This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in May of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/p3U3Ait9p_Y Brad: We're looking at these hips today, and if you've got tight hip muscles or if you sit a lot at work or in your car, you're likely to get tight hip muscles. So we're going to show you a remedy on how to take care of this. Mike, can you help me out? Mike: We're going to show you the best stretches and we're going to stretch every little hip muscle, because there's a lot, and you can finish it in 90 seconds. At least that's what Brad says. Brad: All in a seated position as well, this is a real gem. Now, as we all know, at least as therapists know, there's 21 hip muscles all right around that joint, that's responsible for all different movement rotations, circle's out, in, it's an incredible joint. But these muscles can get tight and can cause a lot of pain. Mike: So you can solve some of this pain and lack of mobility you may be having on your hips by simply stretching each day to try to limber them up. Brad: That's right, let's go to work, Mike. All right, we're going to demonstrate these in some functional chairs. I have a chair that has armrests. You can do it with or without armrests. It works a little better with armrests and Mike is doing it in an office chair that swivels. You can do this either/or and put it right to work on a daily basis. Now there are going to be some cynics out there saying, "Why does it take eight or 10 minutes to do a 90-second stretch?" Mike, why? Mike: I'm one of those people, but it's because we're going to show you in-depth how to do each of them. Once you get the system and figure it out and how to do the stretches, it should only take you about 90 seconds total. If you want to spend more time in each stretch, go ahead. It's just going to take a little bit longer. Brad: That's right. All right, let's go to work. The first one is simply sitting back in your chair. We actually allow a little slouching in this one. Grab your leg around the knee and pull up and we're going to flex the hip. Mike, do you have any other ways that help enhance this stretch? Mike: You can kind of noodle around as we call it. Notice I'm kind of going in and out. Obviously, the shape of your hips and pelvis is going to dictate what range you can go in but just go what's comfortable and kind of noodle around for 15 seconds. We're stretching the glute max or buttock muscle as well as the piriformis. Brad: One thing that's really important, none of these should create any pain, particularly sharp pain. It should feel comfortable and actually feel good. Your hip will feel better as a result. If it's painful, you stop and go to the next one. Number two is a really nice one for the IT band. It's an important little band that goes from the knee and connects up to a hip muscle. Just cross over, grab your knee, and pull. You'll feel that stretch right down where that line is on my pants there. And you can hold, or you can just pressure on, pressure off. Mike, does it work with jeans on? Mike: It does because I have stretchy jeans on. You probably want pants that can move around, because some of them are rather tight and rigid in the jean world. Brad: Now also a little warning, if you had a hip replacement, this is one thing you'll probably not want to do. You probably don't want to go through this routine until you talk to your doctor or therapist to find out which motions are contraindicated or are big no-nos not to do. So hip replacement people, you can check out. Mike: I'm going into the next stretch, which is the figure-four. So after you do the IT band, similar setup, except you're going to push down this time. Again, good posture is going to help with this. What is this stretch called, Brad? Because these are fun muscles to say. Brad: Well, this goes a little bit into the groin muscles. If we want to go into the details of each groin muscle, I thought you would know those. Mike: No, the small Gemelli and Obturator. Funny words. Brad: This is a really practical stretch for you as you grow older. It allows your hip to go up for putting your socks on, and putting your shoes on is very functional. All right, number four, seated clamshells. Simply scoot to the edge of your chair, put your feet together, relax your legs, with hands on your knees, and stretch out like this. We get the groin or the hip, adductor muscles, and adductors. It's a nice stretch. Relax and breathe with all of these stretches, it'll get much better results. Brad: All right, should we go into the inverted one? Mike: Yeah, so it's very similar except for your feet will go on the outside, and then you're going to kind of be like you're knocked knee. So you're going to turn in and stretch. Just go with what's comfortable. Some people are going to have more range than others. Brad: If you do have more range, you may need to put your feet out wider and then go before you feel that. And those get some of those small internal rotator muscles. So this one's usually a little more sensitive. You won't have to push really hard. Okay, now the hip flexor, this is an important one, especially doing it in a chair. It works out well, but you need to do it right. I'll demonstrate in a chair without wheels. Michael, show an office chair. We're going to turn sideways. The knee that is down, that's the hip that is getting stretched. And I'm going to actually slide my leg backward and I'm not going to lean forward, keep upright with the body. I like to put my hand on my hip to help support that hip. And it reminds me that that's how the mechanics work and I get a better stretch. And then I slide back and then we're going to shift and do both sides. Now, Mike, give him some hints on office chairs with wheels. Mike: So first, get in your position like this. If you want to touch your knee down, you certainly can, but you do not have to. You can just start swiveling, it's going to add a little rotation component to it. If that feels uncomfortable, you can just slide it forward. Brad: Sure. Mike: Again, I like stretching with my knee down, that's just me personally. But you don't have to, get a nice stretch like this. Obviously, to stretch the other leg, you have to go the opposite way. Make sure you feel safe sitting at the edge of your chair. Brad: Yes, we don't want to have people sliding off and having an injury as a result of this. Okay, now we're going to go through the whole stretch without all the details. We're going to start out a single knee to chest, up. Do the noodling back and forth. There you go, make sure you relax and breathe. Have a little fun with this. Maybe everyone at the office can do it together. Okay, next one, the crossover. Just go here, grab that knee, pull that knee to that shoulder. That helps me when I think of it that way. Ooh, I feel a really good stretch in there. Brad: This is getting that piriformis, which is responsible for a lot of pain. The other leg, here we go, stretch. We stretch and stretch. Okay, the figure-four stretch, we're going right into that one. Stay like this, relax and stretch. Again, this is that real functional one for putting your socks on and your shoes, particularly as you age. Ugh, next one. Oh, we have to go do both sides. Don't forget to do both legs. Okay, the seated clamshell. Mike: Do you ever run out of breath? Brad: Oh, I usually do. I was going to ask if you want to start going because I am. Mike: I was enjoying just listening to you do this. Brad: We stretch, oh yes. This was nice if you actually bring your shoulders back, helps your posture out as well. Getting two birds with one stone, all right. And then the inverted. I like to go out a little bit. This is the way my hips like to go. I'm one of those people who walk with their toes out. I'm an oddball. Mike: You kind of are, I agree there. Brad: Thank you, thank you. The next one is the hip flexor stretch. Mike: We're facing each other now. Can you imagine a whole office doing this? It's like synchronized swimming. Brad: Yes, I can. As a matter of fact, there will be a big surge going on across the nation over the next month. Mike: They're going to have so many productivity meetings after that. Brad: That's right, I haven't been timing it, but I know we're just a little over 90 seconds because I'm talking a little bit. All right, we're done, we've stretched everything. You know, if you can afford to get up and move around a little bit, do a little bonus stretch backward, and then you're ready to go. Do that three times a day. At least your hips will stay loose, every single one of them. All, what did I say, 21 or 27 of them? Mike: You said 21 of them. Brad: 21, there you go, you can't go wrong with 21. Mike: If you want to check out more videos, check out " STOP HIP Pain; Best 5 Stretches For Over 55 ." Brad: That's right. Enjoy the hip stretches and I'm sure you'll like them. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun Air 2 Mini Massage Gun Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D2 Mini Massage Gun D5 Pro Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head Eye Massager  EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Knee Glide   Leg Massager Lite Foot Massager Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun Uni Massage Gun Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Fitness: Grip and Forearm Strengthener   Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Stress Balls   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop ​ Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in May of 2024. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzVcIBj_HWQ&t=22s Brad: We are going to explain and demonstrate why these three exercises are the best for strengthening your legs, as well as improving your balance. Mike: Yes, they combine the ability of strength in your hips, your knees, and your ankles, as well as the balance component, making you as stable as a pyramid. Brad: That's right, and it's quite simple to do. We'll get right to it. Let's go, Mike. Mike: Hopefully, we won't look like a pyramid. Brad: All right, the beauty of this routine, is it's only three separate exercises and we're going to show them at three levels, for beginners, intermediate, and the advanced level. Now the goal is, is to get to at least the intermediate, but some people are going to get to the advanced level or may even start with it. So we're going to get all three of them and they're going to work well. Mike, can you explain why these are better than most other exercises you're going to see for strength and balance? Mike: So the three reasons are first, it is done in a standing position, all variations from beginner to advanced. It's going to be more functional for actually working on your balance. Second, it's going to work to strengthen the muscles as well. So you're going to strengthen some of your ankle muscles and your hip muscles. And last, it's going to work on your proprioception, which is a fancy term for your balance. Brad: Well, there's a little more to it than that, but it's not needed unless you're a therapist. All right, let's get going to the explanation and demonstration. Okay, quickly we're going to go through the three simple movements. In standing, as we had mentioned, you're going to do hip flexion. You