When you are involved in an activity or an occupation that involves repetitive overhead motion like a painter, sheet rocker, construction worker, mechanic, electrician, teacher (on whiteboard), hairdresser, pruner, or welder, try these things: 1. Raise your body up if possible or lower the working surface (i.e. using a ladder to prune a hedge, drill into a wall, or use a nail gun. Do hair care from a raised surface or lower chair of the client. 2. Take a 30-second break every 2 minutes if in a cramped area with no positional relief. Stretch shoulders into extension or hang by arms (if available). 3. Try to adopt the position of elbows by the sides whenever possible. Avoid this Keep elbows by sides 4. Avoid a large increase in time spent in an activity with raised arms. For example, avoid taking on a weekend project of painting overhead for several hours in a row. Break it up into manageable time frames. 5. Avoid using ineffective or inappropriate tools or equipment. Examples: a dull sheer for pruning, or a lack of a ladder or step stool for painting. 6. If given the choice, avoid working in cramped spaces that place your shoulders in uncomfortable positions. 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/_hRFh6I3ilk . Mike: Today we're going to explain how hanging can ease your shoulder pain. Brad: That's right. And we're also going to show you the two major components of why that works and the other exercise works from two experts. All right, the first thing we're going to point out is the work from Dr. Kirsch , he's an actual orthopedic surgeon who's worked on shoulders. He talks about why hanging works because as the arm goes up the supraspinatus tendon gets pinched in there and this exercise will actually decrease and eliminate that problem. Brad: Okay, the next area that these exercises correct is actually the scapula or the shoulder blade position. Now this is from the work of Rick Olderman who spent years with this and had great success. And what happens is a scapula can actually get depressed. In other words, droop downwards with a slight rotation. And when it's out of place like this, pain is developed in the shoulder as well as in the neck. Mike: So in order to decompress the shoulder joint, like Dr. Kirsch had mentioned and Brad showed first, you simply can hang to start with. We will show another option if you're unable to get your hands up this high and actually hang. You can do this from a pull-up bar or hanging handles like we have here. And simply decompress the shoulder, stretch it out. Now if you're having some pain, just slowly lower your butt down the wall and go to what's comfortable. Make sure you can stand with your feet. Over time if it feels comfortable for you and you're able, the most amount of decompression you can have in your shoulders is to actually lift your legs up, and hold for a certain duration of time what you can handle. Dr. Kirsch had some people go up to two minutes, which may be pretty long. Maybe just start with 10 to 15 seconds. Brad: That's right. Yes. And he has a number of options from a pull-up bar. We really like the handles because it puts your back up against the wall and helps promote a good posture. And it makes it very easy to control the amount of force through your shoulders. Now the other option is if you have a stick about four to five feet long, we use a Booyah Stik . You can use a piece of Dowling, or you can use some PVC pipe. I'm going to put it right in front of me in a seated position. I'm going to reach up and grab the stick as high as I can comfortably. I like to go to the top. It's easier to hold onto. Now if I lean forward, that starts to stretch and I can feel those shoulders, same area as with what Mike was doing because I use that as well and we just stretch. So it's a good option. Brad: You can do one shoulder at a time. You simply put it off to the side and then reach up as high as you can. Do not let your hands slide down and lean over to the side. Get a similar stretch. Now one thing's important. If you're using a stick that does not have a rubber bottom that sticks to the floor, what you can easily do is take a shoe, put that on the floor, and put the stick in there because, then it will prevent the stick from sliding around because if it does slide out, then you could have a problem. We want to avoid that. So you can do that on either arm, it works very well. Mike: Now, if you've been doing the hanging for a while and it's not helping much, maybe you have an issue with your scapula like Rick Olderman says. So a simple stretch you can try to do is commonly known as a prayer stretch. So what I'm going to do is sit in a quadruped position to start, so on my hands and knees. I like to bring my feet together just because that's more comfortable for me personally. I'm going to leave my hands pushing into the mat and I'm going to sit my buttock to my heels, keeping my hands pushing into the mat the entire time. I'm going to sit here for three breaths, inhale and exhale slowly, and then come back up. Try to do 10 repetitions of that. That is going to help teach the scapula to rotate and function properly as your arm is going above your head, Brad: Right, this moves that scapula upwards where it belongs. We have another exercise to complement this, to help hold that scapula where it belongs for a permanent fix. But before we show you that next strengthening exercise, we have another option for this. If you're not comfortable getting down on your hands and knees like that, simply go up to a tabletop or countertop in a chair. If you have a chair with wheels, that works well. You do not have to do that. If you have a chair with wheels, put your hands on the table and simply push the chair away slowly. And we're getting that same stretch, moving that scapular upwards. Hold it for the same duration Mike had talked about and then come back up. Brad: Now, if you do not have a chair that moves, you simply take a towel. And if you have a smooth surface, we put that down and you slide forward on the tabletop. It does the exact same motion, the same stretch on the scapula. Works very well. Now let's go to the strengthening exercise to hold that scapula up. Mike: Now this exercise is kind of a strengthening and range of motion exercise. Again, it's going to focus on the scapula. This is from Rick Olderman. So you're going to stand next to an open wall space here. I'm going to keep in contact with the wall from my pinkies to my elbow and slide my arms as high as I comfortably can above my head. As you go up, your body's going to get closer to the wall. You're going to hold it for a few breaths and then come back down. Now what you want to do is focus on your shoulder blades pushing up. At shoulder height, it's not much engagement but once I get overhead, I just start feeling those shoulder blades and I really want to push it up. This will help teach them to engage again properly. And hope can help with that shoulder dysfunction you may be having. Brad: So one thing I think about when I do these, I think about when up overhead, I'm pulling those shoulder blades up. It's strengthening the muscles right in there that pull it up and those muscles get stronger, they'll shorten, and they'll help hold it up on a long-term basis. Nice work, Mike. Okay, let's talk about habit changes in regards to posture while you're sitting. If you work at a computer for a number of hours at a time, this is absolutely critical. If your armrests are too short, like right now, my elbows do not even touch the armrest. That puts a lot of stress and actually depresses the scapula. Brad: What you'll want to do is get something under there to support. Now a simple solution is simply to take a pillow off your children's bed so that you have one and they don't need a pillow anyway, they're young. You fold it in half, you squeeze it in here, and it works as a really comfortable armrest supporting that shoulder blade while you work. You do that with both sides, of course. Fold it up and put it in there and they hold in there very well. Brad: Now, if you are working every day with this, it's a good idea to actually get a good office chair that offers the ability to adjust for your body. Go ahead, Mike. Mike: So if you have an office chair already, first check if it has some basic features such as elevating the armrest because all I have to do is simply elevate the armrest. See how my shoulders are more depressed here. Mike: Once I raise it up, they are relaxed and in an upright position more. And a good option to look for too is also being able to spin the armrest into an inward angle for when you're working. This would be the optimal setup if you're having some shoulder pain while working. Brad: Now, this is actually a problem that Bob was having and he's having severe shoulder pain. He simply supported his arms while he's diligently working at the computer doing videos. And he said this took his pain away. It was a primary source of pain relief. So it really is one of those hidden gems. Mike: For more information on fixing shoulder pain check out our video " How To Fix Shoulder Pain In Seconds ." This works. So just click the video link and see if these exercises can help with your shoulder problems. 