This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in September of 2020.  For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh50jR-jnzI&t=602s Bob: Today we are going to talk about massage gun heads. Heal muscles faster by using the correct head. This is kind of a tutorial today. Brad: Sure, well we know these guns are becoming more and more popular. Everyone’s making them, these things are very useful. We like them. But, there are some things we need to know. This one comes with five different attachments, or head attachments that actually come in contact with your skin. And there are different heads for different reasons. Bob: We’ll give our opinion because we’re not the end all be all here. We just have our opinion on what heads work well for what. Brad: Yeah, but we’ve used them a lot on ourselves as well as patients and I think our opinion is worthy. Bob: First off, I want to say Brad, just really quickly, my nephew just bought a massage gun, he spent $40. JUNK. He said, “I should have talked to you first. It’s just junk, it was just terrible.” I mean they used to be $400. Brad: Yeah, and that would be a good one. Bob: Now they’ve come down significantly, and it’s to the point where we actually have our own, too. Brad: Right, we think it is a good price because it’s a good gun. And, we even put our name on it, Bob and Brad. But yeah, the price has come down. You can still get a good massage gun, but probably not for $40. Bob: No not for $40. All right, let’s get to work, Brad. Brad: Alright, so there’s three variables that help decide which head to use. Number one is, what size muscle mass are you using it on? For example, if you’re doing your hamstrings versus you elbow, you’re going to use two different heads. Also, the proximity of the massage to a bone. Even if you’re doing your quadriceps, which is a big muscle mass and you get close to your patella (knee cap) where the tendon is, that might change your choice on which head to use. Even though you have a big muscle mass here, you’re not going to use the pointy one when you get close to the bone unless you’re very careful. Bob: Let me say this about muscle mass too, Brad, now my nephew is a large guy, I mean bulky. So even when he does his bicep or something like that, it’s not like doing my bicep which is hardly any, you know, I’m hitting bone here. He needs different heads probably for his body than I would use. Brad: Yeah. So it varies from person to person on these. And then, the severity of the injury. If you just injured a muscle and you had a muscle strain or minor tear, you’re not going to get real aggressive on it the first day or two; you’ve got to let it settle down. Bob: Often what we suggest is like let’s say you torn your muscle at the elbow, we’d have you maybe massage above and below the area soon after and eventually work your way into the injury itself. Brad: Exactly, and then the tolerance of the user. For example, like if your nephew is using it, he’s probably going to tolerate a lot more than if my grandmother, well my grandmother’s passed, but you know, than an elderly person. Bob: A slight person or a thin person. Brad: So keep that in mind too. There is no black and white answers to these, so we’re going to give you some examples. We’ll go through the heads first here, Bob. These are common, each manufacturer may have some variations. But, they’re pretty close. We have a round one (ball), and this is kind of soft, it’s not like a hard plastic, there is some give to it. The air cushioned one, which Bob and I probably think is our favorite, it’s air cushioned and it’s spread out. Bob: It's very nice, very universal. Brad: Now, this one is hard plastic (flat), and it’s a flat surface as you can see about that size. I do use this one, not all the time, we’ll get into that. Now, this one is a hard plastic (bullet) and it comes not to a point, but more to a point, that’s going to get in deep to some large muscles. Bob: Or let’s say you have some scar tissue, you want to get in there and break that up. Brad: And, this one we call the field goal (fork). This one, neither Bob nor I have really used. I thought about using it once. We’ll maybe talk about it a little bit. Bob: I mean, we thought that you could go along the spine on each side of the spine. Brad: Right, you don’t want to hit the bone, the spinous processes, but you’re going to have to have two people. The second person is going to have to do it and do it very carefully. Bob: Yeah, because otherwise you still could bump up against the spine. Brad: Right, so anyways, I’m sure when it was made, it had a specific use; we haven’t come up to it yet. To be honest with you these other ones I’ve had, they’ve covered everything very well. Okay, let’s go to the neck. This is, to me, it’s a red flag. You want to turn around once, Bob? If you’re going like the low neck maybe, actually where the shirt line is. Bob: Well, if you’re going from where the upper trapezius is, absolutely you can use it. Brad: Right, I’m going to use this borderline of the shirt collar. At the black or down you could use the massage gun. If you’re going up above the shirt collar, DO NOT use a massage gun. They’re too aggressive, you could actually get in and sublux the vertebrae possibly. Bob: I don’t know. It’s very uncomfortable. It’s like a jackhammer. And the same thing on your head, Brad. You really can’t go up into your head. Brad: Anything on the neck or higher, you are not going to use it. Not a gun, maybe one of the other ones that are very light, it’s a different story. So number two, let’s go over to the wrist and the elbow. For a lot of people, they don’t have a lot of muscle mass there. If you have tennis elbow, oftentimes the point that you need to get after is close to the bone. So, in this situation, the round ball might be a good option. We’re going to put that in there, turn it on, there’s a three second delay there. Bob: I want to make sure people are aware of the because the first time I tried to turn this on, I’m like, it doesn’t work. You have to push and hold it. Brad: Right, it’s not an on/off switch, it’s press and hold. On this gun, it’s very common with the other guns too, this one has five different levels of intensity. It just turned off, now I have to push and hold it for one thousand one, one thousand two. All right, I’m going to go at level four. Now, if I went up by the point of the elbow and it was pretty sore close to the bone, I might want to go down on the muscle and I can work here. Now, the neat thing about this round head is you can change the intensity by the angle. I can go crosswise, and you still can get a cross friction massage, which you can do with your hands manually. And then the more you go in head on, the deeper it gets. Brad: Now, this is probably too aggressive for me; I’m going to go back to the muscle and actually I’m thinking I’m going to go to the air filled (air cushion). Let’s get this going now. There, that feels much better. Bob: And the thing about this with the air filled, let’s say you mistakenly hit the bone, it can tolerate that. Brad: Yeah, I’m right over the bone right now, and it does not hurt. If you had tennis elbow, it would probably hurt, you wouldn’t do this over the bone. Bob: It’s be too much. So, yeah, whenever you’re flirting around those bones, especially if it’s a smaller area like this, you’re going to probably use the air filled I think. But, the ball does serve a nice purpose of intense, less intense. Brad: Yep, you know, when in doubt, I would start with the air filled. That’s always the go-to one for me, and then if I’m not happy with it, then I go on to something else. Bob: You see these heads just pop in and pop out by the way. Brad: Yep, it’s just the resistance interference fit. Let’s go to the thigh. You know, the quadriceps or the hamstrings, most people have much more muscle mass there. Right now I’ve got a hamstring issue, I’m actually almost recovered from it, but I’ve been using the flat one that’s hard. I was considering going to the more aggressive one (the bullet) with the point to get into that muscle, but I found this was working well, so I didn’t want to get more aggressive. Bob: I would have guessed the bullet. Brad: Yeah, I was thinking about it. Now, I just want to show you, what I find with these is I like to do it over a little clothing when you have the smooth hard one (flat head) because it slides so well. Bob: Now, are you going to be able to see this against dark pants? Brad: I usually do it on my hamstring but because of the color, the black on black, I’ll just do it down here, and it just slides over the material, that really makes a difference as far as the ease of doing this. It feels great, Bob, and I don’t have any problem in this area, but I’m telling you I’d do this for a while just to enjoy it. Bob: So I guess the pointer (bullet), that would probably slide over also. Brad: Oh yeah, because that is the hard plastic as well. But you know, that one, we can switch over to that one. You know, I don’t have a pair of white pants for modeling here. Bob: You can just pull up the pant leg and do it on your calf. Brad: Oh sure, good idea. And I have done this on my calf. Bob: I had torn part of my calf muscle last winter, and I spent a lot of time with a massage gun. I mean, I would do it before I worked out, and I would also do it later in the day. Brad: That’s a good point, Bob. Actually I do the massage gun on my hamstrings and then I stretch and then I run. Now, this is a good point right here. I was going over the calf muscle here and I get into this spot. I don’t know if I’ve got an injury there, or if it’s just sensitive, but that is painful. I’m not going to go there too deep. Over to one side more, I can push in deep and I can get into that muscle really good with this pointy one. And you can work angles with this. You’ll find out after you work with this for a while, what you can do and how to work it. Bob: I would like to say really there’s no wrong answer to these things. You know, you’re going to experiment and find out which one works for you. My nephew that’s going to be getting one of these guns, he’s a big guy, like I said, and he wants to use it prior to softball, he’s a big softball player. And he wants to get his muscles loose before he does that. Let me take, can I have that round one? So I had quadriceps tendonitis. Brad: Oh yes, I remember this. That was early on when we first started using guns. Bob: Yeah, and what’s interesting about this, it was not getting better. I was doing everything, I was doing eccentric strengthening, all the things they tell you to do. I started doing the massage, and what’s interesting, it didn’t start getting better until I started working right onto the bone a little bit. Brad: So right where that tendon connects. Bob: You’re right, it works better on the side with that. Brad: Yeah, when you get to the bone. Bob: Yeah, so I actually went over the bone and it seemed like that’s where the injury was, the damage. Brad: The scar tissue was there and we needed to break that up finally. Bob: And it got better rapidly 90% better. And then over time, it got 100% better. Brad: And we’ve had that experience with other people, patients, people commenting, cross friction or the massage gun, it’s like it just got better really quickly. Bob: Yeah it did. Once you break that scar tissue up. You know these massage guns can be used, like we said, before and after if you have an injury to warm it up. Brad: Well, one more tool in the bucket, isn’t it? Bob: Yeah, one last thing I was going to say, at first we were a little reluctant to use mechanical devices when we were seeing people. We used to all so it by hand, and what we found is a lot of people prefer these. And a lot of people end up getting them themselves then. Brad: And us as therapists, your fingers don’t get so worn out. You know, a few minutes working aggressively can really take a toll. Especially as you get a little older, Bob. Not that we are, but if you were an older therapist. Bob: We’re elders. That means we are wise. Brad: Take care, enjoy. If you are interested in the products mentioned above, they can be found at: Massage Gun By Bob & Brad: https://amzn.to/36pMekg Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/physicaltherapyvideo Website: https://bobandbrad.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobandBrad/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbobandbrad/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ptfamous Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mostfamousPTs For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products: Grip and Forearm Strengthener: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Wall Anchor: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Booyah Stik: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Knee Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Fit Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Massage Gun: https://amzn.to/36pMekg Hanging Handles: https://amzn.to/2RXLVFF Bob and Brad Resistance Bands Set: https://amzn.to/36uqnbr Bob & Brad Amazon Store: https://amzn.to/2RTSLLh Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop here:  https://shop.spreadshirt.com/bob-brad Check out other products Bob and Brad Love: https://www.amazon.com/shop/physicaltherapyvideo?listId=3581Z1XUVFAFY Check out The Bob & Brad Crew on YouTube by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebobbradcrew Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in August of 2020. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/J2s-GSUTLiA?t=112 Bob: The topic today, “How to Fall Asleep Fast.” We’re going to show you a three-step approach that works for me, Bob, every time. Alright, Brad, I rarely have trouble sleeping. It’s probably one of my superpowers, that I sleep pretty well. My wife is just like, “you’ve got to be kidding me,” sometimes. We’ll lay down in bed and like 20 seconds later she can hear me breathing like I am sleeping already. Brad: You don’t snore? Bob: I snore sometimes especially if I’ve been drinking. Brad: That’s another video. Bob: But if I do have trouble sleeping, it’s one of thress things usually. One, I’m worried about something, that’s probably the most common reason I can’t get to sleep. Brad: You ruminate perhaps? Bob: I ruminate, we all do. Two, something we all do, the bed environment is off. Like if we go to a hotel and it’s too hot, it’s too noisy. Even when we go to our cabin, there’s a different mattress, a different pillow. I’m trying to get things all the same if I can. Brad: Are you going to paint the walls the same and everything? Bob: No, that doesn’t bother me, but you know the things that typically bother you. Number three, something hurts, like I remember my hip was bothering me for a while. Just that little ache, you know, just kind of keeps you awake. So, you know after I’ve been on this planet for 60 years, you learn a few things. Brad: 60 plus years, Bob. You’re older than 60. Bob: I’m not really older than 60; 60 rounded off! You don’t say I’m 60 year and 2 months! Brad: I do. Carry on Bob. Bob: All right. Number one, I realized I have to clear my mind. I know if there’s a problem, I will not go to sleep until I have to come up with some type of solution. Or at least the next step of what I’m going to do. Brad: Right, if you’re worried about something. Bob: Yes, I’ll go over it and over it. A lot of times I solve it, when I’m sleeping or trying to sleep, but that doesn’t help sleep. So, I’m amazed this works for me because I always thought once I get up, I’m going to wake up and I’m going to stay awake. So, I get up and I put the problem on paper. I put down every possible solution that I can think of. I just write and I write, and I write, and I write. When I get to the end, I’m like okay, I put down everything, then I say to myself, I’ll address this in the morning. I’ve got all the ideas down. I’m just shocked how well it works. Brad: How long does that take you to write your list? Bob: Maybe five, ten minutes. You know, you do wake up but when I put my head back on the pillow, I just slept like a baby again. You could say like a baby, crying every few minutes. LOL. The second thing I’ll do then, when I lay back down, I just try to think of something pleasant. We’ve talked about this before. I like to go, if I’m golfing well, I like to think about golf. Which isn’t very often. But you can think about yourself being on like, one person talked about using a black velvet hammock in a dark room. It just envelopes them. You used to do a beach one didn’t you? Brad: Yeah, but I have my new thing now. The couch. I keep going back to the womb. That works for me. Bob: Oh yeah that’s right. He lies on the couch, with his back against the couch. You’re enveloped with your hoodie. Brad: Yep, my hoodie and a nice soft blanket and it’s very soothing. Bob: You look to me when you’re on the couch like that, you look like a serial killer. Brad: Why Bob, Why! Why ruin my image! Bob: So, my office manager, who's heavily into cats, and that’s to say the least, she actually has a place for cats, like runaway cats, a place for