Bowlegs or genu varum is a condition where your ankles can touch, but your knees curve outward. Bowlegs are common in infants and toddlers and usually go away without treatment. (Bowlegs=Genu Varum) What can cause bowlegs?: 1. Bony deformities. A common deformity is tibial torsion or twisting of the lower leg bone (inward or outward) 2. Blount's disease? Blount's disease is a condition found in children that affects the growth plates around the knee. The disease causes the growth plate near the inside of the knee to either slow down or stop making new bone. Meanwhile, the growth plate near the outside of the knee continues to grow normally. 3. Rickets Rickets is a condition that affects bone development in children. It causes bone pain, poor growth, and soft, weak bones that can lead to bone deformities. Often caused by a vitamin D or calcium deficiency. 4. Osteomalacia or soft bones. Osteomalacia affects both children and adults and is a disease in which the bones don't contain enough bone mineral (mostly calcium and phosphate). What is the big lie? Bowlegs CANNOT be changed with exercise. Exercise may make your muscles or bones stronger, but it will now change the shape of your bones. The only way to change the shape of a bone is to break it and straighten it. If you are watching videos on how to correct your bowlegs with exercise, it is a waste of your time. What may help slightly? 1. Don’t stand with knees locked back into hyperextension – it exaggerates bowlegs and puts more stress on the joint. 2. Replace shoes (if worn out on the outer edge). Can make knee bowing worse 3. Worn-out cartilage on the inside of your knee can cause bowing or make it worse. Knee replacement may help if the knee is painful. 4. If knee ligaments are lax or loose, a knee brace may help provide some relief or slow down the progression of bowing. A brace with hinged metal staves on the side should be tried. Check out the full Knee Pain Relief Program series of videos, along with downloadable guide sheets, here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/knee-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in October 2024. For the original video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvCW38Nmii0 Mike: So today we're looking at the myth, is stretching good for sciatica? So before we get into it, we have to talk about what sciatica actually is. Right, Brad? Brad: Right, but we're also going to eventually address how to take care of it with some good solutions. Mike: So the majority of people who have sciatica, typically what happens is you have a disc, which is right here in red, that lies in between two vertebrae, and typically there is some damage done, causing it to protrude backwards, and it can hit your nerves, causing pain, referred to in your back and even down your leg. Mike: Now we're going to show a little more zoomed-in model here. Brad: Right, this is a model that really demonstrates it well, but I want to correct, the bulge can actually come anywhere around, but most of the time, yes, in that back corner where it actually hits a peripheral nerve, causing those problems and numbness, and pain that everyone knows if you've had a herniated disc. L5, L4, those are the vertebrae, and the red ball represents a disc. Now, a disc does have fluid in the middle of it, a nice, tough outer lining. And what happens is the lining can loosen and actually bulge out, just like this is a really good representation. Now, what you can do, and actually you can see what happened, was I pushed down, compressed it. There was a weak spot in the bulging area of the disc wall. Out it comes, if we take the pressure off and it allows the disc to go back in, they call that reducing the disc back into its normal area, taking the pressure off the nerve. Therefore, the problem is solved. Mike: So you can think of this like the disc is a jelly donut, and when you squish it down, the jelly's going out. So we want the jelly to go back in, essentially. Brad: Back in, back in. Very good. Try not to make fun of it. But sometimes it's an interesting model to do that. But yeah, that's a very good analogy. Mike: So we're going to show you a couple of things you can do to help your sciatica pain, and then we'll get into the myth-busting component. So the first thing we want to do is actually perform some traction to your spine to let that jelly go back in the donut, like we talked about. So you can either do this at a door frame, or you can use a stick if you cannot reach your door frame. Brad will show that in a second. I'm going to reach up, palm facing away. The left side would be my painful side, where I'm feeling sciatica, either in my lower back or down my leg. You're going to grab onto the top of the doorframe. If you have a pull-up bar at home and want to do that instead, you certainly can. And I'm slowly going to bend my knees. This is going to open up that space where the disc is, separating the vertebrae. Brad will show up in a second. You're going to hold this for three to five breaths. Try to relax. If you prefer time, you can try 15 to 30 seconds, and then go out and repeat that five different times. You're not going to fully hang and lift your feet in the air, especially in a doorframe like this, but it's just going to give some nice separation in your spine. Brad: Right, so just a little more clarification on how this works. This is simply traction. They've been using traction; therapists have been in the medical field for decades. This is a simple way to do it, and it works quite well, many times. So if you look at the bulge here, all that's going on is it pulls and separates. There's the red disc bulge right there when we separate it, just like the cup model I showed, which allows that bulge to go back in and reduce. Brad: So, another option is simply to take a good, solid stick of some sort. So you can use a broomstick, a dowel, a PVC pipe, we're using the Booyah Stik , and you'll put it, you can do this actually standing or sitting. It's the same thing. You'll understand in just a second. I'll do it standing. You could put this on top of a cupboard or a chair, or a table, and grab it with your palm away. And then I'm simply leaning and I'm stretching and actually separating the facet joints and the vertebra so that the disc can reduce or go back in. Brad: Now the only thing you have to be careful of is that your stick does not slip around. So you simply take your shoe off if you don't have a rubber knob on there, and put it in there, and then you have a nice, steady stick base. You can do it seated. I'll do the other side just for, so I'm even. And we're going to do it just like this. Again, the shoe could be in there. And lean, whoa, actually, it feels good. This is one of those things; if you don't have a problem with your disc, it's good for a good general stretch as well. Alright, Mike, what else do we have? Mike: We're going to get into the next exercise, but I have to move this door first. Brad: Yeah, close that. Close that. Alright, another method that has been around for decades, from Therapist McKenzie, Robin McKenzie, is the prone press-up. I've used it myself many times with patients, with success. Go ahead and show them what it is. Mike: I feel like I'm eating my microphone. Anyway, so start by lying on your stomach. This may be how you begin, and this is enough for you, depending upon how bad your sciatica pain is. MIke: If you can tolerate this fine lying here for a few minutes, you can try progressing up to the elbows, see how your back feels, and see if it's bothering you or not. If this feels easy, the next progression would be to actually do a press-up. So what I'm doing is I'm pressing up as high as I comfortably can while keeping my pelvis on the mat; it's not lifting up. So go up as far as you comfortably can and then back down. You're going to do repetitions with this exercise once you can progress to doing the full range of motion, like I am. Brad: Right, and again with this, the key thing is if you have sciatica with symptoms going down the leg, as you do these, you're not going to do more than 10 of them. The symptoms will go away in the leg. And if that's the case, you know you are right on, you need to continue doing 10 of these every one to two hours until the leg symptom goes away. And then it will eventually go away in the back. Mike: So, the question is stretching good for sciatica? Brad: The answer... No. Now, you might be questioning this because the exercises we just showed look like stretches. Yes, they are, the one in the door and the stick is stretching muscles on the side of the back and down there. However, what's really correcting the problem and getting rid of the sciatica, the back pain, and the pain going down the leg, whether it be numbness, tingling, etc., is that the bulge is being allowed to reduce. In other words, go back in where it needs to go, taking the pressure off the nerve. Brad: That is the source of the pain, not the tight muscles. Muscles are being stretched, but this is creating the relief of sciatica, not the stretches. Did I make that clear? Mike: I think you made it pretty clear. Brad: Yeah. Mike: Now, what we do want to say is if your sciatica is old or scar tissue from when you had it before, stretching may be a good option, but that's much further down the line. If you have acute back pain or sciatica, you want to let the disc heal, get that separation with those two exercises we showed to allow it to heal up first. Brad: That's right. And this is one of those things where you may want to go to a professional therapist like us, or you know, that you can go to and make sure you get it in the right, correct order and be healthy, fit, and pain-free, living your life normally. Mike: If you would like to check out more videos, check out the video, what's it called, Brad? Brad: " Only 1 in 5000 Know This About Sciatica , " so it's one of those tricks that not many people know about that Bob found, and we're sharing it with other people as well. For this week’s Giveaway, visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun A7 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun D5 Pro Plus Massage Gun (with heat) D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D6 Pro Max+ Massage Gun EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote EyeOasis 3 Eye Massager Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Go Back, Neck, & Shoulder Massager EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager G100 Pro Vibration Therapy Massager Hand Massager HandSpa Pro Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   iNeck Pro Neck and Shoulder Massager Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager M7 Plus Mini Massage Gun with Heat Therapy Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraHeat Knee Brace TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun ThermoRed Heated Back Belt Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Zero Pro Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in August 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/D7tpdLLDXJE Mike: Are you looking for some practical exercises or stretches you can do each day? Brad: Well, you're in luck, because today we're going to go down memory lane, look at some of the best exercises from seven years ago with Bob and I. And we've actually updated them with new information that we have received in the last year or