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/oteEVXWb1wg Brad: Alright, listen up if you want to avoid looking older as you age. This story is absolutely spot on. This is actually a cousin of Bob's. He's working and after work, he leaves and he goes into the security office and he's talking to the security man who we knows and he's looking at videos as they're chatting about the day's events. And he looks at the video and he sees it's a historic video, so it's from before. And he sees someone walking out of his department where he works and he is walking away and he looks at him and he says, there is nobody that old that works in our department. I know everyone in there. And the security guard looks at him, kind of chuckles and he says, that happens to be you. And he was just stunned. He was posturing, he was walking old and he was all hunched over and walking slow. He had no idea that's how he looked. So there are a few things you can do to avoid that. People are afraid to say, you know, you're looking kind of old, but there are some things you can do. So the whole point is, that posture can make a dramatic difference in how you look as well as how your body functions. So we're going to help you out. Mike: We're going to show you a three-minute stretching exercise routine to help you look younger and not be so hunched over. Brad: That's right. We're going to call it the NSH program. We're going to explain it and it's going to help you remember every exercise you can do on a daily basis easily. Mike: So first we're going to go through the NSH program, but afterward we're going to show you one simple exercise that actually targets 13 different muscle groups. And it's going to make you look 100% younger. Brad: For sure, it's absolutely guaranteed. It's at the end, after the NSH exercises. And what does the NSH stand for? Neck, shoulders, hips, all you have to remember is the exercise for the neck, shoulder, hips, neck, shoulder, hips. They're quick, easy exercises and they work. The first thing we need to change is the neck so you don't look droopy, depressed, and all this head forward posture. So it's a simple chin tuck. Bob and I have been doing this exercise for years, but we're going to show you again, and how to make it simple to fit in your daily life. Mike, go ahead. Mike: So what you want to do is go up to a wall and first you'll notice how much of your upper back or neck is touching. If your head is off the wall, you have quite a ways to go. You can see the gap between the wall and my head. Mike: If you have good posture, you can easily touch the back of your head and upper shoulders against the wall. If you are stuck in a position like this, we're going to work on chin tucks. So you're basically trying to give yourself a double chin. You're retracting going backwards and not going up or down. Just straight back. Try to get those muscles to work. If you can get here automatically, then you have good posture. Brad: If you have good posture you can still do the chin tucks because you may forget about this when you're thinking about other things. So throughout the day, every 20 minutes to a half hour, I want you to think about up and chin tuck in. You do not have to be against the wall. You can do it while you're at your desk working on your computer. I do it while I'm driving. I touch my head to the headrest in the back and I do my chin tucks. Do that at the stop sign. People are looking at me in the car next door and I just wave at them and say "chin tucks!" Anyways, seriously, you can do this very simply throughout the day. It takes no time and it will help with that head forward posture, which by the way causes neck pain and shoulder pain as well. We need to eliminate that. Mike: Okay, the next part we're going to look at is the shoulders. If you have a hunched over forward posture, your shoulders are rounded forward. Mike: So we want to get them straightened up and stretched out because that can cause tight pec muscles as well as neck pain, headaches, and all these issues. So we're going to show you a simple stretch you can do using a doorway. Brad: That's right. Now this stretch is developed so that you can do it throughout the day. Every time you walk through a doorway, you're going to do this stretch. So all we do is walk over to the door when it's open, we're going to do the "W" stretch. Go ahead, Mike. And when you're walking through the door, what are you going to do? Mike: So you're going to grab onto the side of the doorframe here. I would be on the other side not touching the door, but there are steps in the way. So what I'm going to do is make a "W" shape with my arms. I'm resting my forearms from my elbow to my hand on the doorframe. Once I get in here, I'm going to lean my upper body forward and get more of a stretch on my front pec muscles here in the front of the shoulder. And this will help the forward shoulders get back into a straight position. And just hold this here for a few seconds and then you can walk through. Brad: That's right. Do that once or twice every time you walk through. One little thing to remember. We got the "N", we got the "S." But don't forget the N, the neck, while you're doing this. So Mike, can you go through it with your head forward? Brad: Yeah, don't allow that. Remember the "N," bring it back where it belongs. So you maintain an upright posture. Now when you get through and you've done that stretch, we're going to simply make that "W" and strengthen the muscles and do two or three reps like that. Brad: So in the doorway, two or three stretches, walking through. If you feel pretty self-conscious about the "W," just simply do it with your arms down. Brad: You're definitely going to feel taller, you're going to look taller and you actually are going to be taller compared to this. So you're going to look taller, look younger, feel better, breathe better. And now we need to go to "H" the hips. Now the next big area is the hips. And you wonder why the hips. We call them hip flexors. They're deep in. When they get tight, if you happen to have a job that if you sit a lot every day, drive a lot, or just watch TV sitting a lot, these muscles tighten up and they pull forward, pull your hips and lower back forward, which essentially gets your body and head forward. Mike is demonstrating that right now. Brad: So if you're like that, and this is exactly what David was looking at, as he's watching himself walk away with this forward posture, unaware of it completely without actually seeing it. So tight muscles here we're going to show you some simple stretches you can do throughout the day and that's going to help you stay upright at the hip area. So a simple, I call it extension in standing or backbends. Go ahead, Mike. Mike: So you can place your hands on your hips if you would like to. And if you're not too stiff, try to straighten up and push backwards. Even going in the opposite direction if possible. Now some people will be very tight and not able to get there. Slowly just work your way up into stretching that. We'll show another option here you can also try, but it's basically just hinging backward at your hips and then extending, going the opposite direction to loosen these muscles up. Brad: Yeah, there you go. Now if you feel uncomfortable bending backward like this, like you're going to lose your balance, go ahead and Mike show the trick for that. Mike: So you can go to a countertop behind you. Obviously, this is a little short for me. Most of them are about waist level. Depending upon your height. You can simply rest against that and then go backward. It's kind of nice because you have a little support in your back and oftentimes if it's up higher, it's kind of where to hinge. Brad: Yeah, another little trick that I've done with many patients and used on myself is simply take a belt or a towel roll, put it around your hip level, whatever level feels comfortable, and support and arch backward. It can really help out and give you a little leverage and it feels great. Okay, now the second option. Mike: Another option to stretch the hip flexor is actually to do a lunging motion, because the leg that is going backward will get a nice hip flexor stretch. For a beginner, you could certainly place something on the floor that is soft to protect the knee. I'm going to be stretching my left leg right now, so I could just go down into a lunging position. If you want to do repetitions, you certainly can. If you just want to sit down here, you can sit down here and stretch forward. This really gets that hip flexor back. Brad: I think you're kneeling, not sitting. Mike: I am kneeling, not sitting. Brad: Yeah, use a pill, whatever. I like doing this one as well. It's a little more cumbersome or takes a little more detail than the first one. So work them both as you need. Mike: For this, you're going to have to work both sides, so simply switch legs and you can go the opposite direction and stretch. Brad: Yes. Mike: Now if you're really advanced and you don't want to use the pad on the floor and do repetitions, you can stretch with your leg back more. This really stretches. This is a Ben Patrick , knees over toes exercise. But this really stretches that back hip flexor if you're not feeling it enough with the other options. Brad: Right, so again, you can drop it down to two or three reps and do it every hour or so, as opposed to doing 10 reps, you're going to get those hips stretched out. Doing this is going to remind you to be up. Remember neck, shoulders, hips, neck, shoulders, hips. Do these every day and they'll become a habit for you and you'll notice and people are going to say, you're looking younger these days, but there's better news yet. Mike: There is? Brad: Yes. You can look younger like we mentioned. 100% of the time you will look younger if you do this simple little exercise. What is it Mike? Mike: It's smiling. Brad: How many muscles? 13 muscles to smile. Guaranteed everyone looks better when they smile. So make sure you're smiling, and being happy. It's contagious, it goes around from person to person, guaranteed. How many muscles to frown? Mike: 47. Brad: Yeah. So make life easier and smile. Alright, I'm going to give you a quick example of the whole NSH routine. So neck, we're going to do the chin tuck two or three times, maybe a little overpressure if you want. That's it. Then we're going to walk through the door, we're going to stretch. Oh, and it feels good as well. The more flexible you get, the higher you get. I'm done with that. And now we're going to do the "W"s for strengthening. Shoulders, back, chin, tuck in. It's all adding together. We're going to stretch the hips, one, two, and then three. And you can be done unless you want to get more aggressive and do the lunges here. Make sure you're holding onto something if you feel a little unsteady. And that's it, I'm done. I think that took 22 seconds. No big deal. But wait, there's more. Mike: Do you want to check out more videos on how to look younger? Check out the video " Look Younger, Live Longer & Thrive with 3 Simple Secrets ." Brad: There you go. And you can't go wrong with this one. It's got three more secrets, I think. Well, Bob and I did that one about three years ago. There you go. Take care everyone. Be careful. 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.

