Walking is considered a quick win in the treatment of sciatica. Walking can greatly help the healing process. Walking is going to be highly recommended ONLY if you can do it without increasing your leg pain. Walking for the Cure of Back Pain You may have heard of the charity events Walking for the Cure where they raise money for the treatment of breast cancer. Well, we are going to put our own spin on it: Walking for the Cure of Back Pain. It is so simple, but walking can have a healing effect on backs and back pain. Think of yourself as the tin man in the Wizard of Oz, rusted to the point of no movement. Give him a little oil, he can start moving and is as good as new. Your joints (which your spine has a lot of) love movement and they have their own natural lubrication oil called synovial fluid. The more you walk, the more the joints can self-lubricate. With this, your back muscles can start to strengthen. Your body also puts out its own natural drugs called endorphins, which can help with pain relief. But you say it is painful to walk. There are 10 possible reasons for the pain: 1. Your posture is incorrect when walking and you are putting increased strain on your back. Posture is always huge. Your spine can handle great loads when it is in the correct position. This is not true when your back is in poor form. You can use a broom handle or alternative to assess your walking posture. Place the handle in place as follows: your bottom palm is facing out and your top palm is facing forward. The handle should have 3 contact points including the sacrum or pelvis, the mid-back, and the back of your head. If your head is not touching the handle, attempt to correct it. Correct walking posture would have all three contact points touching the handle and all three should remain in contact while walking. A. Poor walking posture B. Correct walking posture with a stick C. Correct walking posture with hands behind back You can also correct your posture while walking by using your right hand to grasp your left wrist behind your back. In this position pull your shoulders back and straighten your back. Then do a chin tuck. A chin tuck is when you tuck in your chin and work to bring your ears over your shoulders. Your head is not going down or up. It is merely going back, as though someone is going to throw a pie in your face and you are backing your head away from it. Maintain this position and begin to swing your arms normally as you continue walking. 2. You are walking too slowly. Yes! You can overload the spine when walking slowly as compared to a quicker pace. When I hurt my back in the past, my goal is to get back to running by the next day. You would think the “pounding” of running would increase the pain of the spine. However, in my case the self-lubricating nature of the movement AND the increased oxygen to all of the muscles, ligament, tendons, and tissues of the back was more beneficial despite the increase load on the spine. When you walk too slowly, the tendency is to lean back on the spine and let it settle into a flexed harmful posture. We want you to lead with your chest and build up enough speed so that you are leaning slightly forward. Pick up the Bob and Brad Sciatica Program: First Step to Stopping Back Pain and/or Sciatica. BEGIN WALKING. 3 pace of your walking and make sure to swing your arms naturally. The movement of your arms can also serve to increase movement, blood flow, and oxygen to your back. I have had patients who have walked with a stiff back and motionless arms. Their muscles looked tight and therefore less healing was occurring. 3. You are walking too far to start. You may need to work up to it incrementally. Determine how far you can walk before the pain begins. Start in your house and walk across the room. Try to increase the amount of walking you can do each day before the pain begins. If your pain begins immediately, you may need to perform some of the stretches for a few days before re-trying the walking. The stretches and improvement in posture can make a significant difference in pain levels. 4. You may have to decrease the weight on your spine in order to walk. This can be done with a double walking stick, a cane, or double canes to start. AVOID hills and stairs. Stick to flat surfaces. 5. You are taking too long of strides causing a reaction force at your heel which reverberates up your leg and into your spine. The running world has discovered this years ago. They advocate a leaning forward posture with shorter and quicker strides. This causes less impact on the joints and greater speed and efficiency. Along with a quicker pace, be sure to shorten your strides and lean forward. Try to have the front of your foot and your heel hit at nearly the same time. Wear comfortable shoes with adequate cushioning and arch support. Shorter strides and leaning forward 6. You have been thinking it is bad to walk and your back decides to agree with you. Walking acts as nature’s natural lubricant for your back. Take advantage of your body’s ability to heal itself. 7. You are not breathing in a relaxed manner. The importance of breathing while trying to manage pain and anxiety is well documented. For example, breathing is the mainstay of mediation techniques and for controlling pain during labor. Before you start walking, take a few deep breaths in which you breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. When blowing out, purse your lips like you are blowing out a candle. You may also use the breathing 4-4-4-4 technique which is as follows: inhalation, retention, exhalation, and retention again, all the same length. Inhale for 4 steps Retain the breath for 4 steps Exhale slowly for 4 steps Retain empty for 4 steps You may increase or decrease the number of steps for each phase, according to your capacity. For instance, it could be 3-3-3-3 or 6-6-6-6. Begin walking and continue relaxed breathing. Good posture will also help assist your breathing. 8. You are not decompressing the spine. One method for decompressing the spine is to lean onto the back of a park bench or chair with a similar back height. Allow the back to relax and continue for 10 seconds. Repeat 3-5 times as needed. For further methods on decompressing the spine, check out our video in this series entitled “How to Decompress the Spine for Back Pain or Sciatica.” Decompression 9. You may have to build up your walking distance in an incremental fashion. Gradually increase walking distances from day to day. 10.You may need to increase or decrease the arch in your back. You also may need to tighten your abdomen at times for support. See if either helps to shut down the pain maker. Also note, be careful when walking dogs on a leash. The constant or even sporadic pull on the leash by your pet could be causing a torque on your back resulting in pain. Try walking without your dog and compare it to when you do. If you have increased pain with the pet, you will need to build up your core trunk muscles first before resuming pet walks.

It's hard to believe that we are at the end of 2021. This year has brought many changes and challenges for so many. The Bob and Brad team are so very glad you made us a part of your year and hope that we were able to help you make the best of it. We appreciate all of you that watch and support us. We have complied a list of a few of your heart felt comments. We will continue to make videos in hopes that you continue to live healthy, fit and pain-free. "I’m thankful for your YouTube video on Rheumatoid Arthritis. I am 38 years old and was just diagnosed. My physician is not very open and informative on ways I can improve my daily living with this so I have been researching on my own. I was so thankful to find your video showing me what stretches to do to help." "I want to thank you for your EXCELLENT videos. I use them for my students (all 400 of them to help them with their aches and pains and to better understand their physiology. I greatly appreciate your senior videos! I began my career with physical therapy so I love your humor and kindness. You are very special to all of us! Happy Holidays!" "Y'all are the most famous physical therapists on the internet, in my opinion and just straight facts! Thanks for all your help with my frozen arm/ shoulder. I no longer get steroid injections in my back. " "In my professional practice I often refer my clients to your vids for exercise and educational tips. Your energy also helps to keep them motivated as well." "I want to thank you for the video on the one-minute workout. I adapted the 2 minutes- 20 second routine to my Nordic Track ski machine routine. I get bored doing cardio and often just quit. This is what I needed for motivation. I have been using this technique for the past 2 months, and I have started alternating with weight training days. I feel GREAT! Thank you again!" "I received your larger massage gun as a gift, so unable to leave an Amazon review. I wanted to provide you with one, though! For the 1st time ever, my 'barometric pressure' induced migraine-type symptoms disappeared 95% after my husband used THIS gun to relieve the tightness that always radiates from my thoracic muscles all the way up the right side of my neck. I also relieved his lumbar muscle tightness and discomfort! This is going to make hand massage in our home less frequent for sure. So easy to use and from someone who never used one before, seems like a well built device. Best gift from my dear friend Tammy. Way to go, guys. New follower here Happy Holidays" "Bob and Brad, I have watched your videos for the past year after TKR and find them helpful and entertaining. Several months ago it became evident that I was going to need a revision and with that I decided to watch a few more of your videos. In one you introduced the Knee Glide. Looked interesting so I purchased it. Received right before surgery and tried it out - seemed pretty cool. Now after surgery I am convinced it’s the greatest PT device around. Absolutely amazing. I am now showing it to my PTs. Thanks for bringing this to the market." "Thanks guys, I absolutely love learning so much from both of you. You really complement each other with experience and I feel a safety listening to you, thank you!" "Hi Bob and Brad. I live in northwestern WI. I am 36 years old and have spondylosis and spondylolisthesis at L5-S1 from a childhood injury and neck arthritis in my neck C5-C7 from wearing a flak vest and Kevlar helmet for a year in Iraq on deployment in 2005. I struggle with chronic pain in my neck and instability in my low back and I just wanted to say I follow you most every day and I have been able to apply a lot of exercises and stretches you demonstrate and it is the only thing that I have found to give me relief so THANK YOU for what you do. I also like your daily memes of motivation and struggle. You guys are awesome." "Good Morning SIR I Was watching most of your videos on utube and they all were amazing I like the way you just make it simple for us" "Good afternoon Bob