so. Mike: So today, we're going down memory lane and looking at a very old popular video, seven years old, called " Seven Exercises You Should Do Every Day ." So we're going to recap that quickly right now. Brad: There you go. Bob: We're talking about the seven exercises you should do absolutely every day. Brad: Yes, because seven is complete. Bob: Right, seven's that fancy number that seems to work for a lot of things, right? Brad: Exactly. Bob: And these are exercises that, you know, I eat my own cooking, I guess, as you put it. These are seven exercises I do pretty much every day. Some of them I don't do every day. But the vast majority of them I do. And they're easy to do because you can do them, you can incorporate them into your day. You don't need to say, "Now at 10:00 I'm going to do seven exercises." A lot of these are ones that you should be doing throughout the day. Brad: Right, you can do them while you work, while you drive, some of them. All right, so you had a brief look at the old exercises. They're still good. But these are actually better and more complete. Let's start with the first one. Mike: We may look a little different, I don't look like Bob at all. Anyway, the first one is the arm slides on the wall. So what you're going to do is put your pinky side, touch your elbows. You're going to slide up as far as you comfortably can, hold for a few seconds while breathing. Try to take three to five breaths. Or, if you like time, you can hold this for 15 to 30 seconds. Come back down, keep contact with the wall the entire time. And I'm squeezing my shoulder blades down. You're getting a nice good stretch and movement in your shoulder blades, as well as your lat muscles. Brad: One thing to keep in mind, really important, while you get up, can you go halfway down? There, once your elbows get to here, think about not just moving your hands up, but watch Mike. He's shrugging his shoulder blades up. And that tightens the muscles up here, pulling the shoulder blades up. And that's the key to this exercise. It really makes a difference on shoulder mechanics as well as posture. Mike: Now if you struggle with both arms at once, you can certainly just do one arm at a time and then switch. We would recommend doing 10 of these each day. Now we're going to go into the second exercise right away. It kind of compliments that one. You can modify this in a seated position if you can't get on your hands and knees. But it's kind of like a child's pose or prayer stretch. So, I have my knees and hands down on the ground. I personally like to touch my feet together. And I sit my butt on my heels, keeping my shoulders where they are. If I'm not feeling much of a stretch, I can creep them forward a little bit. Again, breathe. Try to hold this for three to five breaths, or you can hold it for 15 to 30 seconds. Come back up. And we're going to repeat this 10 times like the other stretch. Brad: Now the reason this compliments that stretch is because it actually stretches the muscles that pull the shoulder blade down. So they work together. Plus you get a low back and hip stretch, as well as ankle stretch, all at the same time. It's really encompassing in a lot of different parts of the body. And I did want to mention also, neck pain and headaches can be relieved from these two stretches combined. Mike: Now Brad, do you want to show how you could do that seated as well? Brad: Oh, yes. Mike: So just take a chair. Brad: Yes. Mike: You can have a solid chair, a rolling chair. Do the same thing. Some people's knees we realize aren't as good. Brad: Yes, of course. Mike: So you can do it like that. Brad: Yeah, so if you got a smooth table, and a chair without wheels, this is what you'll do. Take a towel, put it there. Wipe your face off a little first, I'm just kidding. What we're going to do is slide forward using the towel to minimize resistance. You get the same stretch in the back. The only thing you don't do is get the ankle stretch, but that's okay, we'll get that later. And do that 10 repetitions. It's really important you relax and breathe with all of these. Brad: If you have a chair with wheels, chair with wheels. Mike: This is a stool, but, same thing. Brad: All right. And then you don't need the towel, you simply scoot your butt out, and you get the same stretch. And it works very nice. All right, what's the next one? Mike: I would like to recommend that that's from our friend Rick Olderman , who's a physical therapist. Check out his channel rickolderman.com . Anyway, next one is a hallelujah or "W" stretch. You can do this in a seated position, or a standing position as well. I'll do it standing. Brad: I'll do it seated. Mike: Okay, so what we're going to do is you can either go arms straight up. If you're standing you can arch your back backwards a little bit. And then come back down. Do 10 repetitions. Or, you can do the famous "W," as Brad likes to say, look, my head is the middle of the "W." Brad: There you go. Mike: Make a "W" shape. Brad: Yeah, that's a weird looking "W" there. It's important if you do it in a chair, it cannot be a tall chair. It needs to be a lower chair. And a firm chair works the best so you can arch your back over. And again, breathing and relaxing. Allowing the muscles to stretch, it's great for your posture. It's super for that mid back, as well as the low back. Are we going to go to the next one? Mike: We can, but you can also use a ball if you want a little more rounding in your spine with that one. Brad: Yeah, Mike did invent this idea. Put the soft ball six or eight inches, and you put it wherever you need the stretch. See, now for me, I like it down low. But some people may want it up between the shoulder blades. You'll know. Just actually do it and see what feels best. You'll probably get some back cavitation. In other words, it'll crack a little bit. And that's good for mobilization of those vertebra at that location. What are you doing on there? Mike: We're going to do the next exercise, number four. And this is glute pumps. A lot of people don't engage their glutes enough throughout the day because we sit too much. Brad: We're talking about the glute maximus, the big muscle in your butt, that has a lot to do with your back and how you walk with stabilization of the pelvis. Mike: So if you struggle on your hands and knees, again, Brad will show an alternative option. So you're going to go up. This is a common glute pump most people think of. We're not going to go through the full range of motion. We're going to go somewhere in between. And you're going to do little oscillations. Do 30 repetitions on each side. If you have to break it up in the sets of 10, that's fine. If you're not feeling much glute engagement and it's all in your hamstrings, try rotating your foot in, this will engage the glute max a little more, and perform them like that. Make sure to do them on both sides. Brad: You probably will not want to do these on a bed. Maybe that gives the impression, because we're on this plinth. A carpeted floor will probably work best. You don't have to go on your elbows, you could do it on your hands if you have some issues with that. And again, some people will not be comfortable going down on the floor, or on their hands and knees. So the option is, is a cupboard, like this. Cupboard will probably be a little higher. Either hands or elbows on, depending on your comfort. And then, the same thing, I'm going to work the right hip, that right glute. Bend the knee at about 90 and work that mid range oscillation up and down. So we're not really whipping it hard. We're just giving some good mid-range. And again, you can rotate like this, and that. Ooh, there we go. I can feel that glute maximus kick in. And do again, 30 seconds or 30 reps. Mike: If that feels easy, you could certainly use a cuff weight or a resistance band. You could do the same thing Brad was doing there. It's just going to offer a little bit of resistance. Anyway. Brad: How many people got these laying around in their house? Mike: Everyone. My mother has them. Brad: Does she? Mike: She maybe bought them. Brad: Yeah, but she was a gym teacher, wasn't she? Mike: She just bought them recently. Anyway, the next one, we're going to strengthen the glute medias hip abductor side hip muscles. These muscles keep you upright when you're walking and standing. If they're really weak, some people might have a waddle walk. That means they're not kicking in right. So what you're going to do is kick your leg out to the side. Brad is showing beginner version, holding onto something, kicking out straight. If you want to add more tension and resistance, you can certainly use a band like I am doing. You can do 10 to 15 repetitions of this. Any form of bands work, you can use one of those loop bands as well. Brad: A real important point that people will make a mistake on if you're not aware of it. Look at my foot. This is right. But the natural tendency is to point your toe away from you. We don't want that. Watch the hip. It really makes a difference and gets that proper strengthening done in the pelvis. Particularly if you're one of those people that kind of has a tendency to waddle walk. It's a good exercise to help eliminate that. Mike: With this one, you should shoot for 30 repetitions total on each leg. If you do three sets of 10, two of 15, whatever works. Just pick your numbers you like. What's the next one? Calf stretching, Brad? Brad: I'm still recovering from that recent one. Mike: Well good thing we're working on a different muscle group. So we're working on the calves. You can stretch them many different ways. Brad will show on the wall. I will show on the stairs. Brad, you want to do yours first? Brad: Sure. What are we doing, calf exercise? Mike: Stretches. Brad: Oh, okay. I was thinking of something else. Anyways, daydreaming. Toe forward. Not like this. I'm stretching this calf right there. Look at those nice blue socks, matches my shirt. And I'm going to straighten the knee out, get it back, heel glued to the floor. And I'm going to lean forward. And that stretches a gastrocnemius. You don't need to know that. It's a bigger muscle up here. But you do want to also come forward, toe forward, bend the knee, and then lean forward. And you're going to feel a different muscle, a deeper muscle stretch. And it's important that you do do both. Make sure you do both legs as well so you don't walk in circles. Brad: Mike has a really convenient way to do it off the edge of a step. Mike: So, just stand on the stairs. Hold on for support, otherwise you'll probably tip backwards like that. And you just have to walk your feet off the edge. I have the front or balls of my foot on the step. Then I'm going to relax down into it. I'm going to hold this here for 30 seconds. I actually like to do this for one to three minutes because I have super tight calves. But don't start that high duration right away. Brad: And, did you mention it's important that they're wearing shoes with this? I think if you do it stocking foot or barefoot it will not be very effective or comfortable. Mike: Yes, I typically do these wearing my shoes. Brad: Yes, yes. Mike: And we got one more. And it's a stretch, and it's for the hip flexor muscle. We're going to perform this on the edge of the bed because most people can do this way. Some people struggle stretching it one of the other countless ways. So for this, you're going to lay on the