AVOIDING COMMON SHOULDER PAINMAKERS The goal of this program is simple. We want to decrease the amount of “pain makers” you experience each day. In our world, a pain maker is an action, a position, or a thing that causes pain. The pain can be in your shoulder. Or it may be “referred” pain. That is pain that originates from a structure in your shoulder but refers to some other place in your body (arm or even forearm). There are times when the pain in your shoulder will really flare up. Your goal should be to calm the pain back down. That may be with ice, medications, etc. However, in addition, you should be attempting to decrease the pain makers affecting your shoulder. If you perform a task and you begin to feel pain, that task is a pain maker. If you move your arm a certain way and it causes pain that movement is a pain maker. If you are lying in bed on your side and you have shoulder pain, that position is a pain maker. For many of you, these pain makers occur throughout the day and severely limit what you can do. We want you to change that. Reduce the pain makers in your day and you begin to reduce the sensitivity of your nerves to pain. It has a cascade effect both ways. Increase pain from pain makers- increase nerve pain sensitivity. Decrease pain from pain makers and decrease nerve pain sensitivity. People are surprised to learn the way they move and position their shoulder and shoulder blades can eliminate pain. By reducing pain makers, you begin to see you control the pain in your life. It does not have to control you. The fewer pain makers you have, the more you can do. THE INITIAL RULES Things you need to stop doing NOW. To get your shoulder pain to calm down, our recommendation is to avoid the following shoulder pain makers as best as you can. We understand that some of the activities on this list may be important to you. We are not asking for you to give them up forever. We are just asking for you to stop them right now so we can reduce your pain makers. You will be able to return to some in the future, and we will try to provide guidance. LIST Putting your shoulder in an awkward position like reaching into the back seat. Repetitive overhead activities such as painting or pruning a tree. Repetitive activities with the arm level but with your upper back in poor posture. Examples writing on a whiteboard or smart board, painting, or driving a car. Forceful pulling. Examples include pulling a weed out of the ground, lifting a suitcase, or pulling on the starter cord for a lawn mower. The bra strap is too far out on the shoulder. Causing increased stress on the shoulder blade, possibly depressing it. Obtain a bra whose straps are closer to the neck. Carry a bag strap on the same shoulder over and over. This causes the shoulder blade to depress and stretch out. Poor posture while using your arms- including using a computer, eating, or knitting. Sleeping in poor positions- see video How to Stop Shoulder Pain in Bed (Sleeping Postures) Repetitive overhead sports activities. Swimming, tennis, baseball pitching, etc. Lifting weights overhead. 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/ibDg48Ga7XQ Mike: Are your sleepless nights plagued with shoulder pain? Brad: Well, we're going to show you some excellent ways, actually invaluable ways so that you can get a restful peaceful night's sleep. Mike: So Bob has dealt with shoulder pain before and had a restless night of sleep and he's sharing some of his effective solutions with us today. Brad: And actually Bob, like many people with shoulder pain, he likes to sleep on both shoulders. So we're going to share some tricks that he uses so he can sleep on both sides throughout the night. Alright, so Mike has volunteered to go through each position back on both sides and we're gonna show you how things work in a very detailed manner. Are you ready Mike? Mike: I am, now realize this is what worked for Bob. Not all shoulder pain is created equal. So some of them may work for you and some of them may not. Brad: So starting out, lying supine, in other words on your back like Mike is. Mike: Yeah, so obviously if you're laying on your back and there's no pain initially, this can be a good sleeping position if you can fall asleep this way. Mike: Some people may put a pillow underneath their arm for some support here and sometimes that little gap in this area can help alleviate some shoulder pain if you are experiencing it. Brad: That's right, and another thing he does is to take a smaller throw pillow, put it right between your shoulder blades, and lie down and there you go. You notice I said lie, not lay, English majors! Anyways, so what this does is it helps the shoulders go back and into a good position, we call that a posterior position, which opens up the shoulder a little bit and allows it to relax. And with that, you can also put the pillow under the arm. Just move it around, and you'll know what feels good, the shoulder should feel relaxed and you can feel like, oh, I'm going to fall asleep, not being egged by that shoulder. Brad: Alright, now we're going to assume the left shoulder is the painful side. First, if you can avoid lying on that left shoulder to keep the pressure off it for an extended period, that's number one. We realize that's very difficult and Bob actually had a hard time with this, so this is a really good option to alleviate that stress on the shoulder while you sleep. Go ahead, Mike. Mike: So the first thing you want to do is make sure you have enough pillows to support your head region. Notice I have two pillows now versus one when I was sleeping on my back. Now I'm going to lay another pillow. You can use a regular pillow or a throw pillow here and you're going to place it so you can get your arm in between there, creating a canal. Now what happens when I lay down is the pressure from the pillows will take off the pressure directly on my shoulder joint itself, so this may allow you to sleep on this side. Now this may not work for everyone, but if it does, it is a good option, Brad: Right, it really does reduce that stress. You feel like you're going to fall asleep, huh? Mike: Might as well. Brad: Alright, let's go to the next one. Mike: So if you don't like the canal option and you still want to sleep on the painful side, notice if I'm sleeping directly on my side, I'm going to feel a lot more pressure right on that shoulder joint, but if I simply rotate my upper trunk at a 45-degree angle, my pressure is now off the shoulder. Obviously you have to have good back rotation to rotate like this and be comfortable. But if you do, this is a good option as well. Brad: I found it works very well for myself as well as patients. And Bob concurs. Okay, now the next scenario is you're lying on your side, but this time you actually have a painful shoulder on top. How do you make that feel better, Mike? Mike: So in order to make this feel better, obviously you don't have the pressure of the mat on it, but sometimes just being too forward or too far back can still cause strain on the shoulder if it is painful. So simply take a pillow, you can do one or two. So we're doing a throw pillow and then a long pillow to give nice support to my shoulder joint. You could try just one pillow, but you could see I'm getting a little bit of a rotation downward with one pillow so sometimes two is a good option as well and this can alleviate some shoulder pain you may be having. Brad: This works very well. As a matter of fact, even with a non-painful shoulder, if you do this, it just makes lying on your side more comfortable. Maybe it's an age thing. Mike: You kind of feel like you're in a pillow fort too. Brad: So now if it's your left shoulder, you create the canal with the pillow on your left side end, and if you are one of the people who do turn over to the other side, yes, actually make the pillow canal on the good shoulder as well. Try that and then you'll need pillows for the sore shoulder that's on top. A lot of pillows going on here, but try these. You'll be amazed how comfortable you can get yourself when you haven't tried this before and it'll give you options