them to go to be safe. They are trying to get them all adopted. They have 40 of them at least. Photo by Abdullah Arif on Unsplash Brad: So, what does this have to do with sleeping? Bob: Well, she thinks about cats when she can’t sleep. Brad: Oh, that relaxes her. Bob: Yeah, and cats are kind of a relaxing thing when you look at them, you know, I mean they just lay around. They don’t do anything. All right, so, clear my mind. Next thing, I always check my breathing because I can guarantee you, my breathing is rapid when I’m not sleeping well. It’s more shallow, it’s rapid. This is something you can use throughout the day. There’s different types of breathing you can do. I like the 4-7-8. Brad: One way or another, they’re all slowing your breathing down and bringing in more air, exhaling it, like you said, the 4-7-8, the 4-4-4. Bob: Yeah, so let’s talk about the 4-7-8 Brad. You breathe in through your nose for four seconds, hold for seven seconds and then breathe out the mouth, kind of in a pursed lip, like you’re blowing out candles for 8 seconds. So, in for four, hold for 7, out for 8. Brad: If that’s too long, just count a little faster. You still use that ratio though. Bob: Right. I don’t know how they came up with that; I don’t know that I’m exact on it. This one is the one that, I heard that it was mentioned by people who are about to go on a mission for special forces or something like that. Brad: In the military. Bob: They call it the four square. So, it’s four, four, four, four. Breathe in for four, hold for four, out for four and hold again for four. Brad: So that’s how they get the square. Bob: And now you can do that for five seconds, six seconds, whatever works for you. That one works for me too. I think that one is really great. The thing is, I think if along with the breathing, you do a little bit of visualization, I think I’ve mentioned this before, where like, when I breathe in, I visualize I’m breathing in bubbles. Then the bubbles all go into my mouth. Then I hold them, and they get bigger and bigger. All of a sudden, they blow out and I’m just visualizing that. It clears your mind. That’s always what you want to do is focus on something else. I heard some people say you count back from a hundred. That one doesn’t work for me. You know, counting sheep, it’s all a matter of trying to clear your brain. Brad: Everyone has their own little things that their mind responds to better. Bob: The third thing I do, is change the environment. I definitely did it this weekend. We had a lot of people at our cabin, a lot of family members, and I used my ear plugs. I normally don’t, I don’t wear earplugs during the week. Brad: I suppose you go to bed at seven and everyone else is up playing cards or something? Bob: Well I went to bed at 12, and she’s got a brother that can stay up till 2. He’s just a late nighter. Brad: Is he carrying on and having a good time? Bob: No, no, well they had a good time but not bad. Or if it’s hot, I’ll put an overhead fan on, try to lower the temperature. I’ve done that at hotels, I get up and it’s like, it’s hot in here isn’t it? And I’ll lower it down. It’s amazing, all that makes a difference. Or I’ll try to use pillows for positioning, if something’s hurting. That’s basically it, Brad. That’s the three steps. I clear the mind; I checked my breathing and I change the environment. Usually one of those three things will do the job and I’m sleeping once again like you do in the womb. Do you have anything else? Brad: Why Bob Why!?! Bob: That’s all clear for you? Brad: Yeah, just look at my video on sleeping on a couch, and you’ll, it’s very clear. You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7wZDWVTo-I&t=249s Bob: It’s disturbing. Brad: Many people liked it. "If You Can’t Sleep, Try This," was the name of it. There’s a picture of a brown leather couch on there. You’re going to have wonderful success if this doesn’t work. Bob: Remember Brad and I can fix just about anything, Brad: Except for, Bob: A broken heart. Brad: There you go Bob. Bob: But if we fix your sleep, you won’t care about a broken heart. Brad: Well, it’s a step in the right direction, there’s no doubt about it. Bob: Alright, Adios fans. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/physicaltherapyvideo Website: https://bobandbrad.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobandBrad/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbobandbrad/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ptfamous Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mostfamousPTs For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products: Grip and Forearm Strengthener: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Wall Anchor: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Booyah Stik: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Knee Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Fit Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Massage Gun:https://amzn.to/36pMekg Hanging Handles: https://amzn.to/2RXLVFF Bob and Brad Resistance Bands Set: https://amzn.to/36uqnbr Bob & Brad Amazon Store: https://amzn.to/2RTSLLh Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop here:  https://shop.spreadshirt.com/bob-brad Check out other products Bob and Brad Love:  https://www.amazon.com/shop/physicaltherapyvideo?listId=3581Z1XUVFAFY Check out The Bob & Brad Crew on YouTube by clicking here:  https://www.youtube.com/c/thebobbradcrew Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

Are you curious what to look for when choosing a massage gun or have you been wondering how to use the massage gun C2 from Bob and Brad (refered to as the C2 for short)? Read on for examples and details on what to look for. Stall Force The first parameter we are going to discuss is "stall force". The stall force of a motor means the amount of force that can be applied to the motor before it stops working, and the higher a stall force a massage gun has, the more aggressive you can use it on your body. So, if you intend to use your massage gun mainly on the larger muscle groups like quads or hip flexors, choose one with a higher stall force.  Many popular brands of massage guns have stall forces of 40 to 60 lbs, suitable for general home use, and the massage gun C2 is tested to have a high stall force, making it unstoppable, despite its light weight and small size. The Speed Or The RPM Let's look into the speed and attachments of massage guns. Most popular brands offer four to six speed levels and five or six changeable massage heads, although one brand provides up to 20 speed levels - takes a bit of patience when choosing the right speed level there. The massage gun C2 follows the majority, offering five speed levels with the highest level of 3200 RPM and five different massage heads - cushion(Bob and Brad's favorite) , flat, bullet, foam ball, and fork. We will talk about how to choose a suitable massage head to target specific muscle groups to boost recovery in a future blog. Stroke length/Amplitude Another important parameter to consider is the stroke length/ amplitude of a massage gun. The greater the stroke length is, the further the head travels and the deeper the massage gun hits. Due to its small size, the massage gun C2 has a stroke length of 8 mm, slightly shorter than the 10 to 16 mm of many popular brands, but it provides decent percussion instead of vibration. Another trade off of its small size is that the angle of the head cannot be adjusted and, for those whose arms have a limited range of motion, it may be a bit difficult to reach the back of your body. The Size Size does matter! Being just 1.5 lbs in weight, the massage gun C2 is the smallest on the market, but you can't stall it just by pushing it against your chest. By comparison, Theragun Mini is also of 1.5 lbs, but it only has a stall force of 20 lbs. A 20-lb stall force means the motor will stop when the massage gun is pressed gently againt the palm (see 1:50 in the video here for the effect Other popular brands generally weight two to three lbs, so the massage gun C2 is basically half of the weight and comes in a fashionable, compact, high-quality case, so you can take it everywhere and use it wherever you need: in the gym after a good workout, on a business trip, or in the office during your coffee break. The Noise Level Then, let's talk about noise levels. No one likes loud noises. Generally speaking, most popular brands of massage guns have a noise level between 50 and 70 dB, although they all sound differently, some harder and higher-pitched than others. The best way to experience the noise level of a specific massage gun is to check out their review videos on YouTube. Want to hear what the massage gun C2 from Bob and Brad sounds like? Check this out: It sounds more like a humming noise with a noise level of 41 dB at the lowest speed and 53 dB at the highest. The Battery Life Some massage guns have removable batteries, while some others' batteries cannot be taken out. Some massage guns have a battery life of one hour or less, while some others' batteries can go up to eight hours without being recharged. So think about how important charging batteries is to your life.  The Bob and Brad C2 massage gun is powered by an integrated battery (same battery they used at Tesla) of 2500 mAh, which is fully charged in 3.5 hours and can last four to eight hours depending on the usage. Its battery is charged via a Type C cable, and since nowadays charging by Type C cables are becoming the main stream, you don't have to worry about forgetting your charging cable somewhere else. Besides, the battery level is clearly indicated by the four LED lights on the back bottom, so no need to worry about being caught off guard that your massage gun is running out of juice. The Budget Are you ready to throw in $599 for a TheraGun Pro when you have never tried a massage gun? Similarly, you don't want to get a knock-off for a cheap price, only to be disappointed with its performance. Usually, the prices of many popular brands range between 200 and 400 dollars, but the Bob and Brad C2 massage gun costs just half that ($119.98 on Amazon, discount possible) and gives you a comparable performance. Interested in the Bob and Brad C2 Massage Gun: visit Amazon at https://amzn.to/36pMekg

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in March of 2020.  For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pxenGYuCgs Bob: And once again, it is our extreme pleasure to have with us today Dr Adrian Louw. Dr Adrian Louw is a pain expert, and I’m going to let you talk as to what your qualifications are, what makes you that. Brad? Brad: This is a real treat for us. I mean this is like going to one of the world’s leading experts. Bob: Right! Just listen, you’ll find out. Brad: You’ll be on the edge of your seat. Bob: So, Dr Louw if you could maybe just give a little bit on your background. Dr Adrian Louw: Yeah, like I said, I’m a physical therapist, trained as a physical therapist, and I got very interested with the pain and decided to study it. And then I was very fortunate to be surrounded by some of the smartest pain people on the planet, and they were very kind to me. I just started studying, doing PhD work, and now we’re doing an enormous amount, we’ve got about 23 studies right now ongoing. Bob: Oh, fantastic, wow. Dr Adrian Louw: Big research team and just trying to get the world a better place. Bob: That is so awesome! Brad: So you got your PhD and he’s from South Africa. Brad: He’s written all these books; we have 13 or 14 books that he authored. Bob: Books on pain, and what you going to want to do is check these books out.  Because if you have a specific problem, it probably is in one of these books. So if you’re having trouble with back pain or if you have pelvic pain or fibromyalgia, check out the book links at the end and we’ll get into those specifically. If you’re a therapist, you may want to check out this book, “Integrating Manual Therapy and Pain Neuroscience.” There are also classes they put on, and it’s going to be in https://evidenceinmotion.com/ if you check that out. Brad: Sure. Bob: So I guess, again, we’re talking here, we’re going to kind of talk about examples of some of the education you give. Why don’t you talk about why the education is important? Dr Adrian Louw: We have just found out several years ago when we interviewed people with pain and asked, what do you want from us? And the clear message is they want more information. The current, even though people get internet and all, the information currently isn’t, it’s not clear. It doesn’t explain things really well. Bob: I think it’s even scarier on the net. Dr Adrian Louw: It is actually scary, there’s recent studies that showed 90% of the information on the internet about back pain isn’t bad, it is disastrously bad. Because it drives fear and all those things. And so we went to study pain, what is pain, how pain really works, and we found out people are better for it when they learn about pain from a neuroscience perspective. What I mean is if they understand the underlying biology. Now, the problem is, I cannot just sit with you like a textbook and say, “this is how pain works.” It doesn’t make sense. So we’ve taken this and put theem in stories. We learn through stories. Everybody listening right now probably cannot remember what they were taught about history in the fifth grade. We could lie, right, we could lie and say Lincoln, Hitler, we could say anything of those. But we remember stories like “The Tortoise and the Hare”, right, stories. Through the history of mankind, we transferred knowledge through stories. And so we took this information, put them in stories, and it works, it makes peoples lives better. To be honest, one of the coolest things we’re working on, we built a middle school pain neuroscience program that’s now in middle schools in nine states. Bob: No kidding!? Dr Adrian Louw: In the United States, so we’re teaching kids about pain and we’re tracking them now through school. They experience less pain, they take less medicine when they hurt, all the things we want them to do. Bob: Which I imagine decreases stress too. Dr Adrian Louw: Absolutely, they have less fear too. So we’re tracking them, and bottom line is if people know more about their pain and know how it works, our lives are better for it. And for us as therapists, it means they’ll move, and movement is the biggest pain killer on the planet. Bar none. Brad: Absolutely. Motion is lotion. Bob: You had mentioned in the other video some of the other things that can help decrease pain too, in addition to education. Dr Adrian Louw: Yes, there is a bunch of stuff we have now looked at. I mean if you look at things like sleep hygiene. Sleep calms the nervous system down. There’s different types of nutrition, mindfulness, relaxation, goal setting. Different forms of exercise. I may call it manual therapy, some people call it yoga, Pilates, etc. Movement, all those different movement styles. There’s so many different things that can calm the nervous system non-pharmacologically, because that’s a safer alternative for what we’re doing right now. Brad: You’ll see people that are on pain medications with a primary goal of reducing that. Is that something you deal with on a regular basis? Dr Adrian Louw: Absolutely. And as we always say, you cannot take the pain medicine away. If I was a patient listening right now, I would say, don’t take my medicine, I don’t know what else to do. We should think about it as a scale, if we build this side so powerful and my physician can take the medicine down, they don’t freak out. And what we have now built, especially in the VA, what I’m showing you right now, there’s 22 things we’re doing as part of, in many VA’s right now, as part of their anti-opioid initiative. If you build this side up, the brain turns on it’s own chemistry. Your brain right now has the most powerful medicine known on the planet, between your ears. When you hurt yourself, our brain has this incredible capacity to shut that down. We are sitting here right now, a farmer in Nowhere, MN, today is putting up a fence. Auger pulls his arm and cuts his arm off in the middle of the field, the brain turns open the faucet, the tap, and produces these fancy chemicals: endorphins, enkephlanins, serotonin, where the guy feels nothing. Puts a tourniquet on him, he drives 20 miles to the emergency room, he probably stops for a coffee. We’ve heard these stories right? Bob: LOL Dr Adrian Louw: And then he shows up at the emergency room, Bob: Or like with a nail in his head. Dr Adrian Louw: Then we ask him, what’s your pain rating? I’m good, I’ll wait. How cool is that? When we hear our soldiers coming back and they’ve been shot, they’re not aware of it, our brain has incredible chemistry. When you’re in pain, the brain dries that up to make you more sensitive. So we almost have to ask today, how do we take a dry brain, less chemical, and make it wet again? All the happy chemicals, and that’s that stuff you guys do and I do, all that 22 things. Let’s turn the brain on so we can take that medicine, over time, away. Brad: So you’re saying the brain physically can produce pain medicine? Dr Adrian Louw: Yes, yes, medicine. Are you guys runners? Bob: Yes. Dr Adrian Louw: We talked about running and dogs, and we talk about it in a great way. A six mile run produces 10 milligrams of morphine in the human brain. Photo by Jenny Hill on Unsplash Bob: No wonder I’m so high after. Dr Adrian Louw: So think about it, if you break your arm today and you go to the emergency room, they’re going to give you two or three milligrams of morphine to set your arm. You get two to three times more then that by just going on a run. That’s why this is that “runner’s high”. And this is so much our brain produces to dampen the system, but It dries up when we’re in pain because the brain is worried about us. So we have to enhance that again. Bob: So, would you say of the 22 things, the first thing and the cornerstone of it, is education? Dr Adrian Louw: There’s four. We’ve tested it. And trust me, we didn’t sit up one night with my buddies with a couple of beers going, yep, yep, no, yep, yep, no. This is statistical modeling. There are four things you gotta get right. 