The following are five goals to keep in mind while doing exercises in the treatment of sciatica: 1. To reshape deformities (especially disc deformities) 2. To strengthen the muscles and improve the endurance of the back and core 3. To stretch the body parts (especially the hips) that will allow us to be in proper positions with spine stability when doing lifts, carries, bends, etc. 4. To floss nerves to allow them to move freely 5. To decompress the spine through spinal traction. Spinal traction causes the vertebra (the bones that form the back) to separate and relieve pressure off the spinal nerves. IMPORTANT: Be sure to ask yourself: is this exercise helping? The goal in performing exercises is to have pain levels improve and shrink. If you are having pain in your back and your leg, we would like to see the leg pain begin to lessen first. Please recall that the more the sciatica nerve is irritated, the further down the leg the symptoms of pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, and/or burning occur. The reverse is also true. As the nerve becomes less irritated, the symptoms generally improve in an ascending fashion. That translates to less pain, numbness, tingling, weakness and/or burning in the foot or lower leg. This can help you gauge whether your self-treatments are helping. Check out the full Sciatica series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website. DISCLAIMER We insist that you see a physician before starting this video series. Furthermore, this video series is not designed to replace the treatment of a professional: physician, osteopath, physical therapist, orthopedic surgeon, or chiropractor. It may however serve as an adjunct. Do not go against the advice of your health care professional. When under the care of a professional make certain that they approve of all that you try. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. Any information given about back-related conditions, treatments, and products is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this publication. Before starting an exercise program, consult a physician. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order 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 of 2015. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/CnkcOAZ8OSA Bob: Brad, this is a question we get quite often, why does my shoulder pop, snap, crack. You know, snap, crackle, pop. Why is it making noise and is it something I should worry about. Brad: Exactly. Bob: We are going to talk about one of the things that can cause it to make these noises which there’s quite a few of them. After that, we will talk about when you should probably see the doctor and then finally, we’re going to finish up with some exercises that you can do to maybe help stop that. Brad: Old bonehead’s going to help, our skeleton. Bob: We used to call him Napoleon Bonaparte but now he’s calling him Bonehead for some reason. Anyways, the noise in your shoulder is very common. One of the no injury causes is what we call cavitation. So, you have a shoulder here, I’m going to use this one that’s still attached. So, in the shoulder you have a ball and a socket, and this is all covered in a material kind of a tough fibrous material. Within that material there’s actually gases that can form. Brad: Nitrogen? Bob: Nitrogen and carbon dioxide and they can form bubbles and they can pop. It’s like when you crack your knuckles. You’re popping these bad little gas bubbles. That’s number one. Number two is a snapping tendons. Brad’s going to show you this. Especially the bicep right here, the muscle itself, narrows up into a tendon. That tendon is in a groove. It can actually snap out of that groove at times. There’s a test we actually do for that. Brad: We are going to pull this off of here. Here’s the groove that Bob was talking about. This is our mock tendon which you hold it there and that’s that groove that tendon fits in. It’s a really nice model. Maybe people have actually felt this one. You can see the tendon pops back and then you move your arm again and you can feel it pop back. Bob: Yeah, it snaps back and forth. Brad: Snap, snap. Snap, snap. I like this, Bob. Bob: There’s other tendons that can do that but that’s just one example. So, that’s again a non-injury type thing that could happen. Number three is if you have what we call a loose shoulder, like a double-jointed shoulder. Your born with ligaments that are very loose. If you’re one of those people that can take their thumb and put it on their forearm, that probably means your loose ligamented. What’s another one, Brad? Brad: If your elbow bends farther than neutral. Hypermobility. Bob: If your humerus can really slosh around a lot, and it’s not held in there tightly, that’s going to give you a snapping and cracking and popping. That’s going to, unfortunately, wear the shoulder out. So that’s at the end of the video, we are going to show you strengthening exercises you can do for this. Those are the ones that are non-injury. Now, there’s things that we call repetitive stress. If you’re using the shoulder a lot or over time, you can start to wear down the tendons of the rotator cuff. Brad: People that work overhead a lot, that’s a primary reason. Bob: Or even if your bones are not shaped right, they can start wearing down the tendons. That can cause some roughness of the tendons. Again, the muscles narrow up to be tendons and that can give you noise. Especially when you’re up overhead, that can be that grinding, stuff like that. The other repetitive stress injury is just plain old arthritis. Now we’ve got a little bit of covering over the surface of the bone called hyaline cartilage. After a while that starts to wear away and instead of this being nice and smooth, it’s all roughened up. Brad: Like sandpaper. You can just imagine that grinding. Bob: The last one is when you actually have an injury itself. That could be a rotator cuff or a torn labrum. Within the socket, there’s a little round ring of tissue. It helps hold the ball in place. It takes pretty good injury to do it, but you can tear that labrum. Pieces of it can be floating around and it’s not going to be smooth. That one could require surgical repair. It depends on the person. You can also dislocate the shoulder and tear the labrum. Brad: My mother fell down and tore hers, her humerus was way down like this in the x-ray. That was in the ER a half hour after she fell so they had to put it back in place. Bob: Those are the reasons you might be getting to pop and snapping. So, when do you worry about it, Brad? Brad: That’s a good question. Bob: Alright, number one. If there’s pain with it. If there’s no pain, you’re snapping, cracking, popping, it’s fine, let it go. There’s no injury, it’s just part of life, you know. We can show you some things at the end that might help. If you’ve had a recent injury and now, you’re hearing popping and snapping, you may want to see the doctor. Brad: Right. Especially if you’ve had a shoulder surgery and it kind of came up. Especially if it’s painful. But, if it’s not, you might be fine. Bob: The third thing I would say, is if your shoulder always felt stable, and now it doesn’t and you’re hearing popping and snapping and now it feels loose and like it’s sliding all around, I’d probably see the doctor there too. So, those are just three guidelines. So, things to try. I’ll put up a link, some good TheraBand, strengthening exercises. The more you strengthen the shoulder, the more it’s going to help set in place and keep it stable. Brad: Specific exercises for the rotator cuff muscles. Bob: The four muscles that go around the shoulder. The last one, what I want you to do is find a surface like a countertop. I’m going to use the back of this chair. This thing works out really well to set the bone back in place where it is supposed to be. You’re going to put your hand flat on the surface, the table or countertop and you’re going to push it down the whole time and then walk away. Still push down and walk back into it. Do it five times. Brad: It should be relatively pain-free. Bob: Yeah, that’s setting the bone down in the socket, in a better position. You know what I would do, is I would try this and see if there’s less snapping and cracking after. Alright, thanks! Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager Eye Massager Leg Massager T2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor 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 ​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in December of 2021. