This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in April of 2022. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCRZG7jrIvI Bob: Today we're going to talk about never throw your old shoes out until you do this. So Brad's going to take the way, the lead on this. Brad: So, we have a number of shoes here. They protect our feet. They help us balance. They help us maneuver on uneven surfaces, but they also tell the story about what can happen to you in the future. They don't only affect your feet, but the shoe can tell you how it can affect your knee, your hip, and your low back. And we're going to show you how to read this information. It's not that hard actually. Bob: It's like reading the tea leaves. Brad: Yeah. And you don't want to just do it once, you want to do it as every time you wear out a pair of shoes. You'll see how it can change, like myself, when I was in my thirties and in PT school, compared to now my shoes wear different. Bob: Is it because you changed your running or just because you're older? Brad: I don’t know. That's another story. We want to get on with the program. Bob: So, we want to look at wear patterns. Brad: Correct. Well, not only just on the bottom of the shoe, but there's more than that, but we'll get to that. We're going to look at the bottom of the shoe where it contacts the ground, the floor, wherever you're walking or running and see how that looks. And we're going to show you just a general pattern. This is actually how big Bob's foot is. I traced his shoe. Bob: I can't believe that. Brad: Yeah, isn't that amazing? Bob: Yeah, because I don't have that big of feet. Brad: Anyways, so here's the bottom of a shoe, the shaded portion represents a normal wear pattern. You heel strike typically a little more on the outside of the heel, it rolls across the foot more on the outside and then goes to the center and there is a nice, more of an even wear pattern there. Bob: This is the right shoe by the way. So, my right side. Brad: If you're going to buy a pair of shoes, and you have a pattern like this, you’re probably going to ask for a pair of stability shoes. If you have a good shoe salesperson, they'll know what you're talking about. If they don't, go somewhere else, get a new salesperson. Brad: Now we're going to go to, if someone is flat footed or a pronator is what we call that. Here's the right foot again. The wear pattern here is on the inside of the foot. And with that, a motion control shoe is what you want to look for. Bob: Now that's a very stiff shoe. Brad: Yeah, there's very thick soles on those. Bob: You can't bend it like you could bend some shoes. Brad: No, not at all. Bob: It is just rigid. Brad: Yep. And they're a little more expensive. But if you are a pronator, your whole leg internally rotates. It can stress your knee, stress your hip and your back. So, this is one of those patterns that you want to pay attention to, so you don't get problems up the chain. Bob: Now I want to warn you too, that these shoes, anyone you pick, still has to feel good. You should put it on, and it feels good immediately. If it hurts or doesn't feel right, that's not the shoe for you. Brad: Right. Bob: Don't go out thinking you are going to eventually wear into it. It should feel good at the store. Brad: I had a salesman, my daughter's a little flat footed and she put one of these on and she said, "it feels like there's a big bump there and it wasn't comfortable." He said, "oh, it'll be okay, you know, give her a couple weeks." And I said, "no, we'll try something else." Bob: Yeah. Brad: The next one is a supinator. That means you walk on the side of your foot. We’ve got real life examples of all these, except for the pronator. But we've got some nice examples that wears on the outside of the foot. People who supinate have more of a tendency to roll their ankle. You can sprain your ankle because they do supinate. And that one you'll need a cushion shoe. Typically, it's a rigid foot. Bob: Yeah, my wife likes cushion shoes. But I typically think, in your case, it's because you externally rotate your hips. Your hips are shaped that way, the bones are. Brad: Right. Yeah, my walking pattern is different than my running pattern. Bob: Sure. Bob: Which is very interesting. And if you are a runner and you want to be a forefoot runner, in other words, your heel doesn't touch the ground as much. You're going to see the wear primarily in the forefoot. Maybe a little bit in the heel but not so much. Bob: And that's what you want to see it. Brad: Right. Then you know you're doing what you want. Oftentimes a minimalist shoe is what people use for that. Which is nice cause they're usually a little cheaper. Bob: Well, the idea with the minimalist shoe too is that you're trying to strengthen the foot. Brad: Sure, you're right. Bob: You know, there's a whole movement out there, that's saying that our shoes are getting too big, they're making our feet too weak. Brad: Too much support. Yeah, and I've been using minimalist shoes for three years now because I went to a fore foot running and I'm very happy with them. Bob: Did you have to work your way into the minimalist shoe or were you able to use it day one and just keep using it? Brad: I went to a minimalist and I just did it. It took me a couple years. I had sore calves. It's not an easy transition. But that's another video. Bob: Well, that's what I was thinking, maybe use an old shoe and a new shoe, and go back and forth. Brad: Oh yeah. We could do that. That's an option, where you have two different shoes you run with. Bob: You're supposed to switch off all the time anyway. Brad: Yeah. If you're a serious runner, run with two pair of shoes and alternate them. Anything to make it cost more, it seems. Bob: Yeah. Brad: All right here we have some real live shoes from both Bob and I. So what you're looking for, when you look at your shoes before you throw them away. Look at, this is Bob's shoe. Bob: This a walking shoe for me. Brad: This is one of your