to make you sleep like a baby. Well, we hope so. Anyways, what about this position lying on your stomach? Mike: So Bob consciously decides to not lay on his stomach. I'm assuming he says consciously because sometimes he subconsciously gets in this position. I often do as well. So if you're going to be on your stomach, I tend to sleep like this. My one leg is up to the side I'm rotated on, and my shoulders often out to the side. Mike: Now this doesn't normally cause pain for me when I've had shoulder pain in the past, but obviously, everyone's condition is going to be slightly different. Sometimes I may take a throw pillow and kind of hug it with this arm. And it just provides a little more gap and cushioning here. Oftentimes, this pillow is on my chin as well, but you could try it if it helps. If you're not a stomach sleeper, don't worry about it. Brad: So the bottom line is get a lot of pillows, work some of these positions, experiment and you will find positions that are going to take the pain away and allow you to sleep. So if there's some tips that you personally have done that we did not include to help you sleep, make sure you comment to help everyone else out. Remember, if we all work together, things go a lot better in life. Mike: We also have a video to check out if you want to check out more videos on sleeping positions. This one doesn't deal with shoulder pain, but just optimal sleeping positions, " The Absolute WORST Way To Sleep If You're 50+. " Brad: There you go. Alright, have a good day, and sleep well. 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 January of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/VLWr62eZlD0 Mike: If you are dealing with some pain, then we have a simple solution for you. Brad: That's right, Bob and Brad have teamed up with an expert physical therapist, Rick Olderman . Together, we have written a book called " Top 3 Fix ", and this book is going to help you get through your pain and get you back on track. So the goal of this book is to teach you exercises, stretches, and habit changes to get you independent, and how to become pain-free on your own. Mike: The "Top 3 Fix" approach covers your body from your head to your toe, and what it does is it picks three different exercises to help with your pain issues. Brad: That's right, whether the pain is in your elbow, your neck, or your back, or even your ankle, we're going to show you three exercises, and the exercises you can link up, and we'll show videos so you can do the exercises properly, completely clear. Mike: In each book, you will receive a code that you put online, it'll bring you to our website. On the website, you can find all the exercises demoed in video version that you found in the book in case it's not clear. Brad: That's right, so each section has three exercises, and it'll be very clear which goes with which chapter, and it'll clear up any questions you have and how to do the exercises properly. Mike: So this book consists of 19 chapters and they include the following. Brad: Chapter one: Why Top 3 And How To Use This Book. Chapter two: Why You Should Read This Book. Mike: Next is section one, which covers the upper body system. Chapter three is how the upper body system works. Chapter four is neck pain. Chapter five, headaches. Mike: Chapter six, neck hump or Dowagers hump. Chapter seven is shoulder pain and chapter eight is elbow pain. Brad: The next section goes into the lower body system. Chapter nine, how the lower body system works. Chapter 10, two-sided central low back pain. Chapter 11, one-sided back pain. Brad: Chapter 12, sciatica. Chapter 13, spondylolisthesis. Chapter 14, stenosis. Chapter 15, SI joint pain or sacroiliac. Brad: Chapter 16, piriformis pain. Chapter 17, hip pain. Chapter 18, knee pain. And chapter 19, plantar fascitis. So as you can see, this book is very thorough. Just pick the chapter you want, look at it, and follow through with it. Mike: Again, if you want to check out the website, you can click the link here " Top 3 Fix ." 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 first became aware of “hanging” for the treatment of shoulder pain several years back. We read an article touting its benefits. The concept of hanging to treat shoulder pain was developed by Dr. John M. Kirsch. Dr. Kirsch is a retired board-certified orthopedic surgeon. His book, Shoulder Pain? The Solution & Prevention outlines his theory as to why hanging is beneficial in the treatment of shoulder pain. Testimonials in support of hanging are numerous in his book and, in many cases, quite passionate. Dr. Kirsch cites the Kauai Study as proof that hanging can be an effective treatment against shoulder pain. The study included 92 participants, with the majority having suffered from shoulder pain for years. Most of the subjects had been advised to undergo shoulder surgery. Most of the participants (72) had impingement syndrome. Sixteen subjects had a rotator cuff tear (confirmed by MRI), and the remaining 4 had frozen shoulder. Of the 92 subjects, 2 quit for personal reasons. All the remaining 90 participants were able to return to comfortable ADL (activities of daily living). Dr. Kirsch also provided three examples of study participants who were able to cancel shoulder replacement surgeries that had already been scheduled. The hanging exercise is not for everyone. You should not perform the hanging treatments if you have unstable or dislocating shoulders. If you have severe osteoporosis (fragile bones), hanging is not for you. We would also avoid shoulder hanging if you are in poor physical health. As always, we recommend you see a healthcare professional before you try hanging. Dr. Kirsch’s theory as to why hanging helps shoulder pain. What are the benefits of hanging? Many shoulder problems can be attributed to poor posture, and a gradual shrinking of the space directly above the shoulder bone called the subacromial space. Rotator cuff tendons from muscles around the shoulder pass through the subacromial space and can become irritated, impinged, and eventually damaged and torn from the decreased space. It is Dr. Kirsch’s theory that one can increase the subacromial space through hanging. Hanging can increase the subacromial space by reshaping and stretching the coracoacromial ligament and the acromion. It is not unlike the way orthodontists use to straighten teeth. By increasing the subacromial space one can decrease the amount of stress and impingement taking place on the shoulder tendons. How often and how long do you need to hang? There is no specific right or wrong. Dr. Kirsch recommends starting by hanging for brief intervals (10 seconds or so followed by a 60-second rest). Palms of the hands should face forward, and you can apply either partial or full weight on your arms. Remove jewelry from your hands. Gloves can be used to reduce callouses. Weightlifting hooks can be used to reduce stress on your fingers and hands. According to Dr. Kirsch, most people will experience a fair amount of pain and discomfort with initial hanging, but it tends to diminish after a few moments. Also, Dr. Kirsch indicates that hanging will not damage your shoulder OR further damage a rotator cuff tear if you already have one. Eventually, Dr. Kirsch recommends hanging for 10 to 30-second intervals over a 10 to 15-minute period. You may be able be able to get by with much less. See his book for recommendations on shoulder strengthening or follow our recommendations in our video entitled How to Strengthen a Painful Shoulder . Bob and Brad Hanging Handles . See the video for a demonstration. A. Partial hanging B. Full Hanging C. Facing the wall Another hanging alternative: The Statue of Liberty stretch. Using a Booyah Stik or broom handle, anchor the bottom of the stick into the chair or floor. Reach up as high as possible on the stick with the painful shoulder arm. Lean forward with your body and let the arm and shoulder stretch for 10 to 20 seconds. Repeat and try sliding your hand further up the stick before leaning forward and stretching the arm once again. Our final thoughts : If you have shoulder pain due to arthritis, impingement, bursitis, tendonitis, and/or rotator cuff tears, it may benefit you to consider a trial of hanging. Make sure your doctor approves before you proceed. 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

