This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in July of 2022. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/IkUNt4QBtA0 Brad: Have you been diagnosed with sacroiliac joint pain or SI? Right, well, this joint is a little bit mysterious by its location. And a number of other things. It's located right here between the ileum and the sacrum. Bob: Right between the pelvis. Brad: Yep. Right there where my fingers hit. So we're going to show you some simple exercises where you can maybe pop that into place, or at least get some quick relief. I've done it myself and with patients and we're going to show you in 9.3 seconds. How is that Bob? Bob: It's alright. Brad: Some typical symptoms of SI joint pain. Oftentimes people complain it worsens pain there when you're walking if you're standing in one spot for a while and going up and down steps typically. Bob: Stairs, right. One-legged activities are the worst. Brad: Particularly if you step off of a curb on that side and it shoots some pain to that spot. So weight bearing will go through this joint because it goes through the leg and here, are we zoomed in on this? Here's the SI joint and its subtle movement. Bob: Very little movement. Brad: Yep. It's not like the hip. And so we're just trying to get this to move a little bit to get back where it belongs to relieve the stress. So we'll show you some easy techniques for this. Okay. Here we go. We're going to show you how to get that joint to go back where it belongs and just interestingly enough one of our cameramen said he thought the pelvis was one bone, but it's actually three. Bob: And you have used this yourself. Brad: Oh absolutely. Yeah. My right SI gives me occasional problems. Easy to treat for myself. I've got this down to a science. Okay. Now with all of these techniques, it should feel good. If it increases the pain, we're moving in the wrong direction. Alright. Now the easiest one for me, now the only thing bad about this one is you need a massage gun. So if you have one, great, if you don't, don't go out and buy one, if you don't want. Just wait for the next options. One thing about the SI joint, there's no real muscle over the top of it. So you need an air-head attachment. Okay. They pop off and any good massage gun will come with it. Bob: They’re nice and soft. Brad: Yep. Five different heads. Get the soft air one out. I'll demonstrate this right now. This is how I do it. I lay down on the floor. This has five different levels. This happens to be the C2 Bob and Brad gun because we like them so much we put our name on them and I just work over that SI joint. And as we do it right now, it feels good. And when I go down lower, it feels better. So I'm going to work in that area more. I may only spend 30 seconds to a minute working on this but boy, it feels good while I'm doing it. And when I get done doing it, it feels good. And it feels good when I'm up and weight-bearing. Bob: How long is the carryover? Brad: The carryover is pretty good. Now I haven't had any SI problems for a while, but it is one of those things where if you could walk a hundred feet and it starts to hurt, then you use a massage gun. You should get 200 to 300 feet or even more. Bob: Times two or times three. Brad: Yeah. And if it feels better, then you know you're onto something. Use this regularly throughout the day, you know even at work, just lay down and massage your SI joint. Bob: There we go. Brad: See what everyone else says, you know. Bob: They're already talking about you. Brad: Alright, we're going to go on to number two. Okay. This technique is called a muscle energy technique, known by many therapists. Let's say Bob's right SI joint is the one that's problematic. He's going to interlock his fingers around his knee. And now he's going to push his knee away from him but his hands are going to resist. Bob: If my hands weren't there, my leg would go down to the mat. Brad: Yep. It becomes an isometric exercise. He's going to push as hard as he can for six seconds. And while you're doing that, if it feels like a good relief pain or a good sensation in the SI area you're going to do it two more times. If it hurts, when you do it, you stop. You're moving in the wrong direction. So let's say he did it once, it felt good. Pull it a little bit closer to your chest. There you go. Repeat the step. And the last one, you even pull closer if it feels better. You could take this hand and wrap it right around your knee and forget clasping. And I've had patients do that, but that's pretty flexible. People would do it that way. So there you go. Bob: There you go. Brad: Okay. Now we're going to do another muscle energy technique. You can use a stick. You can use a cane. We're going to use a Booyah Stik because it's very easy to see with the red color. You put it under one knee and then over the other thigh. And then it's kind of an interesting move. You're going to push the right knee down and you're going to take the left knee and pull it up. So you're doing a scissors technique, but the stick or the cane prevents any movement. And you're actually doing an isometric or muscle energy technique for six seconds. So go ahead, Bob, and push. Brad: Now, if Bob's hands weren't prevented the stick from moving, the stick would twist and fall out. So you have to hold strong with your hands and arms. And again, if it feels good on that painful spot, you know you're in the right ballpark. You're going to do it three times and you're going to do it multiple times throughout the day. You can try it in the other direction just switch legs, so the thigh is on the other side of the stick, the knee is on the other side, and then try it that direction. You're only going to do it in the direction that makes it feel better. And it's possible you won't get any response in both directions. Then you're going to go on to the next option, which we're going to show you. Okay, I wanted to mention this earlier but you may or you may not hear that pop, as it says in the title. We don't really care if it pops or not. What we do care about is that it feels better. That's the key point. If it pops, that's fine. If it doesn't and it feels better, that's just as good. So the next thing is, while you're there you're going to slide your hips off the edge of the bed. Bob: Just one hip. Brad: Yep. Just one hip, not the shoulders. And then we're going to let the right leg go down and grab the other leg like Bob's doing and we're going to see how it responds that way. It makes a difference, doesn't it, Bob, when you pull that up higher and you can see, you know with patients I've actually had them pull up and I'd give gentle pressure on the leg hanging down to see if that felt better. Only continue to push there if it feels better. Brad: Alright, we're going to go on, I think we're on number five. This is my personal go-to. Bob: Yeah, you do this a lot. Brad: Yes I do. For maintenance as well as when it's irritated. I'll take a stool or the stairs works as well. I get something about this high and I just lean forward with my back straight and then I drop my pelvis in. And actually right now this feels good. It's a good stretch. I will push my knee away from me. This one is from Kelly Starrett. That little modification I got from him. So again, if this feels good, work it. Bob: It should feel good. 100%. Brad: 10 to 20 seconds. If it hurts, you do not do it. You might want to try the other leg and see how it responds to that one. If it feels good on that side and not on the other, you'll only do the one that feels good. Follow the rules only if it feels good. Alright. And the final, but not least, this isn't really a technique. Now, if you really have some SI pain and you work with these and you're not having success which actually I did have a case of this two years ago on vacation all my tricks weren't helping. I went to this book written by Deborah Riczo. The name of the book is "Sacroiliac Pain: Understanding The Pelvic Girdle Musculoskeletal Method". Anyway, she goes through, explains it, and she has a really nice system. I went through that, it took more time, but it was successful. I got through it and now I continue with the other ones we went through. So the old sacroiliac, you can work with it, you have to be able to live with it one way or another. Bob: We can fix it too, right? Brad: Oh yeah, absolutely. Bob: But we can't fix... Brad: –A broken heart. But yeah, maybe Deb could help us with that. Bob: Somebody needs to help us. Brad: Yeah. Yeah. We're just men. 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 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 Back and Neck Massager 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 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 Wellness: Hand Warmer Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material 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/rkhsufGk4Tc Mike: If you're in your mid-50s or early 60s, you may have noticed certain changes that make your everyday tasks a little more challenging or uncomfortable. Brad: That's right Mike, and you're lucky that you have not experienced it yet, but there is good news because we've narrowed it down to six exercises that can help keep you moving, active, pain-free, and moving the way you would like to. So that's what we're going to get to today. We've got a nice little story I want to talk about putting this all together and you can relate to it. Alright, gather around, gather around, this story will take not much time, it happened a few years ago, I was 57, my brother was 60, and we grew up canoeing. We had a family canoe, very good at canoeing, and then we decided to go canoeing at the ages I just mentioned. It had been about 10 years before we stepped in a canoe prior. We stepped into the canoe and we both had this altering event. "Whoa, the canoe was wobbly, sit down," and we both thought we were going in the drink, into the lake, you know? And we both looked at each other without saying a word, we were thinking exactly the same thing. "What happened to us, this was so easy 10 years ago and now, we feel like fumbling fools," which we probably looked like. But the whole thing is, it's going to happen to you. It's like getting gray hair, et cetera, I mentioned it before, but Mike has some interesting news about this. Mike: I kind of find it funny because my dad is 69 and he does fine in a canoe yet, but anyway. Studies have recently shown that there's often a decline in muscle mass, vision, and balance as we age. So, it's important to work on all those things as you age, so you can go canoeing like Brad wants to. Brad: But there are also a number of studies that consistently show if you work on these things as you age, you can combat that decline and stay moving and healthy. Mike: So, we're going to show you six exercises you can do. You don't need to do them at the gym, you can do them at home or go outside, and no extra money is needed. Brad: So, these six exercises we've looked at and studied which ones are the best ones over our years of experience working with people. They're good exercises and the key is that you do them consistently at least three times a week and they're going to show benefits in your daily life. Alright, now these exercises do address a broad range of activities. So if you are just working on trying to improve your walking, improve your ability to do housework or get dressed, or you want to advance to playing golf, pickleball, maybe even tennis, some of those people our age are still going that far, they're all going to fit into this. We have some options that you can work with. Mike: We do want to note a word of caution that if you've had a joint replacement or have some concerns about your health, maybe not do all these exercises or pick which ones pertain to you specifically and don't overdo it. Brad: Right, if any of these exercises create any pain while you're doing it or after, that's a red check mark, do not do that exercise and you'll know what I'm talking about. Good judgment again is always important. Alright, the first exercise is a big one for pretty much everyone. It’s the sit-to-stand. It's going to help your balance, your strength going up and down steps, getting off the ground if you're gardening, et cetera. Now, Mike is going