1) You have to know why you hurt. The most dangerous brain we have is one that doesn’t know what’s going on because we all make up our own reality. And I mean no disrespect here today, but all of us have been there, all of us have found something on our body and like, ooh, what’s that bump? And two minutes later you’re thinking worst case scenario. So the brain must know what’s going on. Bob: It’s taking those leaps. Dr Adrian Louw: Yes, number one, check. Number 2) you have to move. Motion is lotion, as you guys always preach. Like, motion is lotion. When we pump blood and oxygen through the human body, the nervous system calms down. And I know our patients right now are watching this going, “I know he’s going to go there. We gotta run marathons, climb Mt Kilimanjaro,” no, no, no. A nice brisk walk and very simply is you gotta get your heart rate up a little bit, pump some blood through your body. How cool is that? Buy a leash, take your dog for a walk. How cool is that? And then 3) is sleep. It’s one of the biggest cornerstones we have. The minute somebody can get meaningful sleep, but it isn’t as simple as just, saying go to sleep. We have to change your biology, we gotta get your system to dampen down. We gotta get healthy sleep habits. And then number 4) you’ve got to have a reason to get out of bed, that’s goals. There’s got to be a reason to get out of bed. And unfortunately, our system right now does not incentivize people to go back to work or to go back to activity and we have to find that thing. And that’s where we talk to our patients about deep beliefs and thoughts and goals. If those four things are right, we tested it, people had meaningful shift in their life. Bob: It’s funny, I just read the book, “Why We Sleep.” Dr Adrian Louw: Yes, yes, yes, absolutely, Bradley Walker. Bob: I was telling Brad; it’s a fantastic book. Dr Adrian Louw: Oh, it’s mind blowing. Bob: But it scares the heck out of you if you don’t get enough sleep. I mean I’ve changed my life now making sure that I’m going to get enough sleep. I mean we go to bed earlier… Dr Adrian Louw: I would tell you, if you can get a person of chronic pain to sleep, you’re halfway there. But it isn’t that simple. Bob: It’s not simple. Dr Adrian Louw: Your system has to dampen a little bit. But mind-blowing, it’s amazing. Bob: So we thought we’d start the education process, maybe, with a story. You use a lion because you’re from South Africa. We might use a barking dog, or a Cujo. You probably don’t know the movie Cujo? Dr Adrian Louw: No, no I don’t. He made it up, didn’t he? Bob: A Stephen King movie, Cujo is this huge dog that starts attacking a family and its kind of like the one example of a bad dog. Dr Adrian Louw: I think he made it up. Brad: We’ll go with the lion. Bob: Look it up. Okay, we’re going to use lion. Dr Adrian Louw: So one of the ways we often, as I said, we tell stories to patients, it resonates with them. And so what we find with people in chronic pain, for example, they have problems, they’re fatigued. I have so many patients come and see me, “I don’t know what’s going on. Since I developed pain I’m so tired. 2:00 in the afternoons”, they say “I’m wiped out.” Or they say things like, “I cannot sleep at night.” Either they cannot fall asleep or they’re so exhausted, even though they sleep. So we understand the underlying biology, there are stress chemicals running through our body. But sitting with them and just saying, let me tell you how stress works, is a little too academic. So we tell a story, and you guys are going to be my fifth graders. There’s a TV show, “Are You Smarter then a Fifth Grader?” so don’t let me down, don’t let me down. Bob: We’re gonna be perfect. All right. Dr Adrian Louw: If a lion jumped in this room right now, right, a big roaring African lion, what would you do? Photo by Francesco De Tommaso on Unsplash Brad: Run! Bob: I’m going to try to maybe, I don’t know, run or fight or flight. Dr Adrian Louw: Yeah, and most people are familiar with fight and flight, right? So we would run and so, you’d probably shove me in front of him. This is a classic. Bob: That’s right, we don’t have to run fast, we just have to run faster than you. Dr Adrian Louw: Faster than the last guy, that’s me, yeah. So we would say to the patients, if a lion jumps in the room, what would you do? They’d say, I’d scream, I’d run, whatever, fair enough. But then we run through scenarios. If the lion jumps in the room, are you going to take a nap? I’ve never had a patient say yes, they say, “No, I’d be awake.” Exactly. The lion jumps in the room, are you gonna mobilize all your energy, or are you going to store some for the winter? “No, I’m going to mobilize.” They’re smart, right. If the lion jumps in the room, which muscles do we need? The big ones or the small ones? It’s the big ones… Bob: The big ones. Dr Adrian Louw: So I can punch the lion, shove Adrian in front of the lion, right? They understand this. If a lion jumps in the room are you worried about the food in your stomach? No, we shunt blood away from it. Everybody understands the system. The local zookeeper at Winona, MN, I don’t know if you have a zoo here? He comes and takes the lion out of the room and you sit back in your seat and go, “whew, that’s the third lion attack in Winona this week, this better stop,” right? We have this fight or flight. The system ramps, calms, ramps, calms. What does this have to do with someone in pain? Pain is a stressor. Pain is a normal thing. All of us experience pain, but living in pain is not normal. I think we need to understand if you wake up in the morning and from the moment you wake up you experience pain, that assumes you slept, and that lion is in your life not for a day, not for a week, not for a month, not for a year, but for 20 years, your system shunts but never comes back. That’s why when you wake up in the morning, guess what? You burn through fuel by 2:00 and you’re wiped out. And again, it seems simple, but patients go, “Wow, that makes sense.” Bob: And that’s why you might have an irritable stomach for 20 years because it’s not adjusting like it should. Dr Adrian Louw: Exactly, so the bowel and bladder is a little bit suspect, we don’t sleep at night because the lion could be in the room, all these things change. They understand, that’s why I fun out of fuel. When you lay in that room at night in bed, you can’t go to sleep because where’s the lion? You don’t fall asleep. By the way, since you’re in sleep you don’t go do the deeper restorative phases you need – Bob: Exactly, which is REM. Dr Adrian Louw: So you never really rest. And so these things, I’m sure people are looking at this going, “This is silly, but it makes sense.” Brad: I wanna know how to get rid of the lion. Dr Adrian Louw: Well there’s ways of getting rid of the lion, right? But the point is simple, we, then the question comes and this is actually coming back to you Brad, is then we ask somebody, now what would you do if a beautiful small little baby lion cub walked into this room? And the classic answer is “Aaaww”, right? So we need to take this lion and let’s identify the lion. What is the lion, we have different explanations for our pain? Treatments aren’t working. I’m not sleeping. And what about my job, my kids, my family? You make this monster list. And we just start attacking each one of these. Okay let’s start with sleep? Now we’re going to go to the sleep program. And we work through a sleep hygiene. Good, check. Let’s talk about this. And we slowly start making this lion smaller and smaller and smaller so when we do wake up with that lion you go “Aaaww”. Notice what we’re doing here. It’s not everything nothing, but we can slowly shift it. Or as we often say, and I mean no disrespect, but we gotta turn the Titanic around. It’s a big turn. We’re not gonna overturn it, it’s not like a quick little boat, but we’re gonna turn this turn. And the minute we start turning with better movement, better sleep, better nutrition, all these things, the boat can turn. Takes a little time, but it can do it. Bob: It’s funny, I just used this example last night. I was talking to a family member; I won’t mention who it was. But, she has been under a fair amount of stress and the stress has been calming down, and she thought she had irritable bowel syndrome. And I said, “How’s your stomach doing?” And she’s like, “Well, it’s been doing better.” And I go, “You know, I think it may be stress related.” I gave the example of the lion, how your digestive system slows down when the lion’s in the room, and she goes, that just is so calming to me, because she kept thinking it was something serious, something really bad. That alone can be so helpful. And I said, that is true and that’s what they have found. Dr Adrian Louw: And we need to understand, obviously we do due diligence by screening, right? I have a practice like you guys, patients walk off the street, we go through a very thorough medical screening before we jump into this. I don’t want people to think all we do is sit and tell stories. Bob: Excellent point, because something could come in and it could be something serious. Dr Adrian Louw: Absolutely, so we do screen carefully, but once we’ve covered all the bases, we will go this route. And again, if things don’t change, we examine again. So we do due diligence, but again, the more people understand, the better off they are, like, “oh that makes sense.” And we can see the changes. Bob: And if you have the example of the person coming in that has seen 20 clinicians, they probably have been screened already for serious things. Dr Adrian Louw: Fair enough, fair enough. Bob: They have not found anything that could be a problem, so the screening has almost already been done. To a large extent. You know, I think a great starting point, again, if you have a specific pain issue, check out the books below. These books are great, they’re terrific, I mean, you’ve touched on just a small part of. With the stories there’s a lot of other examples in there, a lot of other stories. I think this is a great way to start getting to a life without pain. Or at least manage pain. Brad: Yeah, I agree. I want to hear more about getting rid of this lion. LOL. But with the books, you know, I know we talked about diet a year ago, and I’m like, diet, blah, blah, I don’t wanna deal with it. I’ll just quit eating so much. And then I start reading some books on my own. Once I start reading and seeing that my mind can decipher things better. Bob: And the sleep book that we mentioned, too, I think it’s just fascinating. Brad: And it’s so much better to educate yourself. Become better as opposed to going to the doctor and coming out with some pain meds and not really feeling any better then you were before and not understanding it. I just think education is so powerful. Bob: Now, we had a video the night before on another one from Dr Louw, and we’ll have one in the future, too, on fibromyalgia, so stay tuned to our channel. Check us out. Brad: All right, thank you. Dr Adrian Louw: Thank you! 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This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in August of 2020.  For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2g7sRbtn2M&t=492s Bob: Today we are going to talk about three tips for knee cartilage problems, how to fix without surgery. Let’s get down to business here Brad. According to guidelines, and this was I believe out of Australia that a bunch of surgeons got together, and surgery is not recommended on cartilage problems even tears, unless you have locking of the knee. Brad: In other words, it locks up, typically painful, and you can work it and it loosens up. You know, oftentimes it’s a meniscus issue but it’s definitely the cartilage. Bob: Well, you’ve always heard before and years ago, someone would tear their meniscus, tear their cartilage and they would go “Well I need to have surgery.” But what they’re finding now is those that have had the surgery compared to those that don’t, the outcome ends up being the same in a few months anyway. Brad: So, if it doesn’t lock. Bob: Yes, if it doesn’t lock. If it does lock, that means that the cartilage probably folded up on itself and it’s just going to get worse. They probably need to go in and have it done. Brad: It’s really not a major surgery. Bob: Right but it is surgery nonetheless. If you’re not going to get much benefit from it, why do it? So, don’t listen to us on this, get a second opinion. If someone is saying, you know, you tore your cartilage and they’re telling you that you should do surgery and it’s not locking, I’d always get that second opinion. Brad: Right! Bob: Alright, so we’re going to give you three tips if you have a knee cartilage problem. The first thing is if able, you want to get it to calm down. Knee pain, knee cartilage, it tends to flare up and then it tends to calm down. A lot of times people will go, “oh god it’s bad and it’s going to get worse.” Not necessarily, it can calm down. You can take an anti-inflammatory, but you’ll want to check with your doctor on that. You can also decrease weight on it for a while. Bob: Right, in other words you might want to use a cane. Now a lot of people are like “oh, I don’t want to use a cane.”  But, it’s not a long term thing, it’s just until it calms down again. The pressure of your body can irritate it and continue to irritate it. So, if my left knee is the problem knee, you’re going to use the cane in the opposite hand. That’s going to take pressure off, and so when that left foot goes forward the cane goes with it. Now I’m putting pressure on my body, weight through my body is going through the cane and much less is going through that knee. You’ll find that it does. I’ve had patients, I’d say try the cane once and see how it goes. Then I’d show them how to use it and they’ll take a few steps and they say “oh wow that does help.” Bob: I’ve found a lot of patients, Brad, that I think that alone has helped calm it down. If you can just get past that, “I’m not going to use a cane because I’m going to look old.” So instead, what they do is they just limp along and believe me you look old already when that’s happening. So you can use, you know if you’re a younger person, use a walking stick. That’s what my wife did. She had a flare of her cartilage. Brad: I thought she used a crutch? Bob: She used a crutch too, but when we went on vacation she used a walking stick. That she could fold way up. Brad: Yeah, more convenience to travel with that. Bob: But you are right, she used a crutch or crutches. If you are older, you can use a walker. Brad: Now, her knee actually improved to the point where she went back to running. Bob: She is back to running. So, it shows you these are not irreversible. The other thing is you want to avoid stairs and hills right now. Not to say forever. Brad: And if you do go upstairs you go one step at a time to protect the one knee. You’ll know which leg that goes up first because it feels better. Bob: Don’t stand with your knees locked. Don’t stand putting all your weight on one side. A lot of people for example holding a baby will do that, they put them on their hip right. Brad: Some people will do that just out of habit. Maybe from having a baby years ago and it just became a habit. They might have no idea until we show them and then they’re like, “oh yeah I do that.” Bob: It’s funny those habits, after a while they become like chains of burden. They start off as a minor thing but over time when you repeat it hour after hour, day after day… Brad: Then, you throw in the aging process unfortunately it can exacerbate things. Bob: Another simple one, but this can make a big difference, don’t sit with your knees bent more than 90 degrees. I had my sister do this one because she sits a lot working at the computer. You are really jamming that knee together the entire time. So we have her sit with her legs out a bit or all the way extended at times. Brad: I’ve had, usually the younger people, that sit with one leg bent under them. That really puts a lot of stress on the knee, not only the end range, but