In the quest for relief from pain, many are turning away from conventional medicine to explore the realms of plant-based and holistic treatments. These alternative approaches not only focus on alleviating symptoms but also promote a balanced and integrated method for overall health. By understanding and tapping into the body's natural healing capabilities, individuals can embark on a journey toward sustainable pain management and improved quality of life. In this article, courtesy of Bob & Brad , we’ll go over just a few ways you can look and feel your best everyday.   The Art of Acupuncture   Acupuncture stands as a pillar in the world of alternative medicine, offering a time-tested solution to pain management. This ancient practice involves the strategic placement of fine needles at specific points on the body, aiming to stimulate energy flow and enhance the body's natural healing processes. Acupuncture is believed to trigger the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, and improve circulation, thus providing relief  from chronic pain conditions. Acupuncture promotes healing by targeting body points to stimulate energy flow and pain relief.   The Power of Plants   Discover nature's array of pain management solutions through plant-based treatments that promote healing and alleviate discomfort:   ●        Turmeric : Contains curcumin, an anti-inflammatory compound, effective against arthritis pain and has been categorized as an antioxidant . ●        Ginger : Acts as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory, relieving muscle aches and menstrual cramps. ●        Herbal Supplements : Boswellia, Willow Bark, and Capsaicin provide natural pain relief by soothing inflammation. ●        THCA : Many believe that THCA can have a profound impact on pain management, so you might want to explore the available forms of THCA  and see whether it’s the right choice for you.   Chiropractic Adjustments   Chiropractic care provides a structural solution to pain, focusing on the body's alignment. Through precise manipulations, chiropractors aim to restore balance, reduce nerve irritability, and improve function. This hands-on therapy is especially beneficial for those suffering from back pain, neck pain, and headaches, offering a proactive approach to musculoskeletal health . Chiropractors realign the body to alleviate pain and enhance musculoskeletal health.   Engaging in Physical Therapy   Physical therapy plays a crucial role in managing pain through movement and exercise. Customized exercise regimens and manual therapy techniques are designed to strengthen the body, enhance mobility, and alleviate discomfort. Physical therapists work closely with patients to identify the root causes of pain and develop comprehensive treatment plans that encourage active participation in the recovery process. Physical therapy addresses pain through tailored exercises and hands-on techniques.   The Soothing Touch of Massage   Massage therapy offers a direct and comforting approach to pain management. Through various techniques, massage therapists work to relax tense muscles, improve circulation, and facilitate healing. This hands-on method not only addresses physical pain but also contributes to mental well-being, offering a sanctuary of relaxation and relief . Massage therapy relaxes muscles and boosts circulation for pain relief and relaxation.   Harmonizing Body and Mind with Yoga and Tai Chi   Yoga and Tai Chi represent the integration of physical movement, breath control, and meditation. These practices foster a harmonious balance between body and mind , improving physical strength, flexibility, and mental clarity. Regular engagement in these disciplines can lead to significant improvements in pain perception, stress reduction, and overall well-being. These practices blend movement and meditation to ease pain and improve well-being.   Cultivating Mindfulness and Meditation   Mindfulness and meditation are key in the holistic approach to pain management. These practices encourage a focused and attentive mindset, helping individuals to become more aware of their bodies and the nature of their pain. By cultivating a deep sense of presence, one can learn to navigate and mitigate pain with greater ease  and tranquility. These techniques enhance body awareness, aiding in pain management and mental calm.   Incorporate Biofeedback   Biofeedback is a technique that enables individuals to gain control over their physiological processes. By monitoring specific bodily functions, such as heart rate and muscle tension, one can learn to adjust their responses to pain. This self-regulatory method empowers individuals to manage pain more effectively, leading to improved comfort and quality of life. Biofeedback teaches control over body processes  to manage and mitigate pain effectively.   Venturing into the realm of alternative pain management opens a world of possibilities for those seeking relief. By combining plant-based remedies, holistic practices, and traditional methods, individuals can craft a personalized and integrated approach to pain management. This journey not only alleviates physical discomfort but also enhances overall well-being, paving the way for a more balanced and healthful life.   Bob & Brad   can help you be healthy and pain-free. Let us know if you have any questions !

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in of  . For the original video go to https://youtu.be/u26WF7MfGec Brad: We are going to show you four hip stretches that can work wonders. Mike: They can also help fix your poor posture if you have hip arthritis, and even possibly help with your hip labral tear. Brad: That's right. Okay, let's use Sam to show why these stretches work and why they're so effective with arthritis, as well as that labrum problem we mentioned at the end. Let's look at Sam. Now this red tape represents the muscles we're actually going to stretch. We have the deep muscles here, the iliopsoas muscles. Brad: You don't need to know the name of them, but when these muscles get stretched, that's going to help eliminate that pelvic tilt. Can you demonstrate that Mike, that awkward position, and even that forward slouched position that we all like to avoid. Brad: Then the muscle that gets neglected a lot is the rectus femoris. It's a long muscle that connects from the front part of the pelvis down to the knee. And if this muscle doesn't get stretched, it causes problem and pain as well. Brad: Now let's look at the hip itself because this is really important and the last couple stretches get after that. The arthritis in the hip. Here's the ball of the hip. We need to do something to get the lubrication back into the ball of the hip and the socket to eliminate that arthritic pain. Brad: And then the labrum, which goes around here, which I've had really good success with on the last stretch that we're going to show. And I'm not kidding. Mike, do you have anything more to add? Mike: No, let's get to it. Brad: All right. Mike: So the first muscle we're going to stretch are the hip flexors. They often become tight when you're sitting too long. So when I'm sitting down, these muscles are in a shortened position. When I stand up, they are elongated. And to actually stretch them, you need to go in the opposite direction. So we're going to show you three different ways you can stretch this muscle group out. Brad: We are going to show three options on how to stretch this. This one is going to be lying on your back, one's in a chair, and one's standing. Mike: So to do the one lying on the back, we actually got from our friend Rick Olderman, who is a great physical therapist. So you're going to start on the edge of either a firm mattress, maybe a table, if you're comfortable getting on a tabletop here. And you're going to have to bring your knees to your chest to begin. Now if I'm going to stretch my left leg, I'm