This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in March of 2023. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0KH1Ym4eMM&t=54s Mike: From cows to humans, this joint and muscle cream is a game changer. Brad: We are utterly impressed and proud to put our name on it. Mike: Did you know this cream was first made for cows? Brad: Well, of course. This cream has been used for cows. Farmers would put it on their udders to decrease inflammation and cause them to produce more milk, in a healthy way. Mike: So when a stronger version of this cream was created and approved for human use, Brad and Bob decided to throw your names on it. Brad: Well, that's right. We've tried it out on ourselves and it works great. You put it on and the nice thing about it, it's not that oily-feeling. It is at first, but within 30 seconds it dries up. You feel that cool menthol feeling. You feel that versus the pain. Mike: Have you grown any udders yet? Now it's Bob and Brad's goal on this channel to try and figure out the root cause of your problems. So besides using this cream, we're going to show you a free way you can also manage your pain. Brad: Right. We're going to show you at the end of the video how you can make something at home for very little cost and it's an option for this. Alright, Holy Cowabunga Cream, yes, it sounds like an advertisement, but this is a genuine product. It's fortified with peppermint, eucalyptus, and other essential oils and we like it because it works. We've tried it out and are very happy with it. Mike: Over the years, Bob and Brad have tried dozens of different pain creams and this is the first one you guys were proud to put your name on. Brad: That's right. There is no doubt about that. I remember I had six of them at home, tried them all and they were okay. Mike: It does smell like peppermint. So a free option to manage your pain that is very cheap and inexpensive is to make a homemade ice pack. Brad: Right. I just made this one a few nights ago. One cup of rubbing alcohol, and four cups of water, and put it in two bags. We do have a video specifically on how to make a homemade ice pack. Brad: Anyway, it works very well and feels good. I use this. I also use the Bob and Brad, Holy Cowabunga Cream. How could you forget that name? Mike: I don't know. So we should remember to always be healthy. Brad: Be healthy, and be careful. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin, Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat, Clapper, Threads Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager Weighted Heating Pad Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stress Balls Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in March of  2023. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/rvXc1fGlF-4 Brad: We're going to show you five simple and easy waves to unlock your spine, and we're going to show you all of them in the standing position to get you ready for the day. These are good for anyone, of any age. However, if you have some preexisting conditions, like maybe you've had a back surgery or a recent back injury, I would hold on it. Mike: You also do not want to do them, immediately stop, if they are causing an increase in pain. Brad: Oh, we don't want to forget about osteoporosis. If you have osteoporosis in your spine, that's a precaution, as well. All right, the first one, Mike's going to demonstrate it, we like to call this the Rick Olderman flexion exercise. You can see starting from his head and gently rounding his spine down to the sacrum, and down, and then you come back up. Brad: The whole idea of this one is that you separate and stretch each individual vertebra, as opposed to doing it at one location causing a great deal of stress and causing an injury. Round it out. Do this three repetitions, and you'll be ready to go for number two. Mike: The second exercise is to do some back extensions in standing. You could put your hands on your waist and then go back. I'm going to demonstrate it like on a countertop, so you can put them on your waist or grab onto the countertop and just lean back, but only if this feels good. Some people don't like extending their back. Brad: Especially if you have stenosis, which if you're over 50 or 60, then there's a better chance. Let's go to number three, Mike. All right, the next one is simply taking a Booyah Stik or broomstick about four feet long, or a towel, or a sheet over your head, stretch up real tall, and lean side to side, right to left, nothing too aggressive, just let it stretch out, stretching up tall. Three or four times is adequate. Mike: Make sure to keep your hands wide, because you can't do much if they're too close. Brad: Good point. All right, the next one, you can take your towel roll or your stick, get it tight behind and right on your shoulders, straight out, and it's a rotation exercise. You can do it. I'll just talk about Mike. He's moving the hips, moving the shoulders. Brad: Now if you want to isolate the thoracic spine between the shoulder blades, simply sit down and rotate, and you'll feel much more of the stretch up in the upper back. Mike: I can't rotate nearly as far. Brad: Right. That's what we're doing. We're isolating. All right. Five of those are adequate. You can do more if you want. Number five, again, take your towel roll, sheet, or stick, and place it as Mike has it behind his back. I have it here. Hold it here. Elbows in, and we're going to extend back. I'm going to push up and out. This is one of my favorite ones. I can get my back to crack and pop a little bit when I do this one. You start low. For each level, you can do one. It works a little better with a stick because you get more distinct pressure at each level, but the towel works fine, as well. Brad: We've got a bonus coming up. Mike: Option six is just hanging. This is a nice bonus option. Slowly you can grab onto some bars, or a pull-up bar, Hanging Handles, whatever you have. Slowly descend using your feet to control it. If you're having back pain, you will want to go slow, and just hang here. You can hang for 10 seconds, 30 seconds, a minute, whatever you can tolerate. As you feel comfortable with this and want more traction on your spine, you can lift your feet off the ground, but only if you feel comfortable and this doesn't hurt. Brad: Right. This is one that Bob and I do regularly. Mike, I think you do this intermittently. Mike: Yes. Brad: It is spinal decompression. I needed to throw it in here. If you have something to hang from and you want to try it, it's worth a try if it's pain-free and you feel good afterward, as well. Once again, let's do the finishing tagline. Mike: I forgot it already. Brad: Be careful. Mike: Be helpful. Brad: Be helpful!! Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin, Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat, Clapper, Threads Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager Weighted Heating Pad Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stress Balls Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

When exercising with a painful hip you should not perform exercises that increase your hip pain. In addition, if they make the hip pain increase after you are finished with the exercise you should avoid that exercise. A small amount of discomfort is acceptable. Exercises (without equipment): 1. Watch Jordan’s walking-in-place exercise programs. 2. Hook lying trunk rotations. 3. Marching in place. 4. Sidestepping. 5. Clamshells (on your back or side-lying) 6. Hip abduction. 7. Wall Slides (shallow) (avoid leaning too far forward which can occur with squats). 8. Gluteal pump (Gluteal pump on the stomach or hands and knees.) Check out the full Hip Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/hip-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in June of 2023. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJlzbhZEngc Brad: All right, if you've ever had back pain, mid-back pain, or the thoracic back, the common symptoms are perhaps if you take a deep breath in and it kind of bites right in there, or you turn and twist and you feel that pain, there's a good chance you have a pinched nerve. Mike: We're going to show you five easy options to help alleviate this pain that has a strong track record with some of our patients. Brad: That's right. I'd like to show you the likely causes of this pinched nerve or the pinched nerve-like pain you're experiencing. Number one, at every level there is a spinal nerve. Mike is pointing them out right there. Those nerves could be pinched for several reasons, we're not going to get into all of them. Brad: Another location of pain source could be the facet joints, there are two facet joints between each vertebra. So you have 12 thoracic joints, that's 24 possibilities. Brad: And the next thing is where the ribs connect to the transverse process, which is a bone that comes from the vertebrae. And those should be mobile, but they lock up sometimes too, and we need to break those loose and mobilize them. Mike: So a common reason for a pinched nerve in a thoracic spine area is often from prolonged sitting in a poor posture with rounded down shoulders and putting a lot more pressure on all of those joints we just talked about and the discs. So getting in a correct straight posture can help alleviate some of those symptoms. Brad: That's right. If you are in this prolonged posture, driving, in your chair, or watching TV, particularly driving like myself and you hit a bumpy road or on my lawnmower and you get this jolting going through your spine, it is terrible on a rounded spine. That can set something off. I've been awakened in the middle of the night with pain and I've got a solution for it and we're going to show you that as well. Mike: Well, let's get into that. Brad: The first exercise I like, a lot of people will like, it's not aggressive and it can do the job. We're