edge of a firm surface of sorts. Your bed might not be firm enough. You can try, maybe put a pillow under your butt. Some people will do it on a countertop or even kitchen table. So I'm going to start bringing both knees to my chest. If I'm stretching my left one, I'm going to drop it off the edge of the mat here. Now I'm going to bend my knee back and I'm going to pull the opposite leg up towards my chest. You can see when I do that, my hip flexor goes up a little bit. I'm just going to try to hold this for 30 seconds. Breathe throughout it. After I do this side, I'm going to switch and perform it on the other side. A couple tips to be aware of. I'll show this leg. Make sure your legs stay straight. Don't let it deviate out to the side like that. Or in, but I don't know who goes in. Most people go out. Brad: Right. So Mike had mentioned the hip flexor. So that when he pulls his knee up and this knee goes up, that's as a result of the tight hip flexor here. Because if I push his knee down, you feel it up here. Yeah, his eyes opened up a little bit. Brad: Anyways. Good. Now there is one little stretch. If you cannot do this because of whatever reason, you don't have a bed, or not getting on the kitchen table is not tolerated. This way, you can do it on a chair. It's like the second best way. And it's safe for people who are not as mobile. Turn sideways. If you have a firm chair with armrest is ideal. And then, go like this, and then bring this knee back. Not like this, up tall, and stretch like this. You'll feel a nice similar stretch. Again, both ways. That's seven, isn't it? Mike: That's all seven. So give them all a try. Pick out your favorites and perform them each day. And if you would like to check out more videos on stretches or exercises you can do, check " 7 Exercises You Should Do Absolutely Everyday! (Updated) ." This one's from four years ago, so it has a few different options in it as well. Brad: Yeah, of course they want to check out more videos. Everyone does. All right, enjoy the day and seven wonderful stretches. For this week’s Giveaway, visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun A7 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun D5 Pro Plus Massage Gun (with heat) D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote EyeOasis 3 Eye Massager Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager G100 Pro Vibration Therapy Massager Hand Massager HandSpa Pro Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   iNeck Pro Neck and Shoulder Massager Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager M7 Plus Mini Massage Gun with Heat Therapy Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraHeat Knee Brace TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun ThermoRed Heated Back Belt Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Zero Pro Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

Should You Have Knee Replacement Surgery? Maybe Not! The first thing we tell our patients is that just because they have knee arthritis does not mean it is going to get progressively worse. Studies show that arthritis can remain stable and even slightly improve in some cases. Before you consider knee surgery, you should attempt a conservative approach. This includes: 1. Physical therapy a. Follow our knee program at bobandbrad.com . It is free. Not even an email. 2. Proper exercises 3. Pain medications 4. Anti-inflammatory drugs or shots. 5. Weight loss. If you have tried the conservative approach and still are experiencing some of the following issues, you may want to consider knee replacement surgery: 1. You require pain medication to get through your day a. Medication and using a cane or walker are not delivering enough relief. 2. Arthritis is interfering with your life. a. If your arthritis is making it difficult for you to go to work. The knee pain may be preventing you from sleeping or waking you up. You may have difficulty walking or climbing stairs. You may have difficulty getting in and out of chairs and bathtubs. 3. Your knees are stiff and swollen. a. Your knee stiffens up from sitting in a car or a movie theater. b. Do you have a painful, stiff, swollen knee? Total knee replacement surgery removes much of the damaged, inflamed tissue inside your knee that causes stiffness and swelling. You experience morning stiffness that typically lasts less than 30 minutes. Your knee stiffens up after prolonged sitting (car, theater, etc.). 4. You have had a knee injury a. If your leg is deformed because of an injury or if you were born with a deformity, surgery may be a good option. Also, if you have had a previous injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of your knee, your knee tends to wear out faster. Knee replacement surgery can repair deformed knee joints and help them work normally again. 5. Your knee hurts even at rest when you rest. a. Most knee pain gets worse when you use your knee while walking, running, or exercising. But if your knee hurts even when you are not using it, you may need surgery to treat moderate or severe pain. 6. Your leg bows in or out. a. During knee replacement surgery, your surgeon will remove all or part of your knee joint and will replace damaged portions with an artificial joint. This artificial joint can correct your leg if it bows in or out. 7. You want to stay physically active. a. Your hip aches during and after exercise. Artificial knee joints can last between 15 and 25 years. If you love skiing, hiking, bowling, etc., but your knee pain is making it difficult to do those things, knee replacement surgery may be a good option. 8. You are just sick of it. 9. You are tired all the time. 10. You have put on or lost weight 11. You feel sad or hopeless due to hip pain Consider these additional points: 1. Most artificial hip joints will last for 10 to 20 years without loosening, depending upon how much stress you place on them. 2. If you wait too long to have a hip replacement, you may become medically unable to tolerate surgery. If you wait too long, you may also lose a lot of strength and endurance and may have a harder time returning to normal activities. Check out the full Knee Pain Relief Program series of videos, along with downloadable guide sheets, here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/knee-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in August 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/09F3vbopLQQ Brad: I've got tight muscles, my back, my neck. Oh, using this chair kind of helps, and it doesn't help. I don't know what to do. Mike: We're going to show you five proven methods to help with your back pain and discomfort that you can do at home. Brad: There you go. Let's go to it. Mike: So today, we're talking about back and neck tightness, and one easy solution you can use at home is heat. Brad: That's right. Now, as therapists, we have used hot packs and heat in many, many situations successfully to relax and get those muscles feeling much better. But there's one major key that we know that a lot of people don't know, and they don't have success using their hot packs; it's all going to be cleared up right here. So Mike, do we have anything to expand on with that? Mike: So you can use a variety of different heat options. We're going to show you how to use a couple of hot packs in different positions for optimal setup, so you can get the most heat on your body part in a good position. Brad: That's right, now, we are actually going to demonstrate on a recliner, when I use a hot pack, this is my go-to place for my low back and my neck. And I think most people do have a recliner, so listen up closely. Now, you notice, at the beginning, I got up out of a recliner with tight muscles and sore muscles in my neck and back. And that is oftentimes a result of a worn-out chair or a chair that's big, fluffy, that allows or actually promotes poor posture. You sit in it and you have poor posture watching the TV or reading a book for an hour, and you get up and everything is tight and it is hard to straighten up. So you need to do some adjustments to the chair when you decide to put the hot pack on your lower back, that's what we're gonna address first. So this hot pack right here we're going to use, this is a nice one shaped for the lower back. Brad: This one is weighted, and it really works well. I actually use this one; it was given to us by a supplier. I absolutely love it because it's weighted, a weighted hot pack really helps, and we'll talk about it more as we go through the information. Now, in a chair, this chair is a new one; it does not have, it has fairly good posture, but it's a little too soft in the low back. I don't have good posture; my lower back it's rounded. So, what you're going to do before you put the hot pack in is put a pillow of some sort. This is a nice lumbar; it actually comes with this chair. I'm going to put that there, and I immediately feel better just with the pillow. Now the back muscles are going to start to relax because you have better posture. And there we go, I put the hot pack there, and now I have a premium way to set up for muscles to relax, feel better all in all, just using that support on the lumbar spine with the hot pack combined. Mike, what else do you have to say about this? Mike: So if you're having neck pain, what you can do is get an optimal setup as well. You may want to put a pillow there, you may not need a pillow there, but you could certainly use a hot pack of sorts, the one Brad had, or there are other options, ones that almost look like superhero capes, you can actually put on for heat to your neck and shoulders . Brad: Right, now, the big thing about that one, again, this is one that I trialed with, and I just absolutely fell in love with it, particularly for the neck and the back. If you take a hot pack that's square-shaped like this, like most of them are, and you put it around, it's hard to wrap it around your neck and hold it there; it kind of comes away, it does not heat up the neck muscles, it's not comfortable, it's just awkward. Brad: However, look at Mike, he's got this on. There we go, it actually conforms, this too is a weighted hot pack. So it actually makes contact with your muscles and your body; that is really important, and it has snaps. Turn around once, Mike. Mike: It has some nice snaps; you can adjust it. I have a big fat neck, so I'm on the very last snap. Brad: Right, so if you are a smaller person, there are three other options that will adjust pretty much for anybody. So that I would definitely use it, and you could use it like Mike was using it. I would recommend, and I have done this at my house in my recliner with my pillow, and even if you're heating up your neck, you still have to have good posture with your lower back, so support the lower back. Use this, it snaps around, it goes around, snaps, and you get really nice, ooh, the snap, right, there we go. And it's, look at that, it clings to the neck, it's comfortable, it works great. It's got this great big tag on here, but I guess there's important information or whatever. Brad: So, anyways, here we go. All right, that is absolutely critical. When you have these components, I guarantee you're going to have much more success with hot packs. All right, now, another thing I found really handy in the recliner for getting rid of those tight muscles. Again, posture, for me, I almost always put something in my lumbar