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/zSnELDxFz4E. Brad: Today we’re talking about the dangers of plug-in hot pads, things you must know. Now, Bob, I, and Mike, as physical therapists have been using hot pads in the clinic with patients as long as we’ve been treating. They work very effectively, but there are some dangers that we know, because that’s what we work with. You’ll want to know if you have these or if you want to work with a plug-in hot pad. So first, why heat works. You really want to increase the circulation. You put your hot pack around the injured area, and it’ll allow the muscle to relax. Mike: It increases the blood flow to the area. Your blood carries all your nutrients, helps your healing process occur faster. Brad: And the oxygen, of course. And you get rid of the waste products, the carbon dioxide, the lactic acid, whatever else may be there that needs to get back. Mike: And it just feels nice. Brad: Yeah, it does. Mike: Especially during winter. Brad: It’s one of those things as a therapist, it’s nice to say, “We’ll put your hot pack on now” and the patient says, “Oh thank you.” It’s a good rapport builder right there, versus a cold pack. Sometimes they do not want those. Mike: They don’t like you. They make faces at you. Brad: So, let’s talk about this. We have two different kinds of hot packs here. We have the plugin conduction, this is your standard hot pack. They’ve been around for years. Mike: You can find them anywhere. Brad: They don’t cost too much. They’re about $30-40. Obviously, they plug in, they often have three to four temperature settings. For these to work, they are conduction hot pads. The electricity flows through them, there is resistance that creates heat. That heat gets to your body through contact. If you’re going to heat up your leg, you have to have it touching your leg in order for it to work. Mike: You can use either side with this one. The far infrared, you can only use one side the way that hot pack’s set up. Brad: So, with the far infrared, you can only use one side. Instead of conduction, it uses light rays, far infrared light rays. It works like the sun, or if you’re by a fire, you can feel the heat from a fire. That’s the same principle. So, if I’m going to heat up my leg, I’m going to put it down and wrap it around. I have elastic straps to help it stay on there. They work nice. Now, here is the biggest difference, aside from the cost, but there’s a reason why the far infrared costs more. The depth the heat will penetrate from a conduction hot pack like that is? Mike: One eighth inch. Brad: Right. One eighth inch versus 2.36 inches with far infrared. So, much deeper with the far infrared pad. So, if you put it on your leg, and we have three panels, you’re going to put it on. It’s going to go 2.36 inches in the sides of your legs. That’s going to get deep into the muscle. It’s going to get into the joint, get that synovial fluid, the blood circulating at a depth that that will not compare to. That’s the big difference. Mike: I should say, I’ve used both. Obviously, you have two. The infrared gets nice and warm, but it doesn’t get overly hot. Like, I’ve never had an issue where it feels hot or hot superficially where this one, I’ve had that issue before. Brad: And which brought me up to the question, how hot do these get? Well, I looked it up at Thermotex, they have a nice website, and they said, this get up to 116 or 117 degrees, is what they had. The other one, I didn’t know. This says four different temperature settings. So, what I did is I took a thermometer, made for putting in your meat to see how hot your meat is. Mike: Did you clean it off before you did that? Brad: Of course, I did! Mike: Okay, just checking. Brad: As a matter of fact, I even tested it to make sure it’s accurate by, cleaning it off, put it under my tongue, then I took my oral thermometer that’s made for putting under your tongue and one, the difference was 0.1-degree Fahrenheit, so, I felt that it was going to work out well. Mike: These are the scientific methods at Bob and Brad. Brad: Whatever, I’m using the same thermometer there. This is a digital thermometer. Mike: Still works the same. Brad: What I did with the conduction heating pad is, I folded it over, I put it on the table. I put the thermometer which is about four or five inches long and put the needle in the crease and I left it there for five minutes until the temperature stabilized. Mike: Yep, and it has four settings on here, just FYI. Brad: Thermotex only has on/off. I did the same thing with it. Put it over there and I waited longer. I went 15 minutes on this because far infrared heats up slower. Quite a bit slower. But it goes quite a bit deeper. So, you leave it on longer than you would that standard heating pad. So, here are the temperatures. This is interesting. I thought it was interesting. For the lowest setting on the standard one, it went to…. Mike: 110 degrees. Brad: The next setting up… Mike: Well, that was warm. Low was 124 degrees. Medium was 134 and high was 145 degrees. This has a 15-to-20-minute time limit. Brad: Now, that’s what they recommend. That has an automatic shutoff at two hours. Mike: Oh. Brad: Now, we’re going to talk about precautions. Now you can start to see why maybe you can get burned. You can burn your skin with these temperatures if they’re not used properly. Now, the Thermotex on my thermometer went to 119 degrees and it leveled off there. Again, the factory said 116 and it might be just that my meat thermometer was off a few degrees. Either way, the temperature between the two is quite different because we had the same thermometer and we had 145 to 119. Mike: Yeah. It’s a big difference. Precautions you should follow for either of these is never put them directly on your skin. You should always try to have one layer of clothing and be cautious if you have very fragile or thin skin. Brad: Right. I would say if you had one layer and you have an elderly person or with fragile skin, take a towel, put it over and then put the hot pack on. Mike: It’s different if it’s laying on top or you’re lying on it. The amount of pressure is going to intensify, so you’re going to need more layers if you’re on it. Brad: Right. Not so much with the far infrared, but with the standard electric conduction heater. Number two, never use near your eyes, or there’s no reason to use it around your head. Mike: Like I said earlier, never use it directly on frail skin. We’ve had that with elderly patients before. Be very cautious, they can blister and burn a lot easier or even start weeping. Brad: Right. That’s big because when you have a burn from a hot pack, they go deep, and they don’t heal quickly. Particularly with fragile skin. Never use on abdominal area if pregnant, particularly with the far infrared. Just stay away from that. Mike: Never on skin with poor sensation. So, if you had a stroke, you have neuropathy of sorts, if you can’t have good sensation in the area, you should probably not use it on there because again, you can leave it on too long, get hotter than you think, lead to burns. Brad: Right. Again, the biggest thing is falling asleep. You do not want to fall asleep with these on, that can cause a burn. Now, the far infrared does not get near as hot, but if you fall asleep with this one, and you have frail skin, and you put it directly on your skin or on thin skin, there’s a possibility you could have some problems with it. Be safe, always use some caution. Mike: Yeah, you’re more prone to get burned on a shallow skin area, not a big muscle belly. Just keep that in mind. Brad: Yeah, exactly. Over the kneecap where you have skin and bone directly underneath, that would be a definite hotspot. So again, people who cannot communicate well. Let’s say someone had a stroke or there’s some cognitive issues and it’s hard to get distinct response to" Is this too hot?" And if they cannot come up with a yes or no, it’s not a good person to use a warm pack on. Mike: Yeah, you never know if it’s going to get too hot because the burn doesn’t always appear right away. Sometimes it takes a day to have that happen. Never use by water. Brad: Right. That’s obvious that’s for both. Mike: There are some other precautions like don’t have metal with it. They don’t suggest using it by oxygen. That’s basically about it. Brad: Length of time, you would typically use these. The standard conduction pad, we would go 15-20 minutes max in the clinic. Again, continue to ask the patient or let them know if it feels too warm, put another layer of toweling or some cloth between it. Mike: And you can use it numerous times a day if you want to do it longer just take breaks from it. Don’t use it for like two hours nonstop. Brad: Exactly right. Now with the far infrared, it takes longer to heat up, but you can put more layers of cloth and it’ll go right