and Brad. I received my Bob and Brad massage gun the other day and I want to tell you guys that it is AMAZING!!!. I have used it before my workouts as a warm up and after my workouts as recovery. This massager blows my mind. I love it so much that I want to get the small one for my gym bag." "I am following your shoulder exercises video at 83 years old I am having no pain now Love watching you both on YouTube.? "Got my Bob and Brad Massager today I've been wanting one, can't wait to use it." "Way to go on today’s video Jordan’s Resistance Band Booty Workout in real time. Thanks for trying to save us!" "I had an anterior total right hip replacement yesterday. I'm going home to watch all you guys have on hips. I love your you tube channel." "I’d like to say huge thank you for your YouTube videos on si pain and exercises has been a massive help, I was in agony and collapsing in pain just a few weeks ago but now, after following your suggestions in how to ease si pain I am no longer in agonizing pain and am almost back to pain free I’m now an ever loyal fan... got to find out how to sort my knee out now, that’s another saga xxx" "I’ve been watching and admire u both a great deal! Been through both knee replacements 7 years apart. Toughest surgery to recover from! U are excellent and share on YouTube for free. So thankful for that." "Watched another one yesterday. They are fantastic and already received my ordered books in the mail. Thank you two for the great demonstrations." "BTW I appreciate so much your videos and the incredible amount of helpful information you provide so generously. I 've been to acupuncturists and dozens of physio therapists half my life . I have spinal stenosis osteoporosis DDD with herniation and spondylothesis . Ive found movement and strengthening the only thing that has helped and it's so important to do it properly . This is why I see so much wisdom in your advice. Can't thank you enough Brad and Bob !" "I am almost 76 and I had the Covid, Feb. 2020, and it did really bad things to my body. I had 8 weeks of therapy, and I thank the Lord for finding the two of you. That is when I started getting better. In Sept. my blood dropped down to 5.2, needless to say, I was infused with 2 quarts of blood, after that I began to regain my strength, and again with the help of the two of you, I almost feel like I am 60 again. Thanks again." "Referred to your site by my Dr in Kelowna BC Canada. 73 years young with injured right . Love your videos and sharing like crazy. Oh and the wing is slowly getting better but splitting wood and shovelling snow takes precedent over daily exercises but mixing in the moves with the work is doable" "You guys rock!! I asked and you delivered. Kegels. Not an easy topic to discuss but so many suffer in silence. Thank you!!" "After watching your video on the tennis ball exercise for thoracic pain I tried it heard a loud pop and all my pain is gone!!! I then used the ball over my glutes. I haven't felt this good in a long time. Loose as a goose! Ill be watching!" "Why Bob why? We love you both over here! The 2 most adored physical therapists in the world in our opinion of course! " "Thanks for today’s video in real time sitting in the chair. Awesome guys!" "Your videos have helped me with golfers elbow plantar fasciitis and recently helped me solve a thigh pain. All great advice. Your exercises are excellent! I recommend you two all the time. Thank you both!" "Your advice saved me. I have been to several PT. 25 years ago I was rear ended by a semi. With your help I’m now walking a mile a day and doing hand weights. Following your advice there as well. I just wanted to thank you so much" "I just wanted to take some time and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the FREE assistant you've provided on YouTube. I've dealt with chronic leg pain for years that's been diagnosed as muscle imbalances. My health insurance declined my Physical therapy after only 8 visits but I was able to continue to progress and continue up my leg through your videos. I'm now plowing through your back exercises and stretch's for core strengthening. I CANT WAIT to start running again and you two have made it possible. THANK YOU." "I love and truly appreciate your videos keeping me fit, healthy, and happy with your excellent body knowledge that includes good humor!" "Thanks for informative help during these tough stay at home times." "OK you guys are fantastic, not only do you help me with my shoulder pain but I love the way you explain why you’re doing a particular exercise. A lot of times when you go to a physical therapist, they tell you the exercises to do, but they don’t explain why or how it works. I am more likely to practice an exercise if I understand why it works. Thank you so much, you guys are truly professional and you’re funny and the chemistry between the two of you is great, thank you so much!" "Dearest Bob and Brad and Staff, I have been a big fan and long time youtube subscriber. I greatly appreciate all your efforts and time producing your content and products. Although we are going to some challenging times I just bought two of your massage guns and exercise straps to help me with a severe fall on ice. Your encouragement, passion and love of your profession has been very uplifting and inspiration. I wish you, your families and your business continued and growing success. Its a shame I live on the East Coast would love to meet with you and thank you personally for everything you have done for me. Keep up the great work and education for us in your social media community. Best wishes again to all of you and your staff. If there are any future promotions with your products please keep me in mind. Have a great week! God Bless." "Ya'll are a life saver!!! My husband couldn't walk without extreme back pain. Was in excruciating pain. Went to surgeon and he had a cyst where the surgeon needed to clip the bulging disk. Said there was a chance it would heal on its own as the surgery was too risky. We watched your video and purchased the handles for the wall. He started hanging and within a week, he was without pain. He is still doing it every day and we are going on 5 months without pain. Thank you so much!" "FitGlide arrived today. I have neuropathy in my toes and they were really hurting. I used the FitGlide and the pain was immediately gone! I love this!!!" "Dear Bob and Brad, You may never read this but I wanted to thank you for all you do. I had a disc bulge (which my PT friend diagnosed and gave me exercises for) and without health insurance it was difficult to heal from. Your videos on Youtube helped me stay calm about it and work toward healing in a chill way. I didn't freak out because you both were not panicking and telling me to rush to the hospital. (Short version: my back is 100% better and I now know how to move, lift, and sleep comfortably). My girlfriend also came across your videos on youtube (while searching for exercises for me to do) and said "You gotta see these guys, they're great!" I had asked "Is it Bob and Brad? The two most famous physical therapists on the internet?" she said "YES! Now their song is in my head and I'm fixing my neck!" (She had some neck pain she didn't realize she had with the help of her regular PT too)! I just wanted to thank you for all you do and to let you know you have major fans. I will send my girlfriend memes and say "guess who posted this on Facebook?" and she goes "I don't know but it's funny..." "Bob and Brad, the two most famous physical therapists on the internet!" She will say "What? Bob and Brad posted this? This just make them even cooler!" In short, the Gen Z love you Bob and Brad. Also, many of us are in pain due to sedentary lifestyles and working on computers all day! Thank you for doing what you do and making people feel confident and safe. From your huge fan" "Yippie I found You I have been self rehabilitating myself since my stroke I was released from rehab 2 weeks after my stroke Because I was a charity patient. I was released With No mobility Not movement I went Home Prayed and asked God to lead me That is when I found you on youtube The stroke I had damaged My Frontal cortex on the left side. Watching You I have went from Unable to move my legs arms to Now able to Move Let me give Praise to God First For Leading Me To you. I am now Walking I have. No Good Balance I can not Move my Left Hand nor have use of my hand or fingers on my Left side But I can. Move my arm a little. I am still watching the youtube uploads daily I have to recommend You In a stroke group on Facebook You are Amazing I am a living Witness to This. Going From Completely Paralyzed to Now Able to move around and take care of myself I am not all the way there yet But I am far better Than I was. Thanks to God And You. I am grateful For you. My prayers is That God Richly Bless you with Health, Health and Much More." "Hey I just wanted to tell you guys that your videos helped me out a lot, I had a bunch problems and your guys videos on youtube helped me solve the problem. Thank you guys i appreciate the videos!" "Hi guys, just wanted to say love the Bob and Brad videos, I don't think you have any idea how much you've helped people, not just in regards to injuries etc, but also from a mental /social aspect especially in lockdown! The humor demo the videos is brilliant as well as the stretches. Keep up the great work" "I found your You Tube video on hammer toes. I’ve been doing the stretching and massaging for two days. I have seen a 90% improvement. I am so excited! I will continue the therapy and become familiar with some Thank you so much! Your videos on balance and gait have helped more than you'll ever know! After taking 6 really bad falls in the last year because of my left foot scissoring in front of my right foot, I am now able to walk my Great Pyr for 30 minutes each morning, and for 15 minutes in the afternoon and evening. No more scissoring, no more falls. Just have to get the pressure off my spinal cord now." "Hi Guys, I came across your channel when I had an episode of compartment syndrome followed by foot drop as its complication. I was told by the doctor straight on the face that my right leg can never recover as it was that bad. I was devastated and felt depressed. I was 37 at that time with 3 kids depending on me. Anyways, I followed your videos and was patient... 