going to drop it off the edge here, and then I'm going to try to bend my knee. Once I'm in this position, I'm going to bring the right knee up to my chest. You'll see once I do that, my hip flexor is actually pulling up this leg. Try to keep him down as comfortable as you can. If you're getting any cramping, don't go as far down. And this little knee bend actually helps stretch the rectus femoris which we talked about earlier. Brad: Right, that very long muscle that oftentimes gets neglected. So we'll do this 5 to 10 repetitions, on and off. Or how else would you like to do it, Mike? Mike: I like to do 30 seconds on each side. Once I do 30 seconds, I switch. You may notice one side is tighter than the other. Maybe give the tighter side one extra stretch. Brad: Right, and with all these stretches, think about being relaxed, nice, slow breathing. That will help you relax and get a better stretch. All right, a nice seated option. If you're in a chair about this height, not a stool, and it does not have armrests. You simply scoot to the edge of the chair. I'm going to stretch my right hip. I'm just going to bring my knee down to the floor, keep a nice upright posture, and stretch it back like this. And I'm feeling that stretch right now. If I lean forward, you will not get as aggressive as a stretch. So, try to keep up, shoulders back. You can hold this for 15 to 30 seconds, or stretch on and stretch off. That little bit right there, I can feel every time. Work that. Let's go to one standing. Mike: The last option, we're going to show is in standing or a kneeling position here. So to begin, we're basically going to do a lunge. Now some of you may be really tight, so just bringing your leg back here and doing a little lunge, you're going to feel that pulling in there. That's where you begin. Obviously, you don't want to lean forward. This is going to destroy the stretch. Nice, upright posture. If you're a beginner, hold onto support as needed. I have something like a countertop here and the Booyah Stik . Work on progressing down. Mike: Now if you can easily get down in this position as a beginner, you can just stretch from a kneeling position. I like to put some padding under my knee because it feels better. And then I'm actually going to lean forward into a deeper lunge. Notice my back is staying straight as I'm doing this. I'm not bending forward. And you're really going to feel a good stretch here. Sometimes I like to just kind of move back and forth throughout it. Or you can just hold it statically for 15 seconds. Make sure and you work both sides with the stretch, just like the other ones. Brad: Yeah, if you don't work both sides, then you walk in circles. Mike: Yes, I do that all the time. Brad: Let's go to the next one. Okay, this next stretch is a really important one, and it's easy to do. You can do it lying down or you can do it in a chair. It stretches those small muscles around the hip, the rotators, as we call them. Go ahead, Mike. Mike: So in a laying position, I'm going to bend my knees. I'm going to take my right leg to stretch first. I'm going to put my ankle at my knee joint here to begin. Then I'm going to push my knee down. You can use your hand if you need to, or you can just do it with your muscles. Try to hold this for 15 to 30 seconds. I like to push a little bit. The closer I have the left leg, the more stretch I'm going to feel as well. If you start here, that's fine. Just stretch here. Over time, try to get more rotation out of it. And again, you want to work both sides and stretch them out. You may notice one side's tighter than the other because I certainly do. Brad: Now the thing about this is you can do it in your bed, on the floor, it really doesn't matter. Now you can do the same thing in a chair. This is a stretch I do every day. I incorporate it when I put my socks in and when I put my shoes on because I want to keep this motion really free. So as I get older, and get more gray hair than I already have, I can get my shoes on without a problem. So simply sit and place your ankle on your opposite knee, you know, and stretch down like this. It feels so good, and it's so practical. I know a lot of older people, I've worked with them as patients where this motion gets so tight that they can't even get their shoes on or their socks on. It's a real problem. So simply do this for maintenance every day. Mike: And the third stretch we're going to do is actually go into hip flexion. You're going to stretch your buttock muscles. So what you want to do is bring one knee up to your chest. I'm going to leave the other leg flat on the mat here. Again, I'm going to hold this for roughly 30 seconds. You can go straight up, you could try to go in a little bit. You can try to go out a little bit. Just go with what feels good. Work, noodle around as Kelly Starrett , physical therapist, would say. And then you're going to switch legs and do it on the other side. And Brad, you can actually do this in a seated position, correct? Brad: Exactly. And I definitely, I'll do it here. And this is one point where, you know, we say it's okay to slouch in there. We need to stretch the low back a little bit in that direction. And the noodling that he talks about, I really find helpful, particularly when I go towards or across my body. Make sure you do it with both knees. It's a really nice stretch. It gets that piriformis muscle as well. Brad: All right, a third option that I also like for the hip flexion stretch that we just demonstrated in bed or in the chair, is use a stairway. I usually go to the second step like this. Having something with the handrails to hold onto for stability is nice. And then I'll lean into it. This is more aggressive. It's more for someone advanced or who has done it before. And I like to put the weight in. And I'll actually noodle in here. And boy, does that ever feel good on my hip. It really makes me more ready to start the day. Brad: Now, we're going to show the one that can be very helpful for arthritis or that torn labrum. Great success with this in the clinic. Mike: So, oftentimes with hip arthritis or a labral tear, you get more pain with actually bearing weight on that hip joint. So what it's actually doing is putting the ball and socket tighter together. And we need to try to stretch it out and make it relax a bit. So what we're going to do is I'm going to stretch my right leg. This would be the painful side. I'm going to stand sideways on one step and notice I'm going to relax my pelvis. So essentially your pelvis is going to shift and drop. I am now relaxed on this side, getting a nice distracting feeling here. Now what you can do is kind of swing forward and backward a little bit to see if that helps. Mike: If you're not getting enough pulling or distracting forces and you have a cuff weight, say, you can put this around my ankle like Brad is doing now, and it'll help put more of a pulling force. If you don't have this at home, maybe you have a pair of heavy winter boots, you can just put that on this foot to get the same kind of feeling. Brad: Right, now I do want to mention, I've had this with a number of patients. When you do this, figure out how to relax your body and that hip, because that does take a little practice. The relief will be immediate. As soon as that traction occurs, when the muscles relax, it actually distracts the joint, allows the synovial fluid to get in there, relieves the pain, and that happens whether it's arthritis or labrum. Particularly with the labrum. I've had patients that, this was the only way I could get relief with some labrum problems. And then you do it, you hold it for maybe 30 seconds to a minute, and do it three to four, even five times per day. All right, so these stretches are very nice. You can incorporate them into your day, like I mentioned by tying my shoe or putting my socks on. Good luck with them. It'll definitely pay off. Mike: If you want to check out more videos on how to stretch out your hip muscles, you can check out our video " STOP Hip Flexor Stretches Unless You Do This! " 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.