going to show you two options. One is something you can just use some towels at home. For the other one, you'll need a 36-inch-long six-inch foam roll. You'll see what we're talking about. Thank you, Mike. Now, for the first option you need to take some towels roll them up relatively tight, and then tape them together. Don't worry, you'll use this. So just don't take it apart and wash it. Just keep it for your back stretches. Set it down, so it's about six inches in diameter and you're going to lie on this pretty much right between your shoulder blades. And if you put pillows to rest your head on, it makes it more comfortable and you can relax. You can bring your arms out and go up and down. My shoulders right here, I feel a stretch. And if I wanted more stretch, I would put two weights in my hands, probably one-pound dumbbells or simply a can of soup. Brad: Make sure you do it on both sides. And that offers a better stretch on my spine and back as well as my pec major muscles. You're going to hang out here for 15 to 30 seconds. You can relax and repeat that. Again, if this creates pain, any sharp pain, it's not right for you. Okay, now, if you happen to have a six-inch foam roller, they work very well. A little more challenging in a way. Make sure you get the one that's soft density and medium works well. You can use the more firm one if you want, it's just not as comfortable. Now, with this, you need to put it on your sacrum, that bone right below your belt line, and then right down, so the roller is between your shoulder blades and you rest your head right on the roller itself. Now, if your head does not touch because you have a tight neck, that may be normal. You want to get a pillow and put that there for comfort so you can relax and you do the same thing. This you can kind of roll back and forth, it can help. If you want to stretch one leg up here just because you want something to do. You can do that with the towel roll as well. Use the weights. Just as I mentioned with the towel roll, it's the same thing except that you have your foam roller. I find a great deal of comfort in my sacrum and my SI joints using this, so I'm getting more than one area. It's a bonus. Mike: So stretch number two is going to work on your amount of thoracic extension or how far you can bring your back backward. Again, you will need a thick, six-inch towel roll or a foam roller, we'll show both variations. I'm going to place this where it feels comfortable for me. Again, you can use a pillow under your head for some nice support, supporting the head there, and you're going to see what feels comfortable. If I go too low with the towel roll, I feel a lot more lumbar extension. That's not as comfortable. I want to hit that mid-thoracic back area. So I'm going to go and arrange it, where it feels good. You can bring your arms up to your side if you want or keep them in. It's just working on bringing that extension back in your spine. Brad: That's right. And oftentimes you'll get that cavitation or that crack release. You'll feel that or even hear it. Again, we're going to show with the foam roller. It's a wonderful stretch. This is one of my go-to's. Mike: So for this one, I'm just kind of sitting in a spot for 10, 30 seconds, and then I might kind of roll up and just get a new spot. Just kind of work through and see what feels good. Brad: That's right. Mike: Okay, now we're going to do the same thing but with a foam roller. So for this, you're going to roll. So I'm going to lift my buttock off the ground and I'm going to kind of roll that thoracic spine region roughly to my shoulder blades, to my mid-back. I don't like it once you start getting in the lumbar spine, you'll feel it. If you're getting some headaches or neck discomfort with this, you can put a towel behind your head here and pull it up with your hands to give it some support if you are having some neck pain with this. But this is another way you can just kind of roll into it. Mike: You can also do what I did before and just kind of lay over it and work on that thoracic extension. Brad: If you don't have a towel and you have flexible arms, you can simply put your hands behind your head. It gets a stretch into the shoulders and the pecs as well. This is a wonderful stretch. Okay, this next stretch, you're going to need a special tool. It's called the Bob and Brad Posture Pad. Brad: We developed this specifically for the thoracic spine, for the pinched nerves, as well as helping with that hunch back or that neck hump from head forward posture that people get stuck in after they've been this way for several years. We'll show you how you use it. It's got a nice radius on one side, which is there for a specific reason. These tennis balls are in there for a specific reason. But first, you simply lie on it there. I'm at about T7 right now. I'm going to start low and I'm going to work and you can rock back and forth and you'll find the area that needs the stretch. Brad: As you can see, I'm supporting my head. You can also take a towel and hold it across your head if that's more comfortable. I always like to do it one way or another, and I'm going to work on it. Now, once you find a spot that needs a stretch, you're going to hang out there for 15 to 30 seconds or longer, whatever you would like. It feels great. It's nice when you can get to that one spot in the corner of the Posture Pad. Now, if you have tight muscles between your shoulder blades, that's the reason we have these tennis balls. And they're not just any tennis ball. The light blue ones have less pressure and the other blue ones have more pressure and all of them have less pressure than a regular tennis ball. But we're going to put those in there and you put them in wherever you would want. I'm going to put the ones with the lower pressure on the top. Now, this is a little more aggressive. You may take a towel and go over it and that's going to go into the knots of the muscle belly between your spine and your shoulder blade on each side and you'll feel it. And what I like to do on this is I like to go forward and backward when I hit that trigger point. The left ball on the top is actually on a trigger point right now. I'm feeling it, I'm working on it. And as I do this, it's much more comfortable. The muscle is releasing and relaxing and that's the point with that. Brad: Now, Bob uses this regularly. I want to get more aggressive on those trigger points, so I'm going to put the blue ball in the upper corner there and leave the others out to put all the pressure right there on that tight spot. This is just an option and that makes a fairly significant difference and I'm going to work on that. And sometimes that pain is not a pinched nerve. It may be just a knot that is so tight and that muscle's so bound up, that it's burning away and causing pain and this can get rid of it. So the Posture Pad, you go to bobandbrad.com and you can order one of these if you'd like to. Otherwise, we've got the other options that we've already talked about. Mike: So the next option, again, we're going to work on straightening that spine and fighting against that rounded posture we're in most of the day. So you can do this on a chair, at home, or maybe at your work desk. You can use a ball for a little bit more stretch. You can use a smaller one or a larger one, whatever you have available. So I'm going to put this behind my back in a position that feels good. Kind of going to go mid-back here and then I'm going to lean back into it. And if you have good shoulders, you can lean back into it and then bring your arms up as well. It really opens up everything in the front and gets that spine extending, combating that flexed forward posture we talked about earlier. Brad: I do want to mention, the ball they use, like Mike said, different sizes, but it needs to be a soft, squishy ball. A basketball would not work. Even a soccer ball is too hard. You need a squishy ball. So if you don't have one, go to the neighbors and see if you can get one from the neighbor kids and then bring it back, of course. Mike: Do you ever just keep it? Brad: No. I do want to mention we believe, Mike is the originator of this exercise. How many years ago you were working with patients and showing them this? Like 10 years ago, wasn't it? Mike: I don't know. I don't remember. It was too long ago. So you can do this stretch throughout the day. You can do repetitions. Say you want to do 10 repetitions and you can hold it for five to 10 seconds each time. If you'd rather just sit here and hold it for 30 seconds to a minute, that's perfectly fine as well. And just do it throughout the day. The whole idea is, if you're sitting hunched over most of the day, take frequent breaks to go and bend your spine in the other direction. Brad: Most excellent, thank you so much. Mike: So number five, if you're having referral pain down your arm and into your fingertips, it may be referral pain coming from the lower part of your neck, and Brad is going to show an excellent option for that. Brad: Right. We're getting out of the lane of the original topic, but it's so closely related to thoracic or mid-back pain, that we're going to address it anyways. So the pain down the arm can be simply numbness, tingling, feeling cold. It's a pinched nerve at the lower neck or upper back. One way you can try to alleviate this, sit up as tall as you can and simply do chin tucks. So you bring your chin in towards your throat, breathe and relax, and see how the pain or the numbness and symptoms in the arm respond. Brad: If you do this five to 10 times and the symptoms in the hand or the forearm seem to be improving, it's gold, you're going to have progress with this. You may want to put a little overpressure. On the other hand, if the pain, numbness, and tingling down in the arm and you do this and it makes it worse, then you need to stop right there. Now, the