3 years later now... my feet is completely recovered. I still have numbness on the top of the feet because of the nerve damage and pain for which I am taking pain killers, I can walk and have a normal life which I think is a blessing from God and encouragement from your videos.. thank you guys" "Hi Bob and Brad. I want to share a heartfelt thank you to you both. After being struck by a car while cycling last year, I feel so grateful for my swift recovery. My C-spine was severely injured resulting in an emergency fusion from C3 - C6. I’ve rebounded amazingly, and all has been going well for the past year until I started experiencing severe pain from a pinched nerve several weeks ago. An MRI confirmed Cervical Stenosis just below my fusion. The radiculopathy symptoms were uncomfortable and alarming to me, and my orthosurg suggested an additional fusion (C7). Before agreeing to an additional fusion, I pleaded for a few additional weeks to try some PT. I’m having trouble getting an apt for either PT or injections. While I wait, I took to the web and found you two. Mere DAYS after regularly practicing the exercises demonstrated in various videos you’ve shared, I’m seeing SIGNIFICANT improvement. I’m experiencing less pain/discomfort, I’m seeing centralization of symptoms, and my tricep strength is slowly returning. I feel hopeful for the first time since learning that second surgery was the recommendation. I’ll still aim to get in with an in-person PT, and who knows if I’ll be able to clear this up to my physicians liking, but THANK YOU for your videos — I’ve gotten soooo much out of them." 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. 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This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in August of 2021. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58QVkw4UbhM Bob: Today we’re with Jordan who is a nutritional coach, and what’s the topic today? Jordan: We’re talking about the worst diet recommendations, in our opinion. Well, I should say in my opinion, because I came up with this and we’ll see if you agree. Bob: We’ll see if I agree. I have a little knowledge on this and that’s harmful to have little knowledge. You've got good posture. I have to work on my posture. So, while we start off, we’ll go over a couple of things today and we’ll make this a whole series. We’ll talk about a lot of different ones. So, what do you want to start off with? Jordan: Let’s talk about calorie counting first. I would say in my field of work, this tends to be the most common, I guess question that I get. I’m not a big calorie counter to be honest, I’ve never counted calories. Bob: Do you recommend counting calorie even at the beginning to get a sense? Jordan: Yeah, for sure. If somebody has no idea and they’ve just been going their whole life eating whatever they darn well please and have no concept at all, then it can be very beneficial to do for a short period of time. For most of us, we could kind of just ditch that and focus instead on food quality. Bob: Yeah. I am the personality type that would not want to count calories. Jordan: No, and it’s temporary. Nobody can do it forever. Bob: Right, they won’t. With the few exceptions, there are some people that are like engineers and stuff that want to chart everything. But I don’t think it would be good for a short period of time because I think people will be shocked at how many calories they’re taking in sometimes. Jordan: Yes, absolutely. And I guess when I bring this up about calorie counting and the negative impacts of it or how it’s not so great is because not all calories are created equally. The trouble is if somebody is solely counting calories, putting it in an app, “All right I want to hit 1800 calories.” We’re not at all talking about food quality. So, I always emphasize that because the trouble is not all food is created equally. 300 calories of something does not equal 300 calories of another food. So, if that doesn’t make sense, usually I tell people, “All right, what about if I gave you a bag of M&M’s.” All right, that will give you about a little more than 200 calories, or I could give you an entire avocado and you’re going to be over 300 calories. Well in the calorie counting world, on your app, it’s going to tell you go eat the M&M’s because you have more calories left. Which I think we can all from a commonsense standpoint, agree that doesn’t make sense. Bob: Right, exactly. It’s interesting though, one time we had somebody involved in nutrition onand he had a big bowl of just like greens and good stuff. And that was equal to just a little, small bowl of M&M’s. So, in that case, he’s like, I can eat this whole thing, or I can eat these M&M’s. Jordan: Yeah, for sure. And with that, you can talk about nutrient density too and not to get all like scientific and out there, but when you’re talking about that example of that big bowl of greens versus this little thing of M&M’s, what do you get out of M&M’s? Honestly nothing. There are zero nutrients, zero vitamins, zero minerals, negative. But in this huge bowl of greens, you’re going to get tons of vitamins, minerals, all sorts of good stuff. Bob: So, I guess you may want to count calories for a little while, then because you’re always trying to make this a way of life. You’re not trying to workout, do a diet for two weeks and then go intense. You’re trying to make a lifestyle choice. Jordan: Correct. Usually if you set someone up with something like calorie counting, it can work well for 2-3 and maybe 4 weeks. Maybe 2 months if you’re really motivated, but nobody is going to do that forever, so I try to not introduce anything to clients that’s going to be a short-term fix. Bob: You get discouraged and then you give it up and then you’re back to square one or even worse. Jordan: Right. Bob: All right, why don’t we move onto a separate topic. Jordan: Another worst diet recommendation, I want to say, “Carbs are bad.” We’re told carbs are bad and stay away from them. Bob: That’s really been popular. Like keto, but the thing about keto is, you can have some carbs. Jordan: You can, to a degree. Bob: Depending on your body type. If you tolerate carbs well, you can have a lot more carbs, than someone who doesn’t tolerate them well. Jordan: Right. But I mean, the main thing even if you’re not doing the keto diet, we just think, I get this a lot too, like people being told that fruit’s not such a good choice because it’s so high in carbohydrates. I just don’t buy into that personally. Some people need more than others. Bob: They have anti-inflammatory feature to them. Jordan: A lot of us need some carbs. A lot of the population does, I think in the short term, like the keto diet, that can be a good tool for people. I mean, talking about, again, something you can do for your entire life. No, not all carbs are bad. Fruits and vegetables are filled with carbohydrates and there’s a lot more good in those than bad, in my opinion. Bob: Now, some carbs that might be bad for you. Carbs from bread is not always good, right? Because you don’t have the whole grain? Jordan: Right. I’m not a big proponent of anything good that’s found in breads and pastas. It’s just the grains that we have today, they’re just incredibly refined and there’s stripped of anything that could possibly be good for us. So, I usually tell people to get their carbohydrates and fill up on fruits and vegetables. That’s what we need. Bob: If you want to stop anything, stop eating bread, especially that’s not all grain or full. I don’t know, what’s the word now? Jordan: To me it’s all bad. There’s not much good on the shelves anymore as far as bread goes. Bob: And of course, refined sugar is a bad carb too that you want to avoid. Sugary drinks. Desserts. You can have them, just don’t go crazy on them. Jordan: A lot of stuff that comes in those middle aisles. That’s been advice that's been given for a long time and its good advice because there’s unfortunately not a lot of good in there. Bob: So, what she’s saying is when you go to the grocery store, you want to avoid the aisles that are in the middle. You want to go on the outskirts. Jordan: Right. Bob: It’s all the fresh fruit and vegetables and I don’t know what’s on the other side of the store. The eggs are on the outside. Jordan: Yeah, every store is set up a little different. Obviously not everything in the outside of the store is good and not everything on the inside of the store is bad, it’s just a good general rule. We could spend most of our time on the perimeter and stay out of the aisles with boxed food and all that. Bob: Let’s take one more. Jordan: Okay, last one we’ll talk about is eating a low fat or fat free diet in my opinion, is a bad diet recommendation. I think people are finally starting to, I don’t know, not be so afraid of fat? Bob: I think they’re seeing what has happened. I mean, if you look back 30 years ago, I mean, I see videos of people in events that happened 30 years ago and everybody’s skinny. They were eating fats galore then. If you read up on the history of this, it was all a big mistake. Jordan: It was. We could go into a whole video on the mistake of what happened in history and why we started eating fat-free, but that’s another topic. Bob: There’s some good documentaries out there on it. What things are you looking for that might be a good source of fat? Jordan: I’ll just kind of what I have. If you walk into my house right now and you would open my cupboard above my stove, that’s where I keep my oils. I have olive oil, good quality source, not a cheap, crappy, refined olive oil, but a good quality olive oil. I also keep avocado oil in there, and I keep coconut oil around too. That has some good uses as well. Bob: Avocado oil, that’s what I started using based off your recommendation. Coconut oil is not going to be for me. I don’t like coconut. Jordan: You don’t like it? Well, that’s not going to be for you. You will not find vegetable oil in my cabinet ever, you won’t find canola oil, I don’t even know what some of the other ones are. I don’t use any of that. Highly processed, highly refined. Other things, avocados, nuts. Bob: Well, the thing you find out when you take in some fat, like in this form, it satiates you. It makes you feel full. Jordan: Right, try a meal sometime where you don’t have any fat like go eat a lean chicken breast and some steamed broccoli and nothing else. Or get your broccoli and drizzle a little olive oil over it. But just that, even that small change, for example. You will notice yourself seem full for much longer. Bob: You don’t find yourself rummaging throughout the cupboards, looking for something bad. Yeah, this has been unfortunately one of the worst ideas put on humankind right now. Jordan: I would argue this should be at the top, number one. Bob: Your thoughts on artificial sweetener? Jordan: I don’t use them. I don’t touch them. Bob: Even Stevia? Jordan: I’ll use Stevia in small doses. I don’t have Stevia at home because I don’t really care for super sweet things. Bob: It’s the best of maybe the evils? Jordan: Correct. If it’s in something though that I’m going to have, I’m not going to put it back on the shelf. I will eat it, but who knows they’re going to come up with something in another 10 years that says that’s bad, because that’s how it works. But I try not to, it’s not in my diet every day by any means. Bob: So, we covered three areas today and we’re going to cover more of these areas in the future so watch for the series on worst diet recommendations that you hear throughout the day. 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.