to show different options. Everyone has a different level to start with, he's going to, start with the beginner people and as you get advanced, you'll show more difficult ones, figure out where you are and then work with that. 10 repetitions are probably going to be enough when you get your level of intensity. Go ahead, Mike. Mike: So to begin, I'm going to use some type of raised seat cushion here so it's gonna make it a little bit easier starting from a higher surface. You're going to want to scoot towards the edge of the chair to start and then push up with both hands, go up slowly, sit back down, use your hands to control it, and make sure you feel good and controlled. This is the basic beginner. If this is easy, then you can take out the pad, the same progression, and use both arms. Mike: If you're like, "This is a piece of cake, Brad," try one arm. Just go up with one arm, push, and control, and try to make the legs do more of the work than the arm, they're here for support and balance. If you need them to push, you can, but try to avoid it. Brad: I did want to just say if you don't happen to have a cushion like that, we often use pillows with people, a throw pillow, anything to elevate you. One inch of elevation makes a tremendous difference in the ease for the people who need that. Mike: Now, if you don't need arm support, the next progression would be to fold your arms across your chest like this and then you're going to stand up and then sit down, make sure not to lean forward and round your back and then come up. Try to keep a nice, straight posture as you're doing it, sitting at the edge of the chair really helps with this. Now, say you feel unbalanced getting down, but you're strong, you can certainly reach back to make sure the chair's there, or you can simply touch your calves against the chair and then sit down. Brad: So, the word is, and we've said this over the years in the therapy clinic, no plopping. In other words, don't let yourself plop down into the chair, it's not going to do anything good for anybody. Mike: Yes, muscles strengthen going up and down. And the last progression, if you can lift your arms above your head, you can have your arms above your head and do 10 repetitions of this as well. Make sure you have your feet flat on the ground, don't just push through your heels because then you start to tip backward. Do 10 repetitions total like Brad said, and slowly progress that exercise each day. Brad: Nice work, Mike, let's go on to number two. In this second exercise, we're going to give two options, but some people may think this is really a weird exercise. It's extremely functional, it's good for range of motion, and it's good for strength, and it's simply to get down to the floor and get back up. If you have something to hold onto if you need to, if you feel at all uncomfortable with this, we have the other option coming up. So this is for the more mobile people that can do this, but we want to maintain our mobility as we age. So down to the floor, everything is controlled, down to our butt, and you can sit there for a while and do some stretching. I like this one. Really good for the hips. Then you simply roll over to one side, hand on the floor to the quadruped position. Bring one foot up, if you have a chair handy and you need it, we're going to walk up the chair. If you don't need it, just go down, that's one repetition. Brad: Down slowly, take your time, do that, maybe do a different stretch this time, and then go back up. My breath is starting to race already, I like it. Get back up. So the repetitions that you do is going to depend on how stable you are. If you're not stable, you stop, if you're getting tired, you stop, if you have joints that are hurting, then you're going to stop as well. Brad: Okay, Michael, what about the people who are not appropriate for this, we've got an excellent exercise for that. Mike: So you can just do a lunge variation if you're uncomfortable going down to the floor. So make sure to hold onto something for support, a countertop, a cane, a Booyah Stik, whatever you have. Brad: We could put a chair here and you could hold onto that, but we're going to eliminate that because you can't see. Mike: You're going to go in a staggered stance and I have something soft here because this knee is going to get down and it feels a lot better than the hard floor. So maybe if you have a pillow at home, make sure you're wearing shoes, you don't want your feet to slide out from underneath you, but you're going to hold on with your arms and try to lunge down and touch this. If you cannot touch it, it's okay, just go down to where you feel comfortable and then come back up. You're still getting some good strengthening in your leg muscles, and this is a very functional activity, an important exercise for getting off of the floor. Brad: And I do want to mention, when you start, if you haven't done this before, don't even try to touch your knee to the cushion or the floor. Just go down a little way, do five of them. If it's really easy, then progress down. But if you go down and you can't get up because you've never done it before, it's a bad situation. So work with that cautiously and progressively. Mike: Again, try to keep an upright posture with your back, you don't want to be rounded over like this the whole time doing it. Brad: That's right and, of course, do both legs. Okay, the third one specifically addresses standing balance. So the first thing is to stand simply on one foot. The goal is 30 seconds. If you can stand for 30 seconds, then you're probably quite balanced and doing very well. A lot of people may need something to hold onto. If your balance is off, you must go up to a countertop or a solid chair with both hands and attempt. Make sure you have a timer, it really helps to time this. Go for that 30 seconds. The progression, if your balance is poor, both hands for here, then one hand, and then fingertips on both hands and then fingertips on one down to one fingertip, and you're going to do that with each leg. That's just a quick way to progress. That may or may not be necessary. Mike, if you're using the stick, go ahead. Mike: Again, you can just hold it on one side or the other or both, just put it right directly in front of you. The higher the leg is, the more it's going to make you focus on your balance. It is easier with the foot closer to the ground than it is with it higher up. Make sure to switch and do both sides and try to keep as much of an upright posture as you can, try not to be swaying too much. Brad: And I think we can segue right into our number three actually. If this is working out easily for you, you're balanced, and you want a bigger challenge, when you're brushing your teeth, see if you can brush your teeth on one foot and that's a really functional way. You're working on something else while you're balancing, that's advanced, so a lot of people may not be able to do that. If you're ready, it's a nice way to work it. You have the countertop, and the sink to lean into if you need to. Mike: It's a good reminder every time you brush your teeth, work on your balance. Brad: It makes brushing your teeth fun. Mike: Do you want to show the last option here? Brad: Yes, I do. This is something you probably will not see except for by a therapist. This is a functional way to work on your balance. Get into a corner and when you get dressed in the morning, you're putting your pants on, see if you can step in one leg at a time. Yep, step through and if you're in the corner and you lose your balance, you're safe. Have a chair in front of you if needed. If you are to the point where you have a hard time doing this because things get caught, and if you're all caught up and struggling, stop this. Brad: It's only for certain people and you may start by leaning into the wall, it's probably the best way, and then as you get better, you can try it away from the wall and you know, if you're finding yourself getting your toe caught, your pinky toe is the only thing not in, very frustrating, work on that. It's a nice way to work functional balance. So, again, start leaning into the corner, do it, and progress cautiously. This is something you don't have to do. You can always sit down, and get your pants on, but it is a nice way to progress balance. Brad: Alright, let's go to number four. Okay, number four, this is interesting, very basic to start out with, but we show some walking options. So get out and walk at least five days a week. Don't go too far, make sure you're on appropriate surfaces, and make sure that you're being safe. We've got an interesting thing for your heart rate, Mike is going to talk about. Mike: Now, you can try some type of interval training with walking per se. So you can do one block, walk your normal pace, and the next block, walk a little bit quicker pace, getting that heart rate slightly elevated. You'll notice this if you're just breathing a little heavier than the following block, slow down again. You may need to walk slowly for two blocks and fast for one block, depending upon how functional you are and how far you can walk, but just go slowly. Go one block fast, one block slow, take your time, and build into it easily. Brad: And if you're tech-savvy, you got your cell phone, you can set a timer, maybe walk fast for 30 seconds, then walk slow for a minute. And then you can make it beep. I learned to do that, I feel pretty good about that. Mike: Oh congratulations. Now, when you come back from your walk, it is also good to work on walking sideways because this strengthens the different muscle groups, helps with turning in small rooms, and all sorts of benefits. So to do this, you're just going to simply step sideways, you can take small steps, to begin with, and you can progress to larger steps. You also want to focus on keeping your feet pointed forward the whole time and make sure to use support as needed. This can be done under a railing, a countertop, or using a cane. Brad: Right, 5-10 steps in each direction is more than adequate, and I want you to think about lifting your feet up higher, so you've got a few inches of gap between your feet and the floor, just a reminder so you eliminate shuffling habits that can happen with the aging process. Nice work, Mike, have you danced recently? Mike: No. Brad: Do you do any polka or any ballroom dancing? Mike: I do the foxtrot. Brad: Good. Alright, number five, this is another great big one. Bob and I have been after this for years, it is posture. Get the shoulders back, head up, breathe, and get the shoulders moving so that you can breathe in, and your shoulders become pain-free. If they have a little pain, we like to use the wall. These two exercises, Mike's going to also show in sitting. I think we have the patent on this, don't we, Bob? Okay, butt to the wall, shoulders to the wall, bring the shoulders back, and we're going to do snow angels. You know, if you live in the north where you get snow, you know exactly what we're talking about. If you're lying on the ground and you're making an angel in the snow. So go up with your hands touching as far as you feel comfortable, get the stretch, and come back down. Do five of these, at least, you can work up to 10. Brad: Now, you might find my left shoulder used to be tight where it would come away from the wall because I couldn't get it back, but after working with these for a few weeks, now, I can get my hands to touch all the way up. But don't worry, if you only get up whatever distance, just get a stretch, do your five to 10, and the option is if you don't want to do them standing, seated is another excellent postural exercise Mike will show. Mike: I should say, with Brad's exercise, if you don't have wall space and you can easily get on and off the floor, you can also do that on the floor. Brad: Good point, good point. Mike: But this is the hallelujah stretch. So you're going to sit upright in a chair, have good posture, and you're just going to bring your arms up like you're saying hallelujah. Hold there for a few seconds and then you can come back down. If this is feeling good, you enjoy the stretch and you maybe want to get a little more back extension with this, you can simply place a deflated ball, possibly a small pillow, or something behind your back, and you