next option, if this is getting better, then you can add the neck extension. You take a towel roll and you roll it up, any way you want, so we have some cushion and support on the low neck. Use a firm chair, scoot your bottom back in the chair, and start with a gentle chin tuck. Support with the towel, not pulling hard, just support and look up. And you can bring your hands up to offer a little traction or you can keep them down. Brad: And what we're looking for is, if you do this and it hurts a little bit, come forward, repeat that a few repetitions. And if it starts to feel better or the pain and the numbness down in the arm and hand are improving, then it's a green light. You continue up to 10 repetitions. And if it feels better in the arm after that, you take a break, come back in an hour, and do the same thing. And you're going to do that every hour as long as symptoms in the arm and the hand improve and are moving upwards towards the shoulder and the neck and eventually your range of motion, less pain, everything will improve and you'll start to go back in a normal supported way until the arm pain, that pinched nerve is then released. It's a little more complicated, so take your time with this one. If it doesn't make the arm better, you stop. It's very clear on that. This can be an excellent option if it works, but only then. Mike, do you have a finishing outro? Mike: I would say pick which exercise worked for you. There are five and they take a lot of time. Try them all and see what works, and stick to that one for a while to see if it helps. Brad: That's right. The easiest ones are first, and the harder ones we talked about are a little bit later. Take care. Have a good day. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin, Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat, Clapper, Threads Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager Weighted Heating Pad Hand Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stress Balls Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in February of 2023. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/PJhVIXQeqSI Mike: If you could choose one exercise for strengthening your legs, this should be it. There are four key advantages of this exercise. Brad: Number one, it's very functional. If you need to pick up something from the floor, you're going to do the exact same motion. Bob has got to pick up my shoe, and now you can get back up. And this is something that we do, particularly as we get older. This can be challenging, but if you exercise, the way you should lift it becomes very easy. Mike: The second advantage to the split squat is you're going to focus on single-leg strengthening when you compare it to a normal squat. When you do a normal squat like I am if you have one weaker leg, you can compensate and lean towards one side, which is going to lead to muscle imbalances and improper leg development and it's not going to benefit your athleticism as much. Brad: Another big advantage of this exercise is it strengthens almost all the muscles in your legs. It's great for the quads and the hamstrings, and that's the dynamic movement, but it also has isometric strengthening going on with the adductors, the groin muscles, and the abductors here, which stabilizes your gait with your walk. You really cannot go wrong with it. We're also getting the glute maximus, and you cannot go wrong when you strengthen the glute maximus. Bob says, excellent job. Mike: And the fourth advantage is, to do this exercise for beginners no equipment is necessary. However, if you are new to this and unsteady, you can use support with a bench. You can use a cane or a Booyah Stik or something to support yourself. You don't want to fall over when you're first trying this exercise. The advanced version is the Bulgarian split squat, also known as the rear elevated split squat. So you want to get an object that is about knee height behind you. This can be a bench at a gym, a solid chair, or a stool. Then you want your other foot about two to three feet in front of your back foot for support. Do you want to continue, Brad? Brad: Yes, I do, Mike. Okay. The position of the toe. As you can see, Mike has a plantar flexed or so, the top of the toe is touching, or you can curl the foot. I use this way, do whatever's most comfortable for you. Next, imagine there is an imaginary line here, which we made a real red line. That's the midline. It goes right down between the legs. The front foot should be over plenty, far over. Don't get too close to the middle. You'll lose your balance. If you do have balance problems, grab a stick or piece of furniture. Use that for balance. Mike, do you need that for balance? Mike: I'm okay with all this. Brad: Good. All right, the next thing is the shoulder's going to be up and square. So if Mike was turned to the side, that would be very awkward and we do not like that. Keep it square. The hips are square. And now go ahead and demonstrate, Mike. Mike: So you want to go down. Do not go too far forward. Do not lean too far back. Try to stay upright with your trunk. You're going to need some hip mobility in your back leg. If you don't have good hip mobility you're going to feel a real big stretch in the front of the hip. But the strengthening is supposed to be on the leg in front. Do not push with the back leg. That's not how the exercise is meant to work. It is supposed to work on the front leg. If you want it more challenging, if you're advanced, you can grab a weight. You can place it on the opposite side. You can hold it to your chest. People use dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells on your back, whatever. That's more for advanced people. But this is a good single-leg strengthening exercise and you want to make sure to focus on this front leg and bend it to 90 degrees when you go down. Brad: But wait, there's one more thing for us older people, probably not going to use the weight. And if you experience knee pain, go ahead and let's say you start to squat and there is no knee pain, no knee pain, and you get to a point and your knee starts to hurt. Stop. You can still do these, but don't go to the pain. Just do a shallow split squat until your knee accommodates to it and you can get work through that. So back to the stronger younger people, Mike. Mike: Another thing to look for is the knee to cave in. So if your knee starts to track in, this is a no-no. You need to work on your hip abductors more. Don't let the back leg cross over either. You're going to fall over and be very unstable. Brad: Yes. Good point, Mike. Mike: I think we hit everything. Did we miss anything? Brad: I think so. Just the repetitions. Mike: Start with 10 reps if possible, per leg. Build up your tolerance. If you're already a gym goer and do this all the time, you could probably do three sets of 10, no problem. Brad: Right. Whatever fits into your workout and your goals. I do 1 set of 10, every time I work out, and it's a maintenance program for myself. So if you're able to give the split squat a try, go ahead. I use it only in the winter months. Mike: It may become your new favorite exercise. Brad: That's right. So remember this, if you find a neighbor or a friend in need be helpful. Mike: Be helpful. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin, Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat, Clapper, Threads Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager Weighted Heating Pad Hand Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stress Balls Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

Avoid inactivity and avoid prolonged periods of little to no hip movement. In addition to your stretching exercises. Frequent hip movement is one of the best things you can do to decrease or control pain. Tips: 1. Do not remain in a prolonged stationary position (standing or sitting). 2. Set a cell phone alarm every 20 minutes to move. 3. Stand and walk during phone calls. 4. Have walking meetings. 5. Use a standing desk and alternate between standing, half sitting (on a high stool), and sitting (regular chair). 6. March in place (seated or standing). 7. Purposely park further away from your building to walk more. 8. On a couch or recliner- perform squats or marching during program breaks. 9. If unable to stand (in a meeting or on a plane) march in place, or rotate your legs back and forth. 10. Use steps or stairs instead of elevators or escalators. 11. Walk during lunch hour. 12. Buy a dog to take for a walk regularly. Check out the full Hip Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/hip-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in February of 2023. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hslYSi8Xfs&t=44s Mike: Most people make this one common mistake while treating heel pain. Brad: Well, I know, I strained my heel. We've got to stretch it out, don't we? Mike: When you have Achilles tendon pain, you actually don't want to stretch out the calf muscle. It causes compression on the tendon and can increase the degeneration of it. Brad: Okay, oftentimes heel pain is felt and experienced right where the tendon connects to the calcaneus. And when you stretch it, compression forces are experienced here, which actually damages the tissues in the tendon. So we want to not stretch, and we're going to show you an option that's going to improve this. Occasionally, there'll be pain experienced up higher, that's a different scenario. So we're talking about right here at the Achilles tendon junction with the calcaneus. Mike: If you'd like to learn more about treating Achilles tendon pain, you can check out the book, “How to Treat Your Own Achilles Tendon” by Paula Clayton. Brad: Now, Paula has four different treatment approaches to this problem. We're going to go through them and show you the four. Okay so, the first thing you need to do to take stress off the area when you're wearing shoes is a heel lift. Now, here is an actual heel lift that fits on your heel. You simply put that in your shoe, and that'll take stress off it so you don't have the pain when walking. Brad: There are other options which you don't have to buy if you just have some felt and you can put it underneath the insert and tape it there, and that works very good as well. Actually, I have one right here. This is for a Morton's neuroma in a different location, but you would put this right here at the heel. Works good. Bob: A piece of carpet would work. Brad: A piece of carpet. I've cut cardboard and put cardboard in there so it's the right shape. You're going to use this for maybe a couple of weeks until it starts to feel better along with the other treatments we'll show. Mike: The second thing you want to do is try massaging your calf muscles. You can do this with a foam roller. It's good to internally or externally rotate your leg to get different parts of the calf. You can do it manually, like Brad is over there. Mike: You can also use a nice rolling stick like this, which is a little easier if you're stuck in a chair or you can't get down to the ground to foam roll. Just roll different parts of it. And another option, if you have a massage gun, use that. Brad: Yeah, my hands are getting tired, so a massage gun does not get tired. It gets in deeper and they really work well. I'm using the round head, which I find is really comfortable on this part of the body. So yeah, make sure you get a nice reciprocating massage gun. This is our mini. This works really well for a lot of people. Cost is good and it works. The third way to address this is cross fiber and a deep cross fiber, Mike will tell you all about it and show you. Mike: So you're going to dig more into the lower part of the Achilles tendon right above the calcaneus. You want to pinch the tendon and you want to go forward and back in this direction, not up and down, but forward and back towards your toes and away. You really have to pinch hard because the Achilles tendon is very thick. Brad: So it may hurt at first, but after about 20 seconds, you should start feeling numb sensation or it's going to just feel better. If it gets worse and worse, it's probably too soon for this treatment. And then give it a break for a day or two. Mike: Are we going to use the massage gun? Brad: Oh, yeah. If you get tired, you can use again, the massage gun, if you happen to have one. The round head again works good. You can do the cross friction as long as you've got a massage gun that reciprocates like this. And I'm going to go not straight on, that's beating it up. We're going to go on te side of the ball. And you can vary the angle a little bit. You can put the tendon on slack and you'll get in a little deeper. You'll know, it'll feel right. If it's really, really painful, stay away from that area, work upwards, and then down towards the Achilles tendon as tolerated. Don't get too aggressive. Boy, this is a good treatment. I'm enjoying this. All right, let's go to the next one. Mike: And the fourth thing to try is some isometric strengthening. So with this, you go up on your toes. If you're weak, you can do both feet at once. If you have the strength, you can do single leg and you're going to hold it there for 45 seconds. After you've done 45 seconds, make sure to rest for 2 minutes and you're going to do this 5 total times a day. So remember, when it comes to Achilles tendon pain, try these four exercises to see if they help. Brad: That's right. Let us know in the comment section, if it did help, we'd like to know we are all in this together, helping each other out, feeding back and forth off of each other. What say you, Mike? Mike: Goodbye. Brad: Yeah, we're feeding back and forth. Goodbye. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin, Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat, Clapper, Threads Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager Weighted Heating Pad Hand Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stress Balls Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in April of 2023. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/I0ioJTAkQhg Brad: All right, we are honored to have two guest speakers here. They are students from my alma mater, UW LaCrosse. About a hundred years ago, I graduated from there. These two people are going to be doctors of physical therapy in about a year. This is a wonderful thing for old therapists like me to get fresh new information from the research that has just come out. And what's the video going to be about, Kyle? Kyle: Yeah, thanks. Today we're going to be looking at shoulder impingement, talking about what it is, looking at the anatomy and what we can do for it. Elisabet: And finding out that maybe it's not the impingement at all, maybe it's just muscle imbalance. Brad: One way or another we're going to show you exercises and techniques to get rid of it. And I'm sorry, it's Kyle and Elisabet. Very good. If you want to go with your whole name, that's up to you because this is going out to the whole world. Kyle: Well, that's pretty dangerous. But I'm Kyle Terhark. Elisabet: I'm Elisabet Pletz. Brad: Very good. We'll be right back and show you everything you need to know. All right, Kyle, can you give a little demonstration on the mechanics of this shoulder pain? Kyle: Yes. So we're going to look at Sam here. We're looking inside his shoulder. What we're looking at with impingement, or what people think of impingement, is there's something actually blocking. So as the arm comes up, the bone jams in there and gets blocked from going up overhead. Elisabet: Ouch. Brad: What's your finger doing in there? Kyle: This shouldn't be there, right? That's just an impingement. But this is the idea that there's something in there. And quite honestly, there's not anything in there. There's something else going on. Brad: There's some soft tissue in there, maybe a tendon that's getting pinched and it causes the pain. Kyle: That's the idea. Brad: Right. Kyle: But more research is saying that's not actually what's going on. Elisabet: So I want to bust that myth for you, guys. So if you can try this at home, if you have that shoulder pain that hurts when you lift your arm out to the side to about 90 degrees and it's like, "Oh, ah!" If you try and move your arm up here and "oh," that's where that pain is, try and take your arm and put it next to your body and raise it. If you're able to get your shoulder up higher than you were out to the side, then what that's saying is the bones are going through the same thing in both positions, but the weight of your arm is heavier with your arm straight out than in. So what that tells me is it might be a bit more of a muscle imbalance. Brad: So can you show them how to correct that? Elisabet: Yes, that's what we're going to do today. Brad: Say no more. All right, so this is exciting to me because this recent research shows that people oftentimes may not need surgery on their shoulders. And I'll just give it to these experts because they have read the research in detail. Kyle: So there's some new research coming out that's pretty interesting. And so, it's a study where they looked at people that had the surgery and people that had a fake surgery, and they looked at the differences between them and there was very little. Brad: So what do you mean a fake surgery? Kyle: So a fake surgery. So if we can pull your shoulder up here. Elisabet's going to draw essentially the scopes. So the scopes are just little holes they put in to basically put a camera in or to put an instrument in to try and work on either cutting, cleaning, whatever they do. So they put these little holes in there. And so with the fake surgery, what they did is they put these holes in and then they didn't do anything. They just came right out. They bandaged it up and sent them down the road. Elisabet: And they sent the people home and they didn't know if they had the surgery or not. Brad: But they did have the scars. Elisabet: But they did have the scars. Kyle: And they found that down the road, the people who didn't have the surgery were doing better than those with it. It was just kind of one of those, "That's gym class for your situations." Brad: So it's a placebo? Kyle: Right, exactly. So some people got the surgery, some didn't, and those that didn't actually did better. Brad: Well, that is amazing to me. So anyway, let's go on and show you some exercises and some more information on how to improve your shoulder. I'm feeling better already. Kyle: That's just the ink. That's all that does it. All right, so this is going to be a stretch for the pectoralis minor, and that muscle is a very deep muscle on your chest. So it sits against your ribcage and attaches up to your arm. So a way that we're going to stretch it is if you have a nice home, you have a wall, we're going to put your arm up on that wall. And then you're going to go ahead and either step forward to kind of stretch the arm back or rotate your chest away. So think about turning away from the wall. Elisabet: Kyle, does it matter which leg I step forward with? Kyle: It doesn't make a huge difference, but the one towards the wall would be better because it's going to help get your whole body forward. Elisabet: Oh yeah, I feel that. Kyle: Perfect. And then, why don't you flip around? Do it on the other side as well. Elisabet: Okay. Kyle: Good. So here you step through it and then you can rotate your body away to add more tension through that muscle. Brad: What does the research say about how long should this be stretched? Hold it for 30 seconds? Go on and off? Elisabet: Usually I'll do it really what you're comfortable with. So all of this is based on where you're feeling those benefits and you're feeling that comfort. Usually, I start with 30 seconds on each side and go back and forth