These exercises should be done 2X-3X per week. All can be done in 1 set of 10-20 repetitions. Side-lying Abduction: Good for strengthening the Supraspinatus and the Serratus Anterior muscle. Lie down with your arm to be strengthened on top. The palm should be down. Lift weight only to 45 degrees to guard against any impingement. Repeat at least 10x. Work up to 20x. Start with 0 lb. Work up to 5 lb. if able. Start without weight. Side-lying External Rotation: Good for strengthening the Infraspinatus and Teres Minor muscles. Lie down with your arm to be strengthened on top. Bend upper arm elbow to 90 degrees (right angle). The palm should be down. Start with the hand nearly on the floor (or bed)- see photo. Lift your hand towards the ceiling as far as comfortable. It should not be painful. Repeat at least 10x. Work up to 20x. Start with 0 lb. Work up to 5lb. if able. Lift off: Good for strengthening the Subscapularis muscle. Place hand in small of back with palm facing out. If unable to reach back, place a hand on the upper buttock. Using no weight lift your hand straight off your back (not up, down, or side-to-side). Repeat at least 10x. Work up to 20x. 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 January of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/IfwCEV5z0JY Brad: If you're over 55, it's likely you've been getting a little shorter year to year. I personally have lost about an inch in the last five years, but there's good news, there's something you can do about it. Mike: We're going to show you three simple options you can do to help lengthen your spine out and become taller again. Brad: That's right, and I've been working on these. We're going to go over some of the mechanical effects that cause shrinking. Now, this happens to everyone, and the big contributor to this is actually the spine and some of the anatomy within it. Mike, can you talk about that? Mike: So there are 23 discs in the spine here. Each of these represent a disc and over time they can actually shrink and get smaller. Mike: This happens as we age with all the compressive forces. So we're going to show you three ways that you can help alleviate the problems of shrinkage, including postural changes, decompression exercises, and some other exercises that can help. Brad: That's right. Now one of the big things is actually slouching, or I'm going to refer to it as slouchism, and we're going to talk about how that can contribute to shrinking and then having you look shorter and be shorter. Mike: So somehow I comprehended what Brad was saying, but would you mind explaining what slouchism is? Brad: Slouchism, well I think I actually made that word up. But when you slouch or have poor posture like this, which a lot of people do, whether you're standing or sitting in a chair that's all rounded out, the spine actually compresses the discs and that actually can accelerate degeneration of the disc, which everyone gets with age, but we're accelerating it by doing that. Brad: Now we can reverse or slow that acceleration down simply by doing the first thing, decompression, and then also some exercises. And I do all three of these and we will show you them right now. All right, we're going to show you some simple decompression techniques that you can do at home. Now what we have is the spine. We talked about the slouching. We want to eliminate that and reverse it. So we're going to pull the spine, taking pressure off the disc and allowing them to decompress, very easily. Now this first technique, you can use a door. You need to make sure you have a good solid door, and we're going to open it up. Mike is going to help because we need a weight on this mock door. But the technique is just as I show. Now if you're too short and you can't reach the top of the door like I am, this would not work. You simply will take a belt. Now I want to warn you, if your door is not sturdy, just eliminate this possibility. I am not going to hang all my weight on the door by any means. I'm going to put a belt over and simply bend my knees and I already can feel some decompression on my back and spine. And we're just going to hang out here for about 15 to 30 seconds, and then relax. Brad: And again, we're not hanging completely on the door. My feet are still supporting the majority of my weight, so it's safe. It's simply a gentle decompression thing you can do. All right, you can do that throughout the day. Now we're going to go on to something a little more aggressive that I do and it works very well. All right, for the next form of decompression on the spine, you can use a pull-up bar if you have one, that works very well. The one thing that you must be aware of and have set up is that if you reach the bar and it's so high that you're going to be hanging right away, it's too high. You may need to get a stool underneath you because you want to grab the bar and gently bend your knees allowing a gentle, controlled decompression of the spine. Another way that works, in my opinion, much better is using something up against the wall so your back is against the wall like Mike is right now on the Hanging Handles . It offers a lot more control and the wall actually promotes good posture, actually perfect posture, it's nice and straight. Mike, do you want to walk through how this is done? Mike: So you're going to walk up to the wall or the pull-up bar, again, reach up. I can reach the floor here, so I am good. I'm going to walk my feet out a little bit and I'm just going to sit down like I'm kind of doing a squat here, and I'm gonna start getting some traction and pulling through my spine, lengthening it. So what you want to do is just sit here for a little while. If you feel comfortable you can certainly lift your legs up. But this feels more like an exercise to me, we're just focusing on decompressing the spine. So just kind of hang out here, and I feel my whole spine lengthening now. Brad: Great! Now this is one I do daily. It works very well. It's other benefits include shoulder health and breathing because you're opening up the chest, and it's just a wonderful exercise for other benefits as well. And if you have a pull-up bar, again, works well, do it. This works a little bit better with the wall, but either way, Mike: If I do this long enough, maybe I'll be six feet tall. Brad: Yeah, we'll be all walking around like Bob. All right, now these next two things we're going to talk about are very important and really do a damage to your spine and you're probably completely unaware of it. If you have a chair, we're talking about seated posture, and the chair's worn out, say a recliner and there's a hollow spot back behind you, which takes your spine into a nice slouched, comfortable position, but it's actually compressing the spine. We need to fill that hole in. Usually, a nice throw pillow is all you need. Put it in, fill that in. You're going to feel the support on your back. Mike, why don't you talk to them about it. Mike: So what you want to make sure to do is put your pelvis in a good position. Like Brad said earlier, if you're slouched over, I have an anterior tilt and then I'm sitting slouched and my spine is very rounded, compressing those discs like we talked about earlier. So correcting your posture will help. Filling in that gap with a pillow will also help. Now, if you're in a typical chair and you're just having some back pain or bad posture throughout the day, you can definitely take a long pillow as well. Place it vertical like this and then you'll actually support your whole spine here. Get your butt back nice and far, and there, I'm comfortable. Brad: Right. It really makes a big difference. I'm surprised that this vertical sleeping pillow can really do nice positioning to your spine, and it feels good. Now we're going to talk about standing posture. A lot of people aren't aware of this, but if you just straighten yourself up, you get taller. It's as simple as that. So we're going to show you a very simple technique that you can do to remind yourself to be taller and stretch the muscles out so it's easier and becomes a good habit. Mike, show them the technique. Mike: So whenever you're walking through a doorway at your office or home, just take a quick little stretch break. Now I would go on the other side since the door is here, but we have stairs in the way. So I would go on the opposite side if I was doing this correctly, what you're going to do is try to make a "W" with your arms here. And I'm going to lean into the frame and get a nice good stretch that's going to stretch that upper back posture, get it corrected. You can hold it for a good 10 to 15 seconds, and then just walk through the door. Brad: Good. All right, now you really need to complement that stretch by strengthening the muscles in your back because we just stretched them here, which is going to permanently give you that good posture. So what you can do is simply pull your shoulders back. And again, we're going to make the "W." Why the "W?" Because I'm from Wisconsin, and that's what it reminds me of, Wisconsin. So we've got a good state, good posture. There you go. Seriously, you can do that three or four times. If you want to use the wall and really get aggressive, butt to the wall, back to the wall, and if you can get your arms to the wall and head to the wall, you've got perfect posture there. And simply do three or four "W"s there or up and down and do the wall slides. Nice trick. Mike: A couple more options to correct your posture for when you're walking is to simply take your hands behind your back and you can clasp them. Notice if you have a forward slouch posture, straightening up, and reaching back can help solve that. Don't stand hunched forward. This isn't going to fix it. You still have to have a good posture component and walk like this as you can. You don't have to do it the whole time. Brad: Now if you happen to be like me with tight shoulders and I have a hard time reaching back, you simply take a towel or your scarf or whatever it may be and then hold that back there and walk around. Brad: All right, now the other thing that you can