can do the same stretch and you get a little more arch in there and oh, that feels so nice. Brad: Ooh, yes, and may I mention, Mike, you can adjust the ball up or down, whatever feels the best for your back. Mike: Yes, and this is nice and soft and you can just move it where needed. You don't want a firm ball, you want a nice, squishy one. Brad: A basketball would not work. You need something soft. Go over and get the neighbor kids’ kickball. Now, what you can also do is, show them that option where if their shoulders are tight, do the W exercise, the Wisconsin W stretch. Mike: So instead of lifting your arms up, you're simply retracting your shoulders. If my red head is the middle of the W, with my arms this is a W shape. So you can also do it like that. Work on that posture, help prevent all that flex forward posture, you're probably doing most of the day. Brad: All right, let's go to the last one. Okay, the last one is a really important one, it addresses all those tasks we do throughout the day where you're either pushing something or pulling on it, like opening a door, those types of things. Now, for this, the only way we can do this is if you actually use a band. I hate to have you buy something, but it's the only thing I could come up with to do both of these tasks, and they're not that expensive. Now, what we have is a resistance band, usually you get a set of these with five of them. They'll come with a door anchor that looks like that. Mike's going to demonstrate how it works in a door, go ahead, Mike. Mike: So you take the round end here, open the door, make sure to fit it in there. Now, this is the important part, you want it closed tight, make sure it's not going to come open. If you have a lock, I suggest locking it. Get in the right position for you, that's going to depend upon how tall or short you are. You roughly want it about chest level. Mike: So the first one is just some scapular rowing exercise. You just put your arm straight out, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and then come back forward. The focus should be on your shoulder blade region where Brad is pointing out. My biceps are working a little bit to do this, but you want to focus on using your shoulder blades, not your arm muscles when doing this. You can perform 10 repetitions and then we're going to switch and go in the opposite direction, so we're going to work the chest muscles. Mike: So same concept, just kind of push like you're doing a pushup. So I'll just do 10 repetitions going this way as well and it gets your pec muscles going. Brad: Good job, Mike. Now, there's one thing, if you don't have the bands, you can get the push part by just using a wall. Simply do wall pushups. Brad: That does get the muscles for pushing on those pushing tasks throughout the day, as far as pulling. I worked in my head for a long time to figure out how to pull and get some resistance without a band, but I really couldn't. You can use the door. There are wall anchors that actually we have and we sell them because they work really well. If you've used the door anchor for a long time and you're sick and tired of using the door, the wall anchors are very handy, if you buy them on bobandbrad.com, you get four of the anchors. You need to put them into a wooden stud and they work really well. I've got about 12 of them on my wall. I do, I use them on a regular basis. Again, so you're pulling, the exact same mechanics that Mike talked about. Alright, and this also works the core as well as those arms. Brad: Alright, now, those six exercises are absolutely essential. We've decided that, and I guarantee you, if you can do all of these, do them three days a week, for four weeks, and then after that, bump it up to four or maybe five days a week. You're going to notice your mobility, your strength, your balance will increase, I guarantee you. How about you, Mike? Mike: Let us know down below what we've forgotten in the comment section because I'm not in my 50s or 60s, so I may not know. Brad: Right, but you're going to get there, Mike. I can guarantee you're going to experience the same things that Bob and I, and my brother, have like getting in and out of that canoe. Mike: Yeah, he has faith in me that I'm going to live that long. Brad: That’s right. Bob: That's a wrap. 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 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 Back and Neck Massager 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 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 Wellness: Hand Warmer Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material 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.

It depends on the injury or problem you have with your hip. If the hip injury or pain is brand new (acute) after trauma (fall, athletic injury, motor vehicle accident, or surgery) the proper choice is the use of ice. Such an injury usually damages blood vessels and swelling occurs. A cold pack will cause the blood vessels to restrict and reduce the swelling. A cold pack may also help control “excessive” swelling. Ice may also be used after high-intensity exercise to prevent or reduce inflammation. For the first 24-48 hours apply ice to the hip. To prevent ice burn, place a damp towel between the ice pack and your skin. Apply the ice pack for 15-20 minutes to the hip every 3 hours (if able). Limit icing sessions to 15-20 minutes to avoid causing tissue damage or irritation to the skin. You can purchase an ice pack or use a bag of frozen vegetables from your freezer. You can make your own cold pack with two-gallon freezer bags, a cup of rubbing alcohol, and 4 cups of water. Put the four cups of water and one cup of rubbing alcohol into one of the freezer bags. Get the excess air out. Place the bag inside the second-gallon freezer bag and freeze for several hours. It makes a nice pliable cold pack. When should you apply heat for hip pain? Heat therapy is generally more appropriate for chronic types of hip pain. This might include a stiff hip, arthritis, recurring injuries, and muscle pain or soreness. Heat allows for blood vessels to expand and muscles to relax. More blood flow can improve healing. Heat also tends to be a more pleasant and soothing treatment for most people, especially with arthritis. Take caution not to use the heat for an extended amount of time which can lead to skin irritation, blistering, and even burns. Do not sleep with a heat treatment. For a deep form of heat treatment, you might consider the use of a far infrared heating system. Regular heat penetrates barely beyond the surface of the skin. Far infrared penetrates 2.36 inches. We put in a link for a discount on a purchase. Although heat may be more desirable for some chronic problems, many people still choose cold to help them control their pain. In fact, Brad uses a cold pack to help manage his chronic back pain (spondylolisthesis). So, in summary, once you get past the acute phase of an injury, heat or cold can be used. 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

Photo via Pixabay To increase longevity and live a happy and healthy life, it’s important for older adults to take care of themselves — mind, body, and spirit. You don’t need to undergo costly anti-aging treatments or eat an unusual diet; instead, use these practical tips from Physical Therapists Bob and Brad to stay healthy and fit as you age. Eat Well Many illnesses, including heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, can be controlled or even prevented by eating right. For optimal health, avoid refined sugar and eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Also, consume plenty of plant-based proteins such as tofu, tempeh, edamame, lentils, quinoa, nuts, and seeds. To help prevent osteoporosis, women should consider taking calcium and vitamin D supplements. If you're enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, you may be eligible for one of their wellness programs, which can be a helpful complement to your nutritional plan. If you don't have one of these plans, shop around for one that offers the support you may need. If you’re concerned about a healthy diet being expensive, know that you can afford it by making a few simple changes to your spending habits. The key is to utilize a few strategies that will help you stretch your savings. These can include carpooling to reduce transportation costs, taking advantage of senior discounts, and visiting public libraries and thrift stores to save money on books and clothing, respectively. You can also look for another Medicare plan that suits your health needs better and won’t come with big out-of-pocket costs. Stay Active Eating well and staying active can help you maintain a healthy weight. Regular exercise also increases balance, flexibility, and strength. Physical activity can also help reduce stress, improve sleep, stave off illness, and avoid falls. According to the CDC, one in four people aged 65 and older fall each year. Furthermore, one in five falls causes a serious injury such as a broken bone or head injury. Therefore, fall prevention is very important for seniors. You should exercise to build lower body strength and balance, as well as remove trip hazards from your home to reduce risks of falling. You don’t need to join a gym to stay active; walking around the block and taking part in a local yoga class are good ways to start. A great way to keep track of your physical activity is to wear a smartwatch that tracks your movement and heart rate. These handy devices are great for anyone looking to improve their health, and they can even be customized with fun bands or those that look like high-end jewelry. As a bonus, they can track your sleep cycle to help you achieve a healthy pattern, which will be a boon to your daily exercise goals. If getting physical activity has become difficult because of an injury or simply due to aging, Bob and Brad can work with you to build strength as well as increase your flexibility and range of motion. Search through their numerous videos on their YouTube Channel. Get Regular Checkups Schedule an annual wellness visit with your primary care physician and take advantage of the many preventive screenings for cancer and other diseases. The cost of these screenings is typically covered by insurance. You also don’t need to resign to losing your teeth as you age. Brushing, flossing, and checkups can help your teeth last a lifetime and your gums stay healthy. Regular vision check-ups are also essential to identify eye problems associated with age including declining vision, cataracts, and glaucoma. Schedule dental, vision, and hearing appointments annually unless your health care professional suggests more frequent visits. Reduce Stress For your mind, body, and spirit, you need to keep stress levels under control. According to the American Institute of Stress, stress can cause a host of physical ailments, as well as lead to anxiety, depression, and other emotional and mental health issues. You can reduce stress by identifying and avoiding stressors. Other stress relievers include exercise, meditation, scheduled downtime, volunteerism, socialization, and laughter. No one lives forever, but you can do things to help increase your longevity and maintain your health as you age. By following these simple tips, you can try to stay healthy physically and mentally as you enjoy your golden years.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in September of 2018. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0Ll6aDOMkU Bob: Today we're going to talk about how to fix shoulder pain in seconds and this does work. I know because I'm actually using it on my shoulder right now. Brad: Right, and not only that we have used it on our patients over the years. We just don't pick these things out of the air. Bob: All right. So these are five exercises and how you can do this in seconds is, I just want you to do one of these exercises every few hours. It only takes you seconds to do it. Everybody's busy, nobody has time for pain. I just had one of our aides, she hurt her knee and she goes, "I don't have time for this." And it's right. You don't have time for your shoulder pain. You don't have time to rehab it either. So I'm going to show you things you can do throughout the day, maybe even in the office or wherever you work. Brad: Right, so you're going to try all of these and only do the ones that are successful, because more than likely, not all five will work on one person. Usually one or two are going to be successful. So work with them. Bob: Exactly, find the ones that are working for you and stick with them. And the thing that we're trying to treat here mainly, is what we'd call impingement because impingement often leads to rotator cuff problems. And I'd say about 80% of the shoulders that we see are having this difficulty. Brad: Right, as a matter of fact, our hanging book has studies saying this is the primary source of shoulder pain, not all of it, but a majority. Bob: So very quickly we're going to show you what impingement is. It often occurs from kind of poor posture, leaning forward, or being hunched forward. And what that causes is you have the humeral head and it goes into the socket or the glenoid fossa and you have a tendon going over here. That's what this red thing is. And if there's not enough room in there what's going to happen when you lift the arm, it pinches. Brad: I'm going to show you the healthy way. You have a gap in there. Plenty of room. The joint drops down where it's supposed to, and the rotator cuff is doing what it's supposed to. Unhealthy shoulder, it pinches, and that's about where you get it, is where your shoulders around 90 degrees, it starts to pinch, ouch, ouch, ouch. Bob: And what happens, over time, is you start to saw away at that tendon and you can actually get a rotator cuff tear. You can tear the muscle. It throws everything off. These exercises are designed to get you a little more room in there. Brad: Right, so we eliminate that impingement or that squeezing, pinching, nasty painful stuff. Bob: All right, the first one is the one that I've been doing. Without going into too much detail, I have a little bit of winging on the left scapula because I actually lost a muscle when I was younger. I had nerve damage. So this one tends to come forward, more than the other one. So, this is something you do throughout the day. You want to do shoulder squeezes and they're very easy to do. You can do them no matter where you are. You can do them standing. You can do them sitting. And I'm just going to go ahead, bend my elbows. And I'm going to squeeze my shoulder blades together. Brad: There you go. You can see the wrinkling of his clothes, showing the movement of those shoulder blades, from this side. Bob: Are you saying I just got my clothes out of the hamper? Brad: Yeah, they're wrinkled. You have to get them taken in, Bob. Once again to the press. Bob: One, two, three, four, five. I usually hold for a 5 count. Brad: You count it like that in your head? Bob: One, two, three, four, five, yeah. Brad: Everyone's got their own little ways. I just go “hold” and then relax, that's my mantra. “Hold”, relax. Bob: By strengthening these muscles, you're strengthening the core of the shoulder. And that helps, if these are held back right here, it puts the shoulder in the right position. So instead of our shoulders being flexed forward, they're back and that's where you want them to be. Brad: Right, they work much more efficiently and in less pain. Bob: So that's one I definitely want all of you doing. That's one, I want you to slip in throughout the day. The next one is our Mulligan technique which we're a big fan of. And you can just do this off the back of a chair. And again, this helps set that humoral head down in the socket, to give you more room for the tendon to glide through. So I'm on the back of the chair. I'm pushing down into the chair. And while I push down into the chair I walk away and the left is my bad shoulder. So this is the one I should be doing it on. And I can feel this actually stretching really well. Brad: So you're kind of pushing, not straight down, but down and kind of towards your toes. So it's kind of going that way. Bob: Hear that crack? Brad: Oh, I didn't hear it, but I believe ya. Yeah. It's always louder to the person that has it, but you can see his range of motion. Bob: That's it again. Brad: Yeah. I did hear that. Audible crepitus, that's what we call it in the field. Bob: So we're trying again and it is a sneaky way of getting more motion. And it's a sneaky way of getting more gap. Brad: Right, with this technique, if you're unable to raise your hand over your head but you do this without pain, it's the right thing. But I've had some patients do this, and they didn't like it. It's painful. It creates some sharp pain, if that's the case, that one goes off the list, we go to the next one. Bob: Did you want to show it with the Booyah Stik? Brad: Why don't you, Bob? Bob: Okay, so if you did have one of our Booyah Stiks you could use the Booyah Stik and you can actually do it one of two ways. You can walk away from it or you can also push down and move it away. Either way, but, it works out really well to walk away and push down the entire time. Brad: Sure, and if you don't have a Booyah Stik and you don't want to buy one, we've had people comment they're using the broom handle or something. You have to do it on the carpet or something, so it sticks. That's what we have these nice rubber ends for. Bob: Or the back of a chair, like we just did. So the next one is shoulder extension. So now we're going to start working on bringing the shoulder back. Stretching this area out in front of the shoulder. Again, making more room for the shoulder to do its job, to work correctly. Brad: And we talked about people who started these, Mulligan, he's a famous physical therapist. I think he's getting up there in age. I think he's still alive. He's got a whole system. There's a McKenzie technique. And he's developed his own system that's worldwide, popular in the therapy world. Bob: So we're working on increasing the amount that the arm goes back. Brad, I thought you showed really well on the countertop there. Brad: So, in the early phase, when your shoulder is tight, you may just go up to the counter here and then get your good posture. And then you just squat gently. And right now, as I do that, that extends my shoulder. And you just go until you feel some pain, not much, then you come off it. A little pain, then off. So we go to pressure on, but not into the pain, you never go into sharp pain. When the range of motion starts to get better and it's like, "Oh this is getting much better, much less pain." Along with that, you're going to find that going in front is easier. Brad: To increase that extension you open up the cupboard. Now this would be for a high level. This is for someone whose shoulders are really doing well. They just want to maximize the range of motion, you know, maybe they're a baseball pitcher or something. Brad: There you go. So you can use other things in the house for stretching. Bob: Yeah things that just end up being the right level for you. Go ahead and use it. All right. Next one, again, you don't need to do all these. I have all of you doing the shoulder squeezes. With the other ones, I would kind of find out which one seems to be working the best for you for decreasing your pain. This one's a really easy one. You just use a belt and you're going to go ahead and hook it on your wrist. Brad: This is a little challenging to get set up. Use a belt that is smooth and shiny and you're going to do it with clothing and you'll find out why in just a second here. Sometimes if you have a little help to reach the bent. Bob: That's what I was trying to do. Brad: So the painful arm is relaxed. Bob: I'm going to show you this, quite often what you're going to find is the tight arm is down here, where the other arm I can put way up here. Bob: And so I want to get this arm up to equal with that one. You're just going to go pressure on, pressure off. This belt really does work well, once you get it set up. Takes a little bit of doing, but it slides really well. Brad: Matter of fact, we did a video a number of years ago on a patient who was set up for shoulder surgery. And then she said, "Can I do therapy?" And the surgeon said, well, go ahead, you can do it. Within four visits, she was doing this exercise, and no surgery was needed. Her arm started therapy going up to 90 degrees and finished with full flexion. She canceled the surgery and I still see her and she's still in good shape. Bob: Wow. Nice. Yeah. There are some miracles every minute in the Bob in Brad clinic, right? Brad: There you go. Bob: Alright, the last one we're going to do is this one. You're going to need some equipment. I mean, you need a place to hang. Brad and I have become big fans of this. Brad: Yeah, you just need a hanging bar. And you're just simply going to relax and hang. And you know, when I first heard of this I thought this is crazy. It's going to make the impingement worse. But once I read the book, I understood the mechanics and I started trying it and we started working with people doing it. It's like, yeah, this can be really effective. Bob: Yeah. We've become big fans. It's such an easy thing to do if you have the equipment and you can wear gloves, which makes it easier. So the book is "Shoulder Pain, the Solution and Prevention." It's by John M. Kirsch, MD. We have it in our favorite books, don't we? Brad: Yeah, we do. Yep, he's an orthopedic surgeon. Matter of fact, he does his practice 30 miles from where I grew up, in Wisconsin. Bob: Does he really? Brad: Yeah. Stevens Point. Bob: Oh cool. Yeah. My daughter went to Stevens Point. Brad: There you go. It's a nice town. Got a river running through it and everything. Bob: Go to Stevens Point too. Brad: There you go. So here you're going to hang for 10 to 30 seconds, depending on what you tolerate, up to three repetitions of that. And depending on how you respond to it, so the first time you do it might get sore but after you do it for a few days you'll be able to do this two to three times per day and we've really had good success with this. Bob: And you still said seconds. Remember we promised seconds. Yeah. So it's 30 seconds out of your day and you can make a great improvement. Brad: Oh, that's right. We have to stick with our title. Bob: All right. Thanks, everybody for watching. Remember we can fix just about anything Brad: Except for… Bob: A broken heart. Brad: There it is. Bob: But we're working on it. Brad: We'll never stop. 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 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 Back and Neck Massager 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 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 Wellness: Hand Warmer Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material 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 January of 2022. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/6sRuv6TNaEg Bob: Today we're going to talk about neck pain. You have to stop doing this thing, Brad. Brad: Yeah, I know. Bob: So a major non-trauma source of neck pain is when you put your neck in a bad position for a prolonged long period of time. Now you can get away with this for a while, especially if you're young. But it's going to catch up to you and eventually, you will feel pain. I guarantee you. Brad: It's the big P, isn't it, Bob? Bob: Right, the big P. Brad: Posture, posture, and more posture. Bob: Right. So here are four of the most common harmful postures. Now this one, I got my phone here, just pure neck flexion. Do you want to show one from the side, Brad? Brad: Yeah, flexion is looking down. Bob: All right. You could also have head forward and that's more common at the computer, I think. Especially a laptop. The laptop is down low and you're flexed with your head forward. And if you have bifocals. Bob: Next one, the one I have, is left tilt. I don't know why I do this, but I keep my head to the left. Brad: It probably started when you watched that "Forest Gump" movie. When you were a kid and they watched TV that way. Bob: Yeah that's right. The other one, of course, is right tilt. And I don't do that one at all, but I think I did the left tilt a lot when I wrote notes. Bob: It's all typing now. So, it happens when you're typing, phone use, tablet use and it could happen in bed too. You could have your head forward flexed in bed. Brad: Oh, sure. You bet. Bob: So really this is an issue where you just must be aware of it, and you must correct it with exercise. Let's take the first one. How about forward flexion like looking down at a phone? One of the best things to do, first off, if you have your phone, is to bring it up to you. Short little arms and bend your elbows. Bob: But the other thing is you can actually work on cervical extensions, go the opposite direction because these muscles might tighten up on you. So, you work on doing extensions. Brad: If you're at a computer, if your computer screen is low, get something underneath it. Get that screen up. Bob: Absolutely. And you really need a separate keyboard. Brad: Right. Wireless keyboard, get that low and the screen up. Bob: If you have a laptop. So we kind of jumped ahead here with forward head. You're going want to make sure, one, we correct it. So we're going to do chin tucks. The opposite. We never talked about this before, have we? Brad: Nah. Did we mention it? We could write a book on it forward and backward. So yeah, bring the chin in. Bob: Now Brad's showing, and also you can do it with a little overpressure. You can take your fingers and push on your chin, or you can take the crux of your thumb and push back. This is really a handy thing. But the thing we like about chin tucks is they're a reminder too. If you are in that forward head position for a while then "Oh, that's where I should be." I chin-tuck and realize I should be back in this position. Brad: Right. You know, along with that, the shoulders, the chest, and the whole thoracic posture remains as a unit and works together. Bob: Right, it's very difficult to have good posture, if you keep your upper back rounded. Brad: Yeah, it doesn't work. Bob: You can do a chin tuck all you want but it's not going to help. All right. How about left and right tilt? It's very simple. You just have to be aware of it. I fall into this habit all the time. Even when I podcast. I realize I'm tilting to the left. Brad: Doesn't Mike remind you? Bob: Well, he leaves the room. Brad: Oh, he does? He gets out of there? Bob: Yeah, he does. He doesn’t listen to me. Brad: He goes and reads a book I suppose. Bob: Yeah he does something like that. But anyway, you know, a thing that works really well, if you have a left tilt, do a chin tuck and then do a right tilt. You're probably tight going to the right. And I am. So, I have plenty of motion to the left, but to the right, I can't move as far. Bob: So, if you're the opposite and you're a right tilter, you would chin tuck and then go to the left. Brad: And there's a very strong likelihood, you don't know if you're a right tilter or left tilter unless someone watches you and brings it to your attention. Bob: You can use mirrors or, I don't know if you film yourself. Sometimes it's quite funny. A lot of people tell me that they see themselves on video and they didn't realize their posture was so bad. Brad: Well, that's happened to both you and me, it's like, "Oh my goodness, who is that? That’s me!" And it just scares the posture back into you. Bob: This seems so benign, this seems like a minor thing, these posture things, but it's amazing how much pain they cause. I mean really strikingly a lot of pain. Brad: And also you just look better, you know when you're up tall and posture. You look good. You look confident, you breathe better. Everything works better mechanically. Bob: It's going to help also to move a little bit. Brad: Oh absolutely. Bob: If you go ahead and go for a walk in between sessions of being at the computer. Brad: Say no more. Bob: Thanks for watching. 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 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 Back and Neck Massager 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 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 Wellness: Hand Warmer Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material 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.

Hip Pain? 15 Signs You Need to See a Doctor Immediately 1. You are unable to put any weight on your hip. 2. You cannot move your leg or hip. 3. Your joint appears to be deformed or is bleeding. 4. Have severe pain in your back in addition to your hip or leg. Also, may experience numbness, tingling, or pins and needles sensations. 5. Have a previous history of cancer or a tumor. 6. Hip pain came on suddenly for no apparent reason. 7. You have sudden swelling in your leg. 8. The pain in your hip is intense. 9. You present with signs of infection (fever, chills, redness, warmth). 10. A fall or other injury initiated the hip pain. 11. You had hip surgery in the past 6 months. 12. You are a child and you have developed hip, groin, or thigh pain without any specific injury. 13. Are feeling unwell in addition to your hip pain? 14. You heard a popping noise in your hip when you injured it. 15. You have developed unexplained weakness in your leg. 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=gXx3J_IBPzc&t=209s Mike: Do you have some big old bunions that just won't go away? Brad: Well stay tuned because we have five non-surgery-based recommendations for you that can help you out. Mike: So before we get into all the details of this, we'd like to say that we've taken this information from Dr. Ray McClanahan, who works at Northwest Foot and Ankle, and he is a podiatric surgeon with a lot of experience. Brad: That's right. He's really done a lot and under his observation and experience, he says the first thing you must address is the footwear that you're wearing. So if you look at these nice socks showing the bones of the first or great toe, we want to have a shoe that keeps enough room so the toe can go straight and does not get pushed toward the other toes. Very important concept. If you do not do this, the rest of these recommendations will not be helpful. Mike: So what you want to do is you want to get some shoes that have a wide toe box. So these are some running shoes I had. These are just the Altra brand. Because they're running and road running they're a little bit thicker cushioned, but they are zero drop, so the heel is the same height as the front. Mike: And the toe box for bunions is extra wide. So that allows your toe to spread and be more natural. The problem with most modern shoes is the toe box gets narrow and it makes your big toe go in, which can create bunions. Brad: That's right. So these are a good sample of the traditional pointy shoes pushing those toes together. It's no good. Brad: Secondly, what you'll want to do once you get the proper footwear is to get some of these spreaders, toe spreaders. Now these are called YogaToes. You can see how they look, and they are made to fit between your toes. I already have a pair on. You can see they literally spread the toes out wide. Now with these YogaToes, the price is nice, they are about $37. However, you cannot, obviously, wear them in your shoes, which you will want to do, depending on your severity and what you want to do. But Mike does have a pair you can wear in your shoes while you walk or run. Mike: Yes. These are called the Correct Toes. You could put them inside, on your foot, and put a normal sock over it if you have normal socks. If you have toe socks like me, you can simply put them on the outside. These will stay put. And they also have additional spacers on each end. So for me, my big toe spreads pretty well, but my pinky toe does not. So I might need to put a little bit of extra spread in there to keep it in place. It comes with instructions. And these are actually created by Dr. McClanahan, so you know they're recommended by a podiatrist. Brad: That's right, and I've walked and run with those in, and they're very nice. Mike: Yeah, and I will say my father has a very large bunion and he's been wearing these and runs with them and he has seen good changes and he enjoys them. Brad: Say no more. We've got proof in the field. Mike: Yes. The next tip we have for you is something you don't have to purchase anything with, and it's simply trying to stretch your big toe back to where it's supposed to be in a nice straight line. So you can just grab onto your toe and pull it back to normal, stretching between the toes here. Brad: That's right. So yeah, it's like you said, when you got nothing else to do, if you're working at a desk, take your shoe off, if you got a second, give your big toe a stretch. Mike: You can hold this for a time or you can do reps. Just don't pull it so hard that it's painful. Obviously, if you have a severe bunion, it's go taking to take time. Wearing a toe spacer is going to be more convenient because it's just passively stretching for however long you can tolerate wearing them. Where this is pretty short-lived. It's just as long as you're doing it. Brad: Right, but it's important. Alright, the fourth exercise, what you'll want to do is actually a massage. Between your great toe or your big toe and your second toe, you come above and you're going to feel a gap between the bones there. And what you want to do is get in that gap. It might be a little sensitive, but you can see you can do it with one finger, you can do it with your thumb, but you're just going to get in there and massage, deep massage in there, and get those muscles loosened up, get that soft tissue loosened up, and that's going to allow mobility in between those two joints and it's going to help allow that great toe and the other toes to become relaxed and separated. Mike: So if you dig in there, if you see me, I'm actually spreading my toes out so I can get into the muscle belly more because I'm closer together. I just feel like I'm hitting my bones there. Brad: They're small muscles, but there's definitely muscle belly in there. Mike: They're touchy. Brad: Sensitive, huh? Mike: Yes. And the last tip we have for you is actually applying a little traction to your big toe. So if it's bent in like this, what you wanna do is pull your toe away from you. You're going to be distracting the MCP joint here. And if it's bent in when you're pulling, distracting, you want to try to straighten it and hold it here. Brad: Yep, and a couple of little nuances you could add to that is to actually grab it, and I'm going to pull, go out laterally or out to the side, and maybe just rotate a little bit. Again, if it creates sharp pain, that's too aggressive. Just a nice stretch, maybe a little pain but not a lot. And you're going to help loosen up those soft tissues and that connective tissue, getting that toe some freedom that it needs. Mike: All right, so give those different options a try and see what works for you. You definitely want to work on the shoes and the toe spacers, which I would say are important. The other ones are just a bonus. Brad: And please give us your comments, if you've experienced or you're working on this and certain aspects of treatment work better for you, share it with everyone else. Put it in the comment section, and it's really a nice thing to help other people out through that means. So what else you got to say, Mike? Mike: Well, I'm going to say if you want more information on feet specifically, you can check out Dr. Ray McClanahan's site, or we also did a podcast with him talking about many of these subjects. Brad: Yeah, he's definitely a pro expert, and I respect his opinion. Mike: He's smarter than me. Brad: Yeah, I can believe it. 