walking shoes. You can see the pattern here is wore. Just like a normal wear pattern. It's kind of hard to see, but you can see it's wore on the forefoot. We have some more wear on the outside heel. Bob: You can't see the ridges on the black section anymore. It's flattened out. Brad: So, Bob you're normal. Bob: Well, I've got high arches. Surprisingly high. Brad: You don't have any foot, knee pain, or hip pain from anything? Bob: No. Brad: Okay, and this is just a walking shoe. One thing I do want to mention is, on these shoes you'll see the outsole, which is usually a dark colored material, and then the white color is softer. When this dark part gets through and it hits the white, like it almost is right here. You need to get rid of the shoe. We have some better examples of that. Bob: The problem with that much wear is it'll start altering your walking. It'll start enhancing whatever problem you have. Brad: And it may not just happen over a period of time. Once it wears out, you get to that soft cushion, it can wear out quickly, and within a few weeks, you can really start developing some knee pain or hip pain for whatever reason. And it's because your shoes are worn out. Bob: Yeah. I have bought probably a hundred pair of shoes, if not more in my life. Brad: Now this is my running shoe. And here's the midsole, it's a minimalist shoe, so it’s all the way across. And if you look it is completely worn out. And I did this so that I can do this video. Plus I didn't feel like buying a pair. But I had no foot pain, no pain, but I did get rid of them about a month ago. But this is pretty severe. I'm down into the cushion, the white part of the shoe. That's air-filled foam if you will. And you can see it's really starting to take ahold there, and that makes my foot tip outward. Brad: Now, if you look at a walking shoe, I use it for yard work now, but you could see here, it wore through the outsole. You can see right there is the end sole. But it's pretty normal pattern here. Bob: Yeah. Brad: Right across where it should be. So, my running is clearly different than how I walk. Bob: Right. But you walk with your feet turned out. Brad: I do, yep. Bob: And you run with your feet turned in, you keep them straight. Brad: Exactly. That's why we have the wear on the outside. So, this is my new running shoe. It's minimalist. I don't know if I'm going to like this one, but it was on sale. And I think it fit good enough. We're going to see. So, it's flexible. Bob: They are cushion shoes, aren't they? Brad: But it has no outsole. It's all just air cushiony. I have a feeling these are going to wear out pretty quick. I'll keep an eye on them. I have a little bit where the blue is, so we'll see how this goes. This is what you need to do with your shoes is check them out and buy shoes and pay attention to what kind of shoes you're wearing, and which ones feel better and go with the ones that feel better on your feet, knees. Bob: That has a pretty big heel yet for a minimalist. Brad: Yeah, it's pretty light though, and the whitist blue part kind of goes up higher than it actually is because it cuts up, so it's not a true minimalist but it's more in that direction. Bob: Sure. Brad: What happened was I wanted to get the exact pair I had. Well, this is two years ago. They don't make them anymore because they're not pretty anymore. I don't know, same color. But wait Bob, there's more. Bob: There's more. Brad: There's more, Bob has other part, his issues. You want to talk about your issue on the top of the shoe. Bob: Yeah, so if you look at my feet, this is not a good thing to see, but I have hammer toes and that means the extensors, the muscles right on top of the foot, are overactive. Brad: They pull your ankle up and your toes up. Bob: These are firing when they shouldn't be really to be honest with you, they're over firing. They gave me tendonitis a couple times throughout my running career. Right up on the top of the foot. And on both of my running shoes here, I have a hole. I actually wore a hole out. Brad: I've had this too in the past, but I've corrected my running. Bob: I've corrected mine now, my latest ones now, I don't have it anymore. Brad: And how did you correct it? Bob: When I run, I think more about relaxing and pushing off on my feet or push off on my toes. When I don't think about it, I actually lift my toes up. It's weird. Brad: I did the same thing. I thought about keeping my toes relaxed when I lifted up my foot and I was able to control it and it wasn't as hard as fore foot running to change. Bob: Right, it doesn't take that much, but it is funny I got that tendonitis on the top of the foot. I'm like, what, how, why am I having pain on the top of my foot? It didn’t make any sense to me. Brad: So, if you're having that, that's probably what it is. And you're probably going to see this pattern. I can't believe I'm sticking my hand in your shoe. I do want to say one thing, this can be a very complicated topic. If you're having problems in your knees and you can't figure this out or you don't want to, you can get gait analysis on a treadmill with cameras on you and you're going to need a trained individual, probably a therapist, or a trained athletic trainer, and they will do a detailed gate analysis. They look at your running or walking in slow motion to see how they can correct it by orthotics, inserts, other changes. Bob: There might be problems that are causing it further up the leg. Brad: Yeah. They may give you stretches or something, you know that may be a necessary thing. But for most people, this will give you a good understanding. I don't know if this is going to do anything regarding our biggest dilemma. Bob: Brad and I can fix just about anything. Brad: Except for... Bob: A broken heart. Brad: Right, and this shoe thing is not going to even touch that. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat 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 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.