support, definitely feels better. Brad: Now, for my neck, I do want to show you this product Mike has. Mike, can you talk about it a little bit? Mike: So this is an EZBack Massager . So obviously, if you have tight back or neck muscles, massaging the area can feel really nice, loosen things up, and in conjunction with heat, is even more beneficial. However, reaching back there consistently on your own can be fairly problematic, so here, we have the EZBack Massager. Brad: That's right, so one of the first times I used this, I actually put it behind my neck because I found out it works on the neck equally as well as on the back. And I had a, this was on my couch, but it works great on a recliner as well. And now I'm getting a nice massage there. Oh, I thought my mic was going to get all messed up with this, but it's actually, can you hear me? Mike: No, I'm fine. Brad: Yeah, there we go. And one of the first times I used this, I got comfortable and I fell asleep. The nice thing about this is that it turns off after 15 minutes. I woke up, it was turned off, and I realized, Oh, I'm lying here sleeping on the couch. But Mike is going to demonstrate, if you're in bed, it actually works really well, or on a couch, or on the floor. Mike had to take off his mic, no pun intended. So I'm going to talk for him; he has adjusted now, you can put it on your head either direction, whichever feels better. And the nodules, the massage nodules, either contact the upper neck or the lower neck. So adjust it as you want. Mike is getting it ready, so it feels good. How are you doing, Mike? Good. You know, he's acting like a mute person. So do you have to have your hands back there holding it? Mike: No, but it's kind of comfortable. Brad: Whatever you want, now, I sometimes would add a pillow if you want. You can, there you go, now that's lower on the neck, isn't it? Yeah, and I've done that as well, and that really gets those muscles there. Warm, massaging, it's a great product, I love it a lot. And I didn't want to take it away from my house, actually, for this video, but I did. Mike: Now, you can definitely use a hot pack in bed as well if you're comfortable lying on your back. Simply place it on your bed, or say you're on the floor or even couch, lying down, and then you can lie directly on it. If you feel like it's too warm, you can certainly turn down the intensity, or you can add some layers with a blanket towel, or maybe a sweatshirt. Mike: If that's too much and you feel more comfortable lying on your stomach, which some people may do when they're having back pain, depending upon what their issue is, you can lie on your stomach, place a pillow under your abdomen to get a little bit better positioning. And then the nice feature of this one is it's weighted, so you're actually going to get a lot of contact and surface area with the weightedness of it. Now, it's not super weighted and going to push on your spine; it's just kind of a nice, light-weighted hot pack. Brad: Yeah, it's very comfortable. It really is a big advantage, particularly in this position. The only other thing that you want to make sure if you're getting a hot pack, it has a timer on it. You don't want to have one that goes for two hours before it turns off. I like to set them between 20 and 30 minutes, 30 minutes maximum, and have it turn off. You can go longer if you want, if you used it before and you're comfortable with it, but a timer to turn it off, just in case you fall asleep, you don't want to have a hot pack on you for hours on end. All right, so again, using hot packs, we gave you a lot of good information. Positioning is critical. The weighted is really helpful. And again, make sure you have one that turns off. Now, if you're wondering, should I use a hot pack or a cold pack, we have a targeted video, right, Mike? Mike: Yes, you can check out the video " Heat Vs. Cold (Ice) Pack? Avoid This Common Mistake. Infrared Heat? " Brad: There you go. Stay in touch. For this week’s Giveaway, visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun A7 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun D5 Pro Plus Massage Gun (with heat) D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote EyeOasis 3 Eye Massager Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager G100 Pro Vibration Therapy Massager Hand Massager HandSpa Pro Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   iNeck Pro Neck and Shoulder Massager Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager M7 Plus Mini Massage Gun with Heat Therapy Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraHeat Knee Brace TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun ThermoRed Heated Back Belt Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Zero Pro Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in September 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/-N_ZyjtRm1s Brad: Good morning. I just got done with a morning walk. It's a beautiful autumn day outside. Perfect time to get out and walk, but we know some people don't like to walk, can't walk, or have indoor things. What do we have for them, Mike? Mike: So we have three options at the end, if you're not a walker, that you can try. Brad: And there are good options. Mike: So today we're talking about walking, but we need to have some data first, right, Brad? Brad: Right. We have a nice study. We've got it listed below, and it talks about active people, and the bottom line is that they live on average two to four years longer. Mike: Now, a great way to be more active and live two to four years longer is to actually get up and start walking. So we thought we would do it right now. Brad: Right. So I just got in from walking, and we're going to do a little more. Come on in, start marching in place. We'll just walk in place. I do want to talk about the benefits of walking, and we got this information from the Mayo Clinic. Let's go through some of the benefits so people can really understand it. Go on. Mike: So the first benefit is weight loss, and it helps reduce stress. Obviously, you're burning calories and those feel-good hormones from exercising. Brad: That's right. And it also reduces the risk for heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, which is a big thing nowadays. Mike: It can also improve your mood, memory, and sleep. I actually wake up when I start exercising normally. Brad: I'm feeling better already. I bet you guys are too, just marching here. It strengthens the immune system, bone integrity. So if you've got osteoporosis, walking is a great way to get those bones in the legs and the hips, and the back stronger. Mike: Now, if you haven't been walking very much and you want to start a walking program, we're going to give you five guidelines to have success. Brad: That's right. That's going to be the biggest thing, getting started. Or if you were walking and you got out of the program, how to get back in? Now, one thing about walking is that the faster and further, and more frequently you walk, the greater the benefits. Mike: Number two is you want to avoid doing too much too soon. Typically, people can get burnt out or tired. So start with less walking initially and build up over time. For example, start with maybe just five minutes of walking, or if you're a distance person, maybe just try something like two to five blocks. Brad: That's right. I know a number of people actually invigorated to get out there and walk, walk two miles, get sore, their feet are sore, and they're done with it. So make sure you start out easy, like Mike mentioned. And the other thing is that mood thing. Have you ever gotten up in the morning and you are feeling poorly, things aren't going good. Maybe you had a bad day the night before, a bad dream, and you don't want to do anything. Those are the days you want to get out for sure. Even if you walk two blocks and come back, you're going to improve your mood. Everything will go better. So get through the tough days and maybe even have a friend or a family member help give you a little push. Mike: I would recommend having a cup of coffee first, which brightens my day before I walk. But anyway, the next talking point is to avoid boredom; try doing some type of interval training. Now I'm not saying go run a sprint, but maybe one part of the block you walk a little bit quicker pace, and then you slow back down on the other part of the block. Just keep doing that, and they can make it a little more interesting. Brad: That's right. And if you're going to do that and you want to find out, well, how should I do that? 50-50, in other words, walk fast for one block, take one block, and slow down. Get a breath, breathe a little bit. And then when you hit the next block, get going, pick it up again, and repeat that. I do this a lot with my exercises. It just makes it a little less boring and kind of gets me going. It's a great option. Mike: Now I must admit, Brad mentioned a little bit, but option number five is to go walk outside when possible and with a friend or maybe your pet, because it's much more entertaining than standing in place and marching inside like we are right now. Brad: Right. So actually, there are studies, I don't have them sighted on this, but we have them in other videos. Outside in nature, if you can. Don't walk around traffic where you're smelling the fumes from the car and there's stress; get out in nature and go for a relaxing walk, a good way for stress relief, and it makes you feel much better. Mike: But some people can't walk real well. So we're going to show you some other very good options. Brad: Right. You may not, maybe you have a bad knee, whatever it may be. Maybe you just don't like walking, or it's winter time, like here in Minnesota or Wisconsin. Indoors, we're going to go through some options that'll do the same health benefits as walking outside, with the exception of being indoors. Mike: This reminds me of marching band all over again. Brad: Oh, yeah. Were you in a marching band? Mike: Yes. Brad: What'd you play? Mike: The drums. Brad: Wow, we should do that. Alright, let's go Mike: Now, some other options, rather than walking, that are good cardio exercise. A stationary bike, like I am on, or Brad has a FitGlide there. We're going to go through some more options, but these are good because they're low to no-impact options. So they're good on your joints if you have some arthritis going on. Brad: Right, we just have a sample there of a stationary bike, but there are probably 30 different stationary bikes you could buy. You just go online and see what works for you. Try them out at the store and health club. Now the FitGlide is a really nice one, very low impact. And the big benefit is extremely light. Weighs about three pounds, you can put it in the closet and take it with you when you travel. So this is an option. There are other devices similar to this as well. Mike, did we miss any yet? Mike: No. If you happen to go to a gym or own an elliptical , an elliptical is a good option. You have to be comfortable standing up and getting on them yourselves, but they are very low-impact compared to walking or even running, so they're a good option as well. Brad: So one of my favorite machines is actually the rowing machine , where you sit down on it and actually row. Now we have an elliptical rowing machine that I just got at my house, put it together. We're going to show you a little clip of it, and I'll be on it. It's nice because the seat is up off the ground. Brad: A lot of rowing machines I've used they're very low to the ground, and some people will have problems with that. That's why this rowing machine has big benefits that way. It's built very well. Anyways, look at that. But if you just want to do the marching or the walking inside, like we were doing earlier, maybe you did join us, Mike, we've got a good option for that. This is really good. Mike: Yeah, check out Jordan, someone who is working with us, and she creates follow-along workout routines. They change in duration, but here's a 10-minute one, " 10 Minute Walking Workout for Seniors ." Brad: And that video has a lot of views, so we know people like it. It's very popular. 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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.