it’s rotated and twisted. Bob: If you want to hurt your knee, there you go. The next thing is you want to get some movement without resistance. We’re just trying to get the synovial fluid moving a little bit, little more blood flow to it. So, you can find a high bench or table and just swing your legs back and forth. Just keep getting some movement. There’s no resistance. There’s a little bit of traction. Brad: I actually had a PTA, you remember Bev, she would do this with knee patients. She would put a little ankle weight around one of their ankles just for a little distraction, and that would help pull the knee apart and it would just be a relaxing pendulum. Bob: Am I remembering right? You had a patient that did this on the end of his truck? Brad: Yes, after a knee replacement. He had a pickup truck, he would fold it down and he said that it works really well. He would sit down on the end of his pickup to get range of motion of the knee and he was very happy with the results. Bob: Now we are going to show you a little more of a commercial way to do this. It’s called the Fit Glide. This is going to be very helpful after knee replacement, because what’s nice about this, not only are you going to work the knee that you had replaced, you’re going to work the other knee. And most people, when they have one bad knee, they often have two bad knees. This is a way to stay fit after the surgery even. Brad: I highly recommend doing it prior to the surgery as ‘prehab’ to get things maximally moving. And, its simply goes back and forth, you sit and very little resistance. You do this for two to five minutes. I guess I’d say two initially because you’ll feel it after a couple minutes. But, it’s not aggressive. There’s not much weight going through the knees, it’s ideal for this. That’s why we made it this way. Brad: One of the advantages is you can put it up so you have it inclined. Bob: To me that’s a lot more comfortable on the ankles when you put it up. Brad: That can be. Right now we’re working a little more quadriceps. It can change the ankle range, like Bob said, so it can be more comfortable. Brad: We also can, usually you know, I’ll turn it around. I’ll do this when they’re getting a little bit stronger. This works the hamstrings. And it’s much harder than it looks, even for me. Bob: Now I’m going to warn you, the one negative about this is it’s not completely silent. You can hear a swish, swish. Brad: Yeah but it’s not bad. Bob: No it’s not bad. I’m just saying there are some of those devices that are very expensive and heavy that are silent. This one is very light. Brad: Yeah, I mean, I can lift it with one finger, and it’s built very well. You could drop this thing and it’s not even going to affect it. Bob: Alright, I want to show you that you can use this in bed too. It’s more comfortable if you put towels on it, especially if you don’t have shoes on. So, you put your heels on it and you can slide your legs up and down. You can work this baby, I can run. If you have a patient that you have to go see in their room, and they need to work out, you need to start getting some strengthening, here we go. Brad: Yeah, so obviously he’s referring to the therapist or any aide, health aide, a home health aide maybe. Bob: Alright, I just put in a quarter mile, Brad. So, the final thing we are going to show you is, if your knee is lacking range of motion; it’s not completely straightening or it’s not completely bending, what we’ve found is that by stretching it to the full range of motion, it actually often decreases your pain levels. It also gives the knee joint full motion to move so it spreads out the forces, I think so it’s not so hard on the cartilage. You can do it with the Fit Glide. You can do some stretches straightening. Brad: What we are going to do instead of just pushing on it, we’re going to actually do repetitions or pressure on/pressure off, pressure on/pressure off. Bob: And this is something you don’t want to do just once a day you want to do it throughout the day. We find out that if you don’t have a Fit Glide you can actually just take a stool and sit in a regular chair. Then do pressure on/pressure off, pressure on/pressure off while pressing down. I’m not pushing on the knee itself I’m pushing right above the knee, pressure on/pressure off. Brad: It works nice if you have a stool with wheels on it because it just rolls it, it’s more fluid that way. Bob: Now a little variation of this; you can sometimes turn it out like this and do pressure on/pressure off. This is the one that worked for my wife. Turn the toe out. Or you can turn the toe in. You want to see which one feels better after you’ve done it or even while you’re doing it. Bob: And then, you can also work on flexion. Brad: This is what you’re going to do after a knee surgery. This is exactly what we are going to do. And this works really well. You can also use your hands to give it a little stretch if you need to. If you don’t have any hip issues or haven’t had a hip replacement you can bring your knee up toward your chest as well. Bob: Pressure on/pressure off, pressure on/ pressure off with this too. So, I think we have covered everything. Brad: I think you’re right. Bob: Remember, Brad and I can fix just about anything. Brad: Except for… Bob: A broken heart, but we will work on it. Brad: That’s right Bob. We’ve been working on that for a while. Bob: Yeah, years. Interested in the products mentioned above, they can be found at: Fit Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/physicaltherapyvideo Website: https://bobandbrad.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobandBrad/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbobandbrad/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ptfamous Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mostfamousPTs For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products: Grip and Forearm Strengthener: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Wall Anchor: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Booyah Stik: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Knee Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Fit Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Massage Gun: https://amzn.to/36pMekg Hanging Handles: https://amzn.to/2RXLVFF Bob and Brad Resistance Bands Set: https://amzn.to/36uqnbr Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop here:  https://shop.spreadshirt.com/bob-brad Check out other products Bob and Brad Love:  https://www.amazon.com/shop/physicaltherapyvideo?listId=3581Z1XUVFAFY Check out The Bob & Brad Crew on YouTube by clicking here:  https://www.youtube.com/c/thebobbradcrew Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

Fancy a good massage after a heavy workout but your appointment with a massage salon or your physical therapist is still days away? Or the massage salon that you always go to has to be closed due to this unprecedented global pandemic? Or you only get tired fingers but no relief in the muscle soreness when you try to give yourself or your beloved one a massage? It is time to invest in a high-quality massage gun. What is a massage gun? As the name suggests, a massage gun is a "gun" that massages you. Instead of shooting bullets, this hand-hold device delivers continuous percussion at different strengths and/or frequencies, aiming to sooth muscle soreness caused by heavy exercises and other strains on muscle tissues. The chiropractor, Jason Wersland, is believed to have invented the massage gun in 2008 to handle his own back pain and later branded it as "TheraGun" after his invention got very well received by his own patients. Since then, massage guns have been warmly embraced by both elite athletes and general workout enthusiasts and has become the most trendy word in sports recovery. Various companies launch their own massage guns giving consumers a wide range of options. Who should use a massage gun? Massage guns aren't just for elite athletes or people who work out. Sore muscle? Stiff neck? Back pain? Go for it. Massage guns often come with several different shapes of heads to target various anatomical locations. It's like having a personal massage therapist with you 24/7. They are good for everyone who feels muscle tightness in their body and needs some relaxation in life. They provide various benefits to your muscle tissue and don't take as much space as a massage chair or pillow. The benefits of using a massage gun include: Help speed up muscle recovery Improve blood flow Ease pain associated with soft tissue damage Enhance muscle responsiveness Prevent injuries Break up scare tissue in muscle Help fight against muscle spasms Enhance the range of motion Decrease the occurrence of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness(DOMS) And don't forget, even if you are a professional massage therapist, you can also opt for a massage gun, saving your fingers from getting sore and reducing some occupational hazards. How do they work? At first sight, a massage gun almost looks like a power drill and may provoke certain suspicion on whether getting "beaten up" by a rubber hand would really help with your muscle pain. Fear not. You can simply see a massage gun as an upgrade from your good old foam roller and it has been suggested to be one of the best massage machines that restore and even improve muscular functionality. The idea behind massage guns is the so-called "percussive therapy". Percussive therapy provides rapid bursts of pressure into users' body tissue and delivers mechanically high-intensity massage, thus increasing blood flow, reducing inflammation, and improving muscle pliability. It can be compared to the consistent, rapid-thumping movements used by massage therapists to stimulate muscles. Besides, the oscillating movements of a massage gun also generates heat, helping muscle relaxation. How to use a massage gun? The use of a massage gun is relatively a no-brainer. Just turn it on and put it on where it hurts or needs to be relaxed. As to how to use it effectively to reduce pain and accelerate muscle recovery and how to choose a suitable head for a certain anatomical area, it is helpful to watch some tutorials, like the detailed and highly-informative ones from Bob and Brad, the two most famous physical therapist on the Internet (https://www.youtube.com/user/physicaltherapyvideo). How to choose a massage gun? Let's be frank, it does cost some money to get a proper massage gun, although the price range varies greatly. A high-end massage gun from brands like TheraGun or Hyperice Hypervolt can go up to five- or six-hundred bucks. But neither do you want to buy a cheap one, only to end up in disappointment and put it away after using it once or twice. So it is important to consider carefully the technical parameters of the available massage guns, your own special needs, and your budget. For example, a smaller, thinner person probably won't need a massage gun as powerful as the one for a beefy giant. If you live a busy life and are constantly on the go, it won't help to carry a big, heavy massage gun. For a one-gun-massaging-it-all experience, consider choosing one with multiple different heads. And if you don't want to be heard as if you were demolishing your house, it is a better idea to choose a quieter one. Given these factors, the C2 massage guns from Bob and Brad are good choices for people living in this busy modern world. They are small but powerful, quiet, and come with several heads for targeting different trouble areas. Beside, Bob and Brad, as well as the crew, are always online to help you with proper uses of the products. If you are interested in the products mentioned above, they can be found at: Massage Gun By Bob & Brad: https://amzn.to/36pMekg

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in September 2018. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h72Lte8LBKk&t=328s Bob: Today we are going to talk about how to reduce body fat; the big lie vs the truth. Brad: Belly fat! Bob: What did I say? Body? Well, it’s kind of the same thing. Wait, wait, it’s not the same thing! Brad: No, it’s not! Bob: No, we’re going to show you, how to reduce belly fat; big lie vs. truths. Brad: Right. This is critical to us. Bob: Yes, it is, because there’s a lot of lies out there. Even on YouTube, well not even on YouTube, especially on YouTube. You’re going to find people that are going to make these claims and that’s not what science is saying. We try to back our stuff up with studies as much as we can. Brad: So, Bob, we’re going to get right to the chase. The big lie is, you know people want a 6 pack, they want that tight abdomen here and everything. They say, here’s how you’re going to do it, you’re going to do 14,000 sit-ups and different ways of doing the magical core workout. Don’t get me wrong, we love the core workout. It’s critical, it’s one of the best things for you but your fat is not going to come off your belly if you JUST do a core workout. Bob: No, it’s not. You’ve got to do the other things that are going to be just as critical. You literally can’t get a six-pack just by doing a core workout. Brad: You’re going to have to incorporate a pretty serious diet to get a six-pack. If you just want to lose weight you still need to have a good diet. But you have to understand, just because you do exercises in the abdominal area, these muscles are working hard, the body does not take the fat from here and go right to the muscle. It doesn’t go from one to the other. Bob: You’re just strengthening the muscles here, that’s all you’re doing and the fat layer line over the muscles is not going to go down there. Brad: Yeah, from where it is and go directly into the muscle and disappear, it just doesn’t work that way. Bob: You’ve got some studies that you saw, right? Brad: Right, it’s easy to find good medical studies, studies that are scientifically proven that show that this is not the answer. Bob: You found seven studies done. Brad: Without even trying very hard. I’ve also taken a number of classes that all support this. I remember one instructor, he said, “Just remember, fat does not contract.” In other words, if you’re doing all these core exercises, the fat is not contracting. Bob: You’re not working the fat. Brad: Right. The body’s going to put it on where it wants often times from genetics. You know how your body genetically is, like my family all the males on my dad’s side, they have the belly. It’s just a genetic thing. I don’t get it in my legs or butt, it’s just right in the belly. Bob: Well, I won’t say what family side has this, but I have a family side where they get it in the belly and the butt. You can just see it in the family line. They’re all walking along with that trait. Brad: The truth is, you need to diet and incorporate exercise regularly. You want to exercise large muscle groups. No matter where you want to lose the fat, it’s going to come off where it’s going to come off. But remember large muscle groups. So, legs, hips, the core is a great exercise. We aren’t saying core is bad, we are saying, work it in with your exercising. When you work the larger muscle groups, you’re going to burn more calories more efficiently and it’s going to make the whole process speed up. Bob: You’re going to lose weight quicker and it’s just going to work a lot better. Back to the studies, just real quick, Brad, I just want you to be aware that every so often, you’re going to have somebody come out with a study that their basically saying you can do spot reduction. It’s probably not going to be a well-done study. You just have to be aware of that because I also know someone comes out with a study, well there’s a hundred studies that says you can’t, and there’s only one study that says you can. Brad: Right. Getting back to exercise, you know you can do aerobic exercise, which is going to burn more calories while you’re doing it, or you can do weights, which is great. Bob: I think you try to do both if you can. They’re both really great. The aerobic is definitely going to be good for your heart and the weights, I think a lot of times you can lose weight quicker with the weights sometimes, just because you’re developing the mitochondria which you burn off fat quicker. Brad: Right. It all depends on our units, as a matter of fact we’ve got a video coming up that is going to address those two specific areas and to decide what’s best for you or is it a combination. Just remember, if you’re doing weights, you really need to learn how to do it properly and stay safe and don’t end up with a back injury or something of that nature. Bob: Well again, if you can, you want to do squats, you want to do some bench and then you usually want to hit one for the core, right? Brad: Right, right and then combine it. The next thing, we’re not going to do a video on diet here but we’re going to really address some top things that if you keep these things in mind and do them it’s going to make a big difference. Bob: Number one, definitely have to decrease the carbs and the refined sugar, not eliminate them from your life by any means but most people are going to be surprised if they just reduce the amount that they are taking in and