Equipment needed: Mat (optional) Workout 1. 1-minute bridge 2. Side lying series (20 sec of each movement) Starting Position a. Leg lifts b. Forward kicks -start in position above (a); kick leg forward and then back to starting position c. Back kicks -kick leg back and then to starting position d. Forward/back kicks -kick leg forward and then back e. Forward circles (small) f. Forward circles (big) g. Back circles (small) h. Back circles (big) i. Pulses -small leg lift up and down *Repeat on the other side 3. 1-minute bridge 4. Tabletop position (on hands and knees) a. 8 straight leg lifts- extend the leg out, lift, and lower b. 8 kickbacks (knee bent to 90 degrees) *Repeat on the other side This article is part of a series called Workouts with Jordan. Check the full series of videos along with the downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/workouts-with-jordan Jordan now has her own YouTube channel called Follow Along Fitness. Whether you’re a senior, a beginner, a pro, or even pregnant - there’s something for everyone!

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in January of 2020. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c9f69mWjLk Bob: This is an update on seven exercises you should do absolutely every day. Brad: Right. We’re going to shorten this one up and it's going to be a little different on the exercises too. Bob: Let's get started. Brad: We want to mention that all these exercises promote pain free lifestyle activities, because we are working range of motion and almost all of them promote better posture. Bob: Yep. That's so important to everything. Brad: Exactly right. So, we're first going to do the infamous chin tucks. Bob: Everyone should be doing these absolutely every day because almost all of us struggle with that head forward posture. Chin tucking. And you were going to show how you can use the stick to determine whether you are doing it correctly or not. Brad: Right. I’ve got contact at my butt and my shoulders, and when my head touches, I know that I am in good posture. I'm not bringing my chin down; I'm going back and bringing the chin into the throat, and you are going to do between five or ten of these. This is one you can do every hour. Bob: If you have poor posture and look up instead of bringing your head straight back, that shows you have a ways to go. Brad: Right. So again, that one can be done easily throughout the day. You don't have to do ten of them, if you do them every hour or so, just do two or three and it all adds up with good reminders. The next one, it’s nice to have a towel roll for this or you can use your hands. Bob: I'll do the hands. Brad: Okay and I’ll get that towel roll. It’s best to do it with a chair so you can rest your back. Bob's not going to, he'll show you without but, using a chair's a little bit better. And we'll start with a little chin tuck and roll back. All these exercises, by the way, should be pain free, if they create pain there's probably a problem and you shouldn't be doing them. So, keep that in mind with all of them. If one of them hurts, skip that one. Bob: Brad and I just know historically from working with a lot of patients that quite often this is the direction that people are tight in. And if you work this direction, it actually helps motion in almost all directions. Brad: Exactly. Bob: So, this is the one you want to do because a lot of times you're head forward all day or head down, you want to go the opposite direction. Brad: And five to ten repetitions on that. That one can be done throughout the day. Maybe not as often as the chin tucks. The next one is postural scapular retraction. Bob: I'm going to do it with the “W." Making a “W” here and squeezing my shoulder blades together. I like this because it is stretching the chest muscles while at the same time you're strengthening. Brad: Right. Bob: Now the Booyah Stik works even better because you're really getting the stretch. It's really promoting the stretch and at the same time you're getting the strengthening in. So, it’s just a nice way to stretch posture. Brad: Yeah, it’s a nice accessory. Bob: Next is back extensions. So, a very simple one, you're going to lay down flat on your stomach hands underneath the shoulders. And you're going to start by pressing up probably just part way to start. Bob: The big thing here is you're not lifting the pelvis at all. Brad: Get that butt down. Bob: Now this one you should not do if you have spondylolisthesis. Brad: Spondylolisthesis or spinal stenosis back here in the lumbar area. We have another exercise coming up that will be good for those. Bob: Yeah but these are really great for preventing back pain and for a lot of people they're great for treating back pain too. I do these every morning. I do a good set of 20 to be honest with you. Brad: And you've got good range of motion. There aren’t a lot of people your age that are that flexible in the back. Bob: That's right. I’ve been doing it for many years. Now we're going to go do cat and camel. So, I'm arching up. I'm arching down. Up. Down. Brad: These are nice, do about ten of these. Bob: Good for mobility, it works on thoracic mobility and a little lumbar mobility too. Brad: Remember to breathe with all of these. We should have mentioned that right away but that's what the reminder is, to breathe and relax. And the next one we're going to go to the hamstrings. I'm going to show a good way to do it