Knee pain can have a dramatic impact on your quality of life. Knee surgery can remove pain and restore function, but the decision to proceed with knee surgery should be made carefully. Here are 7 questions to ask your knee surgeon before proceeding with surgery. 1. Can You Try Physical Therapy First? This question is tied to question two. If there is minimal risk to having knee surgery later, why not try a conservative approach to treating your knee problem now? Some patients may not require knee surgery. 2. What is the risk of not performing surgery now? What could happen if you wait six months? One year? The question is whether avoiding surgery for 6 months or a year will compromise the long-term outcome. This issue needs to be discussed with your physician. Or the other possibility is that your health status could change, and you might not be able to tolerate surgery later. All factors should be discussed with your surgeon. 3. What are the alternatives to knee surgery? A conservative approach to the treatment of the knee should be employed whenever possible. As already stated, some patients may not require knee surgery. In addition to physical therapy, anti-inflammatories, injections, and education may be enough to obtain an acceptable recovery. For example, while a knee problem may not heal, the patient may still obtain good long-term function after a period of rehab. 4. What is your expected length of recovery? How many days will you be in the hospital after surgery? These questions need to be asked so that you can plan your life and manage your expectations. Some of these should be asked right away, and some can be asked at a follow-up appointment. Specifically, you should ask your surgeon or their assistant: Recovery Sub-Questions: a. How long will you need to follow the knee precautions? Knee precautions are guidelines given to the patient after surgery, and may include such things as how much weight one can place on the knee. b. Will you need full-time or part-time care? If so, for how long? c. Will you need a hospital bed at home? d. How soon will you be able to walk after surgery? Weight-bearing status. e. Will you need crutches or a walker? If so, how long? f. When can you lie on the operative side? g. How soon will you be able to climb stairs after surgery? h. When can you shower after surgery? i. When can you drive? j. How soon will I be able to resume normal lifestyle activities besides walking (e.g., work, housework, gardening, etc.)? k. What are your lifting limits? l. When is sexual intercourse feasible after surgery? m. Which sports can you participate in? n. When can you return to sporting activities? o. How soon can you resume housework, gardening, etc? 5. How many procedures do you perform every year? How many surgeries of this type have you done? You should ask your surgeon what they specialize in and how many surgeries of this type they have done yearly and in total. Volume is associated with outcome. Surgeons who perform a procedure more often have lower complication rates and better outcomes than those who do so less often. 6. What are the risks of complications, and what is your complication rate? a. If possible, you should try to find out the general complication rate for your surgery. You can then compare it to the surgeon’s specific complication rate for that surgery. 7. If you are going to undergo knee joint replacement surgery, you should ask these specific questions. a. What is the implant made of? Will you set off metal detectors at the airport? b. How long will your joint replacement last? c. What can you do to help keep your joint replacement working as long as possible? (May ask physical therapist) d. What activities or factors could make your joint replacement wear out more quickly? (May ask physical therapist) e. Will you need antibiotics for dental care? Check out the full Knee Pain Relief Program series of videos, along with downloadable guide sheets, here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/knee-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in August 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/A1YQkKC504I Mike: Have you been dealing with neck pain on and off for years, and you're not sure what else to try? Brad: We're going to explain how neck pain can easily be caused by the scapula or the shoulder blade. Mike: We're going to be talking about neck pain and the shoulder blade, so time for an anatomy lesson from Brad. Brad: That's right. We mentioned, or I mentioned, that neck pain can come from the shoulder blade, specifically from being depressed or down too far. This represents the muscle that connects his shoulder blade to the neck. There are a couple of them. There's more than just one. But what happens is the shoulder blade goes down, the muscle stretches, and it causes pain in the neck area. If we can get the shoulder blade to go back up where it belongs, taking the stress off that muscle, neck pain can go away. Mike: So we're going to get into four different tips here. A couple of them are stretches, and some of them are practical everyday tips. Brad: That's right. Now, the first stretch is we need to get the latissimus dorsi, which does, if it's tight, we'll help pull that scapula in a downward position where we do not want it. Mike, this is an easy stretch. Show them how. Mike: Yes, it's actually a passive shoulder stretch. We will show another variation if you can't get on your knees, like I am. So what I'm going to do is put my feet together, knees out wide, and I'm going to start sitting my butt on my heels and keeping my shoulders in the same place. If I'm not getting much stretch, I can crawl forward a little bit, like this. We're going to breathe and relax. This is going to stretch those lat muscles, which could be tight in pulling that shoulder blade down. Hold it for roughly five breaths, or 30 seconds, and we're going to come back up. We're going to repeat this five to 10 times. Mike: Now, if you have one side that's more problematic than the other, say, my left side is, I'm going to reach over to my right, get more of a stretch there again, breathe and relax, and then come back up. Brad: That's right. That really helps get that shoulder blade where it needs to be. Again, Mike said if you're having problems or it's not comfortable for you to go on your hands and knees, simply go up to a table like this. Mike, could you see if that towel's over there? Sit on a chair. If you have one that has wheels, it's better yet. But we'll show you both ways with a stationary chair as well. If you're on a table, a nice smooth table, simply take a towel of some sort, put it there. And this is if you have no wheels on your chair. A lot of kitchen tables don't have it. So then what we're going to do is be here, the chair will be stationary, and simply slide your hands across. That's what the towel does to allow that stretch. And I'm feeling that stretch right where Mike talked about it and do that, like he said, up to five repetitions or more. If I go over to one side, that will stretch my right lat even more. Brad: If you do have one with wheels, you can keep your hands stationary and simply go out with the chair and come back up for the same number of reps and time. I'm feeling stretched, Mike. What's the next one? Mike: We're going to get into exercise number two. You're going to need a wall or door for this one. It's just simply going to be sliding your arm up the wall. This is going to help teach the muscles on top of your shoulder blade, either your levator scapula or upper traps, to help engage again to get your shoulder back in place when you're doing overhead activities. So, I'm going to work on my left side here. I'm going to place my pinky and my elbow on the wall. And I'm going to slide up as far as I comfortably can. If you are stuck here feeling pain, that's fine. Stop there, come back down. The goal is to eventually try to get up as high as you can. As I go up, I lean into the wall like this. I'm going to hold it roughly 15, 30 seconds, or three to five breaths, depending upon how you want to count. And I'm going to come back down. It's important to keep your lats engaged when I'm pulling back down. So when I'm pulling down, I'm actually squeezing my lat muscle as well. So we're stretching and engaging all the muscles in the shoulder complex there. Brad: Right, when you get up to this point, think about moving that shoulder blade up, and that helps get these muscles up here that pull it up to activate a little bit stronger to make the exercise more effective. Mike: Now, you could try this on both sides just to compare and say, both sides are kind of rough, and you enjoy the stretch. Personally, at home, I'll do both at the same time because it just saves me time when I'm doing this exercise. Brad: There you go. The next exercise is important for posture, because posture is also critical to keep the shoulder and the scapula in place where they need to be. Good posture, posture, posture. This one, you're going to take one hand, put it on your sternum. The other hand on your abdomen. And what we're trying to avoid is when people try to have good posture, they pull and squeeze their shoulder blades back together. And that's not what we're looking for. We want to think about bringing the rib cage up towards the ceiling, and that elevates the shoulders. And then your shoulders will be completely relaxed. We're here and here, think about it, and then you could just palpate your stomach muscles, and you're not going to feel them contract too much. They will do a little bit. But once we get here, the shoulders should be relaxed while we have that good posture as opposed to squeezing them back. Anything more to add with that, Mike? Mike: The purpose of this is to engage your core or your abs. That's what keeps your trunk upright. If you're upright in good posture, it's pretty easy for your core just to sit here. If you try to squeeze your shoulder blades back all day, you're going to get fatigued or just have cramps in your shoulder blades. So, just a simple technique, hold it here for a few breaths, then relax and keep this engaged. Brad: This is something you can do throughout the day when you're sitting, just to remind yourself that that posture's good, and over time it becomes a habit. Mike: So we're going to go into the last tip, tip number four. And that is positioning when you're seated. Now, if you're in a normal chair like I am without an elevating armrest here, you're stuck in this position. It may feel comfortable for you, but if you have a sore shoulder, you might