can do it with your knee straight or with it flexed. We're going to do 10 in each direction, and then out to the side, and then hip extension behind. Now it's really important that you understand, that we are actually working the hip muscles in this leg, but what's going on in the weight-bearing leg is really critical, not only for strengthening the muscles from the ankle all the way up to the hip, but it also works your balance. Brad: Now as you can see, Mike is using the chair for balance. A little bit more advanced, is to do it without the chair. And the next step we're going to show you in just a little bit and that would be the advanced version. Okay, let's get going. Mike: So for beginners, you're going to use support. You can either use a chair, a wall, a stick, or a countertop. And the first exercise we're going to do is hip flexion. Now Brad is doing the straight-leg version. I am doing the marching version. You want to do 10 on each side. Nice, slow, and controlled with them. If you're doing the marching and you wanna try alternating, you certainly can. It's a little harder to do that with Brad's because it looks like you're dancing. Brad: And I have a leg weight on, which if you wanted to start with that, because you need more resistance, then you would need one on each ankle, otherwise just do one leg at a time. To make it a little more difficult, go a little higher with either the marching motion or leg straight. That's up to you, start at a comfortable level of resistance, in other words, height. Mike: Another thing to look at is your stance leg. If I am standing with a slight bend in my knee, it's going to make this leg work a little harder. If I lock it out, it's going to be easier. So try to have a slight bend on that side. Now, the next exercise is hip abduction, meaning kicking out to the side. Try to control it. Go to what's comfortable. If you have to keep it low and down, that's fine. Kick up, just don't swing your whole torso with it. Nice slow controlled movements with a straight trunk. Brad: Good, good, nice. That is so important. I want to mention the last one is hip extension. Now this one, it is important that you keep your knees straight. The one that is doing the movement. If you bend the knee, then we're just working hamstrings. We want to work that hip more because that's going to work your balance more and your mobility better. There we go. Mike: Once you do one side, make sure to do the other. Brad: That's right. Mike: So you have to do the left side. Brad: All right, now if you want to progress to not using any balance aids, simply go in the corner like I am or in the open like Mike, depending on your comfort level. Here, you can grab the wall if you lose your balance, it makes it much safer. Simply go ahead and do the exercises again. Same thing, 10 reps on the side, not too slow. In the corner, you do have to shift your body, of course, so your leg doesn't bump into the wall. Brad: All right, now we're going to progress to the advanced mode. And this is really going to get you going and do more strengthening and challenge your balance more as well. You've all been waiting for this, right Mike? Mike: Yeah, I can't wait. Brad: Okay, here's the advanced version. You will need to have resistance bands . You can buy them in a set of usually five with different colors. They come with a door anchor. They also come with an ankle strap. If you don't have a door anchor, I'm actually going to use a wall anchor and you'll see how that works. All are options, or you simply use a table that has a very steady leg with a lot of weight. So what I'm going to do is start out attaching the ankle strap here, you connect it with a carabiner. The wall anchor, you simply go like this. It's very simple and easy. The door anchor, they come with, Mike's going to demonstrate. Mike: Simply take it and put it in between the door frame and the door. For the exercises we're doing, you want to have them lower. Make sure your door shuts firmly, so you pull on it, it doesn't open up. Brad: All right, now for you people who really feel advanced and want to modify this a little bit, if you're using the door anchor or the wall anchor, you simply move to a higher level. Now the wall anchor comes with three or four options, depending on where you buy it from. So I'm going to go up to chest height. It changes the angle of force and it makes your balance and your muscles work a little different. It's not a big difference, but if you really want to change it up and really fine-tune your balance, this will help. Brad: Okay, now when you're doing this one, you definitely want to do it your first time with some support. Use either a stick or a chair in front of you, or a wall, something where you can be very stable. I'm going to use the Booyah Stik . But again, anything that you can use for steady balance is fine. And we're going to do the same movements. We're going to start going forward. I have good balance. I'm going to use the stick on the opposite side of the leg that's weight-bearing. Slight bend in the knee as Mike mentioned. And you simply again go at a slow pace. Hold it there for a split second, then come back down. And then I test the abduction, out to the side. Again, bending at the hip does not count. We want to have an upward posture, good balance, and work on strength. I already can feel my hip muscles working. Brad: My ankle muscles here are working to keep my balance. It's much harder than you think. And then, of course, hip extension. There we go. No bending forward. Up tall and work it this way. You will not get as much range of motion in this direction, but that's okay. I can feel that glute maximus really going to town when I get out there. All right, now we're going into the advanced version with the bands. Mike's gonna help explain why this really makes a big difference. Mike: So when Brad's performing these exercises, you could see it's the band compared to the weight we had. Yes, the leg lifting up is working similarly, but the stance leg is actually getting a polling force from the band making you work on your balance a lot more on that stance leg, Brad: Right, I don't know, can you get on the ankle there? Brad: My ankle is really fatiguing because it is really working to keep my balance. This is very key, to keeping you functional, upright, and moving, whether you want to prevent fall risk or you're out and being active playing tennis or some other activity. There we go. Mike: And a simple way to make it easier or harder with the bands, Brad has mentioned, is just getting closer or further away from the wall. That's going to be a lot easier. That's going to be a lot more challenging. Brad: Good point, yeah, those two steps I made, made an obvious difference, and I can really feel now my quadriceps working because I have a flexed knee. Woo, and there we go. All right, so again, start with a stick, or a wall, but be safe. And what I like to do is I'll keep the stick in hand and just lift it up. That way if you need it, if you lose your balance, bang, you're right there, solid again. So very good. I am very convinced this is the best combination of leg strength and improving your balance in a very functional way, that's going to keep you active, healthy, fit, and? Mike: Pain-free. Brad: There ya go. Have we got something else here? Mike: Yeah, if you want to check out more videos on balance check out " Seniors - 10 Best Balance Exercises, Pick 3 & DO DAILY! " For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun Air 2 Mini Massage Gun Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D2 Mini Massage Gun D5 Pro Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head Eye Massager  EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Knee Glide   Leg Massager Lite Foot Massager Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun Uni Massage Gun Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Fitness: Grip and Forearm Strengthener   Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Stress Balls   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop ​ Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

Research indicates lumbar or back corsets may be helpful with spinal stenosis or possibly with spondylolisthesis. It seems they may be less helpful with sciatica, or just run-of-the-mill mechanical back pain. We believe if you are an EXTENDER OR SHAKER you might use a lumbar corset temporarily (maybe 5-10 days) How might you use a corset? Walking : Don’t try to straighten up when using a walker if painful. Walk only if not painful. Try a lumbar corset to see if it improves your performance. As an example, if you can walk a total of 30 minutes with a corset in place, but only 15 minutes without it. It makes sense in such an example to use the corset temporarily. Sleeping : If wearing a corset at night allows you to sleep comfortably and not wake up every time you turn, it might be worth a try (temporarily). There is not much strengthening going on in your back during sleep, so you need not worry about your back getting weak. Lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling a heavy object : If you need to intermittently carry, push, pull, or lift an object you may want to have a corset in place to cinch up. This will take some of the stress off your back. The big concern about back corsets is that if you wear them all the time you will get weak. True? Maybe? Our first recommendation is that you do not wear them all the time. Wear them only when doing something that tends to increase your pain levels. For example, if you are about to walk, lift something, carry something, or push something heavy. Check  out the full Back Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/back-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in May of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/o3GTj5WlYsU Mike: It is said that every 40 seconds in the US someone is having a heart attack. Brad: There's a misconception that men have more heart attacks, but actually it's about 50/50, between men and women. Mike: So today we're going to cover the early signs of a heart attack that you don't want to ignore. Brad: That's right. Mike: So first we're going to cover some common risk factors. Now, if you have more than one of these risk factors, you are going to be at a higher percentage of possibly having a heart attack in the future. So first is age. It is said that men typically over 45, are more likely to have a heart attack. And women, it is age 55 and older. Brad: Next is diabetes. If you have diabetes, you're a little more likely to have a heart attack in the sense that the higher blood sugar levels contribute to problems with the vessels in the heart itself. Mike: So third is excessive weight. Typically, if you are overweight, your heart has to work harder to actually pump blood. And other common risk factors are associated with being overweight, like high blood pressure and diabetes. Brad: That's right. High blood pressure actually can cause your heart to work harder, causing potential damage to the heart vessels, therefore leading to possibly a heart attack. Mike: So risk factor number five is high cholesterol. Now there are arguments debating between HDL and LDL ratios as well as triglycerides. Obviously, talk