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 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 Back and Neck Massager 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 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 Wellness: Hand Warmer Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material 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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR3-H5uXtKs&t=179s Mike: Say goodbye to unbearable sciatica pain with these tips. Brad: Right, you’re going to want to discover what activities worsen the symptoms or actually alleviate them. Mike: So I will be asking Brad five common questions we hear as therapists about sciatica. Brad: And I am going to actually answer these questions with the worst and the best practices to manage sciatica pain. Mike: Is it better or worse for sciatica pain to centralize? Brad: Good question Mike. Why don’t you turn around and we’ll explain it. With sciatica, from the back oftentimes you have pain, numbness, and tingling, all these symptoms can go all the way down to the leg, foot, and toes. For this, we’re just going down to the ankle. Brad: Now, centralizing means the pain is actually alleviating, or getting better, lower in the leg and progressing up to here. For example, we do some exercises and the pain, numbness, or tingling gets better. In other words, no symptoms from the ankle to the knee, but you still feel it from the knee to the hip and the back. Now if it happened to go the other way, and there were no symptoms in the back, but the pain down the leg actually got worse, that’s not a good scenario. Brad: So we want the pain to centralize. It’s going to go up. So we keep doing the right exercises and the pain in the lower leg is gone, then the next couple of days we do some more, and the pain in the upper leg is gone. And then it goes to pain only in the back. Now you can see it centralizing, meaning it comes from the center. The pain is originating from the disc which is in the center of the low back and eventually, the pain goes away. That’s the progression we’re looking for. From ankle up, not getting rid of it at the back and making it worse, or staying down the leg. I hope I made that clear, Mike. Mike: Clear as mud. Mike: Is it better or worse to walk with sciatica? Brad: Good question Mike. Typically it’s better. You want to walk. So what you want to do, there are a few things you have to keep in mind. You’re not going to go out for a two-mile walk and hope it’s going to get better. You’re going to walk as tolerated. You may start walking maybe 100 or 200 yards at first and then progress. When you walk, you want to walk on a very even surface. In other words, not in the woods, in the grass, or on a crowned road where you’re walking, and essentially one leg is longer because the road is crowned so the water runs off. So, sidewalks are preferable. Keep those things in mind. Again, start out with 100 yards out and back so that you can come home and sit down. Each day see if you can go a little bit longer. Walking is, we’ll call it, nature’s balm. Is that right, Bob, from Doctor Stewart McGill, the back expert? That’s where we found that, from his expertise, we found it to work well. Mike: If you have one-sided sciatica pain, is it better or worse to stretch that one side? Brad: Good question, Mike. Now, sciatica is almost always on one side. So the side that hurts, we’re going to try to stretch and yes you want to try it. A good way to start is if my right is my sore side, I’m going to take this arm up, like I’m reaching for an apple in a tree, feeling the stretch through that right side. If that feels good, you could actually walk around like that. And if that makes walking more comfortable, you’re right on. Brad: Then, you can do it a little more aggressively. If you have a pull-up bar at home or anything that you can use for a handle, I know my sister’s doing this now with a door that she opened up. She’s light, so she’s not going to wreck the door. You can see how Mike is stretching that tissue on the right side. How’s it feel, Mike? Mike: Oh, it’s stretching. Brad: Good. Obviously, you have to have this set up and you have to have shoulder and enough strength to do this. So, use good judgment. Mike: Is it better or worse to stretch your hips with sciatica? Brad: Alright, here we go. Let’s talk about that. The hips are obviously connected to the low back, where typically the sciatica is from. If your hips and pelvis are actually causing your back to arch too much, that can irritate sciatica, and make it worse. So we’re actually going to do a stretch to lessen that arch and take the stress off of that. Typically from tight hip flexor muscles. Alright, the stretch for that hip flexor or the hip problem that we just talked about, Mike is going to demonstrate. But again, with all of these treatments or exercises, keep in mind the centralization. If the pain or symptoms are moving up toward your back, you’re right on, continue that stretch. Mike: So I’m going to stretch my left hip flexor here. So I’m going to lay down on my back. I’m going to bring my right knee to my chest and I’m going to bend my left knee to about a 90-degree angle. And I’m going to hold this here. Try to keep my leg straight. You don’t want to go too far out, or too far in. And if you want to get more of a stretch, if you’re flexible, just scoot closer to the edge of the bed. Make sure your bed is firm here. If you have a soft edge, you don’t want to fall off. You can also use a firm table for this. You’re going to hold this for 30 seconds and then you’re going to bring the other knee up here. This should feel good and you’re going to stretch your other side. Make sure to do 2 or 3 sets of 30-second holds. Brad: Your right’s a little tighter than your left I think Mike. Mike: You’re very observant. Is it better or worse to place your back into extension if you’re having sciatica pain? Brad: Right now, if you just did the stretch that Mike showed and it wasn’t showing progress, it may be good to actually extend your back like this. In passive, he was talking about pushing his arms up, keeping his pelvis or waist down on the bed or the floor, and getting this. So, if you’re going to do this, the way you’re going to start out is in a prone position, lying down, probably on the carpeted floor, not a soft bed. We’re going to start with a little lumbar extension on the forearms. You can see we’re starting to extend this. If things start to get better, and we centralize that pain, it’s coming up the leg, then you may go to mini-press-ups. There we go. And you’re going to do 10 of them, not more. And at that point, you’re going to again monitor, are you getting centralization of the pain? If it continues to feel better, you may want to do 10, rest a little bit, and then try to do a full extension. Now this may not happen in a matter of 20 minutes, it may be a few days. Each day you get up a little higher. Things centralize a little bit more, and it feels good while you’re doing it. That’s a green light for this exercise for you versus the previous one. Mike: Another good option is called the cat/camel. So this one, as long as you get in this position and it’s not causing back pain, you get on all fours. And it’s an old yoga pose that has many different names, but cat/camel is what we’re calling it now. So you bring your head up and your butt up, this is the camel, and then you’re like a cat when it’s mad and hissing and arching your back, bring your head down. Just go each way, hold it for like five seconds or so, and do 10 repetitions. Brad: Again, if it feels good, centralizes the pain, this could very well be the exercise for you. Do the one that works for you, stick with it, and you’ll see good improvement over time. Alright, I think we’re there. Mike: Be happy, healthy, and helpful. Brad: There ya go. Good luck with that sciatica. 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 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 Back and Neck Massager 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 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 Wellness: Hand Warmer Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website are 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 program is designed to help you with your hip pain. Specifically, it may help you with hip arthritis, hip tendonitis, hip bursitis, muscle strain, or tendon strain. Hip pain is extremely common. This is especially true as you get older. Many people are surprised at how intense it can be. Many of our patients believe there must be something seriously wrong with their hip for it to hurt that badly. We approach most hip pain issues with the thought that something in the hip is not working or moving quite right. This can be due to hip tightness, weakness, inactivity, and/or poor hip positioning. This dysfunctional movement is causing your pain. An obvious exception would be an injury to the hip from an accident, fall, or some type of physical trauma. Our first goal is to get your hip working and moving right. This is done mainly through specifically designed exercises. We want your hip working as well as it can be expected. The second goal is to eliminate or lessen the hip pain makers in your life. In our world, a pain maker is an action, a position, or a thing that causes pain. We will cover this in detail in future videos. Our third goal is to strengthen the hip and leg muscles so the hip will remain in the correct position, remain pain-free, and be able to handle the stresses of work and everyday living. DISCLAIMER We insist that you see a physician before starting this video series. Furthermore, this video series is not designed to replace the treatment of a professional: physician, osteopath, physical therapist, orthopedic surgeon, or chiropractor. It may however serve as an adjunct. Do not go against the advice of your healthcare professional. When under the care of a professional make certain that they approve of all that you try. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. Any information given about shoulder-related conditions, treatments, and products is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this publication. Before starting an exercise program, consult a physician. Our insistence that you see a doctor is based upon many reasons. Your hip pain could be coming from your back. 2. If your hip pain is from trauma, or an accident you need to be examined by a medical professional. 3. Hip pain can be from a medical issue (hip stress fracture, dislocation, osteonecrosis, etc.) We embrace the same philosophy with each video. 1. This is a self-help video. It is up to you to get better. You oversee your body and the outcome. You are in charge and you are responsible. Somebody is not going to swoop in and magically heal your problem. There is no magic pill, surgery, or shot that will solve your problem. 2. The body has a great capacity to heal, and it wants to heal. Provide the environment where it can heal. 3. You must believe and follow recommendations. If we recommend exercises and you fail to perform them, you will not get better. It is as simple as that. 4. We are not big believers in having a therapist or doctor do something to you (manual therapy, massage, some type of modality). We are big supporters of people managing their own bodies with therapists and physicians serving as consultants. 