want to get some pressure off it by elevating it and relaxing it. So I am stuck here. Can't go any higher. What you can do is simply take some pillows, fold them into the side that is problematic, and look how much higher this is, supporting my arm while I'm sitting, taking pressure off of that shoulder blade and your neck. So, decreasing the amount of pain you might be having in your neck region. Brad: That's right. This happens to be one of the things that Bob, with this protocol, felt gave him the most pain relief in his neck, just by having his arm supported while he was working at the computer. Mike: Now, if you have a computer chair with adjustable armrests and you can pitch the angle high enough, you can certainly use that. That's perfectly fine as well. Brad: That's right. Some people have those who are not aware of it. Push the little button, pull it up, adjust it to fit your body. Mike: So those are all four tips. Make sure to do all of them. Don't just try one because they all work together. Try them for a few weeks and see how your headaches and neck pain feel. Brad: That's right. This is one of those things that's not only going to help with your neck. You'll all of a sudden notice, Oh, I used to have neck pain while I was working here. And it also helped your breathing and other things as well. Low back, upper neck, upper, everything. It's really posture, posture, posture. Mike: Now, if you want to check out more videos, this one specifically is more on headaches, which are very common with neck pain. You can check out the video " Stop Your Headaches NOW. A NEW Approach that May Surprise You. (NeuroScience) ," and also comment on your favorite Brad quote of the day. Brad: Yeah. Mike: What is it? Brad: Strong, like a bull. Tall, like a mountain. Whatever you want. It's a family show. How about that one? 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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 August 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/fxbPADn6C5E Brad: How are you feeling, Mike? Mike: Great. Brad: So am I. Now, if I told you that it only took three exercises and less than five minutes to get you feeling great and feeling younger every morning, I have a feeling you'd say, "What is it? Show me." Mike: Does it make your hair grow back? Brad: Well, we don't talk about that. Mike: Dang it. Anyway, this routine for seniors is designed to help you overcome three significant challenges we all face as we age, and the first one is that it improves your circulation. Brad: That's right, and the next one is that gravity pulls our posture down and creates that hunch back, head forward. We're going to show you an exercise to reverse that. Mike: And last, it's to get something new because you may be complacent with your current routine, and you're getting bored with it, or just not doing it. Brad: There you go. So we suggest and encourage you to follow along. It's very simple and it's fun to do. Mike: Now we suggest doing this routine within the first 20 minutes of waking up to limber you up and get you feeling good, and I'm going to be showing them all in a seated position for some individuals, and Brad will be showing them all in standing ones. Brad: That's right, and I encourage you to do these in a firm chair with armrests good. I'm doing them on a stool. It all depends on your level of independence right now. Use good judgment, be safe. Now, the first thing we're going to do is the circulation. So, sit in your chair upright. If you're able to stand, you're going to stand up, arms up, open and close the fingers, take a deep breath and exhale, and back down. That's one. We're going to do five of these. Go ahead. Up, deep, ready? Deep breath in. Excuse me. Brad: Open those eyes up so you know everything is out there and back in. Are we in two or three? Mike: We're on three, and you're very loud. You must have had an extra cup of coffee this morning. Brad: Oh, yeah. The caffeine is going. I should have gone to the decaf. Okay, we're on number four. Mike: I think you said should have. It wasn't a swear word there, though it sounded close. Brad: Ooo, yeah. This is a family show, and we do promote that vigorously. So we're using a lot of muscles here in the legs, hips, and arms. We are getting the circulation moving. It's going to help wake you up immediately. Okay, now we're going to go on to posture, because posture, as we mentioned, can really throw a kink into how you look and how you feel. I'm going to do it standing. Mike'll do it in a seated position. Do whatever works best for you. Now this one, we're going to just come up in a "W' position with our arms, take a deep breath, and we're going to pull the shoulders back. If you're seated, it works very well because you can use the back of the chair to lean into as a little fulcrum point. You can also go against the wall. Lean right into it and see if you can get your arms in that W position, flattened against the wall. That's a good posture that you know is perfect, then, head to the wall without looking up, and then do that three to five times. Brad: This is one you can do throughout the day without being on the wall or in the chair, or you can do it in the chair. Remind yourself of posture, posture, and more posture. Did I say posture enough? Mike: I think a few times. I would say if you happen to have bad shoulders and you can't reach up this high, you could still typically squeeze your shoulder blades together and extend your spine like this at least to get a little movement. Brad: Excellent point. I'm glad you brought that up, Mike. Okay, now the last one we're going to address, actually getting some aerobic type activity. If you're seated and walking is not an option, Mike, go ahead. Mike: You can simply march in place. Take your time. Don't just run through it. You're going to go nice, slow, and controlled, and we're going to do this for a time. So if you're new, maybe a minute, you can work up to three minutes. Brad is doing it standing in place, working on his balance a little bit more. Brad: Yeah, and if you feel a little off balance, hand on the wall, on the cupboard. If you have a walker, please hold that. Depending on your ability, if you want to get your hips worked out, I like to do the knee circle if it's safe for you. We got 30 seconds so far, Mike. Mike: 30 seconds. Are we actually doing this for three minutes? Brad: Well, we might as well. Mike: Now, if you are mobile and active and you can walk and you'd rather walk instead, you can do that. Brad: That's right. Get out there, and I encourage you to walk outside if you can. If the weather's good, and everything is good. Now, the thing that really is going to help is if you do this with a partner or a friend, maybe meet someone down the block, maybe someone in your house. Do them together, have a little fun with it. Chat a little bit back and forth because by now you're awake, you're feeling alert, and there's a little more to talk about. You can say, "Oh, Mike, you really got some really nice-looking toes there." Mike: That's a weird conversation starter, Brad. Brad: It is. But you know when your old toes are a big thing. Mike: If you want to be more normal, just talk to your pets like I do, do that instead. Brad: Yeah, there you go. All right, we may not make the three minutes, but please go ahead and continue with that. All right, so continue walking and marching as long as you want. I would try for three minutes initially. I really do encourage you, after you get used to this, and you've done it for a few days, do it in the afternoon as well. Again, it's going to take five minutes or less to start with, and it can go longer. It's one of these things that can really make a big difference in your day, make you feel better. And Mike, any other advice? Mike: Yes, for another video, you can check out " 10 Minute Seated Exercises For Seniors, Elderly, & Older People ." Brad: There you go, and it has a lot of views; people are enjoying that one as well. Have a good day. 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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.

Knee pain can occur at any age due to a sporting injury or a fall. But, as we age knee pain may begin to emerge for no apparent reason. We saw one statistic stating that 10 percent of 40 to 50-year-old people reported having knee pain. That number increased to 25 percent with 70-year-old (or older) people. The typical scenario we see is as follows. A 50, 60, or 70-year-old person begins having some knee pain. It is not going away. They see the doctor who orders some type of imaging test (X-rays, MRI, CAT scan). The test reveals they have significant degeneration or osteoarthritis in the knee. The patient now understands why they are having so much pain. So, they try medications, injections, and maybe even surgery to get rid of the hip pain. However, meanwhile no one has told them the truth. 1. The truth is that what they are seeing on the imaging tests may just be the result of normal aging and wear/tear. It may not be the cause of their pain. Their non-painful knee may look worse. Studies have shown time and time again that imaging studies may show significant deterioration and arthritis in a joint belonging to a person with absolutely no pain. So, what is causing your hip pain? More than likely, it is your daily habits and stresses on your knee. In addition, your knee may be tight and weak. Change your habits and stressors. Improve your hip motion and strength. Do both and your hip pain may dramatically improve. Either way what have you got to lose. The exercises and habits will be helpful to your hip even if you do require surgery. Some additional lies and myths we hear or see on a regular basis. 2. “My knee arthritis is going to continue to degenerate and my pain is going to get progressively worse”. Not necessarily true. We have seen several studies that demonstrate your pain may remain the same or even improve over a period of time - despite X-rays showing continued deterioration of the joint. Bob’s wife is a great example. She had a flareup of her knee joint to the extent that she required crutches. That was over three years ago. She is now back to running (at age 57). 3. “I wore out my knee due to years of doing (fill in the blank) – running, hiking, roofing, etc.” Not true, the active people tend to have better joints than the inactive or sedentary people. Sedentary people area also more likely to be overweight which places increased stress on their joints. 4. “I don’t want to make my arthritis worse, so I am going to rest my knee.” Resting the knee (beyond a day or two) can make your arthritis worse. Joints love movement. Most people are not active enough to gain the motion or maintain the strength they need in their knee. The exception to the need for movement of the knee is when the knee arthritis has advanced so far that the knee is nearly immobile. 5. “My mom had arthritis and she suffered with it for years. The same is going to happen to me.” Again, not necessarily. Some types of arthritis are inherent, but it is amazing how the body can adapt if you change your daily harmful knee habits and improve your knee strength and range of motion. 