to your doctor, they will know much more about this. However, having overall high cholesterol with overall increased inflammation can be a problem. Brad: There you go. Next is a lack of exercise or a sedentary lifestyle. If you exercise, you exercise your bodily muscles, plus you're exercising the heart, making it a stronger muscle, as well as improving collateral circulation, which is a good thing. Mike: Yes, your heart is actually a muscle, and the more you train it, the stronger it becomes, Brad: Right. Mike: So risk factor number seven is having a prior heart attack. Now, this may seem obvious to some people, however, I have worked with patients who say, "I just had surgery, now I'm good to go," and they don't change any lifestyle factors. If you've had a heart attack, you're more prone to developing another one unless you change some of your risk factors. Brad: The next is tobacco use. I think everyone understands this. Smoking damages, blood vessels, which are in the heart itself, and can increase your heart attack risk quite a bit. Mike: The final risk factor is a family history of heart disease. These can be genetic traits. However, some people, if you have a completely different lifestyle change than the rest of your family, say they're more sedentary, inactive, drink and smoke more, and you are more healthy and pay attention to these things, obviously family history isn't as important, but it can be a genetic thing, so that's important to look at. Brad: That's right. For example, in my family, there's a strong history of males having heart problems. So I know I really gotta keep in touch with my exercise, and my diet, and minimize that and make that a risk factor that's not so prominent. Mike: So now we're going to cover these six common warning signs that you may be having a heart attack. Brad: The first one is unusual fatigue. If you're finding activities that you could do easily now are becoming more difficult and cause shortness of breath and whatnot, that is definitely a warning sign. Mike: Yes, your heart is probably having trouble efficiently pumping blood and circulation around your body leading to the fatigue you are feeling. A second common warning sign is feeling lightheaded or fainting. Typically, that means you're not getting enough blood flow going into your brain, which can mean your heart is weak and can't pump it up there enough. So that is another big warning sign. Brad: Now, please keep in mind there are other things that can cause all of these warning signs. For example: orthostatic hypotension, a lot of people get dizzy when they stand up quickly. That's oftentimes not a symptom of a heart attack, but if it's something you haven't experienced before, then you might want to pay attention to it. Mike: Now the next symptom is nausea or vomiting. I personally have never met anyone who was nauseous and vomiting and had a heart attack as the main culprit of it. However, it can be a correlational thing. Typically what happens is your body is very stressed out because your heart isn't working efficiently. So it can be a side effect of that. Brad: Okay, let's go to the next one on shortness of breath. This is a very common one with people with a heart attack. However, there's other things that can cause it too, but typically you get this shortness of breath associated with an activity. One thing we must mention, a lot of these are gonna overlap. You're probably going to get three or four of these kinds of happening all within a short time period. So it's something to keep in mind. Mike: Next is chest pain or discomfort. Obviously this is the most common sign. Most people, my grandpa for instance in the past, said it felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest and he couldn't catch his breath or breathe. However, it's important to notice people can have chest discomfort from acid reflux or GERD, so there is a difference. If you've had those symptoms before, however, this seems more severe or different, it is important to go get it checked out. Brad: Right. This is one, if you call your doctor and say, I'm having some chest pain, you know, can I get an appointment in the next week? They're gonna say, no, you need to go to the ER right now. I know I've done it because I have costochondritis , which is chest pain from another source. That's another story. We have videos on that. But this is a big one, get to the ER and get it checked out because if it's a heart attack, it could be fatal and very well. Mike: And some heart attacks, the pain is persistent the whole time. Some people are even having a heart attack and it will come and go, so it stays for a few minutes, dissipates, but then returns. If you're having reoccurring pain like that, definitely get it checked out. Brad: Now this next one is other pains than the chest. And these are quite common as well, we call them referral pains because the pain is coming from your heart, but you feel it in different parts of your body. Some common areas that you get referral pains from a heart attack, Mike. Mike: These include the arm or shoulder region, sometimes even the upper back. Typically it's your left side. There are some cases that may be the opposite, but most of the time it's the side your heart is on. It can include neck pain as well, or even jaw pain. And there is a little bit of stomach issues as well. However many things can cause stomach issues. Brad: Sure. Alright. So what we have here is a list of risk factors and common causes. Again, there's a lot of variability between them and they overlap. So keep them in mind, maybe you want to check them off, write them down so that you can remember them for the future in case it's like, oh yeah, this is something, a risk factor, or go back and review. One way or another, if you're concerned, you need to see your doctor. If you got chest pains, you need to go right now. So I didn't want to scare anyone, but it's true. Mike: So if you want to check out more videos on heart attack warning signs, we actually did one with Brad and Chris, the pharmacist, where they talked in depth about it. That video is " Heart Attack Warning Signs Can Save Your LIFE! (Male & Female). " Brad: That's right. That one has a lot more statistics and a little more information about the difference between males and females and the statistics with that. It's very interesting. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun Air 2 Mini Massage Gun Back Massager C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat C2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D2 Mini Massage Gun D5 Pro Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun D6 Plus Massage Gun with Heated Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head Eye Massager  EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote Eye Massager with Heating and Cooling EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Fit Glide Foot Massager Hand Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Knee Glide   Leg Massager Lite Foot Massager Posture Pad Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun  Q2 Max Massage Gun with Metal Head sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt T2 Massage Gun  T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head T2 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head TheraPanel 4 -Headed Massage Gun Uni Massage Gun Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Max Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head Fitness: Grip and Forearm Strengthener   Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Pull Up System Resistance Bands​   Stress Balls   Wall Anchor​ Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop ​ Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in May of 2024. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b3QUNI0zTI Mike: Are you frustrated with back pain and not sure what's helping and what's hurting? Brad: Well, join us today as we reveal seven of the worst mistakes people make that actually make their back pain worse. Now, these are things that we've found out over the years working with patients and clinical experience. We're going to share them with you. And ready to go, Mike. Mike: Yes. Brad: First of all, we're going to cover what you can do with a pillow. People are not using proper support or additional support for their back during a back pain flare-up. Mike: So if you have a couch that is either worn out or very low in areas, oftentimes just using a little throw pillow in the worn out area can really help support that back. It keeps your pelvis and your lower back in a better optimal position so you're not experiencing as much back pain. Mike: Now, if you're having back pain in a standard chair, a small pillow might not be enough. You can take a long pillow, place it vertically, and then you have support throughout your whole back. So give that a try. Pick which works best for you, and it can help relieve some of the back pain you're experiencing. Brad: That's right, and don't forget your vehicle. I have had extremely good success with using support on the back of your vehicle, particularly if you drive more than 20 minutes to and from work or wherever. Alright, the next one is doing the wrong stretch for the specific condition your back has. We're going to give two common examples. The first one is if you have a disc problem and a very common stretch that should not be done. The second one is going to be stenosis or spondylolisthesis, which I personally have both of those conditions. So Mike is going to show the first one I mentioned. Mike: It's typically when you flex your spine forward. If you have a herniated disc, this can make your problems be worse. You can do this in a long sitting position, or a standing position. Am I stretching my hamstrings and my lower back to a point? Yes, however, if you have a bulging disc, this is probably going to feel worse. Mike: So a good clue if a stretch is not right for you, is you start doing the stretch or exercise and your back pain starts getting worse, do not do it. Brad: That's right. The long seated stretch does the same thing to the disc. Brad: So that's a problem. If we look at spondylolisthesis or stenosis, which with spondylolisthesis, stenosis often accompanies each other, the stretches that you want to avoid are low back lumbar extension. This is one way to extend or arch your back, which is not tolerated, and typically makes it worse. On the other hand, this could be good for a disc problem. So they're almost the opposite. Actually, they have the opposite range of motion in regard to the lower back. So doing this, or stretching backward if you have spondylolisthesis or stenosis is going to be a problem and get you worse. Mike: So if you are unsure what your back pain diagnosis is, because maybe it's new back pain to you, experiment. If you notice flexing bending over makes it worse, avoid those. If you notice extending makes it better, then go into that. Again, vice versa. Do what range of motion feels good for you. Brad: That's right. One thing that makes it a little bit tricky is you also want to note how the pain feels while you're doing the stretch, we should get positive improvements. As well as after the stretch. How does it feel five or 10 minutes after you do the stretch? We