through the cloth anyways. It’s still going to get you 2.36 inches, minus the cloths. So, put that on. I’ve tried that with winter clothing on and I put it on that to test it. Takes about 5-10 minutes before you feel the heat, but it gets in there and it’s still going to get deep. Then the other thing is just a hygiene issue. Use cloth between the skin. That’s why in the clinic we don’t share one patient to the other and do it directly on skin. Mike: I mean if you have your own at home, it’s fine. Brad: Right. Mike: Also, this standard conduction heating pad is from Walgreens, it comes with all the precautions on the back in case you’re curious. Brad: I needed my reading glasses on, but yeah, they’re covering all the ones we had, plus a few other ones I think were obvious. So again, the far infrared, 45 minutes is what they recommend. I’ll be honest with you, I’ve had this on my back at home, it’s great in wintertime, I sit with it behind my back in my chair and I’ve fallen asleep on it, but I have clothing. I’ve never had any problem with skin burning, but we don’t recommend that, naturally. Thanks! Interested in the Thermotex Platinum Far Infrared Heating Pad visit:  http://www.thermotex.com/bobandbrad/ Discount code: FAMOUSPTX Discount of $30.50 plus free shipping- a total of $55.50 off the purchase of a Platinum Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager Eye Massager Leg Massager T2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor 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​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

An important point to note is generally the more the sciatica nerve is irritated, the further down the leg the symptoms of pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, and/or burning occur. The reverse is also true. As the nerve becomes less irritated, the symptoms generally improve in an ascending fashion. This translates to less pain, numbness, tingling, weakness and/or burning in the foot or lower leg. This can help you gauge whether your self-treatments are helping. Watch the video accompanying this handout. In the video we use tape to indicate the normal patterns of sciatica and how it can improve. Watch this video before performing any sciatica exercises. We have used tape in the photos to demonstrate the preferred progression of your pain. In photo A the pain/numbness/tingling is in full force travelling down the entire leg and possibly into the foot. In photo B the pain/numbness/tingling has begun to centralize- first leaving the foot and calf, then the back of the thigh. In photo C the pain has centralized to the low back. In photo D the pain is gone. Check out the full Sciatica series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website. DISCLAIMER We insist that you see a physician before starting this video series. Furthermore, this video series is not designed to replace the treatment of a professional: physician, osteopath, physical therapist, orthopedic surgeon, or chiropractor. It may however serve as an adjunct. Do not go against the advice of your health care professional. When under the care of a professional make certain that they approve of all that you try. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. Any information given about back-related conditions, treatments, and products is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this publication. Before starting an exercise program, consult a physician. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order 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 of 2021. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/II6t-rMLFOI. Bob: Today we’re going to talk about how to stop low back pain with Dr. Stuart McGill’s walking program. It’s kind of nature's back balm. Brad: I know right away, when people have back pain, they say, my back bothers me when I walk it hurts. Well, we’re going to show you a specific system that Dr. McGill has come up with, so that you can get into walking and get that pain away and get you back to functioning again. Bob: Let’s get into it. Brad: Right on. So, now this is not meant for if you have sciatica. Pain down the leg, there is another modified walking program, but you can still learn some things you can learn from this because there’s crossovers. The first thing you want to do if you’ve got lower back pain and we want to get into walking, we’re going to plan on walking on a flat surface. No inclines, declines, or rough surfaces, bad terrain, anything like that. And you’re just going to stand up with good posture. Go ahead, Bob. Bob, you like to do this more so than I. Bob: It’s just a kind of a check. I like to take my hand and grab the wrist on the opposite side and pull back a little bit and it just straightens me out. So, I see a lot of people are a little bit flexed like this. Brad: And you may not even be aware of it. Bob: Right, and this kind of jolts you back to reality, where you should be. Brad: Yeah, kind of pull and feel the shoulders go back. The idea is back pain is oftentimes from a slightly flexed forward posture that you’re not aware of. So, we want to get that and get the strain of our body weight and our trunk through that low back. Bob: I’ve said this before, Brad but I’ve seen some runners in our neighborhood that I just want to stop them, get behind them, and straighten out their backs because they’re running bent forward. Brad: Don’t do that though, Bob. Bob: I won’t, I won’t. Brad: The next thing is once you get up tall and you feel like you have the back pain under control, and you may have to tilt your pelvis a little bit. Bob: Yeah, one way or the other. Brad: Find that most comfortable position and then you want to tighten up you core muscles, so your abdominal muscles, like your natural back belt is going to control that posture. Bob: This can make a big difference. You might be in pain the entire time and walk, but if you tighten your abdomen just a little bit, sometimes it can take away the pain. Brad: So, it’s a combination of proper posture position, that core tightening of the abdomen, and then at this point, don’t just take off walking. Dr. McGill talks about, just march in place, not a high march, but knees up about halfway. Shifting the weight right to left. Test and see how that feels. If that’s feeling good, still keeping that core tight, then we’re going to start to walk. Now, we understand that your back may be bothering you and you maybe only get five, maybe 10 steps and it starts to hurt. You stop. Sit down, relax it. Make sure you sit with good posture, of course, and then go back to it within an hour or so. Then repeat this and the goal is go from that 5-10 steps to 10-15 and each day you’ll find you’re going a little bit further and you’re going to learn a little bit each time you work on it. Bob: Yeah, what position feels the best for your back. Brad: It’s really a good way to understand your body positioning. You’re going to learn that proprioceptive skills that we call it in therapy very well. Bob: Now, what happens over time is, as you get more moving, you get more blood flow to the back. It acts like a lubricant almost or nature’s balm. Brad: That’s that term, balm. I don’t like that term. It just sounds kind of weird to me. But I looked it up and it’s accurate. So, Dr. McGill is right on. Oh, another important thing he does mention is swing the arms from the shoulder joint, so we’re not walking, I’m exaggerating. Bob: Right, the robot. Brad: And of course, the right arm goes with the left leg, but if you think about that, you’ll probably screw it up. Just walk normally. Then a little bit brisker pace. You’re not walking slow and testing it, you know, be a little courageous there, arms swinging, and then pick up the speed a little bit and that’ll take the stress off the back slightly, and it can feel better. I’m not talking power walking, and we’re just talking faster than that slow cautious walk. Bob: I find it interesting; I think Dr. McGill found it to be true is that there’s less weight on the back when you pick up the speed, the pace. I tried this with a patient of mine. He came in limping terribly, and he didn’t have sciatica, so this did work for him. He looked like he had just been run over by a truck. I started working just to work on walking to start off with. Went over some of these things, had him walk at a higher pace. By the end of the session, he was whipping his way around. He had the biggest smile on his face, like, wow! Brad: And I think that’s what a lot of people can experience if you take your time with this. Bob: Well, I think they’re afraid they’re going to hurt their back. And generally, it’s not going to hurt their back. It’s going to help your back and it’s a good thing to do, not only just once a day, but Dr. McGill recommends four times a day. Brad: Well, on this program, he said once you get up to 30 minutes, walk 30 minutes three times a day. That’s what he recommended. Again, take your time and start out at 5-ten steps. It may take a few weeks or hopefully it settles in faster than that. Bob: Yeah. Three times a day that coincides with meals. I mean, as a reminder you can do it after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Brad: Absolutely. And you feel good about eating, you know? You’re working things out. Things will move better. Bob: So, walking. One of the best things you can do. I know I had a friend and I’ve told this story many times. He worked at a back clinic. He was a physical therapist. That’s the first thing they would do with back patients is get them walking. By far, that was the number one thing he did. Brad: I wonder how many patients were like, I came here to learn how to walk? Bob: Yeah, right. This is what you give me? Where’s the modalities? Where’s the exercise? Brad: Aren’t you going to put a hot pack on? Sometimes the simple things work the best. So, carry on with your walking and be careful. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor 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​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in February of 2021 . For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fee0p8zh4o4 Bob: Today our title that we’re going to discuss is the seven most important questions to ask your hip surgeon. So, obviously you’re going in for hip surgery for some reason. It might be a hip replacement, might be a pinning, but this is pretty comprehensive, and Brad and I were talking about this. They don’t all necessarily have to be of your surgeon. It might be his assistant, your nurse, it might even be your physical therapist for some of these later on. Brad: Right. This is an important video because, you ever go to the doctor and you walk out and you say, “Oh, I wanted to ask him that,” and you completely forgot about it, and things are rushed, the doctor doesn’t have a lot of time to spend with you or whatever. Bob: You can also find a print out of these questions on our hip program page. Number one, can you try physical therapy first? Imagine that two physical therapists saying that you should try physical therapy first. We’ve seen many times that people think they’re going to need surgery and they have therapy, and it goes well, and they end up not even needing the surgery or delaying it. Brad: I’ve got a patient right now, extremely tight hips, who’s limping around for quite a while. Bob: A friend of yours, right? Brad: Yeah. He just had a stroke too. But it’s coming along so we’re working at this as well and we’re stretching it out, things are getting better. He’s probably going to need a hip replacement but at least he’s got some relief and it’s going to delay it, make things more comfortable until it’s absolutely needed. Bob: Right. At the very least, you’re preparing the hip for surgery. If you still have the surgery, it’s in better shape. Number two, what is the risk to performing surgery now? So, you want to ask, “Can I avoid surgery? Can I wait six months or a year? Is it going to compromise your outcome? Is it going to affect your outcome?” Now, I don’t think that’s as important on hips as it is on shoulders. Rotator cuff injuries can get worse. But it’s still a good question to have and to me, I always ask the patient, “Is your health going to be okay in a year or a year and a half?” Because sometimes you’re not able to tolerate a surgery as you get older. Brad: Sure. If you have a heart problem and the doctor will go over that with those precautions about what limits you from having the surgery. Bob: Okay, number three. Again, this is kind of all tied together. What are the alternatives to surgery? Physical therapy, there’s anti-inflammatories, there’s injections, and just education on how to run your life and keep from hurting your hip. Brad: Right. Bob: Number four, what is the expected length of recovery? How many days will you be in the hospital? And then we have lots of sub-questions for that, too. Let’s go ahead and start and it looks like I’m number one. How long will you need to follow the hip precautions? If you don’t know what hip precautions are, they’re guidelines given to the patient after surgery, and they include such things as, “Don’t cross your legs, don’t bend you hip greater than 90 degrees” and all that. Brad: And again, make sure that’s clear because there’s more than one type of hip procedure and precautions are different. Bob: Yes. For each doctor, they’re different. Brad: Next one, will you need full-time or part-time care? If so, how long? So, let’s talk about when you return home, are you going to be able to be independent or you need to have a spouse or family member or maybe home care come in to help you out. Bob: And that requires pre-planning obviously. Will you need a hospital bed at home? Good question. Brad: How soon will you be able to walk after surgery? Weight-bearing status. Typically, as 100% weight-bearing, or as tolerated, but not always. Sometimes you may have complications and there are some restrictions for that. Bob: Well, especially if you fractured your hip, and in that case, you might be non-weightbearing. So, that’s going to greatly affect your ability to get around. If you are not full weight-bearing. Will you need crutches or a walker? And if so, how long? So, you want to prepare ahead because you aren’t going to go out to the store and get crutches, or I guess you can order online too, when you’re at home Brad: Sometimes they’re given to you there, or they issue it to you at the hospital, but make sure that you don’t want to be stuck to be waiting for a walker at home for two days. That’s very uncomfortable. It’s not safe. Bob: Exactly. Brad: When can you lie on the operative side? So, sleeping in bed or you’re on the couch can you roll over on the side that’s been operated on? Very important to know. Bob: It’s funny. It’s usually sooner than I think. They allow it quick usually. A lot of time on the recheck they’ll say it’s okay. Brad: Yeah, and that’s on the hip. I think with a fracture or something like that, that’s when you really need to pay attention more. Bob: How soon will you be able to climb stairs after surgery? So, if you have a lot of stairs, in therapy, a lot of times we work on that before you go home, if you’re staying the hospital. Brad: There’s a specific pattern on how to go up and downstairs to take the pressure off you’re operated hip. Bob: There’s a right way and a wrong way. Brad: When can you shower after surgery? That’s a good one. You don’t want to have an infection in the incision because that will really raise havoc in your life, so get that very clear. Bob: When can you drive? It’s an important one, because when are you going to be able to start getting around? Brad: Independence, you know? How soon will I be able to resume normal lifestyle activities besides walking? Bob: Well, going back to work. The people at work are going to be asking you, “When can you come back?” So, that’s a good question to ask. Again, does it always have to be the surgeon. I don’t know if I’d load up the surgeon with all these questions. But I would ask someone that is in the know. Brad: If it’s a typical hip replacement surgery, they can oftentimes say it’s probably going to be this, but if it’s a fracture or something like that, there’s too many other variables that may intervene with that. Bob: What are your lifting limits? That’s a good one. Brad: You must pay attention and listen to them. Bob: I left this next one for Brad. Brad: Oh, yes. When is sexual intercourse feasible after surgery? It’s a good one to know because you don’t want to have a dislocation or mishap there. That could be a problem. Bob: Again, this is probably a later question, which sports can you participate in? Brad: Yeah. Plan on none for a little while. Bob: Yeah. There’s some that you may never be able to do again. Brad: I know someone, I haven’t seen him for a while, but he had a total hip replacement in his early 50’s and he plays, they call it masters hockey. He wants to get back into it and I’m saying, “Forget it, buddy.” Bob: Well, at least it’s not pounding. Brad: Yeah, well, when you fall, and you’re going to fall. You’re in your fifties and playing hockey and even though they don’t go after people aggressively, but they’re guys. Things are going to happen. Bob: Yeah, you get caught up in the emotion. All right, let’s go to number five. This is the main questions now. And