Lessen or eliminate pain makers by one of three methods (EEE): 1. Exercise: Change your back through stretches and strengthening. Exercises that are designed to help your spine can help handle the tasks which are normally pain makers. 2. Environment: Change your environment or something in your environment. This may include using modified equipment, changing the height of your work surface, adding a back support to your chair, and/or eliminating a task likely to be a pain maker from your life temporarily. 3. Education: Change the technique you are using to perform pain maker tasks. It should be noted, some of the techniques cannot be changed until we change your body- more on that later. As an example, some of you feel the first pain maker of the day when getting out of bed or turning in your bed. Later on we will provide the education on the proper way to turn in bed as well as getting in and out of bed. ESSENTIAL VERSUS NON-ESSENTIAL TASKS Ask yourself the question: Is this task or movement that normally is a pain maker VITAL for me to perform to get through TODAY? Examples: 1. Is it VITAL for you to get out of bed today? YES, because you need to get up and walk as well as perform other tasks to help your back recover. 2. Is it VITAL for you to make your bed today? NO. You can let it go today, and in a week or two when your pain has decreased you can try it then. If you have the option of having someone else make it, do so. 3. Is it VITAL for you to get dressed? YES, because you need to get up and walk as well as perform other tasks to help your back recover. 4. Is it VITAL for you to cut the lawn? NO. Cutting the lawn could increase your pain. We often have patients say to us: “If we don’t cut it, nobody else will.” Our response: “Who is going to cut it when you have back surgery?” Because that is where you are headed if you continue down the path you are on. Final Thoughts and Reminders on Pain Makers You do not try to work through pain makers. You can work up to the point of pain but then you need to back down. The more you experience pain, the more sensitive your nerves become. The more sensitive your nerves become, the easier it is for your pain makers to trigger pain. Luckily the reverse is also true. The more you can eliminate pain makers, the less sensitive your nerves become. We don’t believe your pain is “all in your head”. Just because no one has been able to pinpoint the cause of your pain doesn’t mean your pain isn’t real. Every pain maker you eliminate is a personal victory and should be viewed as so. Constant exposure to pain makers may be preventing your body (especially your back) from fully healing. Your body has an incredible ability to heal, if you let it. If you are feeling pain, you might be re-irritating your back with incorrect moves and postures. Exercises we recommend are solely designed as an end goal to help you manage pain makers. Period! Pain does not always match the severity of an injury. A common thought is “I am in a lot of pain so something in my back must really be damaged”. This is not true. Your nerves may have just become oversensitive to pain because of continuous exposure to pain makers. Your nerves will calm down once you start managing the pain makers. Only you and you alone can manage your pain makers. Yes, they can be managed. Yes, the amount of pain you experience during a day can be reduced. But you must do it. You are in charge. Nobody is going to come to your rescue. You must decide “I can do this, and I will do this!” Check out the full Sciatica series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: http://bobandbrad.com/programs 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 March of 2019. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypuqrmnn7Ng&t=69s. Bob: Today, this is interesting, we have a one-minute exercise that predicts your risk of heart disease. It was done by Harvard, and it was over 1100 firemen. They had them do this one exercise and then they followed them for many years after that to see how many of them had cardiovascular events like heart attacks or strokes, some type of cardiovascular disease. They found out that the people that did well at this had less events than the people who didn’t do well. Brad: One exercise! So, if you want to find out what it is, hold on. We’re going to show you. We've got you in suspense. Bob: Okay, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide. We have a study, Harvard performed a study. 1000 firefighters, they’re trying to predict the risk of heart disease and cardiovascular events such as a heart attack. The one exercise is push-ups. They had these guys do as many push-ups as they could do. They used a metronome for like 80 beats. Brad: Okay. Bob: It turned out to be a minute so, how many push-ups could they do in a minute. They couldn’t rest for more than 3 beats. They couldn’t stop and just hold it, they had to keep going. So, they did this, and they followed the firemen for years after that and they found out that basically, the answer is, the more push-ups you can do, the lower risk you had for cardiovascular disease. It’s no big surprise. For example, for those that did less than 10 compared to those who did more than 40, the people who did more than 40 had a 96% chance less likely to have an incident. Brad: That’s significant. Bob: Yeah. In fact, you virtually had no chance of having an incident if you were able to do 40 push-ups. Brad: 40 in a minute? Bob: Yes, 40 in a minute. So, you know what, Brad, you know I have to try it. I don’t have my equipment here, I’m already making an excuse. I should warm up a little bit. Brad: Did you exercise this morning yet? Bob: Well, I ran this morning. Brad: Well, that’s a little warm up, plus it’s 30 degrees out. Bob: I’m going to count them off but you can count them off too, Brad. Are you ready to go? Brad: I’m ready Bob, are you? Bob: This is pressure. Brad: Pressure? Okay. Let’s see what Bob can do. Up on the toes, G.I. push-ups we’re doing. Bob: 41 Brad: All right, nice work! Bob: I’ll tell you, that is a cardiovascular event though. I mean, it does tax your heart. Brad: It would be interesting to see what your heart rate is right now. Bob: It’s probably 700 right now. So, anyway, it’s a great exercise. It works your core, works your strength, and it works your heart. I can’t say anything else, I’m too tired. Brad: There’s a good testimony to get your heart rate up in a minute. Bob: 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 November of 2021. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuI9iDRn0i0&t=58s Bob: Today we’re going to show you how to stop back pain, shoulder pain, and get perfect posture in 30 seconds. Brad: All at the same time? Bob: Are you telling the truth? Brad: Absolutely, Bob. You can treat shoulder pain, back pain, plus address perfect posture in 30 seconds. It’s a wonderful treatment! Both you and I do it already, Bob. We can agree on this. Bob: We’re advocates. Brad: So, correcting posture. If we look at just correcting your posture, your shoulder mechanics are going to get better. So, that’s one thing. You look at decompression of the spine or traction. It’s going to help, not only your posture, but it’s going to help your spine. All at the same time, if we do this with a method that helps impingement with our shoulders, it’s amazing. All three of these are going to be accomplished. We just found out a few years ago about, if you hang with your arms above your head and use your body weight, it’s called brachiating. It does all three of these at once. We’re going to talk about a little more detail, but again, Dr. Kirsch wrote a book "Shoulder Pain? The Solution & Prevention: Fifth Edition Revised and Expanded". Bob: Dr. Kirsch. Former orthopedic surgeon. Brad: He’s from Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Just 30 miles from where I grew up. Bob: This is the fifth edition, which means it’s been selling. Brad: Yeah. He’s a wonderful man. He’s doing this because he really wants to get the word out and we’re helping him. It’s so simple and it does all three of these. So, he doesn’t address all three of the points, but we do because we know it does all three. So, we’re going to talk about hanging. You can hang from anything. Anything that will hold your weight safely. A pull up bar if you have the already. Certainly, welcome to use it. He talks about in the book where people hang on to a tree branch. If you can. Bob: Rafters. Brad: I know at my house, there is a handrail that goes down and I can hang on there, but I use hanging handles because it works better. Bob: Sure. Brad: For posture reasons it works well if you can put your body up against a wall and the hanging handles or whatever you’re holding onto puts you up against the wall. Bob: Then it straightens your back out. Brad: It does. Then you know you’re in perfect posture while you’re doing it. So, my butt’s hitting, my shoulders hitting, and I’m going to bring my head back gently and now that’s all touching the wall. Brad: You need the height. So, when you grab the handles or the bar, your weight-bearing and then you slowly go down, and I’m getting that brachiating, that impingement in the shoulders is being opened, so, that problem is helped. Now, I’m getting my posture help. And, as I take weight off my feet, the number three, the decompression of the spine. You’re literally treating three different areas. Bob: Right, you’re also improving your grip. Brad: There you go, another benefit: strengthening that grip. Now, this is where in Dr. Kirsch’s book for the shoulders specifically, he’ll say, hang for more than 30 seconds. Bob: Less to start. Brad: Yeah, once you get used to it. It might take you a week or two weeks or three weeks before you can. I personally hang for about 20 to 30 seconds. Bob: Right. He also has testimonials in his book. People who had an impingement or a rotator cuff tear or were scheduled for surgery and they got better. A lot of them didn’t hang that long. They would go 10, 20 seconds. I didn’t hear of any that went a minute or anything like that. Brad: Now, there’s that on guy, remember? Bob: Oh, that big, heavy guy. Brad: He had special things for his hands, so he didn’t have to use a grip. He would hang for up to five minutes, I though. Which is extreme. Bob: Well, there was that former weightlifter that was a thick guy. Brad: So, that’s the