do for strengthening those muscles in the back, we've got the wall and the "W"s and all that, if you have stretch bands, which are becoming very popular, you simply take the band and we can pull back for resistance adding a little more strength to that. Brad: Okay, now we're going to show you what you can do if you have a doorknob or the wall anchor for a strengthening exercise. Mike, go ahead. Mike: Okay, there are a couple different ways you can strengthen these shoulder blade areas. A beginner version would be to simply squeeze the shoulder blades back. Most people are a little stronger in this position, so you can possibly use a heavier band. Mike: Now to make this more challenging with the lighter band, we're going to kind of do the "W" shape itself. It's still going to work that scapular region, but you're going to get a bit more shoulder muscles involved. Now, try to keep a good upright posture while I'm doing this. Notice I'm nice, slow, and controlled. I'm not whipping it like super fast. Brad: Yes, you really cannot go wrong with the "W", a "W" for win, "W" for Wisconsin. Now you're from Minnesota, right Mike. Mike: W for Winona. Geez. Brad: Oh, there you go. All right, so there's no magic to this. You're not going to grow, but you can reduce how much you shrink or actually look taller by changing your posture. It's a big plus. I did want to mention, do these every day. It's simple to fit them into your life. It doesn't take any more time, simple little habits. And what's the other video that people can tune into for more exciting adventures of Bob and Brad? Mike: " Are you getting shorter with age? Three biggest causes ." So again, there will be some more options on what's causing you to shrink and how to fix it. Brad: Now this video is very unique. There'll be answers in there that you will never expect. So we really had fun with 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. 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This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in January of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/zoj9Q48pZKw Brad: All right, in this video, we're going to talk about low back pain, hip pain, and how it relates to the pelvis. This can be greatly misunderstood and we're going to help clear this up for you. Mike: We're going to talk about why the pelvis can get elevated or rotated and one simple stretch to help solve it. Brad: That's right. Alright, let's talk about some typical symptoms or pain patterns you may have if you're experiencing this. Number one, you may feel like your hip or your pelvis is hiked up on one side. Mike: Typically you will feel pain associated with this, oftentimes in the lower back or sometimes even in the hip. Brad: And sometimes you may feel this when you're walking. It may be a feeling of unevenness with your walking. And people who look at you from a distance may say, "You're looking crooked." Even though you're not a politician. Alright, when looking at someone from behind who has this rotation or this problem in the pelvis, you can see on Mike, he's off to one side. Look at the material of his shirt is wrinkled up here. It's loose over here. On the other side, it's stretched out. Brad: Now actually the muscles on this side are the same way. We're going to show you with Sam the skeleton exactly how it looks inside and how to fix it in that one stretch. First, we'd like to give credit where credit is due. We really got a lot of this information helping a lot of people from a physical therapist by the name of Rick Olderman . You can go to rickolderman.com and he has information relating to this as well. Mike: Now, oftentimes this elevated pelvis on one side doesn't occur from one incident saying a fall or lifting something too heavy. It often occurs over time due to an old injury you may have. So if you have an old ankle, knee, or hip injury, it can eventually relate into the back and pelvis region causing this hiking to happen. So, over time what can happen is the muscles above the pelvis here can get tight and actually pull up the pelvis like this, causing this rotational force and causing either low back pain or hip pain. Brad: That's right, and again, those muscles tighten up as a result possibly of another injury, which isn't always obvious. Alright, now we're going to show you why this stretch works so well. We look at Sam here, there is a gap that is shorter on one side, as we talked about, and we showed it on Mike as well with his shirt. This tape represents the muscles on this side tightening down, pulling that rib cage down and the pelvis up. Brad: Now we're going to do a stretch so that can stretch those muscles out, evening things up and eventually eliminating the pain, getting you back to normal. It's really that simple. Alright, so the good news is there's three different options to get this stretched out. We're going to start out with a gentle option. If this works, you definitely want to go to numbers two and three. Go ahead, Mike. Mike: So the first option is to simply lift your arm up above your head like this, keeping my pelvis down. If it's tight, it may want to pop up. Make sure it is seated down. Just holding it up here for 30 seconds can gently stretch those muscles out. Brad: That's right. Again, think of that muscle location. Go ahead and reach up a little more. See how that stretches right there. That's where we're looking at. A gentle stretch. It's a good way to start. Alright, another option to this is if you're having this pain while you're walking, simply bring your arm up like this while you're walking and feel the difference in the pain. You can actually bring your arm up over your head. Now we know you can't walk around all day with your arm up. So then we're going to go to the next stretches to be a little more aggressive in another manner. Mike: Another option to stretch the same area is to actually go to a door, open it up and you're going to grab onto the top of the doorframe as long as you have a sturdy doorframe. You can also do this on a pull-up bar if you happen to have one at home. Now I'm going to lean into the doorway while keeping my hand here. Notice that my palm is actually facing away from me so I can grab the top. I'm going to get a nice stretch through here. Again, lifting up the rib cage and dropping the pelvis down, stretching those muscles out. So, hopefully, it reduces the pain you may be experiencing. Brad: So how long are you going to do that for? Mike: 15 to 30 seconds. You just have to do the side that is problematic for you. If you want to stretch the other side, you certainly can, but it's not necessary. Brad: Good, now the big problem with this for some people, is if you're too short or too tall and the door trim or frame isn't the right size. We've got an option that works really well for that. Alright, the third option we're going to work with, you need a stick four to five feet long. You could use a mop, a piece of PVC pipe, or dolling. We're using the Booyah Stik . There's one thing that's important, when you put the stick down on the chair, it's important that it does not slide around on the surface that it's on. If you have a Booyah Stik or PVC pipe that does not have a rubber end like that, simply take a shoe to keep it in place. Mike: The shoe hopefully has good grip and it won't be moving around on you. Brad: And actually these mops like this work well because they pivot and they're strong and they work. So, Mike, you want to talk through the technique. Mike: So you can do this in a seated position like I am or standing like Brad, you'd have to go to a tabletop or countertop. Again, we're just going to reach our palm away from us, the same stretch as the doorway. Reach up as high as you comfortably can and lean into the stretch. Again, this will open up those muscles between your ribs and your pelvis here. Make sure when you're doing this stretch, your hand does not slide down. You're not gonna get the full stretch effect that way. So reach up as high as you comfortably can and just again, work the painful side. Brad: Right, now sometimes I like to start and just do pressure on and test it and come off as opposed to stretching it for 30 seconds right away. So, pressure on, pressure off. See how it feels work into it. If you really got that tight muscle, it may take some time to get it to stretch out and it may take a few days before you really get some sustained relief. Mike: If you are seated for this one, again, make sure your butt is staying on the mat and not popping up because that's going to defeat the purpose of the stretch. Brad: Good point, Mike. Alright, now there is an option you can do prior to the stretching that will help, and that's a massage into the muscles on that side. So the muscles are tight and if you can get into the muscle, massage it, it will help loosen it and then stretch it. Now it's really difficult to massage your own muscle. If you have a masseuse or someone in the family that's willing to help you out and massage, that's great. If you don't, we actually have a really nice massager that will work well to do this. Mike: Yes, this is actually a back massager. You want to do that in a chair so you can just simply place it behind you where those muscles feel tight and you lean into it and that baby works and it digs in there and it feels really good. Brad: That's right. I've used this in a firm chair like this. It works well in a recliner. So you can massage it for 10 to 15 minutes and then do the stretch as we talked about. Mike: The good thing about the stretch is you should see immediate results after performing it only a few times. So if you're not seeing those results, this isn't the stretch for you. Something else is going on and we do happen to have more videos. So if you want to check out another option on how to solve this problem with the elevated pelvis, check out our " How to Self-Correct A High Hip in 60 Seconds ." 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 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 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