want to have positive results in that regard as well. Alright, the next thing you really need to be aware of is centralization or how pain feels regarding the location. Now, if Mike has back pain, and it feels like it's covering his whole back. He does the exercise, but the pain, instead of feeling like the size of a volleyball, shrinks down to the size of a baseball and it's more in one spot. That's called centralization, that is a good sign. Even if the pain gets a little worse, but it gets much smaller and more towards the center of the spine, that's good. That's one thing to be aware of, and it is critical. Another thing is if you're feeling pain out and it actually radiates, or refers we call that, down the leg, maybe pass the knee into the foot. It can be any length in that area. If you do the exercise and all of a sudden the pain, it could be numbness or tingling in a disc problem, actually dissipates and goes away distal or further down the leg, and it actually seems to be moving up towards the buttock, or towards the center or back. That again is centralizing, the pain is centralizing. The center, where the back is. Anything that centralizes or brings that pain up in that direction is a good sign, so you want to continue doing exercises that centralize the pain. Mike, do you want to add to that? Mike: No, I think we can go on to the next subject, Brad. Brad: Yeah, I really babbled on though with that. Mike: You did. Brad: Sorry about that. These next two approaches to resolving your back pain we found recently by an expert physical therapist. He's written books on this. His name is Rick Olderman , and he's really shed some light on our treatment of people as well as ourselves. Do you want to go through them, Mike? Mike: Yeah. So the first one we're going to talk about is walking with your knees locked. So I'm going to stand up here and show what we mean. So a locked knee is a straight knee or even hyper-extended. Mike: If I'm walking and planting my foot out in front of me with a locked-out leg like this, the jarring force is going from my heel up to my leg, and even into my lower back. So this can make your back pain worse as you're walking. So to combat this, do not walk with a heel strike and extended knee, try to walk with soft bent knees. You can do this by either kind of landing flat on your foot or on your forefoot more when you walk. Mike: This will take some getting used to. If you just want to try it, just do it in your house. Walk in slippers or barefoot if you feel comfortable. And that will show you, "Hey, when I'm walking like this, I don't have as much back pain compared to when I'm blocking my knees up." So give it a try first and see if it helps. Brad: One thing I really want to clarify is when you do this, you do not have to pull your pant leg up like Mike. Mike: You can if you want to show off your legs. Brad: No, it is nice, we've had people just say, "Wow." It feels so much better immediately when they go to that soft knee. That's what we call, soft knee walking. The next one. Mike: So mistake number four is not stretching your hip flexors. Now, if you have tight hip flexors, you'll need to stretch them. If you don't, this isn't as much of a problem. What we're talking about are the muscles in front of your hip. They flex your hip up. However, if they are tight, they can actually start to tilt your pelvis. Notice when I tilt my pelvis forward like this, I'm arching my lower back more and this can increase pain. Brad: Right, can we use a stick to demonstrate? Mike: We can, just don't hit me with it. Brad: Okay, get a good position. Normal pelvis position here, we've got a level here. Now demonstrate tight hip flexors, and notice how the whole level of that pelvic region changes because of tight hip flexors. Brad: Let's show them a nice way to stretch it. And this is how Rick likes to do it. It's the best, not always the easiest, but it works really well. Mike: Okay, so you're going to sit at the edge of a bed or a table if you can get on one. Make sure the edge is firm though, you do not want to slide off. The further my buttock is to the edge, the more stretch I will feel. So what you're going to do is begin by lying on your back, and you're going to drop one leg down off the edge here. Once I bend it down, I'm going to start flexing my knee. And it's important to bring the opposite leg up towards your chest. You'll notice once I do that, that you can see a little bit of tightness in my hip flexor. I'm going to just relax and breathe, and try to go for 30 seconds. I also want to make sure my leg is straight, do not let it veer out to the side. Once you do one side, reset your back for a few seconds, and do the opposite leg. There are many ways you can stretch your hip flexor. This is just a nice safe way because your back stays in a nice neutral position and often feels good. Brad: Right, I like it also because you're allowing gravity to do the work of the stretch. In other words, Mike is going to be completely relaxed throughout his leg and pelvic region. He's locking his lower back and pelvis, and just letting gravity stretch. And you can't actually bring your foot under this way to get an additional stretch on that rectus femoris, which is also a hip flexor, oftentimes, neglected with other stretches. Sorry to babble on, Mike. Mike: So you can do two to three sets on each side. If one side seems tighter, maybe give that side a little extra stretch. Brad: Yeah, there you go. Mike: Okay, tip number five is not bracing your core correctly when doing activities involving your lower back. So this can mean picking something up off the floor or getting in and out of bed. Or in Bob's case when he had some back pain, shoveling snow. If you're from the Midwest, you know what that's about. So what we want to do is engage your core with these activities. This is kind of like a superficial back brace of muscle holding your spine in place so it won't get it to move and cause pain. What you wanna do to begin is, oftentimes I will just put my fingers in the, not right on my belly button, but kind of out to the side, not way out to the side. I would say a 45-degree angle. And what you want to do is push out into it. I am engaging my core this way. Now my core is engaged, helping my back. If your back pain is more up and maybe not low, you can also try engaging the lats. So meaning I'm going to pull down and tighten the shoulder blades. This is locked in, my pecs are engaged, my low back, and you can gauge your core. So essentially you're doing a muscle contraction using your core to save your spine. Brad: That's right, so it's really important. It's kind of like using your back belt, but you're using your back belt built in. Just do it properly. A lot of people don't think about that. So when Bob was doing his shoveling, he was bending and doing a lot of twisting, not engaging his core. So he shifted to tightening up here and here while we're actually doing the work with it, shoveling, getting out of bed. Lock it in and don't have the twist, move your body with it and your feet. It's kind of like you're dancing with your shovel. Mike: You're not going to shovel very much snow with that. Brad: No, well there's no end on here. Mike: Oh no. Brad: Yeah, let's go on. Alright, the next scenario is a common thing that you can kind of irritate your back every time throughout the day. Simply getting out of a chair wrong. Mike is going to demonstrate the wrong and the right way. Mike: So this will depend upon your back issue. Again, as we mentioned earlier, whether it's stenosis or a disc bulge issue. So the first one is flexing forward like this and then standing up. If I have a disc bulge, this is not going to feel very good, because again, we're getting in that rounded forward posture, causing more irritation, and then trying to stand up. Mike: So a good solution for that is to scoot your butt to the edge, try to have a nice upright posture, and make sure to use your hands to push up, keeping a straight and level back. Mike: Now, if you're someone with stenosis, and it actually feels better to bend forward a little bit, that's fine. Figure out which position feels optimal for your back when standing up. Brad: And this is actually a really good time to engage the core, tightening the core as well. Mike: Yeah, and it's also important when you're doing this, to have a nice wide base of support at the edge. And if you are sitting down, try to control it. Because oftentimes that jarring effect is not going to feel good on your spine. Brad: That hurts just watching that. Okay, well it's go into the next one, number seven. Mike: And the final mistake is not lifting something correctly off the floor. Oftentimes when we're not thinking about it, we just reach down, again, notice the curvature of my spine, and then we lift up. And then it hurts even more because I bent down and I'm lifting something. Depending upon the weight, it can really make it worse. Mike: So what we want to do is try to keep a nice neutral spine when we're going down. There are variations of this, so we'll show a few options. So what I want to do is keep a nice straight back as I'm bending down. If Brad puts that Booyah Stik on my back here, you can see it's touching the back of my head, my shoulder blades, and then my lower back region. As I'm going down, try to keep this position as well as you can. If you start rounding, this is going to cause some problems. Mike: Now, some people are not going to be able to keep a straight back, you're probably going to have to start bending your knees. If I try to keep a straight back, I get stuck here. So it's good to use your legs when you're picking something up off the ground. If you do not feel comfortable doing this, Brad, do you want to show another option? Brad: Sure, you can do the, what we call the golfers lift. The only thing it has to be a light object, which you should be lifting light anyway if you've got a back problem. So I'm going to actually kick one leg out. One hand for balance probably will need that out. And then pick up the object. Again, it's going to be a light object you can do with one hand. And it works really well. Mike: And a final option, if your legs and knees are feeling good, you can simply hold onto something if you want, but you can kind of just do a little lunge, go down, and then come back up. That may just be easier for some people. Again, try to maintain a nice spine with this. Don't get rounded forward because you certainly can. Brad: That's right, a very good option. Mike, what do we have next? Mike: That's all of them. Brad: Whoa, number seven. You can't go wrong with the number seven. So all of these, now you may find that only two or three of these really affect your back and make it feel better. That's the goal. Go through all of them in detail with us, and enjoy the day. We have one more video that can be helpful, right, Mike? Mike: Yes. If you want to check out more videos on back pain, this one actually has exercises and stretches you can do if you're having chronic low back pain, " Simple, Easy Treatment Routine For Chronic Back Pain ." Brad: There you go it's a good video. 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Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