shoulder issue. Again, the decompression on the spine, my back always feels good when I do this. I have spondylolisthesis. If you have problems or pain when you do this, the shoulders will hurt initially, but after a few days of doing this for short periods of time, you should see the improvement and it should clearly feel better than two days ago. Bob: Well, you say 30 seconds. We mean 30 seconds throughout the day. Right? Brad: Right. Bob: I don’t think we can get rid of your shoulder problem by doing 30 seconds once. Brad: Yeah, but when I had impingement problems with mine, I did it once a day and that was enough. Bob: Oh sure, prove me wrong. Brad: No, well I’m saying I probably should’ve done it more, but I just didn’t have these handles handy. You know, if my shoulders weren’t hurting, I’d kind of forget about it. But again, you can go 30 seconds. As you see, I’m going completely off the ground. I think 30 seconds is more than enough because my hands get tired and it’s not like I don’t do grip strengthening. Bob: Mine got stronger when I first started it, but when I first started, I got 10 seconds and I was starting to lose my grip already. Brad: You can do this throughout the day and Bob has these in his house so that he can just go from working at the desk to these. Bob: In my office and I’ll take a little break and every time I do it, my back cracks, which means it was kind of crunched together. It’s given a little traction to it. Brad: And it really helps with the breathing. I do want to address one more point. For your back in particular, put a stool out in front of you and do your hanging. You can experiment with this. I put my feet here and that changes the compression or decompression on my spine, especially my low back. If I go up a step, in my case, this feels good. I’ve got spondylolisthesis with some stenosis, and I think anybody with stenosis is going to find this to be more comfortable with their feet up rather than on the floor. Bob: So, it’s basically pinching on the nerve almost. And by stenosis, you’re separating the bones. Brad: Yeah, so this flexes the back and helps open those facet joints. Bob: Right, even more. Brad: The other thing, Bob, you do this one. I don’t because this one doesn’t feel good on my spine, but if you go like this and rotate your hips left to right, you’re only going to do this if it feels good. Like a good stretch. Bob: I only do it one direction too. It might feel good going to the right and that might open the facets or the foramen on that side, but it might hurt going the other direction. Brad: So, listen to your body. Do it the ways that feel good. You’ll feel like right now, you know, I did this, this morning. I always do this on mornings before I swim, for sure, to stretch my shoulders out. You just feel you can breathe better. You feel stretched out. It wakes you up in the morning, it’s a wonderful stretch. Bob: So, our advice to you is, listen to your body and listen to your spouse. Brad: That’s a good one. Bob: You’ll get through life. Brad: That’s exactly right. I did that last night. My wife was grateful. And so was I. Good luck with it. Again, the hanging handles work well. Anything that gets you up against the wall is a little bit better, but still, you can hang without that. Bob: Right. Brad: Very good. 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.

The goal of this program is simple. We want to decrease the amount of pain makers you experience each day. In our world, a pain maker is an action or a position that causes pain. The pain may present in your back, or it may be “referred” pain. “Referred” pain originates from a structure in your back but presents in another place on your body (for example, butt, legs, feet). If you perform a task and you begin to feel pain, then that task is a pain maker. If you move a certain way and it causes pain, that movement is a pain maker. If you are lying in bed on your back and you have pain, that position is a pain maker. For many of you, these pain makers occur throughout the day and severely limit what you’re able to do. We want you to change that. By reducing the number of pain makers in your day, you may begin to reduce the sensitivity of your nerves to pain. It has a cascade effect both ways. By increasing pain from pain makers you increase your nerve pain sensitivity. By decreasing pain from pain makers you decrease your nerve pain sensitivity. People are often surprised to learn that they can eliminate pain simply by monitoring the way they move and activate muscles. By reducing pain makers, you begin to see that you can control the pain in your life. Pain does not have to control you. Essentially, the less pain makers you have, the more you can do. The Initial Rules We understand that some of the activities on this list may be important to you. We are not asking for you to give them up forever. We are just asking for you to stop them right now so you can reduce your pain makers. You will be able to return to some of these activities in the future and we will try to provide guidance on how to do so. Things you need to stop doing NOW: 1. Using a riding lawn mower 2. Shoveling snow 3. Canoeing or using a kayak 4. Horseback riding 5. Lifting weights 6. Cycling 7. Downhill skiing 8. Snowboarding 9. Snowmobiling 10. Hiking in hilly country 11. Prolonged sitting- in a car, on a motorcycle, on a plane, at a computer 12. Yoga 13. Tennis, pickle ball, etc. 14. Running (only if it increases your pain while doing so) Check out the full Sciatica series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: http://bobandbrad.com/programs 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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7UsaTMShKQ&t=217s Bob: Today we’re going to talk about my favorite home office setup for 2021. I think this is a very pertinent topic, Brad, because unfortunately I think COVID’s with us for another season and a lot of people are going to be working from home, a lot of people I think are now at home permanently. Brad: Right, it just works out better. Bob: Yeah, it does. So, a lot of you are going to have to set up a home office and we’re going to give you some hints, so you have good comfort, and you have good lighting and all that. Brad: Right, save your body because you don’t want to wear it out working. Working at a desk improperly will beat your body up. Bob: All right now let’s go to number one. First off, I know this is understandable and people know what I’m saying here that it’s obvious. You should try to have a private office but some of you are not going to be able to. Our first living arrangement with my wife was an efficiency. We had a kitchen and a bedroom. That was it. My weight system was in the bedroom, my weight bench and everything. Brad: Yeah, that was the good ole days. Bob: But if it’s possible, if there is a spare room, you’ll want to use that because you’re going to have zoom meetings and such. I shared an office one time with my daughter Jamie when she was about 12. She asked me a question every two minutes. I mean we finally parted ways. Brad: Well, she’s very intelligent, Bob. I don’t know why she was asking you though. Bob: Yeah, she’s running our company now. So, a private office with a door that you can shut, obviously. Number two, posture. That’s probably the most critical thing for a physical therapist to understand and to relay to you. So, what I really like is this desk by Flexispot, the VICI Duplex standing desk. Brad: The idea they've got, it’s two tiers. It’s adjustable and it really is a nice desk. I like the two-tier thing and we’ll tell you in just a second. Bob: Yeah, because a lot of them don’t and this one you can re-adjust it so it’s completely flat too. So, you have both options. For me, because of my height I must have my screen up high when I’m working at the desk because I don’t want to be looking down with my head bent down the entire time. Brad: Right. Bob: So for me to get it up, if I put on the laptop and monitor mount accessory, and I clamp it to a regular table, it won’t go high enough. Brad: Like right now, this is not high enough for you. Bob: Yeah, that’s getting close. Now my regular screen will attach to this thing right here and that’s high enough. Brad: Sure, so this allows for two screens. Bob: Yeah, they have all sort of accessories at Flexispot like this too that you could clamp onto your desk. Otherwise, you could sometimes just put a stand on top of the desk and put your laptop on top of that. Then, a wireless keyboard, a wireless mouse. If you try to type up on the top level your arms are going to get sore, your shoulders are going to develop problems so you want to make sure that everything is in alignment. The desk can go up a little higher. Brad: Sure, go ahead. That’s the beautiful thing about that desk. It’s controllable, adjust it for yourself. Bob: So, you want the forearms to be almost level. So, now I’m getting up to the height this should be, right? Brad: Yes! See it’s all fitting into place. Bob: There we go. Now that’s comfortable. Forearms are level, my upper arm is vertical. Brad: Right. If anything, having your forearms down a little bit is certainly acceptable. Bob: Right, a slight downward angle. We’re in a good position and we’re ready to go. So, I couldn’t do this on a flat desk. It just wouldn’t work for me. Brad: Right, you need that extra six inches to get it separated. Bob: Right. Now obviously, I want to be able to sit and stand. Brad: Right, throughout the day alternate. Bob: What I use Brad, I have this timer. What this timer does is, I can flip it and it starts five minutes. Brad: What happens if you flip it again? Bob: Now it’s 15 minutes. You see that? Brad: Oh, is that ever a cute deal. That way you don’t have to keep reprogramming it. It saves time. Bob: You can do it on your phone too, but I just flip it and stand for maybe 15 minutes, and I flip it and sit for 20 minutes. Whatever I want to do. Brad: I believe I took a course on this, and they said 20 minutes is a good balance and that can vary from person to person but to just give you a general idea. For sure you don’t want to stand or sit for more than two hours. I think that’s too long. Bob: Right. I try to go maybe 30 minutes. It helps you become a little more aware. Brad: Alert! Bob: There you go. I was looking for that word and I couldn’t find it. Brad: You were standing