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=pt5IeRJ4kSM&t=355s Mike: In today's world, where most of us are spending time sitting, like we are now, and staring at our screens, it's no surprise that things become tight and inflexible. Brad: So, we are gonna show you 7 stretches that you can do to combat the tightness that is going to occur in your body as a result of all this sitting. They are excellent stretches. You can do them here, you can do them there, and they all work. Mike: And Bob does them every day. These are his stretches. Brad: Okay, the first stretch, we’re going show you three versions, is a hip flexor stretch. Bob is going to show us. So, first of all, on a bed, bring both knees up, this sets the back, and then allow one leg to come down so it comes over the edge of the bed while holding the other knee up. That locks the pelvis and the low back in place, focusing the stretch on that hip flexor. Bob's bringing his leg down and if he pulls his foot towards the bed or under it, you feel a better stretch, don't you Bob? His eyes are starting to bug out, he's feeling it. Brad: Okay, let's go to the other two options. The second option is not as complete, however, you can do it while you're sitting at your desk. Bring one leg over to the side of your chair, and bring that knee down. Tighten your abdomen so your pelvis tilts back and you'll feel a better stretch in that hip flexor. And you can hold it there, for 15 to 30 seconds. I'm feeling a nice stretch right now. Make sure you do both legs. Mike: And the third option to stretch a hip flexor, is to go find some stairs. So I'm going to be stretching my right one. You can bring your left leg up, either the first step or second step, however flexible you are, and you're going to lean forward. Make sure to keep an upright posture and the pelvis neutral. You don't want to be leaning forward because you're not going to feel the stretch in that hip flexor. Hold it for 30 seconds. And switch to the other leg as well. Brad: Outstanding job, Mike. Stretch number two. We do have two options for this. In the seated position, just simply lean back into your chair, arms out, like the W. Stretch back, keep your chin kind of tucked in, and then you can roll back. If the chair is too tall, a really nice option is if you happen to have a ball that's a little squishy and soft, put that behind your back at the level that feels good and that really adds some nice stretch. It's more specific. Do this for about 15 seconds, or three or four repetitions. What's another option? Mike: So, I just want to mention we're stretching the pecs here, because Brad forgot. Also the front of the shoulders. You can grab a belt or a stick of sorts, whatever you have laying around. And simply, if you can bring your arms back over your head and stretch the pecs. You can even do this in the doorway. Go through an open door and just put your hands on each side. Hold it for 30 seconds. It helps combat that flexed-over posture you have most of the day on your laptop or your phone. Brad: Pectoralis major. Yeah, I did forget that. Mike: And minor. In the next stretch, we're going to do our calves. You can either do it in a long sitting position, or Brad will show you an alternative. We're using the Bob and Brad stretch strap, to perform this. So, simply hook around the top of your foot and you're going to pull your toes towards your nose. This strap is nice because say you have arthritis in your hands or poor grip, you can just feed it through the loops and pull without having to grip it. Hold this for 15 to 30 seconds and stretch those calves out. Brad: If you happen to have a cane around, particularly with the handle, it's a very nice option. Just hook the handle under your foot, you have to have a shoe on and pull and you get a nice stretch. It works well in the chair, or in the seated position on the bed. Brad: All right. And the old reliable, using the wall stretch, stretching the back of the calf. Keep the heel down, toe pointed towards the wall, stretch, and hold. Make sure you do both legs, hold 15 to 30 seconds, or five repetitions will be fine. Mike: The next stretch, we're going to hit our rectus femoris, which is a front hip muscle as well. And we're going to do what's commonly known as the couch stretch. We're pretending the stool is the end of your couch. I am kneeling on a pad so it's not as rough on my knees. And what you're going to try to do is bring your back foot up onto the end of the couch. I'm using a stool here instead. And you're going to sit up as upright as you can. If it's really tight, you might be more forward flexed and it might be stretching enough, but you want to try to get to a nice upright position, or as close as you can. Hold there for 15 to 30 seconds and do it on the other side. Mike: Now, Brad is going to show you a different way if you're unable to get into a kneeling position. Brad: In the prone, if you have a strap or a belt, you can put it around the ankle or the foot like this, lie prone, and then all the stretching is done here with your hands pulling the foot upward. And there we go. I can feel it stretch. If you bring the knee up a little bit more, it gets more aggressive. That's a nice way to do that. Brad: For people who are very agile and nimble, you simply stand up, grab your foot and pull back, if you feel comfortable doing that safely. Let's go to the next one. Mike: Next we're going to do a latissimus and a side abdominal stretch, or your obliques. Now you can do them in two different ways. Brad will show you the second way next. I'm just hanging from, say a pull-up bar, whatever you have. We're just going to do one side at a time and you're going to pull down and you can see my hand is slowly getting over my head more, stretching the latissimus and the other side oblique. And then you can switch to the other side after 15 to 30 seconds. If you have trouble doing this with just one arm, or you're hanging too much, you could certainly try it with both. You're just not going to be able to get that extra stretch in there. Brad: Right. So, he mentioned we have another option. A lot of people don't have something to hang on. Simply take a, we have the Booyah Stik here, a broomstick, a piece of dowel, or PVC pipe, put it on the side of your chair right where you're working, and go off to the side like this. We don't want to go forward. That's actually a good stretch, but we're going to go to the side to emphasize that latissimus muscle. Hold it for 15 to 30 seconds, make sure you do both sides so you don't get crooked and lopsided. Brad: Alright, let's go to the next one, Mike. Alright, this is number six and this is for those people who feel they have, or people tell them, "Boy, you're getting a hunchback, or that tech neck," whatever you want to call it. But your getting that forward flexed posture happening, which is very unattractive and produces a lot of pain in the neck and shoulders, or it can or will. So, we need to straighten that out. Simply take a towel roll, you can use the old sock roll, bundled up, or a bigger towel roll. Down on the floor works best on a firm surface. Mike: And I have the Backpod, which is another option. It costs some money, but it's very helpful if you can afford it. So, what you're going to do is simply put that in the area that is kind of flexed forward, in your thoracic spine here. And you're just going to lay down on it. If this is too aggressive, you can put a towel over it, or you can try socks first and you're just going to lay here. You can get stretched as much as you want. Some people, like my father who is 69 years old, his head is a few inches off the ground when he lays on it. So, try to relax, and get those neck muscles to stretch. Mike: You can use a pillow. Put your arms down to the side. You can just lay here like this if this feels aggressive enough. You can bring your arms up, you can bring them up to the side, whatever you want. I kind of like to move around. It's kind of like a nice little back massage. Brad: Yeah. And again, feel free to use towels. Wrap them up. You can always find options that are going to work. Brad: All right, we got number seven to go yet. Mike: The last stretch is the hamstrings. We're going to show three ways to do this, again. So, I am acting like I'm sitting on the edge of the bed. The right leg is the leg I'm stretching. You're going to keep it nice and straight, toes as straight up as you can, and you want to have a nice upright posture. The more back I am, I'm not feeling a stretch at all. Get as upright as you can. Use your hands to support yourself. Bring your chest up and try to hold this there. I have very tight hamstrings. I can feel this already. Brad, do you want to know the seated option? Brad: Yes, at your desk simply bring your chair back. Now, if you have really tight hamstrings, you'll just be able to straighten your knee out. Again, shoulders back, a good straight back, and lean forward, bringing your sternum towards your knee, not your head. Don't round your back out. Stretch that hamstring. In my case, this doesn't work for me. I like to put another chair or stool under here. Do the same thing and it works. There we go. Hold about 30 seconds. Mike: Another option is standing, if you're flexible enough. Just bring your foot up on some type of object you have. Keep your knee straight, and again you can bend forward. Don't round your back. Keep a nice flat back and just stretch there. The more you lean into it, the more you're going to feel it. Brad: This is one of my favorite stretches. I love this hammy stretch. Mike: I do this on my cat tower at home. It's a good height! Brad: We don't need to know about those things. That's personal. Mike: Not telling you what I'm wearing when I do it, but I do it. (Bob laughing) Brad: Let's carry on. Once again, if you would like to contribute any comments about stretches that work really well for you, make sure you comment below and we'll be happy to read them, as well as everyone else. We’ve got seven stretches. You may only want to do two or three of them. Mike: Pick which muscles are tight for you. There's certainly more. Tell us what you like. 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 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 Back and Neck Massager 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 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 Wellness: Hand Warmer Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop​ The Bob and Brad Community is a place to share your experiences, ask questions and connect with others regarding physical therapy and health topics. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material 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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooiy5DxAPfg Brad: As we age, particularly after age 50, we become more unstable. It happens to everyone. I noticed it at about 55 and I work on my stability all the time. The big problem with being unstable is the risk of falls which is a big thing we want to avoid. Mike: However, if you understand the reasons why you’re falling, you can help prevent them from happening. And the best part is we’re going to show you how to do that. And it doesn’t take much time or effort to fix these problems. Brad: As therapists, Mike, Bob, and myself, over the last many years have worked with countless individuals with their balance in keeping them upright and safe. Mike: Falls can occur for many different reasons, and we’re gonna talk about 7 common reasons they happen, and figure out how to prevent them from happening, or what you should do to fix this problem. Brad: We’re also gonna discuss some of the other benefits of working on your balance, some things that you probably aren’t aware of. For example, you’re going to have less joint pain and less muscle pain, and you’re actually going to be taller and look better. It’ll all be explained very clearly in the next few minutes. Mike: So these 7 balance issues are not in any particular order and they might not all pertain to everyone. Just pick which ones that pertain to you and hopefully, it’ll help. Brad: That’s right it’s going to be very clear, let’s go to the first one Mike. Mike: The first one is vision declining. Obviously, if you can’t see where you’re going, or your surroundings, you’re more likely to have a fall. Brad: And this doesn’t mean just blatantly not seeing, but if your vision changes over time, and you need new glasses, or if you don’t have glasses and you need them, it can make a significant difference to your balance. Once you get your glasses, things can change a lot for you. In many ways. Mike: So the solution is, you have to go see your eye doctor because we are not licensed to give advice on this. Brad: That’s for sure. I can hardly see, myself. I need cheaters, that’s all I need. Anyway, let’s go to number two. This is something many people are not aware of, it's your ear health. What’s in your ear is the vestibular system. It houses a little balancing system that talks to your brain and lets you know if you’re upright. It controls a lot of your balance. So if you’ve had a history or recently had an ear infection, if you’ve had anything related to your ear, even an ear impaction (your ears get plugged up), get that checked out by the doctor. Make sure your ears are in good health. It can make a big difference in your balance. Mike: So, a good solution to this, as Brad said, is to go visit your doctor to make sure that isn’t causing your falls. Typically there’s dizziness associated with this problem. We do have a video, much more in-depth with another physical therapist, called “Understanding Causes of Dizziness and Vertigo: All You Need to Know”. Check it out if you want to find out more information about this problem. Brad: Right and that actually is with Sherry, right? She is an expert on this and she does an excellent job describing the problem and how to work with it. Mike: Reason number three for falls, is typically poor posture when you’re standing. Now this happens commonly as we age, we