For example, when leaning forward at the sink to brush your teeth or doing dishes. a. Your back should be in locked-in mode with the s-curve. Use the alignment broom handle or BOOYAH Stik to make sure you are doing it correctly. b. Your back is stationary, and all movement is coming from your hips. Lean forward, bending at the hips. Use the broomstick, or the Booyah Stik, to practice keeping your back straight. The stick should have 3 points of contact if done correctly (back of head, mid back, and pelvis). c. Whenever possible, a hand should be placed on the counter to unweight the spine while brushing teeth. d. When doing dishes, it is sometimes helpful to open the lower cabinet door and place one foot underneath the sink to get closer to the dishes (and more upright). It is also helpful to raise the sink up by using two plastic tubs. The first tub upside down in the sink. The second tub is upright on top of the first tub. e. If you have pain in your back while leaning forward, try tightening your abdomen at the same time. How to tell if you are tightening your abdomen? Take a single finger from each hand and poke yourself on each side of your belly (abdomen). Tighten up your abdomen and when doing it correctly you should be able to feel it with your fingers. f. If you still have increased pain in your back with the locked-in position, try adjusting the arch in your lower back (more or less). Retighten your abdomen and try bending forward again. If it still increases your back pain, try to not bend forward as far. g. When leaning forward to make the bed, it can be helpful to place one knee on the mattress. It is also helpful to unweight your back by supporting yourself with one arm on the mattress. Check  out the full Back Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/back-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in May of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/jrTJo3uohI0 Brad: Posture, posture, posture. We have preached this from day one of doing videos until now, as well as in the clinic with our patients. If you want to improve your appearance and get rid of neck pain, back pain, and hip pain, posture is absolutely key. Mike, can you follow up on that? Mike: Will show you a short and effective routine. It should only take you 87 seconds. Do not time us. We're just claiming it's going to do that. And it should help you. Brad: No, that's not true. I actually did it. It took me 87 seconds, so this is fact-based. Mike: You're fast. And we're going to show three ailments that it can help. Brad: That's right. We'll give you some good tips. Now, before we go on any further, I know we're going to get comments saying, "Why did it take eight minutes to do a video for a 87 seconds stretch program?" Mike: Those are my favorite comments. Brad: We have to show you how to do the things right. If you don't do them right, it won't work. So there we go, that takes care of that problem. Mike: Yes. Brad: Now Sam is here for a reason. There are three anatomical locations in the body that you must have flexibility in and proper movement to get good posture. The hip area, oftentimes it's the hip flexors that are tight. Brad: The next one is the shoulders. Oftentimes, it's the muscles in the front that pull the shoulders back and allow the proper position of the scapulas and the shoulder joints. Brad: And lastly, the neck. That head forward posture. Right now, Mike is conveniently demonstrating to everyone the forward head posture that is going to cause problems for anyone. Brad: So let's get on with it. All right, we're going to go through four stretches, and the last one is going to be a posture pose. That's going to get you a good feeling of good posture. Now each of the four stretches, we're going to give options for those stretches depending on what works best for you. So just follow along, do each one, and you'll quickly understand what I'm talking about. Let's go to the first one. Talking about hip flexor tightness. Adjusting those hips the way you need to be, to be up and tall. Mike: So to stretch the hip flexor, you can do it in a couple of different positions. If you're comfortable kneeling, this is an option for you. I am kneeling on something soft here, a Pete's Choice pad . You can use a pillow at home. I'm going to be stretching my left leg here, so all I'm going to do is start leaning forward. My hip flexor muscle is going back and I feel a stretch right now, just doing that. Make sure to keep a nice upright posture. You can lean on something if needed. If not, you can certainly just balance like this. I like to do it for how many seconds, Brad? Brad: I like three to five seconds or more. And do it three times on each leg. Mike: So you're going to go forward. One, two, three. And then just do it three different times. Brad: There you go. If kneeling is not comfortable, going to show you an option in a seated position, which you can do at home or at your workplace. Okay, we're going to show you options in a chair. In a chair like this with arms and that don't move I'm going to show you one of the wheels on the bottom. If it's your office chair that does roll around, you simply turn sideways, you have an armrest that is helpful to hold onto and we're going to do the same position or body position that Mike was in, and you simply slide back like this and stretch. Don't lean forward but keep it straight. Brad: I like to keep my hand on my hip to help support that stretch. Oh, I feel that stretch. Do it three times on each leg. Now let's go to if you have a chair with wheels. Okay, I'm going to use a stool with wheels that work just as well as an office chair. Simply get your leg down but instead of sliding your foot across the floor, you can simply roll the chair back and forth. It really is nice and smooth, so it gives you a good way to stretch on a mini break at work and then get back to work. Brad: All right, let's go to number... Where are we on? Mike: Number two? Brad: Two. All right, the next is the pec stretch. So this allows the shoulders to move back. They can often get tight. You can simply do this "W" stretch, feel it stretch back, chin in tuck. Do that three times. Feel the stretch. I like to use a stick like this. It needs to be maybe four feet long or so. I have the Booyah Stik and bring it back like this. The farther out you hold it will change the stretch. Just make sure you don't bring your head forward while you do this. Brad: Mike, you want to show how you can effectively use a door. Mike: So open the door first. Brad loves opening this door. Brad: I love it. Mike: And you're going to place your palms on the edge of the door like this. You can even put your shoulders on there. And if you're tight, you may be way out here on the other side of the doorway. The goal is to just let gravity pull you forward. Once you feel a good stretch, just hold it here. Again, you can do three to five-second holds and do it three times. Brad: Every time you walk through a doorway, simply do the stretch, it's convenient. Mike: And the third stretch we're going to do, you can use a ball, or you don't have to, it just gets a little more stretch. I'm going to place it in my lower back here. Then I'm going to arch back my upper back toward the chair while lifting my arms up. You can either make a "W" like we did before or you can bring them straight up as long as you have good shoulder mobility. This is going to stretch a lot of different things. Again, do three to five-second holds each time and just really feels good on your back, hips, shoulder, and everything. Brad: Right, and also go up. Sometimes people may want to move the ball up towards the shoulder blade region. Particularly if you're tight right up in there. Do it, and you'll feel what is the best stretch for your body. Mike: If you have bad shoulders, you could certainly just kind of arch back like this and stretch this way as well. Or you can clasp your hands together if one shoulder's having a little more trouble than the other. Brad: There you go. Nice work. Now Mike patented this stretch. He learned it in the clinic and showed everyone it's been used ever since. About 10 years ago. Mike: Patent pending. Brad: And number four, this is a small but important stretch. It's simply chin tucks. How you do it is really critical. In the seated chair, you're going to put your bottom back in the chair, good posture. And you're going to think about bringing your chin in towards your throat, not up or not down, straight in. Get a stretch, a little push. Gentle stretch on the chin for over-pressure. If you feel like you need more stretch, don't overdo it. Brad: Mike's going to show how you can use the wall for this. Mike: So I'm leaning against the wall. My butt is against the wall first. Then you want to make sure your shoulder blades can touch. If you can comfortably do this in good posture, then perform the chin tucks. It's nice because you have a target to try and reach. If you can comfortably reach your head to the wall, you probably don't have to do this stretch very much, but it's just a good option. Simply pull back. Again, we are not looking up because I can touch my head that way. Again, straight back. Brad: There you go, so the target he's talking about is touching the head to the wall. Mike: Yeah, and you could do this on a closed door as well. Whatever you have. Brad: That's right. Now these are the five stretches. Do each one of them get a feel for which one you want to do and then go through each one. You'll find you can easily do these in 87 seconds or 90 seconds, somewhere in there. It's really not that critical, but it does go fast and you can do it relatively quickly, two or three times per day. Now Mike. Mike: We're going to go into Rick's posture exercise. Brad: Now this next postural exercise is very simple but really critical to get these small things correct. So you are going to sit on a firm chair works best. Mike is sitting on the table. And what we're going to do is think about bringing your chest, your sternum out and put your hand on your stomach, and we're gonna keep the stomach muscles relaxed. So that's the first step. Out here, relax your stomach muscles. And then we want to just allow the shoulders and the arms to relax. Brad: Now we're going to go through proper posture. It's a nice short drill to put your body in a position in the proper manner. One big mistake people make is they think they need to pull their shoulders back and hold them tight, which tightens the muscles up between the shoulder blades. They will fatigue, they'll get tired, and actually get painful and then you'll relax into poor posture. So instead of doing that, we're going to think about, putting one hand on your sternum, one on your stomach. Think about bringing the top hand and your sternum up towards the ceiling kind of at an angle. Allow your stomach muscles to be loose and then allow your shoulders to relax. Bringing up like this, the shoulders relax in good posture and it'll become natural after you do this a number of times. Brad: This may take a few days, maybe a couple of weeks, but do these two or three times a day for about 30 seconds or whatever time you have left in the 90 second protocol I mentioned, I'm just kidding. Do what it takes at least 30 seconds to think about this. This is break time, relax time, while you get good posture. All right, so do these exercises, get comfortable with the ones that work for you, and then it's repetition. In a matter of 21 days, you'll have perfect posture and you will not even need to think about it anymore. Mike: If you want to check out more videos on how to correct your posture, you can click the video link on the screen. Brad: That's right. " Single BEST 60 Second Posture Exercise, You Can Do It Anywhere. " Mike: 27 seconds faster than this one. Brad: There you go. Every second counts remember. Mike: And we're still babbling. 