this one, I hope you can maybe find out without asking the surgeon, but how many hip surgeries do you do a year, and how many surgeries of this type? This is an important question because they have found through studies that the surgeons that do more hip surgeries obviously have better results. It just makes sense. If you’re doing one a year, I don’t think I’d go along with that guy. I don’t even know if I’d go along with the guy that does shoulders, hips, you know, he’s doing everything. I would like the guy that’s doing a lot of hip surgeries. Brad: Yeah, you must do the homework on that. Bob: Number six, what are the risks of complication, and what is your complication rate? You can find that out, how often does this doctor have people that have problems, and how often do they have people die? Brad: A big one is infection rate. If you can look at the percentage of infection rate, their history, that’s probably one of the biggest things. Bob: Yeah. Number seven, final question, but then there’s some sub-questions on that too. If you’re going to undergo hip replacement surgery, you may want to ask these specific questions then. These are just for hip replacement. So, number one, what is the implant made of? You want to know if you’re going to set off metal detectors in the airport. Brad: And if so, then you do have to carry a piece of paper or something in your wallet that helps you get through, because that happens. This has been going on for years. How long will your joint replacement last? That’s a good one. Is it going to be 10 years? 20 years? If you’re going to be playing hockey. Bob: Yeah, it’s going to be less than that. And this is going to be a good one for physical therapists. What can you do to keep your joint replacement working as long as possible? Again, your therapist can guide you on that. Brad: What activities or factors could make you joint replacement wear out more quickly? Bob: Falling in hockey would do that. Brad: Yeah, yeah. Obviously, any falls is not going to be good, but can you go back to running? I’m quite certain that’s a negative. Bob: Probably no, sorry. Brad: But biking, that may be a different situation. You’ll have to make sure your bike’s seat is adjusted properly. Things like that. Bob: Good one for your therapist again. And this one’s going to have to be the surgeon or maybe his assistant. Will you need antibiotics for dental care? Brad: Oh, right. Yeah, I know I’ve had knee and hip patients when they go to the doctor, they must let them know. Sometimes they must take a round of antibiotics before they go in. It’s something like you can get an infection in your mouth. Bob: And then it travels to your hip. Brad: Right. For some reason, these replaced joints attract these, and you can get infection without even opening the skin, and it’s amazing how that happens, but that’s a concern and they should make you very aware of that. Bob: Yeah, it happened to my mother-in-law. It was her knee, but she didn’t have any cuts down there, but she had some nosebleeds and stuff, and I don’t know if she got it through her nose or picked up a bug. Brad: Yeah, it gets into your system. Bob: It seem to go right towards that joint. Brad: Right. The metal in there, it’s not a normal thing, to have that in your body, so it reacts different. It’s a good question to ask the surgeons. Bob: I’d like to hear a surgeon espouse his few thoughts on that. All right, thanks! Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor 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​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

Does your back appear to be shifted or crooked to one side? (see photos below). Is this a relatively new development? We are not referring to scoliosis that you may have had for years. We are referring to a shift in your spine that may have started at or about the same time as your sciatica. If you do detect a spine shift, be sure to first address this issue with the following exercises: 1. Look at yourself in the mirror to determine if you detect a shift. You may need a friend or loved one to look at you and verify. 2. In our experience a shift in the spine from a disc problem is relatively infrequent, but if you do have a shift you may need to correct it for treatment to be successful. If you do not have a shift, move on to next exercise (press ups). 3. Steps to correct a right shift a. In a person with a shift to the right side, their shoulders and upper back appear to be shifted to the right as viewed in photo above. b. To correct this, stand with your right shoulder and right hip facing the wall. Stand approximately 12 to 18 inches away from the wall. Bend your right elbow to a 90-degree angle (right angle) and lay it flat against the wall. Now lean against your right arm with your body and allow your pelvis to sink towards the wall. This will begin to correct the shift. Do not perform this if it becomes painful to do. Watch our video on YouTube if you have trouble understanding how to do the shift: 4. Steps to Correct a Left Shift a. In a person with a left shift, shoulders and upper back appear shifted to the left as viewed above. b. To correct this, stand with your left shoulder and left hip facing the wall. Stand approximately 12 to 18 inches away from the wall. Bend your left elbow to a 90-degree angle (right angle) and lay it flat against the wall. Now lean against the left arm with your body and allow your pelvis to sink towards the wall. This will begin to correct the shift. Do not perform this if it becomes painful. Watch our video on YouTube if you have trouble understanding how to do the shift. Check out the full Sciatica series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website. DISCLAIMER We insist that you see a physician before starting this video series. Furthermore, this video series is not designed to replace the treatment of a professional: physician, osteopath, physical therapist, orthopedic surgeon, or chiropractor. It may however serve as an adjunct. Do not go against the advice of your health care professional. When under the care of a professional make certain that they approve of all that you try. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. Any information given about back-related conditions, treatments, and products is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this publication. Before starting an exercise program, consult a physician. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

Photo via Pexels Finding healthy habits that work for your lifestyle isn’t too difficult, but it’s often a challenge to stick with them. Creating a new routine takes time and energy, and if you’re pressed for both, you might find yourself giving up on it. The key is to incorporate small changes into your life and set realistic goals for yourself. For instance, you might change the way you think about workouts if you make them more fun. Here are a few more tips from physical therapists Bob & Brad on how to make healthy habits stick. Find a diet that works. Whether your ultimate goal is weight loss or you just want to incorporate some healthier foods into your diet, it’s important to remember that a slow lifestyle change is much easier to stick to than a drastic one. Rather than limiting yourself to certain foods, which can lead to a relapse, create a realistic meal plan that still allows you to have some of your favorite things. You can also compromise and have your old favorites in a different way — for instance, cooking with olive oil instead of vegetable oil, or using dark chocolate when baking as it has less sugar than milk chocolate. Deal with stress at work. If morale is tanking at the workplace, whatever the factors, stress is ever present. No doubt there are toxic coworkers contributing to the negativity, so have a strategy in place on how to first identify the personality type of these ne’er do wells, then how to deal with them. You may simply need to avoid interaction if at all possible. If they’re on your team and avoidance isn’t possible, learn how to work around them in such a way that minimizes time in the shared space. Learn how to shop. When we think about healthy habits, we often don’t include the ways we shop for food, but it’s an extremely important part of making positive changes to your diet and lifestyle. Not only is it a good idea to make a shopping list and stick to it, but you’ll also need to learn how to read food labels properly, as well as put together a well-balanced meal. Greatist suggests a meal-prep plan, which can save you time and money. This involves cooking large quantities of a healthy meal to distribute throughout the week. These are easy ways to stick to healthier eating because you’ll be more knowledgeable about what you’re buying. Get moving. In addition to finding a diet that works and learning how to shop, it’s crucial to start a workout routine with realistic goals. The Anxiety & Depression Association of America notes that daily activity can help with everything from boosting your mental health to relieving joint pain, but it’s up to you to find the right movement for your needs. You might try yoga, take up a sport, attend an aqua aerobics class, or simply get outside with the kids for a game of kickball. When you’re engaging in an activity and having fun at the same time, you’re much more likely to stick with it. Finding healthy habits that you can easily work into your routine can take some time, so try to remain patient as you start the process. Look for support from friends and family, which can help you stay focused on your goals. Physical therapists Bob & Brad can assist you with do-it-yourself treatment for common problems. With a series of videos and follow-along printables, you can be on your way to a healthy, fit, and pain-free life.