how quickly they can lose weight from that alone. Brad: And the biggest thing I’ve learned over the last year and a half, which I didn’t believe at first, you have to just reduce the breads. I think the breads are good for you, wheat, flour, all those good healthy stuff and then you learn about how your body turns it into sugar. Bob: Well they took out the part of the wheat that was really good, so it’s not whole grain anymore. If you can find truly whole grain bread, it’s going to be a lot better for you. They take out the currant so really what’s left is almost a sugar. So, if you think about it, if you’re eating a piece of bread, it’s almost like eating a donut. You’re not that far off. Brad: I like to think about marshmallows. Just psychologically it gives me a turn off so that’s been helpful for me. I didn’t cut it out 100% but quite a bit. Small portions, no eating after supper. Bob and I were just talking about that. Bob: Dr. Oz was talking about that. He was basically saying, you need to fast for 12 hours and I was like, I do that already. If you eat your last meal at 6:00, and you don’t eat again until morning, I mean that’s 12 hours easy. Brad: Unless you’re one of those people that get up in the middle of the night and go eat. You have 8 hours of sleeping, you have 8 now you only need 4 more on either end of it. Bob: There’s people whose schedules are different. Sometimes people end up eating later and getting up early and eat a lot earlier, but I mean, it’s not hard to do. I’ve read a lot of books on diet and one of them was the 4-hour Body by Tim Ferriss and he talked about that you don’t want your insulin levels to spike. So, yes, the small portions, and what he did sometimes was he’d eat something, workout and then eat again, as opposed to just eating one big meal. Brad: So, his dining room is right next to the fitness room, ha-ha. Bob: Well he talked about taking it so far on vacation when you know that you’re going to be eating badly to some extent, he would go and I know this is going a little stringent here but he would actually go into the bathroom and actually do toilet squats. He’s sitting on the toilet and he’d be doing squats and then he’d go eat and then he’d go afterwards and do something afterwards. Brad: I can just see, you’re all dressed up and oh, excuse me, I have to go do some squats in the bathroom. Bob: Yeah, one of his friends was giving him a hard time when he went into the bathroom with him but there he is. Brad: Come back sweating. Let’s get back on track. This is one of my favorite things that helps me: eating out is an expensive way to get fat. You can find places that have good quality food that fits everything we’re talking about with low carb, it’s not easy. You go out and typically you’re out with someone. The way I see it, if I’m going out to eat, I want to go out and enjoy myself and not think about dieting. Bob: See that’s usually my one cheat meal of the week. I was reading about the movie star, the Rock. He was going to a restaurant, he was meeting the guy that was interviewing him and he brought his own meal. Because he has to stay healthy and he’s eating out all the time. He asked the waitress, “Do you think I could get this heated up?” And the guy that was interviewing him says, “They’ll do it for me.” And they did it for him. They warmed up his meal and he ate a healthy meal. Brad: Say no more. One thing my wife and I like to do is some places don’t like this, and I don’t quite feel right about it but it’s okay, is we’ll order one meal and share it. There’s just so much, they come with these big portions. If I eat all that, half of it I need, the other half is going right here, you know. Bob: Yes, portion control is really huge. They talk about getting smaller bowls. I found that in my life I used to have this huge bowl for my cereal. I got a smaller bowl now and I eat less. Brad: Sure. Smaller spoon. Then the other thing, we referred to this already, I really think that if you can get a book on diet or nutrition, there’s something about when you read something, your mind absorbs it more. At least it does for me. I just can’t remember as well. Bob can really remember things from way back. Bob: Well, no, I’ve read a lot on nutrition because it got kind of interesting to me, so I did like the 4-hour Body by Tim Ferriss and the "Diet Doctor." That was a decent book too. We’ll have to find some of these books and put it down on our favorite books list. Brad: Once again, all these things are revolving around fixing everything except for, what can we not fix? Bob: A broken heart, but this does help a broken heart. Brad: It does! So, this is another key piece of the puzzle. Bob: Yeah, that’s right. We’re getting closer all the time. Brad: Keep watching and you’re going to find more pieces to the puzzle and we’re going to fix that broken heart. Bob: Bye, thanks! To learn more about the books mentioned above go to: 1) "The 4- Hour Body" by Timothy Ferriss: https://www.amazon.com/Hour-Body-Uncommon-Incredible-Superhuman/dp/030746363X/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=4+hour+body&qid=1597858094&sr=8-2 Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/physicaltherapyvideo Website: https://bobandbrad.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobandBrad/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbobandbrad/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ptfamous Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mostfamousPTs For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products: Grip and Forearm Strengthener: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Wall Anchor: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Booyah Stik: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Knee Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Fit Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Massage Gun:https://amzn.to/36pMekg Hanging Handles: https://amzn.to/2RXLVFF Bob and Brad Resistance Bands Set: https://amzn.to/36uqnbr Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop here: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/bob-brad Check out other products Bob and Brad Love: https://www.amazon.com/shop/physicaltherapyvideo?listId=3581Z1XUVFAFY Check out The Bob & Brad Crew on YouTube by clicking here:  https://www.youtube.com/c/thebobbradcrew Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

Hi there! My name’s Eric Franklin, founder of the Franklin Method® – an innovative approach to creating happy minds & healthy bodies. Bob & Brad asked me to share some of my techniques with you, and I figured treating a tight neck and shoulders was a great place to start. So, what's the scoop? Picture, if you will, a copious bowl of your favorite ice cream. Double choc-chip with all the trimmings or frozen yogurt with fresh berries and almonds – whatever floats your boat. Marvel at its deliciousness for a moment with your mind’s eye. What if I told you that this mouth-watering thought can actually help release tension in your shoulders? Allow me to explain. Tightness in the neck and shoulders is a familiar feeling for many of us. A survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that almost every fifth person has experienced neck pain within the past three months. And though some pain Photo by Dana DeVolk on Unsplash in this area can certainly stem from actual injury or misalignment, the neck and shoulders can often just stiffen up due to stress or unhealthy habits associated with life in the 21st century. A symptom of modern living How much time do you spend looking down at your phone or hunched over a keyboard every day? For most of us, it hardly bears thinking about. We now live and work in more sedentary environments than ever before, resulting in less physical activity in our daily lives, fewer opportunities for our bodies to switch through the gears and precious little escape from the shackles of the typing position. To make matters worse, life today is more stressful than ever before. A 2014 report on stress in America by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that a shocking 75% of Americans reported experiencing at least one symptom of stress in the past month. And if we’re stressed, the body inevitably reacts with tension in our muscles and fascia. This destructive combination is not good news for the shoulders and neck. This part of the body can become chronically tense and fatigued, and if your shoulders aren’t moving freely, the deep muscles of the neck are often forced to compensate. Limited movement patterns can also cause the fascia to shorten, inhibiting muscle movement further and creating a vicious cycle. Please excuse the pun, but this is nothing to be shrugged off. Tackling tension There are various ways of easing tension in the shoulders and neck – from stretching, massage and yoga through to changing your pillow or creating a more ergonomic workplace. But today I’d like to focus on a gaming-changing technique you can try at home right away. I have spent many years developing the Franklin Method® – an evidence-based practice which seeks to change your body by changing your mind. We combine targeted movements with mental imagery (MI) to help you reconnect with your functional anatomy, and ultimately enhance your movement, fitness and wellbeing. The power of the mind In this case, mental imagery means performing an exercise while visualizing a metaphor which supports the movement. Consider for a moment how it feels when your “legs turn to jelly”! Picturing two towers of Jell-O in place of your legs helps you quickly tune in to that horrible nervous feeling. We at the Franklin Method® use our anatomical understanding of the body and its functions to design mental images that help you focus on a specific body part and maximize its potential. Mental imagery has long been considered to have a positive influence on the performance of muscle and neural tissue. And now a ground-breaking study on mental imagery released recently suggests that techniques that combine movement with mental imagery, such as the Franklin Method®, may specifically benefit fascial mobility and therefore movement in general. But enough theory already – let’s put some mental imagery exercises to the test on that stiff neck and tense shoulders. Your body’s wake-up call Before we begin, please take a moment to stand up and gently pat down your entire body – this will wake up your muscles and tissue and shift your focus from the mental into the physical. Now take a minute to listen to the sensations you’re feeling in your body, before settling into your neck and shoulders. How do they feel? Ready to be liberated?! The shoulder sundae This is where your favorite ice cream comes in. With your mind’s eye, imagine that your shoulders are made of lashings of your favorite scoop. Feel free to add some sprinkles on top and I always find a little sauce goes a long way. Now gently lift and lower your delicious ice cream shoulders, feeling the ice cream slowly but surely melting every time you lower them back down. As the mental melting continues, imagine your shoulder blades are slippery bars of soap sliding effortlessly up and down your back. Repeat this gently until the ice cream has well and truly turned to milkshake! As you should now feel, quite apart from being a fun thought experiment, this exercise helps you focus your attention within your shoulders and begin the process of melting all that tension away. The sponge down We’ll now move onto what I call “shoulder sponging”. In this exercise, we’re going to imagine that our trapezius (the trapezoid-shaped muscle extending from the base of the head to the middle of the back and between the shoulders) is a sponge. Try squeezing the top of this muscle like you’d squeeze a kitchen sponge and see it as a sponge in your mind’s eye. When you’ve tuned in to this image, reach forward and back with your other arm as you continue to squeeze. Now try taking a step in the opposite direction with the leg on that side while you squeeze – so step forward as you reach your arm back, and back as you reach forward. Repeat this on both sides. Now let’s shift our attention to the deltoid (the muscle on the outside of the shoulder leading down into the upper arm) and imagine this important muscle as a sponge with your mind’s eye. Squeeze it gently but purposefully as you lift your arm upward at angle of about 30 degrees forward of the frontal plane (i.e. the angle of scaption). Release your grip as you lower the arm down again, and repeat this on both sides. This act of sponging tissue helps improve mental body awareness, release tension, hydrate the fascia and improve overall flexibility. Nurturing the neck Let’s now visualize the joint between the head and the spine. It’s located between the mastoid processes – the rounded spots at the base of the skull behind the ears. Draw an imaginary line between these two points in your mind and rock your head back and forth from this exact location. Now place your fingertips on the base of your skull – at the inferior nuchal line where the muscles of the neck join the base of the skull. Extend your head slightly to relax the muscles at the top of the neck and make a circular massaging movement with your fingers on both sides. With any luck, you should become aware of the sensation that your neck has lengthened and the strain on its muscles has lifted. To bring your attention back into the here and now, try shaking your arms up and down as you bounce on the spot like a ball. Take the next step These simple exercises show that using mental imagery can be a great help in loosening the neck and releasing your shoulders – and the best bit is that you can practice these relaxation techniques whenever, wherever and as often as you need them. If you’d like to learn more about relaxing this crucial area of the body, you can check out my Relaxed Shoulders, Released Neck webinar. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg – the Franklin Method® is a vast collection of similar techniques focusing on various parts of the body and aspects of health and fitness. Our methods are taught by movement educators, physiotherapists and teachers of dance, Pilates and yoga around the world, helping students achieve performance gains, an enhanced range of motion and greater body awareness. Visit us at www.franklinmethod.com to find out more and benefit from our current half-price course sale. And remember: Next time you’re feeling tense, treat your mind to some ice cream! __________________________________________________________________________________ About the author... Eric Franklin is the Founder and Director of the Franklin Method Institute. Eric is known globally for his teacher training, books, equipment and online workshops. He is a qualified sports scientist, dancer, choreographer and movement educator, as well as a leading expert in imagery-based movement education. Eric has taught at numerous prestigious institutions, including the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, the Juilliard School in New York and the Royal Ballet School in London. Visit www.franklinmethod.com to learn more about the Franklin Method® and its innovative approach to movement education, participate in a webinar or sign up for a training course. Important Links: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/franklinmethod/ Learn more about the Franklin Method® & DNITM on this free webinar replay! - https://franklinmethod.com/fithealthyimagery/ Our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/Franklinmethodch Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/franklinmethod *All our images are copyright protected, they can’t be copied or used in any form without prior express permission of the Institut für Franklin-Methode.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in August of 2020. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f72rwKeWBA&t=302s Bob: Today we’re going to talk about shoulder pain. Twelve signs you need to see the doctor immediately.  This is a little bit deceptive because, not necessarily immediately with all of these. With some of these, I would say “yes right away,” but others, the idea is that you’re going to eventually see the doctor because this is something that needs to be checked out. Brad: Correct. Bob: Number 1, a recent traumatic event. Let’s say you’ve had a fall, you had a motor vehicle accident, or you’ve had an athletic injury. This is a case where you’re going to want to have someone from the medical field check you out. Brad: Right. You know, it’s painful, it’s swelling up, you can’t move it. There’s some other things. Bob: One of the reasons is, as you had mentioned earlier when we were talking Brad, there could be a fracture in there. You don’t have x-ray vision so you can’t see whether or not something may be broken, you could have a hairline fracture. Brad: Right, right. And then you may treat that differently as opposed to a strain or whatnot. Bob: Number 2, if the pain extends beyond your elbow. In other words, you have shoulder pain and it’s going down your arm. If it goes to the elbow, that’s not atypical. But, if it goes into the forearm, wrist, and hand, and especially if you have numbness and tingling there’s a good possibility you might have a neck problem. That’s where you need to have a professional take a look at you. Brad: Right. There is a good chance the problem may be in the shoulder, but also, or it all could be in the low neck.  