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Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in April of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/5dSGWgWO2So Mike: Living with lumbar stenosis can be challenging, especially when it comes to exercise. Brad: That's right. I personally have lumbar stenosis and we're gonna show you in this video exercises to avoid as well as exercises you can do to help it out. Guaranteed they do work. Mike: So typically with spinal stenosis, any exercise on your back that promotes extension or going backward, can compress material in there and cause pain. Brad: That's right. Now we're going to use Sam to give you a very good visual of what's actually going on. So lumbar stenosis, we're talking about the lower back, just above the pelvis and stenosis refers to the narrowing of a hole or a foramen. And in the back, it's where the nerves come out at each level. Now, when you go backward, just like Mike did, look what happens. Brad: It actually squeezes down and makes the foramen even tighter. So it's already tight from the stenosis, now we even tighten it further, which creates pain and it's not good. So we're going to avoid postures and exercises that put lumbar extension into play. So inversely, what makes a lumbar stenosis feel better is actually to open up the gaps. In other words, we're going to flex the lumbar spine by leaning forward or you can do a pelvic tilt, which is a little harder to see, but it definitely does it. If we look here when we flex forward, look how the hole or the foramen opens up. Come on Sam, open it up. There we go. There's a good opening there and there. Brad: If you do have stenosis, you'll definitely feel the difference between extension inflection in regards to comfort level. Mike: So the first thing you want to avoid when you have lumbar stenosis is any prolonged extension pattern. So Brad is lying down, this is an extension pattern. Mike: Standing up with a straight posture, even leaning back is an extension pattern. So oftentimes people may be standing in their kitchen reaching for a cup high in the cupboard and they're starting to get more pain because you're in an extension pattern like this, it gets very uncomfortable over time. Mike: So try to avoid being in this position for prolonged periods of time. Brad: Right. You know, other activities I've experienced, if you're like washing windows where it's repetition overhead, working on anything overhead on the ceiling really is uncomfortable. So lying on your stomach or prone position actually extends the lower back, particularly if it's in a soft bed, which will create pain. My back is already uncomfortable. And if you go up on your elbows, that'll exacerbate it and create pain even sooner. Brad: Now we're going to go over some alternatives in just a bit, but we've got more exercises that you really want to avoid. Alright. Now the two exercises we're going to go over are definitely irritating to someone with stenosis. Mike's going to do them because I don't need a backache after this. Go ahead, Mike. Mike: So oftentimes this is called the Superman exercise because it looks like you're flying through the air like Superman. So I'm actually going into spinal extension. I'm starting prone on my stomach. This is somewhat extended, but not too much. But once I lift my feet up and my arms up, I'm really extending my back. Mike: This does strengthen your back muscles, yes. But if you have stenosis, it's probably going to cause pain and discomfort. Now this goes for many exercises you may do at the gym as well where you're extending not just in a lying down position, but even standing up. Brad: Maybe we should show the press-up that's commonly done for people. But with stenosis, this is something you do not want to do, particularly with repetitions. Mike: Yes, oftentimes this is an exercise prescribed for someone with a herniated disc. However, if you have stenosis, this is the opposite of what you want to be doing. Brad: Exactly. Mike: Now the third thing you want to avoid is walking until you have pain. Now with back pain, it is important to still walk and most people enjoy it. However, you don't want to go too far to the point where it's starting to bother you. So we'll talk about some tips later on how to alleviate this. Brad: That's right. So again, Mike says, walking typically will irritate someone with stenosis after time. And it all depends. I was always limited, but now after doing some exercises to help it, I can walk pretty much indefinitely. Mike: Now the first thing to try is having a pelvic tilt. Now what we mean by this is actually having your pelvis tilted in a direction. Some people just naturally will stand or walk a certain way. So this is an anterior tilt where I'm tilting my pelvis forward. And a posterior tilt is when I'm tilting my pelvis backward. Mike: Oftentimes if you notice you're walking like this in the anterior tilt, it's probably going to cause more pain and discomfort. So if you can try and get into a neutral position or even a slightly posterior tilted pelvis position, this can help alleviate some of your pain when walking. Brad: Right now, if you're walking, you want to make sure you stop before the pain gets too bad. Now, one thing I always did, and it worked very well, was my back would start to hurt, I'd either sit down if there was a place to sit or I'd simply crouch and that would immediately relieve that back pain. It would feel good. Brad: I would hold there and stretch a little bit. I'm talking for 15 to 30 seconds, get up and start walking. Oftentimes I could extend my walk in a pain-free manner. Do not push through the pain and think that no pain, no gain, it's going to go away because it'll just irritate it. So that's a nice little clue there for you. Walking, walking. Mike: Another tip for walking is if you are unable to go for long durations outside or distances like you used to, you may want to use a walker when you're outside. You can use a standard walker if you have a one or four-wheeled walker. Brad will show some of the benefits of a four-wheeled walker . But when you're able to use a walker, sometimes you can slightly flex your spine, which normally feels better, putting pressure through the walker. Mike: If you notice when you're shopping and leaning forward on a shopping cart relieves your back pain, a walker might be a good option when you're out and about. Now, when you're inside, if you don't want to use it, you just certainly don't have to. But if you want to increase your distance walking, this could be a good option. Brad: So if you find walking outside is something you really want to do and you do want to go longer distances, getting a four-wheeled walker will definitely be the way to go. They're very nice. They have one of the big benefits is, is if you get tired, you simply lock the brakes, turn around, and sit down, and it'll make your back feel better. There's a little backrest there. Rest and then back up again and continue walking. With larger wheels, you will be able to walk over uneven surfaces where there are cracks in the sidewalks, et cetera. It will really allow you to walk as far as you want and be comfortable when you need to sit. Brad: Alright, now there's a technique called decompression. Now what you're going to need for this is a solid surface. Now we're using the back of a chair. Mike needs to sit on it so it is solid. If there's a park bench where you're walking and there's a solid bench, you can use that, perhaps a fence or rail, whatever is solid. And it cannot be too low. It needs to be about belt level, maybe a little bit lower. If it's too low and I have to reach over, that will not work. It actually will extend your back and be irritating. So we find that proper level, good, solid bench, and you're going to try and straighten your elbows out because it's a little easier and you take the weight off of your legs and that actually decompresses or puts a little traction on your lower back. That opens up those foramen, those gaps that we talked about earlier. And you just relax. Brad: This takes a little bit of practice. Now, if I do this and I lean forward slightly, round my back a little, it feels good. It really makes a big difference. Everyone's a little different. Sometimes I will actually add a little rotation on my hips. It feels good. I'm a happy person. I could do this for another 20 seconds. Mike: I bet, you're dancing. Brad: My arms are getting a little bit tired. Mike: You can also do this on a countertop if you're at home. Brad: That's right. Mike: It's a good option. Brad: Now, if for some reason, you really like to lie on your stomach for doing an exercise or for resting, the option is, take a pillow, a little bit thicker one like this one, and put it right about at your belt line, at your waist, and then lie on it. And you'll notice that's much more comfortable on your back. You may have to use two pillows. It's going to depend on what fits your body the best. So there you go. That's a good option there. Brad: Typically, lying on your back with your feet up really makes a big difference and gives you some good comfort there. Brad: You can put a pillow, typically two or three pillows to get your legs up higher, will also be a nice way to relax, get your back to feel good, and get some rest. Mike: So this is a good option if you're doing a lot of standing and overhead work like we talked about earlier, you're going to need to take frequent breaks. And sometimes getting in the opposite position like Brad was just showing will help. Maybe lie there for 10 minutes and then go back to work. Brad: I've done it many times. It really is a good solution. Mike: You want to clean my windows? Brad: No. Mike: Oh. Brad: Wonderful. Alright, so with your lumbar stenosis, guaranteed some of these things are going to work for you. Some may not be as much. So pick and choose, you'll know, 'cause it's gonna make your back feel better. And we also have another video that will be helpful. Mike, take it away. Mike: Yeah, so check out " Spinal Stenosis Exercises That Help Immediately ." The exercise options in this are different than what we showed. Brad: Very nice, very nice. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun C2 Massage Gun  (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat D2 Mini Massage Gun Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun   Knee Glide   Eye Massager   EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager White EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager Black EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote T2 Massage Gun   T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt Fitness: Resistance Bands​   Pull Up System Pull Up Bands   Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener   Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Stress Balls   Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop ​ Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