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in January of 2020. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/547ui_sIC9Q. Bob: Today we’re going to talk about how to fall asleep fast. We have 12 tricks to sleep all night like a baby. Brad: We have 12 tips, you may not use all of them, but use a combination of them you can use. Bob: Yeah, choose from them. Figure out which ones work for you, it’s kind of like an experiment. Brad: We are all individuals, Bob. Bob: That’s right. All right, Brad. What are the best ones for you? Brad: Well, Bob, let’s just start at the top. I’ll mention as we go. Bob: Okay, we’ll start at the top. Brad: This is a common one I think everyone may not do but will probably agree with. Just slow down and relax your breathing. In your nose, out your mouth. Bob: I think a lot of people don’t know this one, Brad. Brad: Perhaps not, but slow things down. Breathe in your nose, exhale out your mouth, fill your lungs and instead of holding your tummy in, you’re going to do the diaphragmatic breathing where your relax and let your belly expand and breath out that way. Bob: I have found this to be very helpful if I’m worried about something. If like I’m ruminating, the breathing just slows my thinking down and it slows my breathing down. I like the four square, where you breathe in for four second, hold for four seconds, then breathe out for four seconds, then hold for four more seconds. Makes the square. It does help me, I concentrate on the breathing instead of the problem. You do it enough times and suddenly, you’re sleeping. You wake up in the morning and go, “Oh, that worked.” Brad: The other one, and some of these you can combine, this is one we use in our bedroom is white noise. We just have a fan going but there’s apps for your phone. Our grandkids have these little ones, it just does the little trickling of water, probably make them pee their pants. But they also have a little thing that goes on the ceiling, and it shows stars and things moving around. Bob: Oh, it’s a separate machine. Brad: No, it’s all the same machine. It does the noise and makes the stuff on the ceiling. Bob: Sure, projects a little thing on the ceiling. Brad: Yeah, and you can have different projections like stars. Bob: So, this is probably more for and infant or something like that? Brad: Yeah, but I like it too. Yeah, it’s made for kids. Bob: See what I mean? Brad: Room temperature. Now last night, we had it up to 72 degrees in our house. Bob: That’s too hot. Brad: I don’t know why we had it there, it’s too hot. I woke up in the morning, I slept well but I could tell it was too warm. Get it down to about 68 or 65 even. Bob: 65 was the agreed upon temperature. I just saw the studies on this, and this is the one that was universally accepted. You could go lower, but it’s not only going to help you get to sleep faster, but it’s going to help you stay asleep. If you’re waking up at 4 A.M., it may be because your room is too hot. Brad: Or if I put my arm outside the pillows, then I have a frozen arm. Bob: Right, but that’s how you’re trying to dissipate the heat from your body. Brad: Anyways, or 18 degrees Celsius for those people outside of the U.S. We still have that Fahrenheit thing here. Proper pillow size. We can go through this briefly. A lot of people use a thick pillow or two pillows. His neck is up at and angle. It’s Restricts your breathing, puts stress on the neck, on your spine. You should be down to on narrow pillow. Bob: Keep everything in alignment. Now, my spine is in a line. Brad: There you go. If you’re a side sleeper, then you want a thicker pillow because you want to fill in the gap that your shoulder makes. Bob: Otherwise, my neck will be stretching all night. Brad: Yep. So there, you might want to have another one. You can fold one pillow in half if that works. Make sure that you have proper pillow spaces for you neck alignment. The next one, we’re going to do the pillow between the legs. Bob: So, I’m sleeping on my side. I must do this because I’ve been having some trouble with my hip as I’ve been crying about for 20 videos now. If I don’t have the pillow, look how to hip is straining. Now this may seem minor but when you get old, this stuff matters. Brad: Yeah, this is more of an older person thing but not always. Bob: It’s also twisting my back a little bit. So, if you want to put your back in perfect alignment, and the hip in perfect alignment and even the knees feel a lot better. Not clanking up against each other. You just put a pillow between the legs. Now, I find a pillow during the winter is fine, buy during the summer it’s too warm, so I use a smaller one that is designed for this. You can buy them online. Brad: You've got a knee pillow. Bob: I have a knee pillow. Brad: Well, let’s go onto the next one, Bob. Now if you happen to have some back issues, knee, or hip pain, often, this is a leg wedge. Now we don’t like to have you go and buy stuff, but we have not found anything to replicate this, and these are not that expensive. Again, hip, knee, or back issues often people find this much more comfortable. Bob: If you try to use pillows, it’s just not enough. You’d need like three pillows, and it still doesn’t feel like this does. Brad: This is kind of firm but not hard. The angle here, puts your pelvis in the right position and your knees. I know with my back, I’ve got spinal stenosis and if I overdo it, like outside doing yard work, I know I did it, I’ll sleep like this for about the first two hours and I’m so relaxed, my back feels better, and then I’ll usually kick it out on the floor. Bob: I wish it was a little longer though, Brad. Brad: They do make longer ones, Bob. I saw that. For the taller people. Bob: Oh, finally. They discriminate again us, you realize that don’t you? Brad: I know, Bob. Anyways, let’s go onto the next one, Bob. Number seven, I like the number seven. Bob: Yeah, I know you do. Brad: Caffeine. Don’t drink caffeine before you go to bed. Even a couple hours before. Bob: It’s from like one o’clock on, Brad. Brad: Oh really? Bob: I mean, there’s a half-life of it and it’s probably still affecting you. So, not in the afternoon at all. You must stop. Brad: It kind of depends on when you go to bed though. Bob: It does. If you go to bed at a normal time. Brad: So, if you’re like a nine, 10 o’clock person. Bob: I would say, yes. Brad: Then of course that goes along with alcohol too. I guess you shouldn’t be drinking a beer or something before you go to bed. Bob: I think one is fine, but you drink too many, you know, it’s going to have that effect, you get to sleep but you’re not getting deep sleep. Brad: And then you must get up and go to the bathroom more and all those things. Be reasonable with that. I think everyone could have good judgement on that. This next one is something a lot of people probably aren’t aware of. It’s the contract relax mechanisms, or relaxing muscles. If you take a muscle and you contract it as tight as you can for about six seconds. Bob: We’re tightening it without moving it. Brad: Right. Isometric. Then you relax it, the muscle will relax very effective and efficiently. We’re not just going to do the bicep or the neck. Bob: They go all the way through the body. Brad: Yeah. Or the upper extremities too. I think you can do whatever works if you don’t cramp. If you’re one of those people that cramp. Bob: You could start with your feet. Your calves and then do the knees. Brad: A section at a time. Bob: It’s that thing that is taking your mind off the thing that might be keeping you awake. It’s giving you something else to focus