begin to lean forward with rounded shoulders. This will shift the center of gravity and make you more likely to fall over, causing imbalances in your muscles, and can even cause some back pain. So we want to try to straighten you up. Brad: Right, this is so critical, and I want to emphasize this forward-flexed posture as we age, you notice it with a lot of people. They start walking this way, gravity takes over, and everything starts pulling down. The muscles in the back are particularly stressed, as well as the joints in the knees and the hips. That stresses everything, causing pain associated with tippy balance. So we’re going to show you one quick simple exercise to improve this. Mike: So the solution for this, if you have a rounded posture like this, is to do a simple posture check against the wall. So what you’re going to do is put your buttock against the wall. If you’re forward like this, it might be hard just to try to get your shoulder blades back. The goal is to try to touch the back of your shoulder blades to get a better posture. Once you can do this comfortably, try to bring your chin back and touch your head to the wall. So you want to try to get nice, flat, and upright. Your feet can be out further, they don’t have to be touching the wall. That’s going to possibly cause you to fall if you have poor balance. So, remember the buttock first, try to bring the shoulder blades back for good posture, and then the head. Brad: Now, I’m going to mention some people who have been forward slouched for a long time may not be able to touch the back. Oftentimes I’ve seen patients be able to touch their buttocks and shoulders, but touching the head is difficult. The neck has become so contracted or tightened up over time, that it takes some time, even weeks to see improvement. You can take your hand and do some gentle chin tucks, gently stretch it out to get that head to come back. Sometimes I’ve had people make progress all the way to touch. If they’re older, you know, 70s and 80s, and had bad habits, that may never come back. But you still work with it. Brad: All right number four, we’re going to talk about lack of sensation in the feet. In other words, numbness and tingling. If you’re diabetic and you have neuropathy in your feet you know exactly what I’m talking about. I’ve worked with a lot of patients who have that. They don’t feel or have sensations in their feet. When that happens there’s no feedback from your feet to your brain in the balance centers and your balance becomes much more difficult. Now you can also have similar problems, just by the shoes you wear. If you have thick shoes, your feet are not going to sense and feel the ground particularly if it’s unsteady ground. If you have shoes, like Mike and I have these really thin-soled shoes. They’re called zero drop and barefoot shoes, minimalist shoes. That can help, however, we understand that for certain people, these are just not comfortable. Perhaps you have foot problems and you need the support, so that’s okay. We’re going to show you some exercises that you can do very simply to improve your balance and proprioception. Did I mention proprioception? Thick Soled Shoe Zero Drop/ Minimalist Shoes Mike: You maybe did. I wasn’t listening. Brad: Anyways, that is what it’s called technically, proprioception, and we’re going get right with that. OK, we’re gonna show you the option to do some exercises. Now if you have neuropathy this is something you definitely want to do. If you decide that you don’t want to go with these thin shoes to get a more feel of the ground or proprioception, you’re going to stick with your comfortable soft-soled shoes, and that’s okay. You’re going to wear those when you do this exercise. You can do it barefoot as well. So the thing that you want to do is go to a corner like this. Now the reason we’re using the corner is because this is going to make you a little unstable and we obviously do not want you to fall. So when the corners are there, you have all these directions that you’re stabilized by the wall. Going forward, you are not stable, so Mike has a cane. You could use a walking stick, you could use your stretch stick or Booyah Stik, whatever you have. You could actually put a chair in front of you, so you can grab onto the back of it. Mike: So to work on this in the corner, make sure you have your cane or if you want a chair like this just position it in front of you and you can hold onto this as well for more support. So to start, just stand with your feet wide apart as long as you feel safe this way. You can bring your feet closer together. Eventually, try to touch them, and stand like this for 30 seconds. You can repeat it 3 times. Once this becomes easy, another progression to do is to stand on one leg. The higher this leg is up, the more it will challenge the balance. Make sure to work both legs, 3 times for 30 seconds as well. Now if all this is too easy for you, you can also take some type of cushion, pillow, balance pad, whatever you have laying around, something soft. Put it on the ground and you can stand on that. Again, start with a wide base of support, feet further apart. Then bring your feet closer together for a narrow base of support and you can progress to one leg as well. Brad: Let’s look at this a little bit closer. Let’s use Pete’s Choice balance pad. This is what we use in the clinic. They work very well. The black cushion is from my ottoman seat at home, so whatever works for you. If you zoom in on this ankle, now, watch as he stands on one foot. This ankle is working back and forth and is really focusing a lot of energy to stabilize Mike. This is a type of thing we want to work on for that proprioception. That’s critical for your balance. This little thing is what you will not get without a cushion to unstabilize your support, so that’s why we use it. If you don’t feel comfortable with it, don’t use it. Brad: Alright, number 5, this happens with a lot of people as we age in their 50s and 60s is simply a decline in strength, in our hips, legs, feet, and ankles. Oftentimes because we become a little more sedentary, we don’t get out and exercise as much, those things weaken as a result. Weaker legs, hips, etc. result in being a little more unsteady. The body just cannot control itself as well, particularly walking on uneven terrain. Mike: So the solution for this is to strengthen your legs. You can do this in a variety of ways but we have a video we’ve done in the past. It’s called “Three Best Beginner, Senior Leg Exercises, Using a Kitchen Chair, Improve Balance, and Walking.” That is a long title. You’ll need a chair for it, the video explains how to do the exercises. So if you want to start strengthening your legs, just watch that video. So reason number 6 that your balance isn’t improving or reasons you can fall is because you’re not challenging your balance enough. So that means standing up, doing standing activities, going for walks outside, maybe not just on the sidewalk, but maybe some hikes in the grass or gravel, or even going for a hike. Challenging your balance through everyday activities is going to help improve it. Brad: That’s right, I’m gonna actually recommend you go out of your way to do this. Have good judgment, and make sure you’re not going on a trail that has rocks and 3-foot elevations to negotiate over. Good judgment, but things that you have to actually think about where you’re walking. You’re placing your feet to get around rocks, stumps, and uneven terrain like the lawn that is going to make you think. And when you do this, probably use a walking stick or a cane. Something that assures you’re going to be safe. Walking sticks are very popular. They look cool, everyone’s going to think you’re really cool. Get a fancy one if you’d like. Go out in the woods and go for a hike on the trail. The tranquility, the birds, the trees, and the fresh air will do more for your mind than for your balance walking on the trail, but keep your mind on the trail as well. Good luck with that. Brad: Okay, and number seven, the last one is kind of similar to number six but it relates more to being in the house. Times when you have to walk sideways or walk backward. They call them perturbations, where things happen kind of quickly and you don’t expect it. Particularly if there’s a crowd of people around, those little things sideways and backward can lead to stumbles, which can lead to falls and it’s a real problem. So we’re gonna show you some quick little simple things you can do to practice on a daily basis, and it only takes a minute a day. Mike: So the first activity to do is just sidestepping, just bring one foot out to the side and bring the other foot to touch it, going sideways like this. Make sure to do both directions. The distance will be determined by the length of your railing or countertop or whenever you get tired. Brad: I want to emphasize Mike, when you do this, make sure you’re looking straight ahead too because when this happens in real life, you’re not looking at your feet often and that’s when falls happen. This is a very common reason for falls, with people in the kitchen and the bathroom, as with sidestepping. We know that from working with a lot of broken hips. Mike: The next variation you’re going to march forward. Just lift your legs as high as you comfortably can. Once you get to one end, walk backward, and take your time. Make sure you feel controlled. If you really feel unsteady doing this, maybe hold off or have someone hold onto you with a gait belt as a good option as well. You’re just going to do this the length of your countertop or your railing as well. Brad: So the reason we’re doing this is the marching forward simulates when you are going up steps, a rapid incline. If you’ve ever walked up a step and misjudged the steps or you didn’t lift high enough, it’s the perfect time to catch your toe on the edge of the step, causing a fall. Walking back into the chair that you’re gonna sit down on. Maybe you’re farther than you think and you’re stumbling. So these are great functional exercises to practice. Mike: Again if you feel safe, try to keep your eyes looking ahead, not down at your feet. The next variation you can try, which is a little more challenging, is called the grapevine, or karaoke, it has a bunch of different names. I don’t know why it’s called karaoke. We’re going to cross one leg in front, bring the back leg back, and I’m going to go behind. So, right foot front, right foot behind. The opposite direction, you’re just going to do the same thing. Left foot in front then left foot behind. You want to make sure to take your time. If you start crossing your legs and feeling like you’re falling then you’re not ready for this exercise, it’s a little more advanced. Brad: Yeah, I think Bob and Mike and I can all agree, when we work with people with this in the clinic, it’s one of those things that people oftentimes get confused on which foot goes in front or behind. If it’s a problem, don’t worry about it, you can just forget it and go work on the other ones. Mike: The last one, another challenging one, is to try to walk heel to toe like you’re on a tightrope. And so you’re going to put one foot directly in front of the other, going forward like this. You can turn around and go forward and back. Or if you’re feeling advanced and feeling good and this is easy, you can do this backwards as well for more of a challenge. Brad: I always emphasize, see if you can feel your toes touch your heel. Because when that happens, particularly going backward, you’re working your proprioception. In other words, you’re training your body to know where your feet are without visual contact. Very important to work on your proprioception, and it’s going to make you less resistant or less at risk for falls. Nice job, Mike. These are something that’s really important, but be careful with them. Be safe, and if you do not feel safe, do not do them by yourself. You’ll be okay without it. So, I don’t know, do we have some more to cover, Mike? Mike: I think we covered everything. Let us know if they worked for you, or what we forgot because we don’t know everything. Brad: Well, right, you’re right, we don’t. I thought maybe we did. I don’t know. But be careful and be safe. 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