6. “I am going to eventually need a knee replacement so I might as well do it now.” This may be true IF your knee pain does not improve through exercises and improving daily habits. It may also be true IF you are concerned you will not be able to medically tolerate knee surgery in the future. However, if your pain does improve and you are healthy it is to your advantage to hold off on joint replacement surgery if your quality of life is not suffering. Speak to your doctor about trial of physical therapy before considering hip surgery. Check out the full Knee Pain Relief Program series of videos, along with downloadable guide sheets, here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/knee-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in August 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/XysNNay_uX8 Brad: Have you ever spent time people watching and observing their posture? And you might see some people with that head-forward, hunched back posture, and you kind of feel bad for them. But the big question is, maybe you're one of those people. Mike: So in this video, we're going to show you how to self-assess if you have a hunched back posture and how to correct it. Brad: That's right. Let's get to it. Mike: Well, what are we talking about today, Brad? Brad: We're talking about neck hump and that slump posture. And I'm going to show you, as we mentioned, a way to self-assess all by yourself. It's very simple, all you need is yourself and a wall. So put yourself in your normal posture and simply walk, not too fast, but slowly, with good control, towards the wall. Now, if your head hits the wall first, you know you have at least a slight head forward posture, maybe more. Brad: Because if I go into the wall and I straighten myself up, good posture, watch what happens here. My chest hits the wall first. Then you know you have good posture. Brad: So if you hit your head first, you get a bump, you turn around immediately, put your butt to the wall, your shoulder blades to the wall, and this is going to assess if you can get good, perfect posture without stretching. So we're going to bring our butt to the wall, our shoulders to the wall, and the back of the head will touch with the chin tucked in. Brad: I can do it, but it might be, if you've been slouched for years, you might be all contracted, muscles tightened up, and you won't be able to get your head to touch the wall with your chin tucked in. You're going to have to go like that. Then you're going to work on the stretches. We're going to go through a complete set, and you can get back to good posture in just a matter of time. Mike: Before that, how many fingers am I holding? I feel like you're concussed now. Brad: Yeah, four. Mike: Oh, okay, perfect. Brad: Alright. Okay, now, one of the things that works well to make sure you have good posture is you can take a stick, we're using the Booyah Stik . It can be any stick that's five feet long or thereabouts. Mike, can you turn this way? Now we're going to pretend it's a wall. It's touching at the shoulders. Mike, grab above your head. Grab the stick there, grab below. Okay, now it's touching his shoulder. Now Mike's going to make this stick touch the back of his head and his butt. And you can see his back, and everything is in line. It's straight. Now, from this, you can actually do squats to make sure you maintain while you're moving. You don't have to do squats, but you can actually walk around like this and get a feel for what good posture feels like. Mike: Is this where the saying, 'I got a stick up my butt,' came from? Brad: Ah, that's not a family show. Now, if you want to take it to the extreme and have this throughout today, you simply take some tape, duct tape it around the head and the waist that's touching. Go ahead and walk around. Mike, go ahead and tell them how it feels. Mike: I feel like a mummy. I can't really walk much, but at least my spine is straight. Brad: Yeah, exactly. Obviously, I am joking about this. I don't expect anybody to do this, but I think it proves the point on what you can do with this stick and how your body feels really awkward when it's in good posture after being slumped for so long. Let's go on to the next. The next exercise we're actually going to show you. It's the same thing. You can do it on the wall or the floor. Mike will be doing it down there. Simply get you that posture we talked about earlier. And then hands up against the wall. You'll find your elbows and hands may not get there yet, but work on them. Bring your hands up and down. Tuck the chin in. If your chin does not go in far without your head touching, you can do overpressure. Get that first and then work the arms. Look down at what Mike is doing. It actually works better down there because he's using gravity. So work either way or both. Go ahead, Mike. Mike: If you're a beginner, I would say you may want to start with just your arms straight at your side. It's a little easier. This feels a little more advanced. And you can just kind of do snow angels to begin with. Do what you can comfortably. Again, when you have your back on the floor, gravity is just holding you there. So I find it easier than the wall. Brad: Yeah, and you may progress to the wall. We've got another easy one you can do every time you walk through a door. I really like this and do it myself at home. Mike: Here's our stairway to nowhere. So just go here. You're going to do a "W" again, but use the frame of the door. I'm making a "W," and then I lean forward into it to get a nice stretch. This is going to work on your back extension up top. And it's also going to stretch your pec muscles, because oftentimes with forward posture, your pecs get tight, so we need to stretch those as well. So just go through a doorway, you can hold this for 15 to 30 seconds. Brad: That's right. Now, the biggest thing to think about with this is your head. Go ahead, lean forward, and don't let your head go forward, and then you're actually making the problem worse. Make sure your head is back, and you're going to think about having that Booyah Stik back there. Maybe you could try it with the Booyah Stik taped to you like I did earlier. You know, I bet you some people would do it, actually, Mike. Mike: Yeah, I just did. Brad: And you liked it, he really did. The next one, we all sit in chairs. Some of us sit in chairs for long periods of time. While you're sitting there, we're going to do another form of the "W" stretch. Simply, don't do this in a soft chair, a firm chair, like a desk when you're at the computer or your workstation, at the supper table, back like this. Chin goes in, stretches back there, and Bob's famous, what's that again? Mike: Hallelujah. Brad: Hallelujah stretch. Hallelujah, stretch it up and back. Now Mike did something; he invented something with this. Mike: Yes, I invented the kickball. Brad: Show them, Mike. It's actually the use of a ball like this that works well. Do it, Mike. Mike: So just take a ball, place it wherever you feel like you need, maybe wherever your back is starting to round forward, so you can place it higher up, in this case. And you're gonna do the same exact thing, except for using the ball as a fulcrum. If your shoulders have problems, you don't have to lift them up, but you get a bit more stretch when your shoulders are involved as well. You can do the "W" shape, you can do straight arm shape, whatever is ever comfortable. Just find that region and do some repetitions using the ball as a fulcrum. If you say you bend lower, just move the ball down lower and focus on that area. Brad: Yeah. Now, Mike, you started this with real-life patients about 15 years ago, wasn't it? Mike: Well, I've only been working for 12 years, so it's been more like 12 years ago. Brad: Oh, well. Mike: But sure. Brad: Yeah, he's a natural. Alright, now we have one more thing that's actually invented specifically for that posture and eliminating that hunchback. Mike: I think you failed to mention the Booyah Stik stretch here. Brad: Oh, yes. Mike: In the back. He got so excited, he forgot one. Brad: Yep. Mike: So again, you're just gonna take a stick of sorts. You could use a broom handle, whatever you've got at your house, put it behind you. If you have shoulder issues, wider out will be easier for you. If you don't have shoulder issues, you can grab a little closer. And again, you're going to work on doing chin tucks, go backwards. This is going to work as your counter force. Kind of similar, when we had a chair, and you're just going to go back like this, and Brad's going to do it with his walking stick. Brad: Yeah, this is one I do at least three days a week. And I really like the stretch on my shoulders in the front. I can tell I'm a little tight there. Now, can we get going with the. Mike: The posture pad? Brad: Yeah, the Posture Pad , again, specifically designed for this, we're going to show you how to use it on the floor. It has tennis balls that stick in there. We're going to pull those out. That's for the advanced version. We'll show you the beginner version. Actually, I think Bob really came up with the idea, and then I helped with the development of it. But if you look at it, this is going to give your back a chance to arch back where that hunch is and unhunch the back, if you will. There's a radius on there, so it can be specific to the location and comfortable. Oh, should I look over here? No, no, oh yeah. Mike: Me. Stay in your camera. Brad: Okay, now look. Can we see right there? I'm going to go just below the neck, so I'm getting on T2. There we go. If you're not familiar with what I'm talking about, it's therapy talk, a little bit. And I'm going to arch right over. Oh, I just got a cavitation, in other words, my back cracked. Oh, it feels good. This can work out well. Now I'm going to move up a little bit to get to the next level. Stretch back over that. Brad: Now, if you notice muscles are tight on each side of your spine, that's where the balls come in place, because those balls are going to press on those muscles and give them a static massage, if you will. And allowing, ooh, that feels good. Yeah, there we go. Allowing those muscles to relax and everything goes good. Mike, do you have any comments about the posture pad? Mike: Just take it easy. Go slow. If you need more cushioning, you could certainly add a towel over it for beginners. Some people may just lie there and not put their arms above their heads. It may be too aggressive early on. I know personally, my father, who is 70 years old, is a little aggressive early on, so he actually may need a pillow underneath his head. Slowly get rid of that. If you really have that forward head posture, that's a good beginner way to do it. Brad: Yeah. Mike: Brad's grabbing a pillow now so he can take a nap. Brad: Yeah, yeah, you brought some excellent points. I've been doing it for a while, so I'm very comfortable without the pillow or lying a towel over the balls for a little comfort. Wow, I'm actually getting warm, Mike. Sweaty. Mike: Well, that's good. Brad: Yeah. Mike: So give all of those options a try. Pick which one works best for you. They all essentially do a similar concept, so just pick one or two and do them each day, a couple times a day. Brad: That's right, posture, posture, posture, it's all about that. We got another video that also emphasizes this. Mike: Yes. If you want to stop walking with a hunched-over posture, you can check out our video, " How To Stop Walking Hunched Over! 5 Best Fixes " . 