I’ve had patients where their shoulder hurts and I treated their neck and it was the neck. So, that possibility exists. Bob: Or vice versa. Number 3, if you’re having inability to move the arm or the joint. Brad: So, if you try to lift up your arm and all you can do is this or that (can barely lift it) you need to go in. Bob: There are a lot of things that might be going on. It might be a rotator cuff tear, but it could be other things too. So, we just want to make sure. Number 4, you have signs of infection. So there’s swelling, the skin of the shoulder is warm, or hot to touch, the shoulder’s red and inflamed. You know, extreme pain is felt. Brad: Right. You’ve got a temperature. It’s a good idea to check your temperature. That’s a strong indication that you have an infection. Unless you have the flu or something. Bob: It’s funny, Brad, I had inflammation in my long thoracic nerve, a long time ago when I was in my twenties and I don’t know why that happened. But, I would have taken cocaine if you would have given it to me, because that pain was so bad. And it was constant. I mean, no matter what I did, no matter how I laid down. So, anyway, that’s on the side. Number 5, you are feeling unwell in association with the shoulder pain. So, you’re feeling bad overall and you’re having the shoulder pain. Could be something else. You know again, we are not medical doctors. We don’t want to get into that area. But there are other things that it could be. Brad: Sure. Bob: Number 6, you’ve had a previous history of cancer or tumor. There’s a type of cancer that actually gives you shoulder pain. The reason I know is I’ve seen this but also, unfortunately, my sister called me just this past week and they have a good friend that was having shoulder pain. He was watching our videos. Then he went to work, he works construction, he broke his shoulder. They found out there was a tumor in his shoulder. Brad: Oh, so the bone was weakened. Bob: Not to scare people, but it’s something to be aware of, especially if you’ve got a history of cancer already. Make sure you get it checked out. Number 7, if you have chest pain or a history of cardiac or heart problems. Not unusual for heart problems to manifest themselves: you could have it in the throat, the chest, you can feel it definitely down the arm and in the shoulder. Brad: Right, right. That referral pain is very typical. Often times if you’re not using your shoulder but you’re walking or your heart rate is going up and it refers pain to your chest, get that checked out. Bob: That’s a sign. Number 8, you have nighttime pain that’s impeding you sleep. Also, I’m always a little bit worried about nighttime pain that lasts a long time too. I mean, you might have irritated your shoulder during the day and so it continues into the night or it swells into the night. Or if you’re lying on your shoulder. There’s a good reason right there that it’s going to hurt. Brad: Right, yeah. If you wake up, you could have been lying on it, well that makes sense. But if you have no reason for the pain get it checked out. Bob: Number 9, you have swelling, bruising, or discoloration of the shoulder. Like, if you’ve had a traumatic event and a lot of times when you have bruising or discoloration, that means it was a little more serious. Something was torn or something was broken. So, that's why we give you that recommendation. Number 10, if you’ve had shoulder surgery in the past six to 12 months and you suddenly start having shoulder pain, you should see your orthopedic doctor to see what’s going on there. Number 11, if you have a history of dislocating your shoulder. And this is often, with a lot of younger people who can easily dislocate their shoulder. Brad: Right, with hypermobility. Bob: Right their hypermobile, and that type of thing you want to see the doctor. Unfortunately, if you tend to dislocate your shoulder a lot and you’re younger than 20 or even 25, I believe, they usually recommend surgery, Brad, because it’s just going to keep happening. Brad: Right, if it pops out, it’s painful and it pops back in and that’s getting worse over time, yeah. Bob: So, number 12, this is certainly one of those that isn’t an emergency, but if you have neck or upper back pain with the shoulder pain. But if your pain is here (see picture) that’s not really shoulder, that’s more neck. Brad: More than likely, right. Bob: So, in that instance you may what to have someone that really knows what they’re doing, trying to pinpoint what’s going on. Brad: Right, exactly. Bob: That’s it folks. Check out the rest of our video series on shoulder pain. Visit us on our other social media platforms: Website: https://bobandbrad.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobandBrad/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbob... Twitter: https://twitter.com/ptfamous YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/physicaltherapyvideo Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mostfamousPTs Bob and Brad’s Products: Grip and Forearm Strengthener: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Wall Anchor: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Booyah Stik: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Knee Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Fit Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Massage Gun: https://amzn.to/36pMekg Hanging Handles: https://amzn.to/2RXLVFF Bob and Brad Resistance Bands Set: https://amzn.to/36uqnbr For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop here: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/bob-brad Check out other products Bob and Brad Love: https://www.amazon.com/shop/physicaltherapyvideo?listId=3581Z1XUVFAFY Check out The Bob & Brad Crew on YouTube by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thebobbradcrew Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in January of 2020.  For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rre_Na8xcoU&t=175s Bob: This is kind of a fun topic today, three words that will change your life. I have found, Brad, that a personal model or a personal mission statement or personal motivational statements tend to be very helpful in my life.  I found one that just really has worked with me, it really resonated well. Alright, so to me, the three words, in order to be effective, it has to have these three characteristics, in my opinion. One, it has to be short. If it’s short, it’s more powerful, you’re going to remember it. You’re going to say it every day. Number two, you have to have one that you can say daily. That it’s appropriate for you every day. Do you know what I mean? Let’s say, you were like, “I want to get a tan.” You know you’re probably only going to get a tan in the summer or not, it’s a bad example, but you put me on the spot here. There are some things that are good for right now, maybe you’re trying to save money for something. But it wouldn’t be good for you all year round. Brad: I see what you’re saying right there. Bob: Number three, it has to be personal. So, the one that I use, obviously, it’s not going to necessarily help you. So, what we’re going to do, we’re going to ask you to participate here. You can just write yours down on a piece of paper. We are going to go through ours. We have a whole sheet here; we’re going to list some of the ones that we picked. Brad and I did this separately. We both got the same sheet with a list and we had ones that are three words and we have some with four words too. Brad: Oh, we did go to four? Bob: We went and circled them so it’s going to be kind of interesting to see if Brad and I actually hit some of the same ones together or not. But we’ll talk about why we picked it.  I’m just going to give an example, I’m going to give you Abraham Lincoln’s. Do you know what one of his favorite sayings was? Brad: No. Bob: “This too shall pass.” You know what the beauty is of that statement? It works in good times and bad times. So, in bad times, or terrible times, like the Civil War, it was going to go away. Eventually things are going to get better. Brad: Sure. Bob: But it also helps as a reminder not to get a big ego. So, if things are going really well, then this too shall pass. Brad: Yeah, it keeps you modest. Bob: So, I’m going to give you mine right now, Brad. Brad: All right, Bob: So, Dwayne Johnson, "the Rock," you know who he is right? He’s worth like 280 million. He’s a big body builder too. He approaches every day like he has nothing. I mean, like he’s just starting from the start. So, he works really hard – Brad: Is he the bald guy? Bob: The bald guy, yeah, Brad: Oh yeah, yeah, Bob: And what he liked to say and I’m paraphrasing how he put it, but he goes, “I try to bring it every day.” So that became my saying, “bring it every day.” Brad: Sure. Bob: And it just really works. Like, I woke up this morning: okay, I have to bring it today. I have to give the people what they want. I have to do my best performance, and I have to work hard. Brad: Kind of like, "bring it on." Bob: “Bring it on!” Boy, that’s even pretty good too. So, Brad and I, we’re going to go through our list right now. Brad, why don’t you give one of your first ones that you found that you circled. Brad: Well, I didn’t circle this one, but you know, I’ve been doing this for years “strong like bull.” Bob: Oh, “strong like bull”, yep, here we go. Brad: When you’re feeling a little down or a little weak or you need a little pep, “strong like bull.” Bob: There you go. Now, remember folks, you start writing yours down too. Bob: So, one of mine is, “always add value.” You know, to the people around me, I’m trying to add value to their lives. Brad: That’s two words. Bob: “Always add value.” Brad: Oh! Always! Oh good. LOL Bob: LOL, okay. Brad: “Count your blessings.” My mother said that a million times when we were growing up. Bob: Did she really? Brad: Oh yeah. Bob: I think that’s a great one, especially in the mornings to do gratitude. Brad: Sure. Bob: Gratitude check. All right, another one that kind of fits right along with that is, “Be a giver.” Brad: Sure. Oh, there’s one that’s not on here, but maybe I overlooked it. I’ll always remember it because it was one of the last things my father said before he passed was – Bob: Awwww Brad: “Follow your heart.” Bob: Awwww, did he really? Brad: Yep! Bob: Aww, that’s cool. You make me want to cry, Brad. That’s really cool. Brad: Well, it’s true. Bob: That’s cool. Well I’ll give you mine. I’ll give you one that my wife likes to use on me, she says, “shut up, Bob.” Brad: LOL Bob: So, I had to break it up a little bit, break up the tense moment in here. All right Brad, give another one here. Brad: “Dream, believe, and achieve.” Bob: Wasn’t that one of the motivational speakers that came up with that? Brad: Well, I don’t know it just says it right here. Bob: LOL, yeah. Brad: But, you know, I’m sure it is one of those things that is exactly what they said or something similar. Bob: This is one my wife and I have been saying a lot now. We say, “do not judge.” I mean, we just try not to judge people. Everybody’s got crap in their life and you don’t know what’s going on. Usually there’s a good explanation for why they’re doing what they’re doing. Brad: It’s like the one “walking in someone else’s moccasins.” Bob: Yeah, It’s funny that you’ve mentioned that, Brad. We had a little plastic saying on my desk, and that was it. “Don’t judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their moccasins.” Photo by Eric Lagergren on Unsplash Brad: Yeah, or you could say shoes. It’s longer than three words though. Bob: Right, yep, that one is a little bit longer. Brad: Oh, this is a classic, if you’re from Wisconsin. Bob: What does it say? Brad: “Enjoy your beer.” Bob: Ah, it’s funny cause I just came to that one, I go, “I know Brad’s gonna say that one.” Enjoy a beer, that’s right. My next one is, “Genius is patience.” Patience is such an overlooked value these days. I mean, in work to get any success or anything like that, it takes patience and persistence. I mean it takes a long time. People just don’t have any patience anymore do they? Brad: My wife does. Bob: Does she? Brad: Yeah, it’s absolutely incredible. Bob: Oh yeah, you’ve mentioned that before. Brad: Yeah, you know, the grandbaby will be crying and crying, and it’s like, “Oh my God, I gotta get out of here.” And she’s just very calm, but in other things too, with me, it’s incredible. Bob: Wow Brad: She’s just gifted with it. Bob: Yeah, LOL. Brad: What? Bob: You probably taught her patience, LOL. Brad: Well, she really is gifted with patience. Bob: You know, Socrates supposedly had a really naggy wife – Brad: Oh really? Bob: Yeah, yeah. And he said, he was glad for her because it taught him patience and composure. Brad: Oh really? Bob: Yep, he said he had to learn to accept this type of behavior. I mean, really, you can learn from anything. Brad: You know, you have to. If he is going to have her in his life for the rest of his life you have to learn that. Bob: Right. Brad: You have to adjust. Bob: Yeah, you have to adjust, that’s right. So, Brad you got another one? Brad: Oh, “focus and win.” Bob: Oh, I didn’t see that one, I would’ve picked that one too. Brad: I’m pretty good at focusing. I can focus everything out and focus on what I want to get done that day. Bob: And that is so important. I’ll tell you, that’s the second thing, with an ADD society, I think people have trouble focusing on what is important. You know, deep learning. I just read a book, and it's all about being able to focus for several hours at a time. Mike’s looking at the time, like, “How long is this gonna go on?” We only got a couple more. Brad: “Get fresh air.” Brad: It’s such a big difference in the morning, you wake up, you look groggy, you walk outside, say, get a breath of fresh air, the whole day is changed. Bob: I agree, I got out this morning, and it’s like, I don’t care if it’s winter. If I can get outside in the morning, and it’s nice, that’s all I care about.  All right, “learn from failures.” I really don’t look at failures as a failure, I mean it’s a learning opportunity. You’ve learned something. Brad: Sure. Bob: You learn something every time you do something wrong. Life will teach you, by God, it will teach you. Brad: Was it squeeze lemon juice until lemonade or – Bob: No LOL. Turn lemons into lemonade. Brad: There you go. Oh, here’s one. Of course, this was really popular 10, 20 years ago. “Just do it.” Bob: “Just do it.” Yeah, Brad: You know, it’s like you hem and you haw about doing something because you don’t really want to do it. You just have to slap yourself in the face and just do it. Get it out of the way. Bob: I got it, I got it. And I’m going to give my last one here, Brad. It’s, “let it be.” Again, that’s partly with the no judgement I got into. It’s like, well, so what, let it be. Brad: I thought that was from a song, Bob: Yeah, that too.  Was it, the Beatles, right? Brad: The Beatles, yeah. That’s a good song. Bob: Yeah, all right, you got one more Brad? Brad: Well, “settle your debts.” You know, that I like. It’s just nice to get that stuff behind you. Bob: I agree, if you don’t have debt in your life, you can do whatever. Brad: Well, whether it’s a financial debt, or something you need to take care of. Bob: Oh, sure, you owe someone. Brad: Yeah, and maybe you should go apologize. Something of that nature, you have to get it out of the way and get going. Bob: That was very good, because I was thinking money right away. But no, you’re thinking of the total picture. Brad: The big picture of life. Bob: Right. Brad: Yeah, finances are definitely always in there. Bob: So, I hope this topic was okay. We veered a little bit from our typical today. Brad: It’s our show, Bob. Bob: That’s right. LOL Brad: Darn right, Bob: All right, thanks everybody. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/physicaltherapyvideo Website: https://bobandbrad.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobandBrad/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbobandbrad/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ptfamous Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mostfamousPTs For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products: Grip and Forearm Strengthener: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Wall Anchor: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Booyah Stik: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Knee Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Fit Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Massage Gun: https://amzn.to/36pMekg Hanging Handles: https://amzn.to/2RXLVFF Bob and Brad Resistance Bands Set: https://amzn.to/36uqnbr Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop here:  https://shop.spreadshirt.com/bob-brad Check out other products Bob and Brad Love:  https://www.amazon.com/shop/physicaltherapyvideo?listId=3581Z1XUVFAFY Check out The Bob & Brad Crew on YouTube by clicking here:  https://www.youtube.com/c/thebobbradcrew Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in July of 2020. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYjnXBxzmtM&t=95s Bob: Oh yeah, we’re ready!! Today we’re going to talk about the single best treatment for muscle tear or strain, by far. Brad: By far! Bob: So, I’ve had three muscle tears in my life, and we’ll go into this. Brad: It’s always about Bob! Bob: Yes, it’s always about me. As you get older, it’s a lot easier to do, get muscle tears, that is. Tell what happened, Brad. I’m going to tell them that you’re battling one right now. Brad: It’s my hamstring, it’s not a tear. I think this is a minor strain. I have torn it before, but this is a reoccurring problem. Which we’re going to do a video on coming up shortly. Bob: Sure. So, I tore my pectoralis, my tricep, my gastric soleus, that was the last one. Brad: Oh, that’s right. Bob: In each case it took longer to heal. In each case, they healed and then I re-tore them. Almost every time. Brad: Same in my scenario. Very common. Bob: You can have a minor tear, in fact, they grade them, grade them 1 through 3. 10% of the fibers, that’s a grade one. Brad: I’d almost call that a strain perhaps. Bob: Right, right, that’s probably what you’re referring to. Brad: Yes. Bob: Grade two is 10-90%. I think you might be in the 10-90% because of the fact that it keeps coming back, Brad, I don’t know. Brad: Yeah, well, that’s pretty broad, 10-90%. Bob: I know, they make it easy that way and then if it’s a grade three, you might even be looking at surgery, it’s 90%. Brad: Yes, you’ve got some pain. Serious pain. Bob: So, you start off generally with the PRICE method. An acronym. Brad: Protect, rest, ice, compression and elevation. Bob: You do that for a couple of days, but then after that, as soon as you put it under stress, it seems like it re-tears. Brad: Sure. Bob: So what we follow is the work of Cyriax, and you want to do some cross fiber massage to the muscle. So, let’s take a simple example here, Brad. Let’s say, you’re quadricep, you tore it mid top of your thigh. The fibers of the muscle run this way, up and down, so all you’re going to do is massage across. You’ll find the tender spot. It’s not hard to find. Brad: You have to palpate in there, look around, it’ll come right out at you. Bob: You’re going to massage across the muscle. Now this works well on smaller muscles, not like the quad, but let’s say you did your bicep. Brad: Or if you have tennis elbow. You’re going to get into those muscles. You’re not massaging the skin. You want to push down and get into those muscle fibers. And it can be a little painful at first. Bob: The thing is, Cyriax, if you go back to his old books, he would recommend for like 10, 15 minutes. Yes, you’re going to wear your hands off. Brad: Yes, your fingers. I never go more than probably two or three and I get pretty tired. Bob: Yes, I do two or three and then put it throughout the day. That’s what I do. Stretch it out. Brad: Right. Bob: But, I was looking at some research, Brad, and they were saying a lot of times what pays off is for you to use the massage prior to doing an activity. Like my wife’s now having trouble with her hamstring again. I said, “Have you been using a massager?” And she goes, “No.” I said, “Not only should you use it, but definitely use it before.” Hers is starting to really fire up. Brad: I hope she doesn’t watch this video. Bob: I hope not either. Love you, sweetie. Brad: Yeah, exactly. It’s kind of like, seriously, do you stretch before an activity or do you not? It used to be you always stretched and now there is controversy back and forth. This is kind of in the same realm with that. Bob: I think it’s a no brainer, Brad. I get some hip pain once in a while, and if I do the massage before I go out, no problems. I know that’s anecdotal one, but this is also the research is showing this. So, let’s go with the research. Brad: Well, it’s one of those things that you can do it. Bob: Yes, it’s not harmful. Brad: It’s not going to make it worse at all. So, see how your body responds. Bob: So, if you’re so inclined, we are going to mention that one product here. We’re kind of proud of this, Brad. This is the Bob and Brad massage gun. Brad: Well, there’s a long story to this but at one time, we just knew these are the massage guns, maybe they work and maybe they don’t. But over the last couple years, between patients and ourselves, we’ve become very good believers and the research now. Bob: Well, now, the other thing is these used to be like $400, $500. Brad: Yeah, they were expensive. Bob: We just wouldn’t even recommend them, because they were so high. Brad: Well, they’re not professional athletes buying them. We get the average person. Bob: Right. So for ours now, they’ve got just a super deal. I hate to sound like a salesperson here, but they did put forth a super deal. Brad: And the quality of this is awesome. We would not put our name on it if it wasn’t something we were proud of. Bob: Can you see our name on it? Look at that. Zoom in pretty close, ha-ha. It’s pretty tiny, but it’s on there. Brad: Let’s show them how it works. Bob: Yeah, you just hold on for about five seconds and it pops in. Brad: So, you’re going to do this directly over this muscle tear? Bob: I’m going to go right across the muscle fibers, just across them like that. It’s got different heads and I discovered this one, it’s got the air-filled one. That one is awesome. Brad: If you get close to a bone, it doesn’t hurt. Bob: No, no, it doesn’t. I forgot to mention that one. I did have a quadricep tear too. Brad: Yes, by your patella. Bob: Yes, right by my patella and I used to do this one. Brad: Now, I like this, if you put the round head on there, you can truly get the cross friction instead of going straight on, you can go from the side and it’s not as aggressive. You’re still getting that cross friction. It’s just an option. It depends on you, I might do that on the elbow, go at it from the side, for lateral epicondylitis, or tennis elbow. So it’s just another neat thing you could use. Bob: It’s one of those things that somebody in the family, at some point, is going to need this. Right now, we’re passing it around. I use it, like I said, on my hip in the mornings, before I run. My wife’s going to need it on the hamstring and that’s just us two at home. Brad: If you’ve got kids that are active and in sports, it will get used. Bob: Yeah. Anyways, enough for the sales pitch right now. Oh, It’s got five speeds too. Brad: Quit playing with it Bob. Bob: Alright, so what are some of the common muscle tears? A hamstring, as we mentioned, groin, hip abductors. Brad: Very common place for a strain or tear. Bob: Rectus femoris. That’s kind of a kicking one, you know. Brad: Yep, field goal kicker, soccer players. Bob: Lumbar paraspinals, that’s the muscles on each side of your spine, especially on the lower back. Brad: Right, that’s a pretty thick muscle group right there, on each side. Bob: Then the other one is the calf. It’s become very common, that’s what I did. So I’m going to tell you also the second best treatment I think is. Now, this is what you don’t follow, either Brad, I don’t think. You want to gradually, as it’s getting better, you want to gradually increase the stress on the muscle. That’s what I did with the calf muscle. I went on a treadmill and I would actually take weight on my arms and I’d try to run for a little bit. I could just tell like it would hurt and then I would go back to walking again. I did that for weeks. Just gradually increase the stress on it. You don’t think that way. I know you don’t. You go, you have two speeds, Off and zoom! Brad: I know but when I have a patient, I tell them to do it this way. I do have a hard time doing that. I’m getting better with age. I’m getting better, Bob. Wait, there’s one more thing. There’s one thing I want to add, to this protocol is the strain-counter strain in the acute phase is very simple to do. It’s also called positional release. If you look up Bob and Brad and put positional release, I think some of those videos would be useful. Bob: Did we do hamstring though for it? Brad: Yes, I believe we did. If not, I’m going to do it. Bob: Okay, I’ll have to look that up because I don’t think you did it yet because I want my wife to do it. I was showing her different ways to do it. Brad: Well, I’m doing it to myself right now and it’s been very effective. Bob: You’re doing it with the strap? Brad: Yes, that’s what I was doing the other day. Bob: Okay. Remember, Brad and I can fix just about anything, Brad: Except for, Bob: A broken heart. We’ll work on it. Brad: We have to start rehearsing these things. Bob: Thanks! If you are interested in the products mentioned above, they can be found at: Massage Gun By Bob & Brad: https://amzn.to/36pMekg Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/physicaltherapyvideo Website: https://bobandbrad.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobandBrad/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbobandbrad/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ptfamous Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mostfamousPTs For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products: Grip and Forearm Strengthener: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Wall Anchor: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Booyah Stik: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Knee Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Fit Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Massage Gun: https://amzn.to/36pMekg Hanging Handles: https://amzn.to/2RXLVFF Resistance Bands Set: https://amzn.to/36uqnbr Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop here:  https://shop.spreadshirt.com/bob-brad Bob & Brad Amazon Store: https://amzn.to/2RTSLLh Check out other products Bob and Brad Love:  https://www.amazon.com/shop/physicaltherapyvideo?listId=3581Z1XUVFAFY Check out The Bob & Brad Crew on YouTube by clicking here:  https://www.youtube.com/c/thebobbradcrew Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

Nine years ago, Physical Therapists Bob Schrupp and Brad Heineck began a YouTube channel with the intention of sharing their knowledge on how to get fit, stay healthy, and live pain free. By providing free videos on these topics, they are able to reach people around the world who are striving to help themselves achieve these goals. The following are a few of the responses we have received from viewers. We appreciate all who take time to watch and we will continue to do our best to help as many people as possible to become healthy, fit and pain-free. 1. I did your intro song at an open mic. I got a standing ovation and everyone stood up with excellent form. Thanks guys. 2. As a 67 year old artist who sits for many hours a day, I really need such an exercise as this. I do a lot of tiny detail drawings, so am very close to my drawing surface for long periods, and get a bit slouchy and stiff after a while. I think this one exercise will help a great deal with the upper back pain I sometimes experience when I get into "that" mode of intensity and forget to straighten up enough. Thank you, gentlemen, for posting this exercise! You 2 are invaluable to our health. Great tips! & I like ur color-coordinated look today! 3. Hi Bob and Brad - you are the most famous physical therapists on the internet - in my mind especiallly. I am writing to thank you for the segments you have done on spondylolisthesis. I am an active, athletic 68 year old man. In 2014 I was diagnosed from an MRI as having “Mild, 4 mm, spondylotic spondylolisthesis is seen of L3 on L4. Otherwise normal alignment is seen.” I believe I acquired this due to prolonged sitting doing office work with poor posture and poor chairs. Six years later and my condition worsened to the point that I could only walk from the car into a store, or from the house to the mailbox. My pain manifested on the left side pelvic area and I thought I was having SI joint issues. Pain when walking but no back ache and no headaches. I will spare you the long story of everything I tried. But I will tell you that Saturday morning Sep 26, I watched your youtube clips on exercises for spondylolisthesis. Starting that day I began to do my version (not 200 reps) of Brad’s Spondylolisthesis (ADVANCED EXERCISES) for active people. O.M.Gosh Within 6 days I am now able to walk around the block with little to no pain. I will continue this program and increase my strength as I can - the payback is tremendous. I cannot express my relief and how much I am grateful to you two for the magnificent work you do as a public service. As I type this I have tears dropping down my face. Please know that your programs are extraordinarily informative and helpful. Thank you. 4. Hello! Thanks for your reply. I asked a handyman to come and see what should be done in order to embed the screws into wood, and he came up with the very easy solution of screwing the anchors directly into the closet frame that rests on the 2x4. So simple! I don’t know why it never even crossed my mind. Super solid, simple to install, very neat looking, and doesn’t deface anything. I thought of sharing this little light bulb💡... it just might come in handy for someone else. I am now enjoying your Bob&Brad anchors in the small bedroom I have converted into a mini home gym. I used to have to use the over-the-door/side-of-the-door system, but that was inconvenient as the front door to the apartment was the only door solid enough to resist the pulling. May you prosper as you keep on teaching how to stay fit. Your instructions are clear and easy to understand... and you are fun to watch and follow!I have subscribed to your channel. PS: I “accidentally “ found you by searching the internet for adequate wall anchors...but I found much more than a mere piece of equipment. Thanks again😃 5. You are the two men I most look forward to seeing throughout my week! Thank you for being so real, so raw, so helpful, so humorous (and so sharply dressed.) 6. You both are angels 😇😇on Earth saving many people who are suffering with severe pain n hell👍❤️❤️❤️. Thank you so much! 7. Hi Bob and Brad. I just wanted to tell you how much I like and respect your videos. I’ve been watching on YouTube for quite a while. I am a licensed massage therapist who often refers my clients to your videos. Thanks for what you do. Wish you could fix my broken heart though. 8. Thank you, I've been watching all those, wow they're brill, that's why I sought your help, I'll keep watching, I can't see my physio face to face here in UK so it's not good, hope alls OK where you are 9. I bought mine just over a month, and it is amazing! I use it almost every day. Here is the review I shared on Amazon for more info on my positive experience: “The description may say, “mini,” but it packs a punch - in a good way! I researched massage guns for several months before purchasing this one. The price of others kept me away, but I am experiencing what I would have expected from the other massage guns that are priced several hundred dollars more. I use it almost daily on my legs, hips, hip flexor, feet, lower back, glutes, and/or shoulders. It does a great job relieving my muscle pain and soreness that I experience from working out and the pains of aging with arthritis. It has also been great for massaging scar tissue after my total hip replacement, hip flexor release, and back surgeries. I love that it is easy to use and light weight. I look forward to Bob and Brad videos on its usage. Thank you for a great product!!” 10. This video came at just the right time for me. Just tried techniques recommended & experienced significant relief! 11. Your videos have helped me with this issue and others. Thank you so much for your dedication and your humor. Keep up the good work. 12. Thanks bob and brad for the lifesaving advice. I’ve taken this time at home to rehabilitate myself and it’s all worked. Thank you both so much. 13. A lot of your basic advice has improve my quality of life by leaps and bounds. thank you for this resource 😭 14. Thanks guys my sciatica finally went away for good giving hope to everyone out there my dr said nerves take so much longer to heal than muscle so stay positive 15. You are right, you are the best two physical therapist I have ever met. I am going to go to you guys on Facebook. Thank you 16. Thanks for your continued support- especially now, when more people might be home and finding projects that needed attending to. 17. Thanks again guys! Sciatica for 2 years you guys have helped me a lot.❤️ 18. Hi Bob & Brad! I'm watching your Utube videos & taking them all in. If I've got to I look back to see them again to help me. I've got a very bad back. So far doing the exercises before getting out of bed has helped. Thank you for taking your time showing us these great exercises! Take care! 19. You dudes are the BEST! WHO KNEW physical therapy could be so much fun!!! 20. I injured a groin muscle weeks ago and have been trying to get the issue worked out. I've watched numerous videos with tips but so far nothing has really giving me my range of motion back. I have a loop strap but didn't think of using it for this. Thank you so much for the updated video! 