too long. Bob: That’s right. I have to sit down for a while. Brad: We’ll work on that. Bob: You want to talk about some of the chairs Brad? Brad: Sure. I mean should we talk about the seated chair? Bob: Sure. Brad: If you go to your seated position, you need to lower the desk. You can program the desk for four different levels, so you don’t have to sit here and hold it. We don’t have that right now but that works out nice. Bob: Push the level one through four and figure out which level you want. Brad: Now this is the chair that I really like because it has all the different adjustments. If you just have a chair that goes up and down, that’s a critical adjustment, but there’s several other ones. This one has a wonderful lumbar support. The back of the chair is mesh so they don’t get too hot. The lumber support moves up and down to adjust to the person. The headrest goes up and down to adjust to the person. The arms which I think a lot of chairs don’t have this button under them to lock up and down so that when you get the right height you can lock it in place. Bob: And it goes in and out too Brad, doesn’t it? Brad: Yes, the arm rests rotate. Brad: Now the chair itself, so that’s the armrest, backrest, and headrest. We’ve got the up and down right here. Bob: And five castors. Brad: It rolls around nicely. It's got a lock on the left side, so if you want to stretch back you can. Bob: Obviously you can’t work when you lean back like that. Maybe if you’re thinking, break time. You have that room for your head then too. Brad: Then you flip it back and it’s locked, and it can’t tilt back. This is an adjustment that I like. It makes the seat go forward and backward, which a lot of chairs don’t have. So, this chair is one of my favorite chairs. It has a lot of adjustments, and the cost is very good because these chairs can get expensive, the ones that have a lot of adjustments. Bob: By the way, the desk is under $300. If you look among desks that raise up electrically or with electric ability, this is an inexpensive desk. I think it’s a good bargain. Brad: When I saw that price, I didn’t think it was for this desk. I was pleasantly corrected. Now if you’re interested in getting a little activity circulation, keep you alert while you’re working, Flexispot does have this chair which is obviously a bike. A stationary bike. This has a nice adjustable chair. For example, I’m going to set it here, I can pedal. It’s nice and smooth. It rolls very easily but as soon as you put some body weight down on it, the back two castors lock in tight so you don’t have to worry about scooting around. Bob: That’s my favorite feature of this chair. It is so easy to move. You can use a couple finger tips to move it around and then once you sit on it, it locks in place. Brad: Exactly. Bob: So, he can raise up the desk and it’s got room to get his knees under there. Brad: Yeah, if your knees bump into that every time, it makes rough while working. The computer will be bouncing around every time your knees hit the desk. Bob: You’ll be coming to see us after a while. Brad: It’d be kind of fun to do. I’m going to get it under the desk. There’s resistance and it tells you calories, timers on the digital. Bob: You can pedal slowly while you’re working, just getting some movement. Brad: You know, but if you’re getting frustrated while you work, maybe you need to burn off some energy, go ahead and see what happens. This also has a mesh back which is nice as far as heat, but you’re probably not going to be leaning on the back too long. You may, depends on the individual, but look at that posture. Bob: You’re pedaling and losing weight. Brad: The monitor is too tall for me, I’d adjust it for myself. You make the adjustments as needed for your body. Bob: So, this is a Sit2Go Pro bike chair, which I think again is a nice device. I think they’ve sold a lot of those. Brad: See how nice it rolls out of the way? Bob: All right. What else do we have here, Brad? Brad: We had a lot of toys. Bob: The last thing I was going to mention is some people like to have a mat to stand on when they are working at a desk. I do not like these, and I’ll tell you why. It’s fine for standing, it’s comfortable, but as soon as I go back to my chair, I can’t kick the mat around. It just doesn’t kick very well, and I can’t pull it back. If you know me, I just don’t like anything like this that I must deal with all the time. Brad: Yeah, because if you want to move your chair in there then you must literally bend over to pick it up and move it. Bob: To me, it’s even worse when I went back to standing. I had to reach under the desk to grab it and pull it back into its place. I couldn’t use my foot to put it back. It’s irritating. Brad: Yes, that’s annoying. Bob: If you’re standing on a carpet, I don’t think you need one, but you know. Brad: The other option is you can put some cushions in your shoes in the inserts that give you a little cushion if you like that then they stay with your feet. Bob: You know what I use for my chair? I use a Pete’s Choice to put my feet on. Brad: You do?! Where is one? Bob: We should mention another product, but we do like Pete’s Choice Pad. Brad: I do love these. Matter of fact, I took them with me camping this weekend and I used it out by the fire. I could sit on there and I used it, I had to kneel to get something underneath the trailer. Bob: And when you ran out of wood you put it on fire. Brad: No, no Bob. It makes black smoke. That means it’s a carcinogen. No sir. Bob: These are the things you want to keep in mind. One thing I forgot to mention, Brad is lighting. With your lighting, you ideally want natural light to come in from the side. If you have natural light coming at you, it’s going to mess with your eyes. If it’s natural light from behind you, it’s going to mess with your screen. It should be coming from the side. That’s what I have in my room. Brad: Can you get dimmers on your shades? Bob: No, I don’t but I do have shades. Also, if I do zoom meetings, I must be aware of my overhead lights getting in the way, so I must just have natural light. Brad: Otherwise, you get a silhouette and there’s just a silhouette of you and they can’t see your face, which is probably better off… Bob: Exactly. For the ideal setup, this is what we recommend. Brad: Yeah, it’s a wonderful thing Bob. It’s getting better every year. Next decade from now, I don’t know what’s going to happen. Bob: Robots will be working for us. Brad: There you go, watching from a distance. Bob: All right, thanks. Interested in learning about the products mentioned in today's video: 1) FlexiSpot VICI Duplex Standing Desk: https://bit.ly/3jSdMnq Get $15 OFF coupon with this link: https://bit.ly/2VK2YPM 2) Sit2go Pro Bike Chair: https://bit.ly/2RBKI9v 3) FLEXISPOT Soutien Ergonomic Office Chair OC10: https://bit.ly/39fF0PI 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.

Image via Unsplash Tips on How To Look and Feel Your Best at 65 and Over The saying, "Getting old isn't for the faint of heart" is one that most people are familiar with. However, health care advancements of the last 20 years have significantly contributed to people living longer, healthier, and more satisfying lives. Let's look at a few tips on how you can look and feel your absolute best during your senior years. Take Mental Wellness Seriously Aging brings its own challenges, but with a preventive approach and positive attitude, certain myths associated with aging can be firmly put to rest. These include memory loss and brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia. As you get older, your mental processes slow down, and new information may take longer to process. However, making mental stimulation a priority throughout your life, and practices such as memorization techniques, games, puzzles, and riddles will continue to positively impact your cognitive ability and create new brain pathways as you get older. Eat for Health and Longevity Healthy eating habits are crucial to a sense of overall well-being. You really are what you eat, and this expression is especially relevant to older adults. An unhealthy diet with refined carbohydrates, sugary foods and drinks, and other processed foods can be linked to illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and cognitive impairment. A balanced diet containing potassium, calcium, vitamin D and B12, and dietary fiber will help maintain your body's muscle mass, bone density, and immune and nervous systems. Exercise To Keep Fit and Strong The benefits of a regular exercise regime can never be emphasized enough. A career and family responsibilities can influence your activity levels, and it's wise to start out slow and consider activities that suit your current fitness levels and lifestyle. Exercises that are particularly beneficial to older adults improve strength, posture, and mobility and put less stress on your joints, muscles, and bones. These include water aerobics, chair yoga, pilates, and exercising with resistance bands. You can also keep your exercise routine simple by putting on comfortable clothing, grabbing some earbuds you’ve synced with your phone, and heading into the fresh air for a run or a walk. Take Care of Your Appearance If you look your best, you will feel your best. Take care to choose and dress according to styles and colors that suit your body shape and lifestyle. Regular skin care also becomes increasingly important when you age, as your skin becomes thinner. Drink plenty of fluids, apply facial and body creams every day, and take fewer showers, as hot water can dry out your skin. A skin condition that is quite common in older adults is psoriasis, which causes raised scaly patches on your knees, elbows, lower back, and scalp. The best way to treat and control the condition is to follow a good skincare routine and a healthy diet. Other options that can reduce the symptoms include topical therapy, light therapy, and oral or injected medication. Become Your Very Best The above are just a few tips on how you can look and feel your absolute best as you enter a new and exciting stage in your life. Physical therapists Bob and Brad, from Winona, MN, created a series of easy-to-follow videos and guide-sheets to help you with the most common therapy problems you might experience. Visit them online today to find out how you can look and feel your best, no matter your age or fitness level.