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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 August 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/JSi0XvL-OMk Brad: Oh, wow, this big toe pain is really making me limp. Boy, does it ever hurt. Mike: So today we are going to be discussing the best treatment options for big toe pain, addressing subjects like gout, bunions, arthritis, and sesamoiditis. Brad: That's right, I was going to say arthritis, also known as Hallux rigidus, which means your big toe is stiff. I want to get into the acute phase, actually, when that toe is red and inflamed, and it came on for no apparent reason. Sometimes that can be gout. Now, if you suspect you have gout, you should go to a doctor, have it evaluated, and make sure it's diagnosed properly so you get the proper medication. You can, however, treat it with simple things like an NSAID, for example. Mike: Tylenol or Ibuprofen. Brad: Whatever works best for you. Also, elevate the foot if you have swelling in there. So, in your chair, make sure you have pillows underneath it so it's higher than your heart. This helps the fluid come downward. Also, make sure you drink plenty of water. Mike: Also, it's important to avoid inflammatory foods. Everyone reacts differently to different food groups, but typically, if you're having tons of salt and sugar, you want to cut back on those things. Brad: That's right. Now, the footwear that you're using, regardless of what the diagnosis is, whether it's gout, arthritis, or anything, it's very imperative that your feet, the forefoot, and the toes are not squished in. Mike, do you want to talk about some real basics of proper footwear? Mike: So if you look here, this is a normal, typical shoe. This is a shoe with a wide toe box, and it's typically called zero drop. Mike: That just means the amount off the ground your heel and your forefoot are the exact same. You could see the narrowing of the toe box here. This can cause a lot of issues with great toe pain, including bunions, sesamoiditis, and a whole lot of other issues. So getting better footwear can allow your foot to return to more of a natural foot shape. Like my monkey feet here. Brad: Yeah, you've got a beautiful foot there. The zero-drop part he's talking about really is not the important part, but it is that you have the wide toe box. If you look at these, these are both wide toe boxes, which means it's not squishing or pushing your toes in together. Brad: But for most cases, you're probably going to want to have a cushioned sole. This one is not cushioned. If I do the one finger test, in other words, to see how flexible the sole is, very easy. The one with a cushion, more rigidity, and it offers support on that great toe, and we'll talk about why that's important a little bit, the cushion as well. Mike: So now we want to get into sesamoiditis. It's a big fancy term for basically saying you have pain right here. Mike: This is your first MTP, or metatarsal phalangeal joint, basically where your toe connects to your foot. Now this area can get problematic for people who run a lot, dancers, and people who are on their forefoot quite often. So what are some options to help relieve this pain? Brad: Actually, the cushion, just get the wide toe box with the cushion throughout, and that's going to be helpful. Now, the other thing is simply to use common sense. If your toe is flared up from whatever diagnosis, you need to stay off of it when it's very tender. In other words, hiking, walking, particularly on uneven surfaces, can really irritate it. Basic common sense: listen to your body. Now, let's get into that chronic pain where your toe's been bothering you, but you can still use it for long periods of time. Range of motion, or actually stretching the toe out, can be very helpful. However, if you have not done any range of motion or stretching specifically on the great, or the big toe, do it gently the first time. You could flare it up and make it sore, and you might say bad things about me. So we would not want to have that. Take these gently. After the first day, you might want to wait a day and go after it again the next day, and then work on it daily, or even more than once a day as you get going. We're going to talk about the first, the great toe only has two joints in it. This one, the one that we call the first MTP joint, don't worry about what that acronym is for. That joint is usually the one that causes the most problems. We're going to get after that, though, the most aggressively, but we need to work on ranging the toe out. Now Mike's going to do it in a figure four position. Works very well. I'm going to do it off a chair, which also works well. Do whatever works best for you. And now I'm going to actually show my foot. Mike: Oh my goodness. Brad: I just cut my toenails, so things are looking very good. I wanted to make sure that was clear. All right, so first we're going to work on the range of motion of extension and flexion, just a general range. It's a good way to start. All you need to know is two fingers. Mike, just pop in when you have something to say that works well for you or people you have worked with. Mike: Just gently do it, push down and go up. Obviously, if you have arthritis in there, it's probably going to take a few repetitions to warm up. You can aim for 10 reps, you can go up to 30 reps, whatever feels comfortable for you, and let's go into the next motion. Brad: Yeah, mine's already starting to crack and pop a little bit; it's loosening up. Now, if you want to get a little more aggressive, and some of you will need to do this, or want to after you've done it for a few days, you can actually pull up and get that extension, which is going up. That is important for when you walk on this heel part of the gait, which we won't get into, but this is what happens to the toe. And then also make sure you go down and push. You can see I'm working both joints fairly aggressively. When I put this joint right on the edge of this stool, it works there. And I could go here and just isolate that joint. Again, that one, the farthest one by your toenail, is not really needed so much. Brad: Work that, and then the next direction is going sideways. Now this can be really helpful, particularly if you have bunions, because the toe gets pushed in because of our footwear, particularly with pointed footwear with high heels that really squish those toes together. Mike's doing a real nice job. Go ahead, Mike, talk about it. Mike: You tend to get some leverage if you push down roughly where your bunion area would be. So I'm keeping my thumb there. Oftentimes, if you have a bunion, your toes are squished like this. So just do what's comfortable. Obviously, I have a little bit more range of motion, but even I feel a stretch right there if I start pulling out. So just kind of pull out, hold for a few seconds. You can kind of range going in and out. You're just going to feel a good stretch in there, and I'm actually enjoying this right now. Brad: Well, good for you, Mike. And he's only like 35 or something like that. Wait till you get to be 60. Now you can take a gauze roll. This is a really good static way, in other words, a passive way to stretch the great toe. This is, I actually have some Coband which works really well, but a gauze roll works good, and you simply put it between your toes like this. There you go, can you see that? Mike: Get a good stretch. Brad: Yeah, it feels good. Now, the thing you do with it, you just leave it in there for maybe a half hour or whatever is tolerated. You can actually walk around barefoot with this, and it'll stay in as long as you have the right size. Really good idea, stretch the toe out. You can actually put it through some of your other toes if you want, but we're talking about the big daddy, great toe, that's all we're going to address. Mike, what else did we forget? Anything? Mike: They do make toe spacers if you want to have a product that actually fits in between all your toes. Some are made for sitting, some are walking. You can check them out as an option. But there's another thing we want to talk about is actually kind of distracting the toe a little bit, or pulling it up, and you can add a little bit of a rotational component to it. Obviously, it's not as mobile as your hip joint, which is actually a ball and socket, but you just kind of pull up, get a little distraction, and then do a little rotation. That might work for some people. Brad: Now, the last stretch I want to show is what we call mobilization in the therapy world. This is a little more aggressive. You do need to have like a solid edge, like on this stool. And if I'm gonna mobilize the first joint that we talked about here, we put that joint on the edge, and I'm going to stabilize the bone in this area so it doesn't move. Grab the bone on the other side of the joint, and I'm going to move it up and down. If we can get a close-up of that, I'm going to pull up and down. There will not be a great deal of movement there for most people, but you are actually mobilizing the joint specifically. It can be a good way to work on it. If you want to do the next joint, you can, but it's harder to do that one, and then usually, oh, I've got some pretty good movement there. Look at that. Mike: That's kind of hard to get that little one. Brad: Yeah, it is. Well, if you have a round edge, that's a good example. Off the edge of a bed will not work very well. You need a firm edge there. Okay, good. So I think you'll want to go through these stretches. You'll find some work better than others depending on the needs of your big toe and what your diagnosis is. Again, all those stretches are good. If you've heard the diagnosis, Hallux Rigidus, hallux means big toe, rigidus means it's tight and needs some movement. Now, as far as a massage gun, really the only application for a great toe mobilization is on the bottom of the foot close to the first MTP joint, or right here where I'm demonstrating. Brad: You're not going to massage the great toe at all. Just a little warning for that. Mike, what else? We got another video going on coming up? Mike: If you want to check out more videos on big toe pain, specifically Sesamoiditis, where we get more in-depth on it, you can check out " Sesamoiditis-Home Remedies- What is It? (Pain at the base of Big Toe) ." Brad: Yeah, I like that word, sesamoiditis. "Itis' means inflammation, sesamoidea, see, we should educate our viewers on how these terms originated. Mike: Yeah, just watch the other video, I'll tell you. Brad: There you go. All right, enjoy, have a good toe, and have a good walk. Mike: Have a great toe. Brad: There you go. For this week’s Giveaway, visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun A7 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun D5 Pro Plus Massage Gun (with heat) D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote EyeOasis 3 Eye Massager Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager G100 Pro Vibration Therapy Massager Hand Massager HandSpa Pro Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   iNeck Pro Neck and Shoulder Massager Knee Glide   Lite Foot Massager M7 Plus Mini Massage Gun with Heat Therapy Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraHeat Knee Brace TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun ThermoRed Heated Back Belt Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Zero Pro Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling Fitness: Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.