1. Squat. Keep the following in mind when lifting with the squat technique. The back should be in the locked-in position. Use a Booyah Stik or broom handle and use it to line up your spine correctly. Recall you should have 3 points of contact: head, mid back, and pelvis. Using the squat method, you should think of your spine as being in a cast. All movement occurs in the hips. Movement in the hips is referred to as hip hinging (bending like a hinge). Your legs should be spread out as wide as you can and still be comfortable. With your legs wide you will be able to reach closer to the floor. One can practice squats with a broom handle or Booyah Stik. 2. Lunge It is easier to get close to the ground using the lunge method. Place one foot forward of the other. Dip the knee of the leg in the rear position, if a steady object is nearby use it to hold on to and dip the knee to the floor. Once the knee is on the floor grab the object with the spine in the locked-in position. Raise your body up. 3. Golfer’s Lift The golfer’s lift is generally used to pick up a light object, such as a golf ball. Place one foot forward of the other and take weight on that leg. Bend forward with the spine in the locked-in position and the rear leg raising up in alignment with the spine. It is very helpful to have something to hold on to with one arm to balance yourself. In golf, one would use the putter. 4. Saw Lift The saw lift only works if you can pick up the object with one hand AND you have a steady object nearby to brace yourself. Bend forward from the waist and keep your back in the locked-in position. Legs should be spread apart comfortably. Use one arm to lift the object and use the other arm to brace yourself using the other object. It is like you are leaning forward and sawing with the pick-up arm. 5. Leg Straight There are times in life when you can’t bend your knees. Reaching into a bin, for example. In this case, lean forward with the back in the locked-in position. All movement should occur from the hips. 6. Elbow on Knees There are two times this technique comes into play. One would be while using a shovel, and the other is for lifting a light object from the floor. Using a shovel squat down with legs wide apart and back in the locked-in position. Brace the elbow of the rear arm on the thigh of the leg closest to it. You can leverage the shovel with the rear arm in that position. Stand and throw the snow. Use the same technique to pick an object off the floor. Squat down with your legs wide apart and your spine in the lock-in position. Place both elbows on your thighs thus taking some weight off the spine. Use one arm to pick up the object. Return to stand. 7. High Lift This technique is used when lifting an object off a raised surface such as a bed, chair, or table. Because the surface is raised most people forget to use proper technique. People often bend forward with their spine in a slouched or bent position. The same technique as the squat, saw lift or leg straight should be used. Spine MUST be in the locked-in position. Check  out the full Back Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/back-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in May of 2024. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/Q34P1aGiOIk Brad: Oh, headaches can really turn your world upside down, especially if you don't have any way to control them. Mike: So we're going to give you some of the best-tested remedies that you can try on your own to help relieve that tension. Brad: And I do want to apologize for the title. This is a family show, and we normally don't put those abbreviations up, but... Mike: BS stands for bologna sandwich. Brad: There you go. Now oftentimes, headaches are associated with stress and tension, and that leads to problems with headache pain, and it is a real issue. Mike: So muscles around your eyes, as well as on top of your head and sometimes even at the base of your skull are often the culprit. This tension is causing the headache you're experiencing. Brad: That's right. So these muscles chronically get tight, and actually, there are those thin layer muscles on top of your head that you may not think of, but these little muscles, when they get tight, really can cause some problems, tension, and actually, can refer that tension into your jaw. Some people say their teeth feel funny when they get these headaches. We're going to show you how you could get rid of these rather quickly. All right, first, we're going to show you a simple assessment so you can actually target which muscles are tight and causing the problem. Mike, go ahead. Mike: So first we can start with around the eyes. So you can go on the outside, more your cheekbones. Maybe it's your eyebrow area or forehead. Typically, somewhere in this area can be tight. You may just touch it and feel a trigger point or sore or an achiness. Sometimes you can even close your eyes and gently massage your eyelids. Obviously, don't poke yourself in the eye, but be careful, and see if this is where your trigger point is located. Brad: I know a lot of times that the temporalis muscles are right here. Get in and do some deep circles on that. Brad: If that's the trigger point, as soon as you do that, you're going to feel some relaxation and relief. Also, on top of the head, I know fingers on top of the head, you can push in deep and do some circles forward and backward. Brad: You'll feel relief quite quickly if those are the muscles that are causing the pain, and also the suboccipitals. This is the occiput, so the sub is below that, these muscles are here. Anything else we forgot, Mike? Mike: No, just gently massage the area. Obviously, I have an easy time doing it because I have no hair. If you have thicker hair like my girlfriend, you kind of have to push and dig in there a little bit harder. Brad: Right, well, you should be massaging her head, if you're really the manly gentleman that you are. Mike: Yes. Brad: All right, we're going to show you some specific ways and other alternatives for each location. Okay, let's first talk about around the eyes and the temple or temporalis muscles. I'll start there. Now, simply using your fingers, you can do circular massage, and you'll feel that muscle there. Now when they start to loosen up, the experience I have is my jaw will actually open up a little bit because that's part of the muscle responsible for closing your jaw. Get in there. You can go up and down, forward and backward, and some people like to use the part of the thumb, the base there, or the palm and get in like that and do those circles. Brad: Now I have cold hands just because that's the way my hands are, and that actually feels good. So Mike is going to go on and talk about some cold and heat options, but before we do that, let's talk about doing some massage, little things like around the eyebrows, around the nose, and work those little muscles around the eye in here and just feel the spots. Brad: You will know. All of a sudden, you'll feel that release and just say, "Oh boy, I hit the spot there." Go ahead, Mike. Let's talk about cold and heat. Mike: So if you want, you can try a cold or hot pack on your head, as well. Typically, you would relax it over your eyes or your forehead area. Mike: Oftentimes, you're not going to be seated like this. You're going to be lying down or in a recliner of sorts. Now if it is warm, make sure you have a towel layer in between because it can get too warm. Also, if you just want to take a washrag you have at home, put some hot water on it, and rest it on there, as well, that's a good option. Brad: Make sure you ring it out first. Mike: No, I like mine sopping wet. Brad: You can do that with cold or hot. There is actually a hot and cold pack that actually fits and is specifically made for your eyes. That works well, also. Now we do have another really nice way to give you the deluxe eye massage. All right, this next option is something I thought was never gonna work when I first saw them, and I tried it just because. I go, "All right," and I am absolutely in love with these eye massagers . They have a battery in them. They actually massage the temples very well. They massage the muscles above and below and a very gentle massage on the eyelid itself that is very gentle. Mike has it on his head right now. Brad: They actually have controls that have music, and there are different modes you can put with that, different volumes. The pressure of the massage is controllable, as well as the temperature. It does warm up. Now actually, we are working on one that does warm and cold options , but typically now with this, let me just sort of say this. 15 minutes, and it turns off. My personal experience, as well as a number of people I know that have these, will put them on and go for 15 minutes, but they typically fall alseep, and I usually fall asleep about 50% of the time before 15 minutes is up. How are you doing, Mike? Mike: I'm good. I'm going to take a nap now. Brad: Right. They're not very expensive, and you certainly do not need 'em. Use other options, but if you want to have a gift for someone or to try something, they're very, very wonderful options. We've got the black color and the white color. They're very similar as far as function. Mike: Okay, now, when it comes to the top of the head, oftentimes you have to use your hands to massage that area. They do have some interesting little tools you'll see once in a while in some stores, but we just typically use our hands. You can either do a circular pattern in different areas. If you feel a trigger point or tender area, just work that a little more. You can even do kind of like a splaying on the top of your head. Obviously, Brad has hair, so he might pull his hair more, but if you're bald like me, you can get a nice splaying massage, as well. Brad: I have a bald spot. Mike: Oh, just splay there, then. So just work on that. Now if you are feeling it more in the back of your head, this is called the suboccipital region. It's kind of like the base of your skull. Brad is not under arrest right now. He's simply massaging it. So you just kind of dig around the base of your skull there. It's where your neck muscles connect. If you're often tense or have bad posture at a computer, these can get really tight on some people, Brad: All right, so I'm actually doing circles, or push in rather aggressively and pull or splay out and stretch the skin and the muscles underneath. It gets the fascia, which is also a component that creates pain. It's a nice option. Boy, that does feel good. Make sure you spend some time here. I'll stretch for this as simply chin tucks, where you go in with your chin and then a little bit forward, not up and not down, and in the back, you'll feel slight stretches there. Let's talk about the magic of colder heat. Mike: So oftentimes, there are actually studies looking at cold packs and migraines. Typically, you place them more on the side of the neck 'cause you want to hit the carotid