twice. Brad: So listen to your body. Elisabet: Listen to your body. Brad: It should not create any sharp pain. If there is, it's a red flag, stop it. A nice comfortable stretch. Let's go to the next exercise. Elisabet: All right, Kyle. So I want to show you a good stretch that you can do in the morning or the evening to just get some more motion going there in that shoulder. And it's called a sleeper stretch. So what you're going to do is you're going to lay on the side of your painful shoulder here, and then you're going to take this hand and you're going to move the palm towards the table. And then you can use your other hand and add a little bit more pressure. Just like with that last exercise, you're staying within what is comfortable for you. So don't push it down too hard, stay where you feel that nice little stretch and hang out there for a little bit. And then you can come off and just take a little break and move that shoulder around and go into it again. Brad: So, the elbow, do we want it at your side or out in front? Elisabet: We want it out in front. So you want this to be like a right angle with your body. Arm straight away from you as far as it can go. Brad: What if it's his left arm? Still a right angle? Elisabet: Still a right angle. Brad: I had to get something in there. Kyle: All right, so here's another alternative you can do to those sustained stretches, and that's using a tennis ball or a lacrosse ball. We're going to use a tennis ball here. It's got a nice little squish to it, so it's not very painful. And so, the way this is going to work is you're just going to put that tennis ball right where the muscle is. Kyle: Good, right on that pec minor. And then using that fancy wall again, you're just going to go ahead and put your chest between or against the wall there and just press into that ball. And I want you to think about doing little circles or going up and down along that muscle. When you find a pretty tender spot, just stop on that spot. Brad: I found it. Kyle: You found one? Brad: I found it. Yeah, right there. Kyle: Perfect. So stop on that spot and do small little circles about the size of a dime right on that spot. Brad: For how long? Kyle: So that one, again, it's going to be a comfort thing, but about 30 seconds is great. Brad: Sure. Kyle: So this is just an alternative to stretching. Brad: I'm comfortably done. Kyle: Good. You felt a good spot there. And you can do the same thing right on the backside too. So just like that sleeper stretch we were working on, you can just put the ball between the wall and the shoulder. Brad: Let's show them. Okay. So take your tennis ball, take your sock off, and put the tennis ball in your sock. Okay, now you see I've got matching socks and shirt. You do not have to have matching, but anyway, take the ball and we're going to put it back behind your shoulder. So it's much easier if you just have the ball in the sock, it's hard to get it in there without dropping it. It's a good way to control it. Kyle: That's perfect. And so, you're doing the same thing as you were on that front side of just looking for a tender spot. Find it, stay on it, and do those little circles. Brad: And I'm going to go in right by my spine. I don't know if it needs it for the shoulder, but it sure feels good. Elisabet: Well, you've got muscles that connect to your shoulder that go all the way over to your spine, so it makes sense that working on your spine would help here too. Brad: Right. Why don't you point out exactly where we want to work? Kyle: Right, so we're working right here. You basically take the shoulder, go up a little bit, and right on the back. That's what we're aiming for. But feel free, to go all the way along the shoulder blade, go right along the spine. There are a lot of muscles that can get tender here. So hit all of those. It's not going to hurt anything. Brad: All right, let's go to the next one. Kyle: All right, so one more muscle that we're going to be looking at stretching here is called the serratus anterior. Now it's a fancy muscle. It's one of the coolest-looking muscles in the body, but it grabs on from the shoulder blade and wraps around your ribs. Just kind of a spiderweb or fingers coming around. And so, a way that we can think about strengthening this one is called a wall pushup. You're just going to get into 90/90 in front of the wall. So you got that nice angle. We're not getting the shoulders coming up very high when you do this. We're going to keep them down nice and low. Then think about pressing the elbows and forearms through the wall and think about getting your back as far away from the wall as possible. So you're going to be rounding your shoulder blades around. Brad: So this is a subtle movement, and if we look at the shoulder blade of the scapula, it's going to slide on that rib cage and work those subtle muscles in there that you don't see. Do you feel them working, Elisabet? Elisabet: Oh yeah, I feel them. Brad: It's one of those exercises that doesn't look like much, but you will feel it work and it's very important to keep that shoulder blade stabilized. Kyle: Exactly. Elisabet: All right Kyle, so for that strengthening exercise for those small muscles around your shoulder, I'm going to have you put this towel underneath your elbow and wedge it between your body and your arm. Kyle: Got it. Elisabet: And then you're going to grab onto that band there, and then you're going to pull that hand away from your side, taking care to make sure that the towel isn't slipping or falling to the floor. Kyle: Sure because If I let that elbow out and it drops, that lets me know that I flared that shoulder. Elisabet: And that's telling me that you're using the wrong muscles. All right, so for this next one, this is just a progression of the exercise we just looked at. And for this one, you're going to take something and you're going to use it to support your arm so that it is straight out from your side. So you could be sitting next to a table, or a pile of pillows underneath your arm, and that'll elevate it up. And then this time you're going to be bringing that wrist up again like you were bringing it out last time, but now it's going to be raising up as if you're going to be bringing your arm back to throw a ball. Kyle: And that one's a lot harder. Elisabet: This one is a lot harder. So you want to make sure you're good at the one on your side first before you try and go up here. Or maybe use a little bit easier of a band. Kyle: Whew! Brad: How many reps did you say? Elisabet: So for both of those, you're going to want to do eight of them three times. So three sets of eight. Brad: All right, man, I'd like to say thank you for coming, for showing these excellent exercises and great research. You can goodbye or say hi to anybody you want. Kyle: Well, thanks for having us. This was so much fun and yeah, this was really cool. Hi mom, how are you? Elisabet: I mean, I always love talking about the new research and the stuff that's out there, so thank you so much, Brad, for having us. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin, Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat, Clapper, Threads Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager Weighted Heating Pad Hand Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stress Balls Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

There are common daily habits that can contribute to or perpetuate hip pain. We discuss many of these habits in the other videos of this Hip Pain series. In this video, we will provide a brief discussion of each habit. 1. Sitting for prolonged periods. Prolonged sitting can contribute to hip pain (especially if the knees are higher than the hips- for example in a low chair). (See PHOTO). 2. Sitting unevenly. For example, placing more weight on one hip. 3. Standing uneven. Putting more weight on one side. 4. Standing for prolonged periods. 5. Walking incorrectly without using a gait aid. Many people attempt walking without a gait aid, even if it results in an obvious limp. 6. Not participating in a walking program. 7. Walking incorrectly with a gait aid. Using the gait aid incorrectly or on the wrong side. 8. Lying in bed incorrectly (either on the painful hip or without a pillow for support). 9. Being too stationary throughout the day. Not moving often enough. Not participating in a walking program. 10. Using a bicycle or seated elliptical with the seat adjusted too low. 11. Not wearing proper footwear. Standing on concrete or hard surfaces without footwear with cushioning soles in your shoes or using a cushioning mat. 12. Exercising incorrectly. Putting unnecessary stress on the hip when there are alternatives - e.g., Avoiding hills with walking/running. Incorrect form when exercising. Lifting weights incorrectly. Check out the full Hip Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/hip-pain-relief-program