The short answer is yes. Absolutely. Most disc bulges shrink over time. The symptoms (pain, numbness, tingling) associated with disc issues also tend to resolve in most people. There are few reasons why this may happen: 1. The disc material gets reabsorbed by the disc. 2. The disc material may dehydrate. 3. In response to inflammation the body creates little Pac-man cells that eat the disc material. NOTE: Your body has an incredible ability to heal itself, if you allow it to happen. The goal of this video series is to help you allow your body to heal. We will educate you on how to create an environment which is conducive to healing. What if your sciatica is caused by degenerative changes in your spine often due to age resulting in a smaller opening for the nerve roots of the sciatic nerve to pass through? The smaller hole causes increased pressure and irritation of the nerves. This may lead to spinal stenosis. If degenerative changes are causing your sciatica, you still have a good chance of healing by eliminating or reducing the pain makers in your life and by using the technique of nerve flossing (see video How to Perform Nerve Flossing Which Can Help Your Sciatica). We will be creating a video series in the future designed specifically for spinal stenosis. Check out the full Sciatica series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: http://bobandbrad.com/programs 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 August of 2021. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9lSZf7QcB0 Brad: Apple cider vinegar, big topic for weight loss, cholesterol, and blood sugar management. Is it going to help with that? And that’s what we’re going to find out. Is it a viable product to use or not? Apple cider vinegar, I always use the one with the mother. I’ve been using it for joint pain, which we’re not covering. Let’s get right into weight loss. Chris: So, kind of interesting stuff. Apple cider vinegar, like you say, whether it’s pasteurized stuff, that’s the nice clear bottle, or if you get organic and unpasteurized which is unfiltered, has the mother, which I would tell you is going to be the better one to use just because there’s other bits of nutrients and all good stuff in there with the mother, so I think it’s more complete. Brad: And that’s kind of a yellowish orange color and it’s got the sediment. Chris: Yeah. It’s going to have some sediments and it can be cloudy. I mean, apple cider vinegar can be used in a variety of different ways. You can put it on your food, you can drink it. What we’re going to talk about with the dose for all of these is you’re going to put a tablespoon full or 15 ml in 4 oz of water. You’re going to mix it and drink it. That’s one way of doing it. There’s a lot of other ways you can do it. You can just put it on a salad or something to that effect. We’ll just talk about it as a dose, 15 ml. Brad: If you put more than 4 oz of water, is it going to change anything? Chris: No. If you drink it all I think it’s fine. For those who’ve never tried apple cider vinegar, it’s got a very sour taste, so it may not present as it’s for everybody, but for some people, they like it. It just depends on your taste buds and what you like. But if we’re going to use this for weight loss specifically, the dose range is either 15ml up to 30 ml and 4 oz of water, or even up to 8 oz. After you consume it, I want you to make sure you rinse and gargle and swish plain water around on your teeth because it can damage a tooth enamel if you don’t protect it right away. Because it’s an acidic product. On the pH scale, it’s about two to three. It’s a moderate acid. So, it’s something you want to be careful with. Brad: I just want to clarify again. He said two different volumes, either one tablespoon or two, no more than two. Chris: Not more than two, two is an absolute max. Frankly, when you’re looking at it from a weight loss standpoint, over the 90 days, the research that I’ve found, they had about 45-50 subjects, which still very small, but I think it had enough evidence that shows, if you did the 15 ml and 4 oz of water over 90 days, it cause a 2.7 pound weight loss versus the 30 ml in the water over 90 days caused a 3.6 pound weight loss. So, you’re talking about just a couple of pounds. Well, what does that mean? I think for a lot of people when you have true fat loss, I think it’s something that is going to be beneficial to you. Brad: I read something about this, the apple cider vinegar, losing the stomach weight in the gut itself. Chris: Yeah. They seem to say that it targets that. I’ve always been of the mindset that you can lose weight everywhere. I don’t know how true that is. I haven’t found straight up scientific evidence that says that, but there’s a lot of anecdotal evidence that suggests that. I mean, it’s not going to hurt you. The nice thing about apple cider vinegar is that it’s relatively safe stuff. If you’re a diabetic specifically type one, if you are on diuretics or on the special heart medication called digoxin, or Lanoxin, you’d want to use care and caution with that, but we’re going to touch into blood sugar lowering shortly too. It’s something that I think if you want to give it a try, I think it does have some application with some modest weight loss. Brad: I do want to say one thing about it, after I get done eating the meal, and I’ve got that urge for something sweet that dessert, drink it then. It takes that urge for that sweet tooth right away from me. It’s like, I don’t even think about it. Chris: And that’s the one thing they say. It may work better if you take it before you eat because it slows down gastric emptying. So that means what your stomach empties. If you feel more full, you’re going to eat less. It kind of delays that and the reason why it might help you with digestion and other things is that acidity might help to drive down and break up food better and because of that delayed gastric emptying, you got more gut transit time for that food to absorb. Your body is getting more nutrients out of the things you’re eating. Brad: So, take it before you eat. What if you took a little bit before and then afterwards to kill that sweet tooth? Chris: I mean if you want to kill it, your remedy is going to hurt you because I’ll tell you, it doesn’t taste great. Brad: It does the trick for me. I don’t want to have that ice cream. That’s not on my mind after I drink the apple cider vinegar. Chris: That’s going to take away the craving for ice cream, for sure. No two ways about it. Brad: All right. You want to go on to cholesterol? Chris: Yeah, why don’t we. Again, we’re going to treat this much in the same way, why it lowers cholesterol? You know, we don’t really have a definitive answer. Brad: So, we’re talking about if we lower our cholesterol, it’s going to help our circulation. Chris: It might help with our circulation. It might help with our heart functioning and minimize the risk for heart attack and strokes. They’ve shown that smaller scale studies and more anecdotally, because we don’t have the wide bodies of evidence that show it. I think a lot of it is because you can’t make a ton of profit off apple cider vinegar because it already exists. That’s the thing on big pharma. If you’re in a university setting and you got the gumption for it, guys, if you want to research on why precisely it lowers cholesterol, it would be interesting to know. I can tell you personally, my cholesterol has been high for years. I have a familial deal on my side, my lineage. Unfortunately, you know, I’ve had higher cholesterol and I used it for three months before my appointments. Prior to that, prior to the research that I did on our last video that we did on this, I just wanted to see how it worked for myself. I lowered my cholesterol 20 points. Brad: You were doing the same dosage? Chris: I did 15 ml, 4 oz of water everyday right before dinner. For whatever reason, my cholesterol for the first time in years was in a healthy range. You can’t take that to the bank if you’re a physician or a cardiologist out there, you certainly may scoff at it a little bit, but I would tell you that there’s enough anecdotal evidence that suggests that it may be beneficial for you. It’s not going to hurt you. Same warnings if you have gastroparesis you need to be cautious. Brad: Gastroparesis is? Chris: Is when your stomach doesn’t want to push food through there. Brad: Is there another name for it? A layman’s name Chris: Slow gastric emptying. Brad: Okay. People usually know they have that. Chris: Your doctor’s going to tell you. It’s more common with type one diabetics. It’s something that we do want to be mindful of. Always check with your doctor or pharmacist, making sure they’re looking at your profile because if you’re on diuretics, that could affect things too with electrolyte balance and how your potassium levels are because that’s important for your heart. Brad: So the water pills? Chris: Yeah, the water pills. You want to be careful with that, but I do think that does have a positive affect on cholesterol and can probably lead us into the blood sugar lowering too. Brad: Yes, let’s segue right into that. Chris: So, with diabetes, there’s two types, type one, and type two. Type one is the one that everybody must have insulin, type one, this is probably not for you. Your insulin dependent and the way that this lowers blood sugar could be dangerous for you because if you get too low and you didn’t make an insulin correction, you could have serious problems. This is something that, again, type one I would take off the table. It’s one thing if it’s like in your salad dressing already because there are types of things that you use have a vinegar base. It doesn’t necessarily have to be apple cider vinegar. I think from that standpoint, it’s just something to be aware of. Use in moderation, use accordingly. If you’re going to try and use it to help an adjunct, it’s considered mostly safe and most of the studies that we find what they’ve done is an excellent example. We’ve talked about this before, if you do 15 ml and 4 oz of water and you take it before a high carbohydrate meal, the