on. It’s relaxing everything, you know, the entire body. A lot of times you’ll find out that maybe you were clenching one part of the body because you’re upset about something. Brad: Without being aware of it. Bob: Working with Brad Heinick, oh, it just gets me so upset. (LOL) Brad: Well, yes. My wife tells me about that, too. I’m working on it. The whole upper body thing, it’s a little quicker clench and relax. Bob: Sure, you can tighten that stuff. I’m just picturing this now. Your wife lying next to you, and she’s all scrunched up and Brad’s just sleeping. Brad: She’s trying to relax after putting up with me for the day. Well, weekends are also tough on her. Bob: Yeah, a full weekend. All right, we need to move on. Number ten. Be still with the dark room. Dark room makes a big difference. Your body creates melatonin, if it’s during the sunlight it’s thinking that it’s supposed to wake up. During the night when it’s dark, it’s teaching your body to sleep. Your circadian rhythms. Brad: You hit every nail on the head there. The next one, if you’re an animal person, having a cat or a dog in bed with you or you know, somewhere where you can do that, that’s very relaxing. My wife is a real dog lover and I’m not a dog hater, I like the dog there, but if it was me, I would maybe move the dog. Bob: I’m going to say, our cat we don’t have it anymore, but when we had the cat, it would start meowing before we got up. Brad: Well, that cat had issues, Bob. Bob: Yeah, that cat did have issues. Brad: Anyways, for a lot of people, that can be a real relaxing thing for sleep. You know if you are or not. This next one, I didn’t know about this until a couple years ago. No blue light. Bob: Looking at a computer before you go to bed. Brad: Well, looking at your phone too. Bob: That blue light is, what is it? Bob: It’s the same thing, it does the same thing as sunlight. It makes you think that you’re supposed to be waking up. It could throw off your circadian rhythms and it does not help you. Especially if you do it every night like an hour before. It could mess you up and that’s why you might be having trouble sleeping. Brad: Those sarcadian rhythms. Bob: Circadian not sarcadian. Brad: Circadian, they kill me all these pop buzz word things that come up from year to year. Anyways, good luck with your sleeping. I’m sure you’re going to find some more useful tips in here. Bob: Yeah, sleep well. Sleep tight. Thanks. Interested in learning about the products mentioned: 1) Bed Wedge Pillow 1.5 Inch Memory Foam Top Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor 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​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

Back spasms are a good opportunity to learn you are in control of your back. When spasms occur, lie down on your back with your knees bent and with your feet flat on the bed. Tighten up your abdomen and try to lift one foot ever so slightly off the bed. You can tell whether you have tightened your abdomen by poking your fingers into your sides while lying on the bed. Start by relaxing your abdomen and poke your fingers in. Tighten your abdomen and poke again. Feel the difference? Make sure you are not sucking your abdomen in but rather just tightening the muscles. Try lifting one foot again while tightening your abdomen. Is there more pain? Less pain? Now fine tune the arch in your back by making it larger or flatter. Try to find the most comfortable positions. Your pain and spasms can often diminish by tightening your abdomen, readjusting the arch in your back, and slowly lifting one leg and then the other leg. If the pain and spasms continue, try the following position instead. You may want to do this for a day or two before starting any exercises. Lie down on your back with your feet up on a leg wedge, pillows, stool or chair. Place an ice pack on your lower back to help let things calm down. A leg wedge is available from Amazon. The recipe for an ice pack is as follows: 2 large freezer bags 1 cup rubbing alcohol 4 cups of water Mix rubbing alcohol and water in a freezer bag. Remove the air from the bag and zip it up. Put that bag into the second bag and remove the air from the second bag and zip it up. Put this in the freezer overnight. Your ice pack should be nearly frozen but still bendable. Re-freeze as often as needed or until the bag leaks. Windshield Wipers: An Alternative Exercise for Back Spasms or Severe Pain This exercise is done to help relax muscles and get some movement in the spine and hips. For this exercise, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the bed. Gently rotate your knees back and forth. If the movement hurts to perform in one direction (e.g., to the right) avoid rotating to that side and just rotate to the left side. Perform 10 times. As with all recommended exercises, the WINDSHIELD WIPERS must be PAINFREE! If not pain-free, they are not to be done. Check out the full Sciatica series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website. DISCLAIMER We insist that you see a physician before starting this video series. Furthermore, this video series is not designed to replace the treatment of a professional: physician, osteopath, physical therapist, orthopedic surgeon, or chiropractor. It may however serve as an adjunct. Do not go against the advice of your health care professional. When under the care of a professional make certain that they approve of all that you try. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. Any information given about back-related conditions, treatments, and products is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this publication. Before starting an exercise program, consult a physician. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in of . For the original video go to https://youtu.be/KGGp_M4b2ZQ Bob: We’re going off on a little side path today, Brad. Today, we’re going to talk about one way to keep your baby, or grandbaby, healthy. You have grandbaby’s, right? Brad: Well, yeah, they’re getting not to be babies anymore. Two years old is the youngest. Bob: Okay, gotcha. So, as our audience, you may or may not know that Brad and I share a goal that we’re trying to help as many people as we can before we’re put into that cold, cold earth. That includes babies. I don’t just mean Brad, I mean tiny babies. How can we help babies Brad? Brad: Sure. Well, they need to sleep properly, healthfully, and comfortably. Bob: Right. Is healthfully a word? So, it’s a concern of parents of course, and there’s concern from grandparents, and as many of you may know, we have a relationship with SleepOvation. We really like their adult mattresses. They’ve come out with a baby mattress. Brad: Right. Here it is. Bob: We’re really impressed with it. It addresses some of the concerns that you may have about your child when they’re sleeping. Brad: Some of the concepts are similar to the adult mattress. They’ve modified it to fit the infant, or the toddler. Bob: Let’s talk about them. This is a word I had never heard of before Brad. Plagiocephaly. I can’t even say it. It’s flat head syndrome. Your brother had this. Brad: Right and still does. Bob: And what happened? Brad: Well, your head becomes flat on the back. As a matter of fact, Chris’ son has it as well. Anyways, when you have long hair, you don’t see it, but if you have no hair or little hair, you can see the head’s not rounded normally. Bob: Some of it stems from, Brad, that we really encourage people to lay their baby on their back because they don’t want SIDS to happen. Brad: Sudden infant death syndrome, right. Bob: You’re getting all the pressure on the back of the head. It’s at that stage where the bones are still growing and forming. It can flatten out. I know a certain percentage of children must wear a helmet to reshape it. Hopefully, this mattress and we’ll show you in a minute why it might reduce the pressure and help with flat head syndrome. Brad: That’s what it’s designed for, especially on the one side. Bob: They’re doing a study on it right now through Seattle Hospital I believe. We’ll mention that too. Overheating, we want a mattress that doesn’t overheat. This has little air channels. Rollovers and proper spine support. All those things. Brad: Very similar to adults, but it’s different when you’re tiny. Bob: I just want to say, the guy who invented the SleepOvation mattress, he’s got 36 patents Brad, in the U.S. All for mattresses. He has hundreds of patents in Europe or overseas. This guy, I consider him “the genius.” He knows what he’s doing. Brad: He’s been around, and it’s been his life. Bob: Exactly. I feel comfortable in supporting anything he makes. I know that he’s gone to the Nth degree to make sure