21. Thanks Bob and Brad, I've got a groin strain right now and have found this very educational. Love your intro song too. You guys are simply the best. 22. Timely! we’ve been walking daily for the last several months & are worried about having enough physical activity during the cold winter months. thanks! 23. That little bugger looks like it would come in handy! I’m doing my best to ward off the need for surgery but unfortunately I’m not doing a very good job of it on my own. I will say that, as a somewhat new subscriber, your videos have absolutely helped take my pain level down a notch. Thank you so much! You guys truly are the best. 💃🏼💃🏼🕺🏻 24. Have been one of your first 100 viewers and have shared your wonderfully educational segments to many. 25. Wow, you guys are on a roll! The algorithm is working since I'm seeing you daily now. 26. This is perfect timing! My hubby just turned to me and said my shoulder is killing me, and it is that dang tendon! Lol I have had to massage him for hours before just to give him a little relief. This is going to make his life way easier! Thanks Bob and Brad! 27. I just found this channel after suffering (and I do mean suffering) from what I think is a pinched nerve on my shoulder for the last 3 days, you guys have helped me so much at better understanding what a pinched nerve even is. I love the energy in every video! 28. Thank you so much for your videos, and this one really hits the nail on the head for me! This video explains things so much more, infinitely more, than my orthopedic dr did a couple weeks ago, and my current physical therapist did, because they didn't really explain it much at all! - which I am seeing right now for this very problem. My therapist did not give me your 2 exercises with the arm held up high - the hanging one & the statue of liberty; I might ask them about doing those when I go back in a couple days. 29. Hey from India. Thanks a lot... After 1 month suffering from rotator cuff injury. I got some relief. Thanks a lot both of you ..God bless you forever. 30. Thanks. I think that is my problem and all the information I have seen on your channel has helped. 31. You guys are wonderful. I love your channel. I find your information so helpful and you both so motivating. Thanks! 32. I always wish I could have had access to a PT whenever I needed, thank goodness you’re on YouTube. 33. I love your channel! Thank you. I suffer from RA, sciatica, old injuries 😔 and poor posture, naturally lol I've driven trucks and ridden/ trained horses most of my life I'm 47 now and I Hurt Alllll the Time! Low back, knees, ankles, feet, shoulders, wrists, hands etc.. so thank you for your short videos that are super helpful!! 34. I just found your channel and it's like a gift, I’m gonna watch every single video. Thank you a lot! 35. This is great for my clients. Easy to do and understandable. 36. God bless u both of u ... Like ur combination... U people r giving us more knowledge.. showing everything practically...keep going . 37. Thanks man this really helped me remove the pain from my biceps 38. Hey guys thanks for being my online free therapist God bless you guys with happiness and health. 39. Thank You for everything that you do, I’ve improved tremendously using the brochure that came with the wall anchor and your video. 40. Thanks, very helpful 💕. I remind myself every day to hydrate (for my entire adult life lol!!). Why do hydration levels and thirstiness not seem to correlate anyway??? 🤔🤔🤔 Thanks 🌸 41. Just wanted to let you know that I've been doing the pinched neck nerve stretches and boy are they great. It's only in my upper arm and shoulder now. So happy! Thank you! 42. Y’all are great, wanting to keep ppl healthy. Since retired 3 yrs ago, I drink less water! At work, water on my desk, I would just reach for it & drink out of habit. Now, I have to “think” about water & I’m doing better about it. I’ve noticed my skin & hair is dryer. So I’m making changes. Love your channel! 43. P.S. I love the way you two Professional Physical Therapists work together - with so few disparities - to "Bring your strengths" to The Table! TY, Bob & Brad. GOD bless. 44. “Air Squat Arama” is just what I needed as a reminder of proper alignment! Thanks so much! 45. Great stuff guys, I needed this today, your hitting one of my sore spots, (left shoulder going down my left arm) and I just stumbled on this video, by pure luck! Thank you! 46. Thank you for all these great tips! I’m learning so much from you wild and crazy guys how important posture is. 47. You guys are aWesome....😉 I work long shifts wearing heavy gear on my waist and over my shoulders. This exercise will help me a great deal. Thank you 😊 48. You both are angels 😇😇on Earth saving many people who are suffering with severe pain n hell👍❤️❤️❤️. Thank you so much! 49. I’m an adaptive yoga teacher. This movement will dovetail perfectly into my breath and posture work. Thanks! 50. Noticed my mum has bad posture, and I told her. She's nearly 73! I had bad posture until I took on your advice, its much better now. Thanks xxx 51. I needed this!! 20 years in the nursing profession has me all sorts of crippled at a young age. Thanks for all the great content!! 52. I’m adding this to my daily routine several times a day!! My father in law refused to do his pt exercises over the last 10-15 years and has had poor posture when sitting for so so long that now he can barely move, his center of gravity is so off because of his hunched over head and shoulders he’s a fall risk, it’s sad. I will be a Winner and do my W’s!! 53. You 2 are invaluable to our health. Great tips! & I like ur color-coordinated look today! 54. Thank you guys. I have lost a lot of weight by not going out and a good diet. I am now going nuts with this pandemic. I watched and wrote down your gluteal exercises last night and compared them with several others. I was up until 2 am. This "W" exercise is important to me to improve my posture and get back into shape when I can start hiking and canoeing with friends next year. 55. Thanks for the W stretch tip Bob & Brad. I did it this morning before a work WebEx and boy does that feel good! Then I used it as a greeting with my mother. It's the new "wave". I might start doing it with others as well! 56. You guys are a national treasure! Thank you for sharing yourselves and your ideas. 57. Discovered the channel yesterday night and binge-watched about 2 hours' worth of content. I've had back, neck, & shoulder issues for quite some time (for context, I'm 27 years old and 6'4"). I've used a few of the exercises (that I've learned from your channel) over the past 24 hours and I can already feel the difference. I plan on getting a foam wedge for my bed, some more pillows, a lumbar support pillow for my office chair, among a couple of other things to expand the number of exercises I can do and to improve my posture. 58. THE 2 MOST REAL PHYSICAL THERAPIST ON THE INTERNET! No gimmicks, smoke, fluff, nunna that.. their exercises and tips work. 59. I want to thank you for the shoulder exercises and incorporation of the “Boo-yah” stick. I asked my husband if he had anything in his shop that would work and he brought me a 5 ft piece of pvc pipe, about 1.5 inches in diameter. It’s perfect! ...and has helped my shoulders & neck tremendously! Recently spent a girl’s (old lady quilt retreat) weekend at a friends cabin, and didn’t take my 5 ft pvc pipe with me. While there I really missed the stretching & exercises you taught. On the second day a broom was left out in the kitchen so I tried it out, and it worked great! One of the gals asked me what I was doing, and the rest is history. The broom “boo-yah” stick became a neck & shoulder saver after hours and hours machine piecing quilt tops together. Thank you again! I wish you good things in return for all the good you share with the world! I love your style, and appreciate the information the two of you share in all your videos more than you know. 60. I just started PT for an impingement in my shoulder. Perfect timing!!! These look so easy and you guys, as always, make your videos so clear to understand. Can’t thank you enough. You have given me hope that this can heal. 😊 61. Thank you, thank you!! I've been getting shots in my shoulder for a bit, avoiding physical therapy during the pandemic, maybe now I can fix it myself instead. And you guys are adorable, BTW. 62. Thank you both♥️Hold my tension in neck, shoulder, spine. This helps with fibro also & couldn’t have come at better time, with these morning/evening temps beginning to dip down some. Every little thing helps❣️ 63. Wow it’s really nice to be told the causes and why or how the exercises help. Thanks gents I am sold on your channel 64. You are amazing! My friend who is a physical therapist recommended your site. Getting older and feeling the wear and tear on my active body. Thanks. 65. I appreciate the time you took and made these videos. They are so very helpful. I am coming out a very painful frozen shoulder and these are the exercises that are helping me. I've watched your other video as well, but simply great timing that I found you both! I plan on continuing even after my pain dies down. Thank you again. 66. Thanks for the videos. I have RA and I am trying to keep some flexibility so your stretching exercises are great! 67. Always so freaking timely! It's bizarre how in synch your videos are to my body's needs!😳😍🙃 68. I am a physical therapy student, and your videos are very helpful and informative. Thankyou! 69. You guys really helped with my Achilles pain -- which I no longer have -- so, thanks. And thanks for this this one too... 70. I wish I could like this video twice. The similarity between shoulder and hip girdles can't be overstated. Evolution, using or reusing a pattern that works. Constant wonder and amazement, that :) 71. Thank you for teaching something new; that is really fascinating... feels really good the nerve floss 72. After reading all of the comments, I feel the need to apologize to you for the many nasty or impertinent comments by people I don’t even know. You two offer effective exercises that likely help thousands of people. Please continue. You are VERY appreciated!! 73. Love you guys. You both provided significant more information and exercises I could do after extensive ankle surgery while I was on non-weight bearing status than my orthopedic surgeon or anyone on his staff provided, even after I inquired multiple times. Thank you for covering so many pertinent topics. 74. This maneuver needs a new name because it sounds like something that would hurt like hell. But I’ll try it because Bob and Brad say it’s ok. 75. Thanks Bob & Brad great exercise It really works for me with sciatic pain👌😀 76. I plan on becoming a physical therapist and athletic trainer and coach, and this is one of the most informative and entertaining pieces of info I have gotten. This channel is phenomenal ♿ 💪💪 77. Thank you guys I just did your test and I don’t have rounded shoulders but did the exercises anyway and now I feel so much better. 😇 78. I like you guys. It’s not often you can get some easy to follow instructions and a little humor too! 79. 10/10 as usual! Another excellent routine to add to my exercise routine. Ps: you guys are not only the most famous physios on the internet but the BEST LOOKING also 😎😎 80. I’m bound for hip replacement in a year or two and the pandemic had stopped my pre rehab atm so this is really helpful! Thank you Bob and Brad! 81. I just can't thank you people enough. This is what I needed for the longest time, I've been having pain in lateral hip, lower back and the knee after I once landed from a height on my right leg. 82. Have been doing the side leg exercises for a few months but realized I've been swinging at the same time so this has made me aware and to stay straight. So thank you 83. You are amazing, your method help me to get back to health. Appreciate your help 84. You guys helped me recover from my stroke. I did your videotaped exercises in addition to my physical therapy visits. Both of you look great! Congrats on your weight loss! 85. So I tried this. Today is the last day of the 5th week. I went from 181 Lbs to 170.6 Lbs. YEA! I never really paid attention to the carbs content before. Your video was revealing. I exercised routinely but could not drop weight. I was like what the heck? Why am I not loosing weight? So the reality of carb reduction does work. Also, along with that I exercise moderately. Stretching, a little dumbbell workout, and I average about 4 miles per day walking and a little jogging too. I am 61 year old Male. So hopefully this will encourage someone to do it. 86. I love you guys. Since lockdown started (in Scotland) so far you've managed to help me to: identify then fix the pinched nerve in my shoulder; sort my posture which has got rid of other back pain I was experiencing for years; you've encouraged me to enjoy exercising regularly and now there's this really sound nutritional advice which will help me, my husband and kids. Also, as a result of all this I'm even sleeping better (chronic insomniac the whole of my life). You also cheer me up, whatever else is going on. Congrats on your weight loss and thank you ever so much for the work you do. 87. I’m glad you made a video about this because although it’s very basic, most people don’t know this and it’s sad!!! Thanks for teaching the basics guys 🤓👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 88. "I am what I yam ", you guys are hilarious and I've learn much especially for my herniated disc and sciatica on how to relieve the pain. 89. Watching your vids gives me my sanity back. I thank you gentlemen ☮️❤️😎 90. I have to admit - I thought your newer videos were older - you guys look 10 years younger too!!!! 91. These guys are honestly so helpful and their dry dad humor is hilarious, we must protect them! 92. Despite being a young adult, I cannot do push-ups. It feels like I’m straining every part of my body (back, shoulders, wrists). This video has completely changed the way I did push ups! I’ve been doing them that irritating way 93. Thank you! This is the hardest exercise for me with bad wrists. My trainer also gave me dumbbells to use to keep my wrists straight! Huge difference! 94.THANK YOU FOR ALL THE INFO YOU ALL GIVE I SUBSCRIBED SO I DONT MISS ANYTHING YAW SHARE ✌️✌️👏👏👏💯 95. You guys single handedly improved lives and way of living for the people's health in the world. Thank you! 96. I love you 2. Thanks for your ❤️, wisdom, & sense of humor. Keep on fighting the good fight. 97. The reason why you two are such nice, friendly, loving people is BECAUSE of your innocent, humble beginnings! Kindness, appreciation, a good work ethic, all of those things are why y'all are wonderful people who we rely on! Thanks to you both and your folks for raising 2 good boys who are so helpful to all of us! 98. I'm thankful for the two of you. You guys are the reason I can play the violin again. Your tips helped me fix my shoulder tendinosis. ❤❤❤ 99. I love learning from you! And your both so likeable. I have piriformitis, snapping hip and post Laminectomy syndromes. Just watched you doing the stretch with leg hanging off table and secured by hooking onto unaffected leg! I can’t wait to try one right now! Thank you! Please don’t ever stop! 100. Just want you to know that as a 28 year old USMC veteran you have helped my tremendously in dealing with my disability on my income. You two goofballs make real quality videos and you seem like genuinely good human beings. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing what you do, it has made my life so much more livable. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/physicaltherapyvideo Website: https://bobandbrad.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BobandBrad/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbobandbrad/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ptfamous Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mostfamousPTs For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products: Grip and Forearm Strengthener: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Wall Anchor: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Booyah Stik: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Knee Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Fit Glide: https://store.bobandbrad.com 15% off with code BLOG15 Massage Gun:https://amzn.to/36pMekg Hanging Handles: https://amzn.to/2RXLVFF Bob and Brad Resistance Bands Set: https://amzn.to/36uqnbr Bob & Brad Amazon Store: https://amzn.to/2RTSLLh Check out our shirts, mugs, bags and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop here:  https://shop.spreadshirt.com/bob-brad Check out other products Bob and Brad Love:  https://www.amazon.com/shop/physicaltherapyvideo?listId=3581Z1XUVFAFY Check out The Bob & Brad Crew on YouTube by clicking here:  https://www.youtube.com/c/thebobbradcrew Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.