example used was a bagel and orange juice, it diminished the blood sugar that went into the bloodstream tremendously. So that effect when you’re a type two diabetic is going to have a big effect for you because blood sugar controls everything from a diabetic standpoint. Realistically, this is an adjunct that I think would be used with exercise and diet and obviously medication therapy that your doctor has provided for you. Talk with your doctor to see if it’s appropriate but I think it’s a reasonable thing to bring up because there are clear studies, again, not large bodies of studies, but you’re talking about a couple hundred people in multiple studies that have clearly shown whether it’s in the bagel and the orange juice study. They’ve also done another one with white bread specifically. They show a tremendous decrease, like 5% reduction in the amount of postprandial or after eating blood sugar levels. It’s got a benefit to it. They did a study to taking it at bedtime, which we’ll talk about one of the side effects is reflux and heartburn, but taking it before bed, if you do that, make sure you take in lots of water to make sure it’s in your gut and moving before you lay down, so we don’t cause heartburn. They showed that people lower their blood sugar when they wake up in the morning by 4%, and 4% doesn’t sound like a large number but if you’re teetering on the edge and there’s a big number, they talk about which is an A1C. If you’re just on the border and you want to get down to a lower level, it’s got its place and it shows it eloquently that it’s got its place. There’s a couple of downsides with apple cider vinegar that we must be careful with. We want to protect our teeth so, after you use this, you want to make sure you rinse and gargle well, because it can damage the enamel on your teeth. Some people find that it can cause heartburn so, we do want to be careful with that. Staying upright after you take it for 30 minutes would be ideal. When I say that before bed dosing for the people that want to consider that, stay upright for 30 minutes, and make sure you’ve consumed plenty of water on top of it to it to absorb into your system as quickly as possible and not reflux back up. Heartburn can be damaging and problematic. So, we must use a modicum of care when we’re going to use this. You do want to protect yourself and you want to talk to your doctor and your pharmacist to make sure it’s appropriate for you. Brad: That it? Chris: That’s pretty much it. Brad: I did want to mention a couple of things. They're anecdotal, but people that comment on our other apple cider vinegar videos, they said it got rid of their heartburn, which I don’t know how that works. Chris: I looked at that a little bit too, and it seems like it’s almost more homeopathic at that point. You’re taking acid to treat acid. There are burgeoning amounts of anecdotal evidence, not a lot of large-scale studies that do suggest that it may be beneficial. So, in certain populations, I think it’s something you can consider, but consider with caution, just like anything else. If it helps you, we’ve solved a problem and I think that’s wonderful but again it’s not for everybody. Some people aren’t going to like the taste, but I mean, at some point I think it does have some possible benefits that I think are worth exploring. Brad: For me personally, joint pain in my hands it’s helped. About 3 or 4 years ago, I couldn’t even close my fists and it came on suddenly and I was concerned, and I’d wake up in the morning and I could never make a full fist, which was weird because I’m an active person. I was concerned about how I was going to function, you know? And so, I started taking this from a friend of mine who, it’s a long story, but anyways, within two weeks I noticed things getting better. So, I took it for about a month or two and I’ve got about 80% better and I just quit taking it because it doesn’t take taste that well and I felt functional. Recently, I started taking it again because my finger is sore from an accident. It seems to be improving it again. I think it’s got some good, anti-inflammatory benefits. It’s working for me personally and I can’t vouch it, I’m not going to give it a blessing for everyone. Chris: Don’t be afraid to speak up to your doctor and speak up to your pharmacist. Let’s make sure it’s safe, but I think it’s got an application if you’re considering it. Brad: If you’re a healthy person, you’re not taking any medication and you just take the doses that we’re talking about. Chris: I think it’s reasonable to try. If you do, I think we’ll see some positive results. Brad: All right, have a good day and be careful! Chris: Thanks guys! 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 August of 2020. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoVPGhEOHf0 Bob: The topic today “Is Your Shoulder Pain Coming from Your Neck or Shoulder, How to Tell.” Very difficult to assess sometimes but we’re going to give you a few clues here. Brad: And it’s common that, you can have shoulder pain coming from your neck, but it was just misdiagnosed, or the layperson wouldn’t know until you see this video. Bob: Right, so let’s start right into it Brad. If you have neck problems, they often can cause pain into the shoulder area. As a rule, shoulder movements tend to aggravate shoulder problems. Neck movements tend to aggravate neck problems. So, we’ll be doing some tests at the end and show you how that works. Brad: With the except for some neck movements, which can produce symptoms in the arm. Bob: That’s a good point. We’ll get into this. Brad: Yeah, it gets a little complicated but stick with us and it’ll be more clear. Bob: First, let’s go typical location of the pain, okay. If you have shoulder pain, often it’s in the front or the side of the shoulder. It may radiate down the arm, but generally it doesn’t go past the elbow. Both Brad and I have seen patients where it did go past the elbow, but unlikely and it went into the forearm. Brad: Usually their shoulder pain was high. We’re talking in general terms, not on their exceptions. Bob: If you have pain in the neck now that’s generally felt at the base of the neck. It can be felt in the shoulder blade. That’s common. Shoulder blade generally is not a shoulder problem, it’s a neck problem. You might feel it going down the arm. If it radiates down into the hand and wrist and fingers, then you’re almost certainly dealing with a neck problem. And if you have numbness and tingling with it, that generally is a neck problem, although you said you occasionally have seen it, with shoulders. Brad: Yeah, usually not. And if you’re wondering the pain going into the fingers and the numbness and tingling, it’s a pinched nerve. Usually, pinch nerves in that location happen in between your neck and shoulder. Not so much in the shoulder. Bob: So, as a rule, if you have numbness and tingling, there’s a good chance of a neck problem. So, we’re going to show you some tests for a shoulder problem. What we’re going to do is we’re going to have you first slowly flex your arm forward with good posture. Slowly flex it five times, just straight up and down. Now, if this starts to aggravate your pain, good possibility it’s the shoulder. Brad: Particularly if it’s in the shoulder itself, maybe radiating down a little bit. Bob: Now you’re going to slowly go out to the side five times. Thumb up, thumb pointed up. And the same thing with this if this aggravates it, maybe flexion didn't aggravate it but abduction does, it's likely from the shoulder. Brad: And if you get your arm halfway up and it hurts both directions more than likely it’s a shoulder rotator cuff issue or impingement. Bob: And if you can’t raise it hardly at all. Brad: Yeah, you’re compensating moving your body a lot. You’re probably sore and it's more likely a shoulder issue. Bob: Last one you’re going to do five times; you’re going to reach back behind you and attempt to touch your shoulder blade. Brad: Yeah, usually you compare your good arm. I can go way up there with my good arm, but with my bad arm it reaches to my lower back. That's more than likely a shoulder issue. Bob: Yeah, he definitely has some shoulder involvement. One thing we haven’t point out Brad, is you could have neck and shoulder problems simultaneously. Brad: You bet. Bob: So, now let’s test the neck. So, let’s you did those, and you really didn’t have any pain. With the neck, you’re going to flex it down and extend way back. Now you’re going to do this ten times Brad. You’re going to see if this irritates it and starts sending pain anywhere, in the neck or down the arm. Even if it just starts causing pain in the neck, it might still be a shoulder issue because it might eventually over time start going down the shoulder. Brad: I've found this a lot, I’ll have the patient do this one forward and the very first time they get their head halfway back, it hurts all the way down to the shoulder. Then don’t do it ten times, just stop. You’ve got a neck problem if you can’t do that. Bob: And that is probably the most common one that’s going to be tight is going back like that with your neck. Well, I shouldn’t say most common. It hurts for a lot of people going forward too. Brad: Yeah, and we’re going to talk about rotation a little bit. Bob: Rotation, same thing. You can go back and forth, and you go ten times and see if that irritates it. Generally, it’s going to be one side that irritates it. It could be either one. Brad: You might be able to go full range one way and the other way you only go half, and it starts to hurt. That’s common. It’s a neck problem, more than likely. Bob: Yeah, and the last one is that you can side bend. To left and to the right, same thing. Bob: You’re going to find out, you might be tight one direction and that it brings on the pain. We’re answering some of the questions today, Brad. Someone said every time they bend their neck one way, their arm goes numb. There’s a neck problem. So, there we go. Again, if you have any questions, go see your professional and have it diagnosed. Thanks! 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