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in April of 2023. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAlh_L7JCvU Brad: Posture, posture, posture. Mike: What about it? Brad: Posture certainly makes you look better, feel better, as well as move better. Mike: We are going to show you three steps to perfect your posture, as well as two mistakes that we commonly see. Brad: Alright. It's been proven over time that a person can remember three steps, three certain things, but once you get past three, it kind of gets difficult. I decided to make three steps to get perfect posture. But before we get into that- Mike: There are major problems that most people do when they are trying to correct their posture. Brad: Right. We're going to show you those plus the three of course, and then we're going to have some fun doing this because we are fun people. Mike: Fun. Brad: All right. What I'd like to address is the first mistake, when people, really with good intentions, say, "Stand tall, shoulders back." It's in the right direction, but it's over-exaggerated. Mike will demonstrate. He's standing tall, shoulders back, pulling tight here, but you can see the wrinkles in his shirt. It's exaggerated, that's too much. Brad: These muscles will fatigue and things are going to get painful. Let's relax once, Mike. Pull the shoulders back in a relaxed manner. That's what we'd like to do. Keep that in mind. Brad: Let's go to mistake number two, Mike. Mike: All right, mistake number two, we commonly see, when people stand up tall, they lock their knees. That is a big no-no, because that's going to put a lot more tension on your knees, and your back, and your hips, and everywhere going down the line. Mike: What you want to do is stand with a soft bent knee and still have upright posture. Don't lock them out. Brad: Excellent point, Mike. Once again, we'll go on to the three steps. Okay, we're just going to use a stick for a straight edge, because it's going to help give you a good demonstration of what we're looking for. We want to have the sacrum, or  the belt line touching this straight line or the stick, between the shoulders, and we have to eliminate this gap at the head. Brad: Okay, I know a lot of people do not have a stick five-foot-long to do this, but everyone has a wall, so that's what we're going to use the three step for, that same concept. Let's go to the wall. All right, the first step of the three is, again, using the wall. Mike, go ahead and go through the first step. Mike: You're going to put your butt up against the wall, and then you're going to want to bring your shoulders back. As I'm doing this, I'm not squeezing like we talked about earlier. That's a mistake. You want to lift your chest up and it's naturally going to have good posture. Mike: Step two is bringing your head. You can see my head is not touching the wall. You want to bring it back to touch the wall comfortably. I'm not pressing hard and thumping my head against the wall. As you can see now, my ears should be over my shoulders. That is for good posture. Brad: One of the biggest mistakes that I've worked with people is, they touch their head and they're head is tilted up. They may have tighttness in the back of their neck or shoulders. Mike: Yes, you're basically doing a chin tuck is what you're doing. Brad: You could do a couple of chin tucks just to stretch things out. Tuck it right in. Brad: Tuck that chin in. It seems tight. We'll work on that later, Mike. Mike: And, step number three, like we talked about earlier, is keeping a loose bent knee. You do not want to lock your knees. My legs are not touching the wall. My feet are comfortably out against the wall. But this should be good posture to start with. Brad: Okay. Once you've done the three steps, you are in perfect posture. One of the most common comments I've had from patients over the years, I'll say, "Keep that posture," and they'll say, "This feels really weird." It's like, "Yeah, because your posture has not been so good over the years. Now we need to change it." Do this every day, three times a day, and you will obtain muscle memory, perfect posture, less pain, you're better-looking. Mike: I'm better looking. Brad: ... you're better looking. I won't get better looking from anything. Mike: Oh, okay. Brad: I'm a lost cause in that case. But anyway, do you have anything more to say? Mike: If you have any suggestions for correcting your posture, comment down below. It's also important to remember these problems when you're sitting too, because if you're hunched over, it's going to cause problems. Brad: We have a video on that too, "5 Sitting Posture Checks You Should Do RIGHT NOW." Mike: Check it out. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin, Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat, Clapper, Threads Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager Weighted Heating Pad Hand Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stress Balls Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in May of 2023. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/dYOglvA7Zp8 Mike: Did you know that 80% of adults will experience back pain at some point in their life? And this can have a major effect on how good you feel, limit your everyday activities and you're just not going to be as happy. Brad: That's right. We've seen this in the clinic year after year, actually, decades. Well, one decade for Mike, Bob, and I, for decades. But the thing about back pain is it does not only affect your back, but it affects your mood. You can get very ornery when your back is uncomfortable, as well as you become less active, which also can lead to weight gain. It's a bad thing; we can help you out. Mike: We're going to help you by showing you six core exercises that'll help protect your back and let you stay active and even function at a high level like you would like to. Brad: Believe it or not, a strong core, strong back. All right. Now, the big thing with lower back pain, if you look at the lower back or the lumbar spine, you can see there's nothing around to support it except for muscles. Brad: If you look at the upper back, you have the rib cage and those structures that offer a lot of support, almost like a back belt. Brad: So your muscles, your core muscles, the abdominal muscles, your transverse muscles, and the back muscles, all can be worked and strengthened to provide strong support, giving your back what it needs to be active. Mike: So if these muscles are nice and strong, they'll keep your lordotic curve or your spine in the right position, decreasing the amount of pain. And when these muscles engage, it'll take the pressure off of that painful area. Brad: Lordotic curve, I like that term. It's the arch in the back. Let's go to work on the next phase. Now, if you happen to have very acute back pain, in other words, they're very tender right now, these exercises will have to wait until it settles down and you want to start working into getting stronger again. For those people who have not had back pain or who've had back pain but it feels better, it's ideal, to strengthen the back to prevent future back pain. Mike: So the four core muscles we are going to be talking about here, three of them are abdominal muscles and one is a pair of back muscles. The first one you're going to target is the rectus abdominis, which is known as the six-pack. The next is the transverse abdominis, which starts in the front and wraps all the way around to your back. You typically work these when you're doing, say, a plank exercise, that's when you'll feel that transverse abdominis. The third abdominal muscle is the obliques, they are on both sides and they go in a diagonal fashion, they go both ways. They help with side bending, keeping you upright. The last muscle group is the back. We're just going to call them the lumbar paraspinals because this is the area of the low back you want to strengthen up to keep your spine in the correct position. Brad: Right. I think probably that last set of muscles, that gets missed out on a lot of programs. And the other thing about this program, it's going to strengthen all four of these, and two of the positions are going to be standing, weight-bearing, the way that your body functions when you're pushing, when you're pulling, when you're lifting, you're standing. So you want to train your body to be strong in your back while in those positions. A lot of core exercises skip that altogether, so we've got you covered. Mike: So for all of these exercises, we want you to start with 10 reps of each of them. Eventually, over time, you can build up your repetitions to either 30 reps total or 50 reps, depending on how active you are and how well you can endure these exercises. Brad: Right. Don't overdo it, keep it low, and an important part, if you've never done these exercises before, don't do them every day. Start with a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday routine, so the muscles can relax and rebuild for a day. After a couple of weeks or more, if it's feeling strong and you're not getting sore muscles, then you can progress and eventually go to five, maybe six days a week. I never recommend seven days a week, always one day for rest, but that's down the road a little bit. So again, three days a week to start and get those muscles engaged. Mike: I think we should also add that if any of these increase your back pain, don't do that exercise, it's probably not for you. Brad: Right. Either not doing it properly or it's just not your exercise. The first exercise we're going to work on is these muscles in the front, the very common exercise with some basic situps, but we're going to show the situps so that it protects your back, very important. So you can do these on your bed if it's a firm bed or on a carpeted floor, works very well. Mike is going to demonstrate here, lying on your back and this hook lying position knees up, you're going to take your hand so that you can position your back properly. His fingers are right under the low back and he's going to push down and squish his fingers a little bit and that puts your back in a good neutral position. While you're doing the exercise, Mike, I want you to keep that pressure on those fingers, okay? So it's simply, I call this double knee to chest, bring the knees up and back down, but while you do it, be very much aware of how you're maintaining pressure on those fingers. And it's very much more difficult and it's very appropriate, it's the best way to do core exercise. How are you doing Mike? Mike: I'm doing good. Brad: After you get done with 10 of these, you're good. Now, the other option for this, is if you happen to be, and there probably will not be many people, but if you have a large ball at home for exercises, you can do it this way. The advantage of using the ball is you don't need to put your hands under