, seated or lying in bed. Brad: There we go. Let's go to one more option that works good for a number of people. All right, the last option is kind of on that borderline for a big piece of equipment, or if it's too expensive, and that is a stationary bike. Now this is a little bit bigger, but as you see, Mike rolls it in, he got on it relatively easily. And the price of these is actually right around $200, plus or minus, depending on where you get it. Mike, you want to talk about using it. Mike: So there are numerous brands. We're not endorsing any specific one. Obviously, if you have a stationary bike that stays in one place, that's perfectly acceptable as well. But just biking is a good motion exercise, very similar to the seated elliptical machines, but obviously you're sitting up higher. Some people just prefer this. Brad: Right, right. And one big thing about this is if your mobility is limited, getting on and off one of these is definitely a fall hazard. I've had it happen with patients. So make sure that you feel very stable or there's someone to help you get on and off. But again, if you spend 10 to 15 minutes on one of these, it's going to be great for the legs. Mike: I would make sure when you're purchasing a bike if you want to go that route, find one you're comfortable sitting on. Some are a more recumbent style with backrests, some are more upright. Make sure you're comfortable while you're doing this. Brad: Good point, Mike. So this can be a very effective way to increase leg circulation, but there is one thing you must do, and it's called consistency. You must do the exercises every day, or at least start with three days a week and build up to five to seven days per week, and do them for the repetitions or the time we recommended. Do it. It'll work. You'll feel better as a result. Mike, what else? Mike: If you want to check out more information on how to improve your circulation or blood flow in the legs, check out our video " #1 Way To Improve Blood Flow & Circulation For Legs ." Brad: Click that baby. Enjoy. Visit us on our other social media platforms : YouTube , Website , Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , Pinterest , LinkedIn , TikTok , Wimkin , Mewe , Minds , Vero , SteemIt , Peakd , Rumble ,  Snapchat , Clapper , Threads   Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Knee Glide   Eye Massager   EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager White EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager Black EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote T2 Massage Gun   T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager   Weighted Heating Pad Fitness: Resistance Bands​   Pull Up System Pull Up Bands   Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener   Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Stress Balls   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 is 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.