artery, helps cool the blood that is going to the brain, and it can help relieve migraines, at least that's what they found in the study. Mike: If you're having more suboccipital region pain or discomfort, you could certainly use a hot or cold pack back there. Brad: I personally, I'm just so excited to share this with people. I just put a cold pack right on top of my head and that works really well, and it's a lot easier than doing the massage. You know what I'm sayin'? Mike: The bald spot's gone now. Brad: Yeah, my wife said, "What are you doing with that cold pack on your head?" And I'm like, "It's doing wonders, dear." So anyways, nice little simple things can make big differences in your life. All right, so I hope you have some options that are going to help you reduce and eliminate those headaches that really work well. I'm sure one of them will for sure. For this week’s Giveaway visit :  https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: A2 Pro Massage Gun C2 Massage Gun  (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy C2 Plus Massage Gun with Heat D2 Mini Massage Gun Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Q2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Q2 Plus Mini Massage Gun   Knee Glide   Eye Massager   EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager White EyeOasis 2 Eye Massager Black EyeOasis 2 Plus Eye Massager with Remote T2 Massage Gun   T2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Head Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head X6 Pro Massage with Heat-Cold and Metal Head D6 Pro Max Massage Gun with Metal Head D5 Pro Massage Gun Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream   Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager   EZBack Massager With Remote Weighted Heating Pad for Back Weighted Heating Pad For Neck and Shoulders Weighted Heating Pad-Long sWAVE Massage Gun with Belt Fitness: Resistance Bands​   Pull Up System Pull Up Bands   Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener   Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit   Stress Balls   Stretching: Booyah Stik   Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store   and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop ​ Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in April of 2024. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjwKe_YLLEM&t=6s Mike: If you're a busy person but know you should do more stretching, then this video's for you. Brad: Whether you're young or old, this one stretch will help you combat poor posture. That's an epidemic, you know, nowadays. Mike: It is. Brad: It is, really. Here I am an absolutely poor posture and we have a lot of things like this that promote poor posture we're not aware of. It absolutely can change your life, create pain, and actually make you look not so good. Mike, talk about its effect on the spine. Mike: So this is what your spine looks like in poor posture. Oftentimes the region known as your thoracic spine is rounded forward, and then your thoracic spine is rounded forward as well. But if you want to see what you're doing, you have to look up, so your neck is kinked like this. Mike: This causes a lot of pain and discomfort over time. Even being in this position for a few hours a day, every day, is going to start adding up. So we're going to show you one stretch to get out of this bad posture. Now we realize not everyone can get into all these positions to do this stretch, so we're going to show three variations of it. Brad: That's right. And they're very helpful and they're not hard to do. All right, so the first stretch, it's one of these things that works really well. You do need a ball . And let's say we have that rounded posture. The ball is actually a fulcrum point and we're going to use it to straighten that back up where it needs to go. Mike, show it in real life. Mike: So you will need a chair for this. If you don't have a ball, they're pretty inexpensive to buy. We deflated this one a little bit. You can certainly roll up a big towel roll. It will work, but the ball's a little bit nicer option here. So you're going to place that wherever you're kind of hinging forward, whatever position. Some people may be lower, some people higher. Find that sweet spot. And then you're going to just start by trying to make your spine go into extension with that ball being there. Mike: If this seems easy for you, you can make it a little more aggressive by lifting your shoulders up like this. If you have bad shoulders, you don't have to lift your arms up, but it just gets more of a stretch and works those scapular muscles, meaning shoulder blade muscles, too, that can help stretch out. Mike: You can hold this for a time. If you want to hold this for 30 seconds, you can. If you'd rather just do a few seconds and do repetitions, that's fine as well. Brad: That's right. If you do have shoulder problems and this hurts, just simply do the cross-arms and work that. That's another option as well. Brad: And you notice Mike is bringing his head back with that, not keeping his chin forward. Head forward position, going back, we don't want that. Everything's in line. Make sure you breathe and really open up with this. It makes a big difference. It makes you feel great. It's kind of the thing you can do while you're working every half hour or hour or so and really get that posture stretched out, that thoracic spine. Let's go on to the next one, Mike before I bore these people to death. Mike: I'm already bored. For this next stretch, you're going to need a foam roller , 36 inches in length and 6 inches in diameter. The amount of firmness or softness is gonna be dependent upon you. Some people like the soft foam roller like I have, and Brad has more of a dense one. Brad: That's right. And you can buy these about half this length, which will work for this particular exercise. I like the longer one because I use it for other things. So you need to do this on a floor. A tight carpeted floor works well, but any type of floor will pretty much work. And this is the one that both Bob and I really like to do at home. Typically, we'll start right about where your rib cage hits your back. We do not do this on your lower back. It's a little uncomfortable, and it just doesn't work well. We don't promote that. So start here, and then you can make it more intense by lifting your butt up. You can put your hands behind your head like this to relax your head. And you simply roll from that point to the low neck, and back and forth. Now what I like to do is open up and really stretch out. If I bring my arms up here, the weight on my arms will help extend that thoracic back. Brad: And this is one that I really like, and I'll go on the right side a little bit. And over on the left side. It really feels good. It's a nice, nice easy stretch. You'll find a lot of times your back will crack or cavitate when you do that, getting things in line. It's a really good back stretcher. It's kind of fun to do, actually. Mike, do you ever use this one? Mike: I don't do this one too much. If I foam roll, I do it, but I prefer other methods. Again, with these, pick which one you like and what works for you. You don't have to do all three. Brad: Right. Let's go to number three, eh? Mike: Okay, this last version was created by Dr. Stewart McGill . Again, do this one if it feels good to you. Dr. Stewart McGill is a spine specialist. You will need a chair, and to kneel. You don't need a pad if you're comfortable kneeling on the ground. I want a pad. Brad will show another version, if you're uncomfortable kneeling, of this specific stretch. So what I'm going to do is place my elbows on the chair and interlace my hands behind my head. Right now I'm in a flexed position. We want to get into extension, to flatten your back, and almost go the other way. When I'm doing this, I'm sitting towards my butt a little bit, and I'm pushing into my elbows. This really gets a good stretch in there. I feel like you can get more aggressive with this one because you can push through the elbows and it really extends your spine. Actually feels really good for me, personally. Brad: Yeah, it is a nice stretch. One little trick that I do is when I go down and arch the back, I exhale and relax and just think of that dropping down and letting it stretch out. Don't force it. Allow your body to relax and it will work better. All right, we got the same stretch, different way to do it, on a chair with wheels. You can do this at a countertop or your desk. If you've got a workstation, where you have wheels on your chair, you could do this. Get the keyboard out of the way and do this throughout the day, every hour or so. So here I'm going to get my hands behind my head. I like to clasp my fingers just like Mike was doing. Elbows on the desk or counter. And then we simply roll out and stretch. I'll open it up a little bit. Now this is actually a little bit lower than most desks or countertops, and it's a little hard for me to do it. If it was a little higher, I would be a little more comfortable and it would work well. If that's the situation for you, you could simply put some books or a cushion like I'm using here and yeah, that's much better. There we go. Oh yeah. Brad: Stretching it out. There. And then you could put the ball behind your back and do a double stretch. If you had the foam roller, you could do that and kind of mix it up and do a little bit every day. Make it not so boring that way. Yeah, it really opens up that chest. It's a great stretch. Without a doubt, it's going to make a difference in your posture and you'll feel much better. Mike: So again, pick which one feels best to you, or you can actually perform. And if you want to check out more videos, the next one is " One Exercise That All Seniors Should Master. " And I think Bob and Brad are in this one. Brad: Well, yeah, it could be, but yep, one for every... And you don't have to be a senior. You could do this at any age, but you know. Mike: That's the video title. Brad: There you go. All right, enjoy. And enjoy your good posture. 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We hope to convey to you one of the key points with all forms of sitting and back pain, the benefit of movement and change of position. The most important tactic you can use to combat back pain while sitting is to intermix sitting with walking and movement. The person who attempts to sit with the perfect posture should still intermix change of back positions, movement, and walking. Use of a Standing Desk I (Bob) hurt my back when moving furniture to a new apartment in 1985. I began to experience sciatica-type symptoms. Over the next month, I avoided sitting. I did all my notes for treating patients standing at a counter. Eventually, the sciatica pain subsided, and I have not had any symptoms since. If I were to injure my back now, I would use a height-adjustable standing desk or desk converter. In fact, I am typing this document while standing at a desk converter. There are many great desk companies out there, but we have found the quality of our Flexispot desks and converters to be excellent. Link for Flexispot desk: https://amzn.to/3ILoc4o Check out the full Back Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/back-pain-relief-program