there. This is the way I do them, and I don't put my hands there. It works very well, it keeps your back protected. And the hard part is getting a hold of the ball. Once you get that down, you're fine. I've found if I wear my shoes, the heels of my shoes grab into the ball and I do it with shorts on, because your skin grips onto the ball. Again, do not purchase a ball for this exercise unless you really want to. It's not necessary, just do it the original way like I told Mike. Brad: Let's go to number two. We're going to work those oblique muscles that kind of come in at an angle like this. That's why they're called obliques. Again, lie on your side, you can do this again on the bed or the floor. You're going to put your arms like this so your palms are on your shoulders or close to it, knees up, and the goal is if you just think about taking your left elbow, bring it towards your right knee at the same time. So the elbow is moving forward, and the knee's coming together. You do not have to touch, but if you can, that's fine. Go ahead. And Mike's going to just show this slowly. And this should be done relatively slowly. You don't want to go through it fast. You're going to engage those oblique muscles which are critical for that rotation stability. Mike: Again, make sure your lower back is pushing into the mat when you're doing this, you do not want to round your shoulders up when reaching because it's going to put more pressure on your spine, increasing your back pain. Brad: Right. The other little point is, don't flex your neck forward, try and keep your head in the position as it is when you're lying down. We call that the neutral position protective spine. All right, the next one we're going to talk about is going to strengthen these muscles in the back that do get forgotten sometimes. So we're going to show it in two different manners. If you're a beginner at this, you go to a countertop, we're using the bed as a countertop. It'll probably be a little higher, which is good being in a position like Mike is. And to start with, we're going to break this down from the very beginning. Just take one arm and bring it out in front of you, and then down, and then alternate it. Brad: Now, that seems like it may not be doing much, you're thinking that's just shoulders, but it's not, that's engaging the muscles all the way down to the belt at a lower level. Now, if that's too easy, stop that and alternate leg lifting. Notice his knees are straight, you must do this with your knees straight. You're getting some hip muscles in there, but that low back is going to town right now and you will feel that. Brad: If you do 10 of those on each leg and it feels pretty easy, then we go to the whole goal and the optimal strengthening for your back. This is quite a bit harder, it's going to work your balance. So you're going to go up with one arm and the opposite leg lift. And that engages the full-back at an angle. Feel quite a bit harder, Mike? Mike: Yeah. To kind of make it more challenging, bring your feet further out if you feel safe doing that. You can also get good activation this way, it just makes it a little more challenging, but the advanced or normal version of this exercise, we will show next on the mat. Brad: Are you getting tired? Mike: A little. Brad: I'm not a bit. I feel pretty good, my back's feeling stronger. Mike: Good for you. Brad: Let's go. Okay, now this next one, we call it the pointer dog. This is advanced, you may not get to this point and that's okay, it depends on the level you feel you want a challenge. You're probably not going to do this one on the bed; on a carpeted floor is much better because it's wobbly, and it works your balance a lot. Now, when Mike is doing this, one arm goes out and the opposite leg goes out. Try and keep everything on the same plane. In other words, you can see everything is even. Brad: Now, one thing that Mike is doing that you need to focus on is he's contracting his abdominal muscles, trying to maintain that core so the back does not overarch. Do you feel that Mike? Mike: Yes. Brad: Do you want to talk about that just a little bit? Because that is important in this exercise. Mike: Even though you're moving your arms and your legs, your focus should still be on your core muscles themselves, because that's going to keep your spine in the correct posture. It's working your transverse abdominis a little bit and the rectus abdominis, those front muscles of the abdominal wall there. But you just want to make sure you're engaging it, I'm almost trying to give myself a beer belly pushing to engage those muscles as I am moving my feet and my arms out. Brad: Excellent. Again, this is advanced. You may not get to it and that's just fine. You're going to get a strong core with the other option. Okay, number four, this one's going to work; side motions in that core. You're going to lie down like Mike is here. This, you can do on the bed. If it's too soft a bed, again, the floor will work better. Go ahead Mike, tell them what you're doing. Mike: So you're going to start with your knees touching and not your feet, the feet are a little more advanced. So what you're going to do is put your elbow into the mat on this side and you're going to lift your core towards the ceiling. Make sure to go straight up, don't rotate too much forward or back. If you can't even do this, you could take your other arm and push and help use that core muscles to push up. We're going to do repetitions here, so try to do 10 reps if that's possible. If this is problematic or hard, maybe just do a few reps to start. You can also possibly hold these like a plank if you find that a little easier; it's just an option, you don't have to do it. Mike: Just start with 10 repetitions. Now, if you want to make it a little more advanced, just straighten your legs. You're going to put the pressure through your feet and lift your whole body off the ground here. So you're going to lift up and then back down. You don't need to go way up, you're just kind of going to a neutral straight-line position. Brad: I do want to emphasize this is probably the most difficult of all these exercises. If you have a history of back problems or if this creates any pain, it's not comfortable in that back, just omit this one. I just think for some people, it's going to be helpful. For people who are not as strong or have a history of back pain, just skip this one, and go to the next one. Mike: And make sure to do both sides. Brad: Yes, absolutely. Otherwise, you'll walk crooked or in circles. We'll have none of that. All right, for the next two exercises, the last two, there is one thing you do need to have, some resistance bands. This is critical, these are those weight-bearing, upright standing exercises that make a big difference so that you can function while lifting and pulling things, and you'll understand that as soon as we demonstrate. Then once you get your bands, it's nice to get the ones with the handles. Usually, bands come in a set of four or five, the lightest color is the least resistance, yellow typically, and red is one of the lighter ones, and then you just need a place to anchor the bands. Mike is going to talk about that a little. Mike: You can use a railing that you have in your house. You can use maybe a bedpost, something that's sturdy and not going to move when you pull it. You don't want to use a chair because it's probably going to fall over. Just make sure it's nice and sturdy and just wrap the band around it so it won't move. Brad: You can actually open a door up, and we've done this with many patients over the years, and you just put it around the door knob with a door open and that'll be very safe as well. We are going to use wall anchors that work very well, they're on the wall and they're available for you if you want, but whatever works for you. Let's go ahead with the exercises. All right, to start this, we have it at chest level. You do not have to have it here, if your bedpost or your rails are lower, that's just fine. So anchor it. You can probably use two bands and double this, or you could just do one band. Mike's feeling strong today so he's going to double it up, that's the nice thing about bands, you vary the resistance by how close you are to that anchoring point. So this is easy and the farther you step away, the more resistance you get. The resistance level is infinite and that's a big advantage to using bands. Go ahead, Mike. Mike: So, start with a yellow band like Brad said before, if that's easy, you can progress in bands, but you want to get it nice and taut. What I'm going to do is stand in a straddle position, they say, so it's kind of like a low squat position, pretend like you're riding a horse or something. You don't have to bounce though. So, bring your arms out, you could do this a couple of different ways. You can either just bring it towards your chest and push it straight out, that's a little bit easier version to try first. Mike: Do slow controlled reps and this is working your entire core, so all four of those muscle groups talked about at the beginning are working to stabilize. If they weren't right now, I'd be pulling over. Now, if you want a little more advanced, Brad likes to call this stir the pot. So it's like you're stirring a pot. Brad: I think Bob started it. Mike: Oh, Bob started it. So you just make a circle motion like you're stirring a pot. You can do this either way, I guess you can go like you're evily stirring a witches' kettle or you could just do circles. This is a lot harder and takes time. Go slow and controlled, it makes it work a lot harder. Brad: This is one of those exercises that looks easy, but as you can tell Mike is kind of grunting and groaning here a little bit, this really works the core. Brad: Imagine if you're pulling a lawnmower, pushing a lawnmower, or opening a heavy door, this is the way that you're