it’s safe and that it’s going to be the best mattress out there. This is the SleepOvation Baby Mattress. The thing is, what’s cool about this, it’s got two sides. One side is made for the infant, and it has little teddy bears on it. Brad: So, in other words, the cushion on this side is designed for a lighter, smaller body. Then, on the other side, is for toddlers. As they grow, then you’ll flip it over and use the other side. We’ll talk about the difference in a little bit. Bob: If you look inside, they have it printed on the inside cover. So, if you clean the cover, you don’t have to worry about putting in on right. Brad: Yeah, you want to keep it consistent. Bob: You know, I really want a grandchild. Matt? Brenna? Brad: Still practicing. Bob: I don’t know if I’m allowed to put pressure on my children. Am I allowed to do that? Brad: I don’t know. We don’t know the rules on that. Bob: So anyway, this is cool. This is the infant side that’s up, but look at the little, tiny mattresses that you can see here. It has air channels so keeps it cool. Bob: This reduces pressure, again 25 to 35%, spreads out the forces, so you’re not getting point pressure. Bob: Seattle Children’s Hospital is conducting some tests on these to see if it works with plagiocephaly. They’re also applying for FDA clearance for that. Then the other side is the toddler side. I don’t know what, when do you become a toddler? Brad: I don’t know if it’s at two years. Bob: The thing is the cover is water resistant on the infant size. On the other side, the toddler side, it’s waterproof which I guess is even more than water resistant. Brad: Yeah, at that age they may be potty training. There are some issues there. I had issues like that when I was a kid. Bob: Well, let’s be honest Brad, you had issues with all those. Brad: My poor parents. Bob: You can buy extra covers if you want to. It comes in two sizes I believe. It’s going to be made with safe, non-toxic materials. Brad and I, we get products sometimes from overseas. We got a neck supporter once and the smell was so bad. It never went away, remember that? For weeks later, it was still there. Brad: If it wasn’t toxic, it smelled like it was. We put that one off to the side. Bob: Right. But this meets all the standards. I don’t know what they are. ASTM cribs mattress standards, I don’t know what those are. Brad: It’s something they can look at on the SleepOvation website and read it for themselves. Bob: That’s about all I have to say about this, Brad. I just think we’re going to make that baby happy and hopefully, someday, will make me happy by giving me a grandbaby. Brad: They’ll all come at once Bob. Bob: I’ll be a happy guy. Thanks. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor 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​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in January of 2016. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClylSTLubvY&t=1s Bob: Today we’re going to be taking about the big lie, which comes in part from this book called Paindemic. This was written by Doctor Melissa Cady. She’s a doctor of osteopathy and she wrote a chapter in this book called The Disc, I believe it is, and that chapter alone might be worthwhile getting this book. Brad: It’s a good chapter. If you have back pain and you’re thinking about getting an MRI, you should read it. Bob: Right, MRI, or if you’re thinking about having surgery, you want to. We’ll talk more about this book in the future, but right now, let’s talk about the big lie. First off, let’s say you’re having back pain. You go in and you have an MRI, and they found out you have a bulging disc or herniated disc. You’re going “oh my God.” Brad: Right, you’re all excited. I better get surgery. Bob: The thing is that’s probably the last thing you want to do because the problem is, what you’ll find out, this study – we’re going to show a couple studies – is shown that some people at a certain age have a bulging disc, and they have no pain at all. So, let’s go to the chart. So, if you have a bulging disc, what they did is they did MRIs on people. They did MRIs on people who were having no symptoms whatsoever, they had no signs or symptoms of pain. They did it on people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. What they found out is that 30% of the people in their 20s had a bulging disc. Brad: No symptoms. Active people. Bob: 40% in their 30s – no symptoms, had a bulging disc. All the way up to when you’re in your 70s, 77% of people had a bulging disc, but no pain. Brad: And you can see it gradually goes up with age. Bob: It’s a part of aging, it’s a deterioration process. Brad: It’s like getting grey hair. Bob: Or putting on a few extra pounds. So, are you going to get surgery when you get grey hair brad? Brad: No. Bob: The other thing was disc protrusions, which is a disc herniation. On the disc herniation, the same was true, Brad. At age 20, 29% of the people had a disc herniation and had no symptoms. All the way up to 80, 43% had a disc protrusion or herniation and no pain. Brad: So, if you think about it, you have back pain, and you may have had that herniation in your disc for 10 or 15 years prior without any symptoms. Then you get back pain, and it may be from a different cause, you get an MRI, and they see the herniation or the protrusion and point the finger at that. You have the surgery, get it taken care of, and still have the pain. Bob: Yes, because it wasn’t from the herniation. So, we’ll talk a little more about that, but right now Brad is going to show what a bulging disc would be like. First off you have the disc itself. Brad: We’re going to look at L5 and L4, two lower vertebra. Brad: This red bulge here represents a bulging disc or herniated disc and now if we look at these two vertebrae, and we’re going to take it out and show a model of those. Brad: This cup represents one of the vertebrae, this is the other. The green ball represents the disc itself. This is a healthy disc. It moves, it has some mobility in it, so that you can move your spine as we all do. Brad: Particularly if the bugle is in the back where most bulges are, when you bend forward, it often makes it worse. Or when you lift weights with poor body mechanics and seated with poor posture and that bulge can eventually turn into a herniation. Bob: A herniation is when some of the inner material of the disc spills out back. Brad: A disc is just like this. You can see there’s material under this, it’s a thicker liquid, but it can come out and cause that bulge and that’s a problem that you do not want to have. Bob: It’s a problem that is not really a problem unless it pushed out the back and hits a nerve, Brad. Brad: Right. I guess what I meant to say was when it gets this far out, and it’s extreme, and creating pain and whatnot. Bob: So when should you have surgery? There are times you should. One is if this bulge or herniation is pushing against your spinal cord, which is running right down in this hole of the back of the vertebra. The other one is if it’s hitting one of the nerves coming off on the sides. If it hits that nerve, it could give you some pain down your leg and if it’s causing you “foot drop”, where you start getting weakness in the foot, that’s usually a sign that you’re getting pressure on the nerve and it’s pushing on the nerve itself. There are three instances. One, is it pushing on your spinal cord. It will tell on the MRI, you’ll see that. Two, was it pushing on one of the spinal nerves. Or three, is there a mass in there. I mean if you have cancer or some type of mass growing. Brad: Right, sometimes it’s benign and they get in there to remove it and it takes care of the problem quickly. Bob: Or a blood clot. There could even be a blood clot growing on the spinal cord. Dr. Cady, she said she knew plenty of physicians and surgeons who would avoid back surgery like the plague, that was one of her quotes. So, it’s something you want to consider, that you want to try some aggressive physical therapy way before you try surgery. It kind of is the last case scenario. Again, don’t get distraught if you’re seeing a lot of things on your X-Ray which is just showing general aging which is conveying a disc protrusion or disc herniation. Brad: Yeah, I think Bob meant to say MRI. Bob: Did I? What did I say? Brad: X-Ray. Bob: Oh X-Ray, well X-Rays show some of that stuff too. Brad: Sure. Bob: Alright, thanks! If you are having pain associated with a bulging or herniated disc you may want to check out our Sciatica Program for more information. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor 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​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.