going to simulate it the best. This one as well as the next standing exercise. How are you feeling, Mike? Mike: Good. You want to make sure to do both directions with this, because this will work your lateral side a little more if you're going one direction versus the other. Brad: Yep. Okay, and the last one is going to work the obliques and the transverse abdominis, which is critical for activities like shoveling snow, if you're raking leaves, when you're making the bed in you're pulling off all those blankets at the same time. Perfect crossover with this exercise. Mike, go ahead, let's talk about it. Mike: So again, you're going to use the tension of the band to dictate how hard the exercise becomes for you. So you're going to start in a straight arm position like the last one, but this one, you're going to keep your arms there and you're going to rotate your trunk. Now, you don't want to do it the wrong way, meaning my pelvis would stay forward and just my back twists. Mike: This doesn't feel as good, it's a lot harder, it can compromise your back, make it more painful. You want to rotate at the hips as you're doing this, so arm straight, twisting my pelvis to the side as I'm going like this. Brad: I think this is one thing that Bob has said to his patients over the years. Imagine you have a brace that wraps around your whole trunk so it stays still. And really going to motion at the hips and back, there and back. Now, if you're just starting this, you may only want to go a little like half that distance that Mike is going. And you're going to find that that'll give you plenty of resistance. If it's not enough, step away from the wall, another six inches, it will be enough. Mike: If it's too hard, you can also do the single band, like we mentioned in the previous exercise. So again, straight arm, you probably can't see it from your angle. Slightly bent knees and you're going to rotate at the hips, keeping the back as straight as you can. Brad: So do it without rotating your hips. This represents hip motion. Right there, you can see nothing's happening, now rotate the hips. And if I keep this in line with the pelvis there, you can see much more motion, keeping the stress off of the back and making those muscles do the work. Muscles work well, the spine is there for structure, not for the work. What do you say to that, Mike? Was that fun? Mike: Yes, it was great fun. Brad: Actually, get that core strong. Again, three times a week is a good way to start with this. Progress to more if it feels like you need more of a challenge. So strong backs, strong mind, strong body. Mike: Strong like bull. Brad: There you go. All right, enjoy the day. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin, Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat, Clapper, Threads Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager Weighted Heating Pad Hand Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stress Balls Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

We are going to address three main areas to improve your balance and decrease your risks for fall/hip injuries. Strength Need for an assistive device. Home Environment Strength: As we become older and less mobile and active, our bodies can experience a significant decline in overall strength. Decreased leg strength can greatly affect balance. Here are three standard exercises we recommend to help improve lower extremity strength and balance: 1. Sit-to stands: Variations include the use of armrests, the use of a pad or pillow to raise the surface, the use of just one armrest, pushing off own thighs, no help with arms, arms held out straight in front. (2 sets of 10) 2. Standing hip abductions. Stand behind a chair or hold onto a counter or sink and raise one leg out to the side with your toe pointed straight ahead. Perform 10 repetitions. Repeat with the other leg. (2 sets of 10) 3. Ankle strengthening. Perform Ziggy Zags. Go out about 10 feet and come back. Repeat. Need for assistive device: You may have heard the saying, “Pride goeth before a fall.” Now while this saying was not meant to refer to a physical fall, we see this frequently. People are too proud to use an assistive device, and hence they fall. We find it interesting that in many cases an extreme limp occurs because an assistive device is not used- which draws more attention to a person than a cane would. Watch our upcoming video, How to Walk with Hip Pain using a Cane, Walker, Walking Stick, etc. to help you choose an appropriate aid. Home Environment: Many falls and broken bones occur in the home and could have been prevented with some simple changes. This Home Safety Checklist was compiled from several sources but the bulk of it was taken from the AARP Preventing Falls Checklist. These simple changes can cut a person’s risk for falling in half. HOME SAFETY CHECKLIST All Rooms: Install carpet with short, dense pile. Secure rugs with double-sided carpet tape. Use non-skid, no-wax flooring. Make thresholds even with the floor. Arrange furniture so you can easily get around it. Reposition electrical and extension cords out of the way. Keep exits and hallways open. Use stable chairs with armrests to help you get up. Provide bright, evenly distributed light. Use lampshades that reduce glare. Put light switches and electrical outlets within easy reach. Glow-in-the-dark switches may be helpful. Use nightlights. Don’t leave anything on the floor that might cause you to trip. Remove low coffee tables, magazine racks, footrests, and plants from pathways in rooms. Keep electric, appliance, and telephone cords out of your pathways, but do not put cords under a rug. Place carpeting over concrete, ceramic, and marble floors to lessen the severity of injury if you fall. Repair loose wooden floorboards immediately. Throw away wobbly chairs, ladders, and tables. Do not sit in a chair or on a sofa that is so low it is difficult for you to stand up. Beware of furniture that may tip and could fall on a person (if pulled on). Tall shelves with narrow depth are an example. They should be secured to the wall. Stairs Install handrails on both sides of stairways at the best height for you. Make sure the steps are even and in good shape. Check that the carpet adheres firmly along stairs; repair or replace worn carpet. Choose a carpet that does not hide step edges or create illusions such as steps that appear deeper than they are. Remove rugs at the top or bottom of stairways and secure all other rugs firmly to the floor. Use good lighting (at least 60-watt bulbs) in stairways; install on-off switches at the top and bottom of stairs. Provide enough light to see each step and the top and bottom landings. Make sure the stairs are clear of all objects. Watch out for a single step—people often trip when there is only one step. Consider installing motion detector lights, which turn on automatically and light your stairway. If you have bare-wood steps, put nonslip treads on each step. Kitchen Throw away broken stepstools. Use only a stepstool with an attached handrail so that you are supported. Clean spills immediately to avoid slipping. Walk on floors only after cleaning solutions have dried thoroughly. Do away with floor wax or use nonskid floor wax. Do not stand on the countertops. Do not stand on chairs or boxes to reach upper cabinets. Bathroom Use rubber bathmats or strips in bathtubs and showers. Install at least two grab bars in the shower/bath. Install grab bars on the bathroom walls near the toilet. Clean up water from the floor. Secure bathroom rugs to the floor. Use raised toilet seats and install handrails within reach. Always use a night light. Replace glass shower enclosures with non-shattering material. Mount a liquid soap dispenser on the bathtub/shower wall. Use a sturdy, plastic seat in the bathtub if you are unsteady or if you cannot lower yourself to the floor of the tub. Outside Brightly light all paths and stoops. Install handrails along any flight of outdoor steps. Spread sand or salt on icy walkways. Keep steps, sidewalks, decks, and porches clear of newspapers, sticks, rocks, wet leaves, and other debris. Repair broken or uneven pavement on walkways and driveways. Remove roots that protrude from the ground. Clean spills immediately, especially oily ones on concrete or asphalt. Bedroom Place a lamp and flashlight near your bed. Sleep on a bed that is easy to get into and out of. Install nightlights along the route between the bedroom and the bathroom. Keep a telephone near your bed. Tips Use non-skid contrasting tape, rubber stair treads, or coated, skid-resistant treatment on non-carpeted stairs; apply tape to dry, clean surfaces at one-inch intervals; use three long strips of tape on each step. Take your time and pay attention when you are on the stairs. Be especially careful when you carry large loads. Do not wear shoes you can slip in. Be especially careful when you: Cannot reach the handrails. Cannot grasp them properly because they’re an awkward shape. Encounter uneven steps, obstacles on the steps, or non-skid treads that are too small. Find floor wax, surfaces in poor repair, worn tread surfaces, or poorly secured floor Coverings on your floors. Experience distractions around you. Be careful on holidays, weddings, and other big gatherings with lots of people. Distractions are common and so are losses of balance. Beware of sit-to-stand chairs. These are the recliners that can rise with the push of a switch. We have found that people who use them become dependent on them and eventually their legs get weaker and weaker. If a sit-to-stand chair is needed it should be raised as little as possible. The person using it should still have to work to get from sitting to standing. Using the chair minimally will help maintain the user’s lower extremity strength. Check out the full Hip Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/hip-pain-relief-program