standing. Bob is going to do it lying down. They're both nice ways to stretch. Standing the knee's straight and keep your back straight. I'm going to show you can use a stick or the Booyah Stik, that makes me keep my back straight. I'm getting a good hamstring stretch. If you do it with the stick down, you don't want to round your back. Bob: You don't want to round out. Brad: You keep your back straight. Go ahead Bob I'm going to keep stretching. Bob: This is simple you're going to grab underneath your knee. Right on the upper thigh and you're going straighten out your knee. Pull the foot towards me as much as I can and as straight as I can. Keep breathing. I'm going to get the other side too. Brad: There's a lot of different ways to stretch a hamstring. But these are two good alternatives. And then the infamous heel cord stretch. There are several ways to do it. If you have an incline board, I think that is by far the best way to do it. But if you don't have it that's fine. You don't need one. Brad: Bob will show you there. You can do it at a countertop. You can go up to a wall. And the back leg is where the stretch is going on. The front one is just hanging out there. This one you can hold 15 to 30 seconds. I personally like to put pressure on and pressure off. But you're going to find that a lot of people will encourage 30 second hold, static hold. Bob: I think I told the story before. About one of my favorite Reader's Digest little stories. A lady was going out for a run, so she had parked her car and she was standing behind the car doing this stretch and another guy comes up and starts helping her try to push the car. He thought she needed help. Brad: He thought it was a broken-down car. I wonder how long she let him do that? Bob: Right. Especially when it's in park. Brad: All right so get through those seven stretches. Again seven is a wonderful number. Bob: It's a magic number. Brad: It's complete. Bob: Right and remember Brad and I can fix just about anything. Brad: Except for… Bob: A broken heart. We're working on it. Brad: Stretch away. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat 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 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 February in of 2023. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUOc_wx5abE&t=230s Brad: We are going to show you how you can sleep all night long, sleep like a baby, and we'll get going. Bob's awake, he's ready to go. Bob: Ready to roll. Brad: So we have got seven sleeping tips, they're confirmed by scientific research, on how you can get to sleep faster and better. Some of these are new I didn't know of before. Number one is routine and consistency. In other words, go to bed at the same time every night. Bob: Even on weekends. Brad: Even on weekends, that's right. It's the same thing as when you have young children, you do the same thing, and they go to bed at seven o'clock every night. Bob: I do this for bed. Brad: You do? Seven o'clock? Bob: Yeah, right. Brad: Number two, take a warm, or even a hot bath, prior to going to bed. If you don't want to do that, just do a hot bath to your feet alone. And the whole idea is after you get out of the hot bath or the foot bath, things cool down in that warm atmosphere. Bob: Then your body's ready to sleep. Brad: Yep, and when your body cools down at a nice rate, that's a good sleeping atmosphere. Number three is a five-minute worry journal. In other words, you don't have to take five minutes, but get a piece of paper out, write down the things that you need to get done tomorrow, so you have them down and you do not have to think about it. Bob: This totally works, Brad. Brad: Yeah. It frees the mind up of your little worries, and you know you're going to get things done the next day. It only takes a little bit, and it's going to work, it's going to be productive to start the next day. Life is good. Bob: Absolutely. Brad: This is a big rule. The bed is only for sleeping and intimacy. Bob: No TV, no phones, no tablets at all. Brad: That's right. And it's a strict one. So just draw the line, and you're done. It's going to help. Now, no lights at all, complete darkness in the room. And this is interesting, we talk about the light, your eyes obviously sensing light, but your skin can sense that light as well, and that causes a reaction to make sleep not so easy. So, and you want to talk about the color of the light, Bob? Bob: The color should be red. Brad: Red. So, your clock, the digits, if you got a digital clock, which everyone does, or a night-light, make it a red one. Also get a pair of blue-light filtered glasses, wear them one hour before you go to bed, and that can help eliminate those blue light effects. So, on the other end of the spectrum, we've got blue light, opposite of red light. Blue light makes you want to stay awake longer, we're not going to get into the reasons for it, but they understand it well. Blue light does include cell phones, TV, all these electronic components. Bob: Yep, LEDs. Brad: That's exactly right, so stay away from that, and then use the glasses, even if you're not using that, one hour before you go to bed. Bob: Right. Brad: Next, room temperature. Really critical. Bob: So important. Brad: Yeah, that's right. They say 60 to 67 degrees, so somewhere in their area. Bob: Very cool. I sleep so much better when I'm cooler. Brad: Which you're fine with. If you're at 72 degrees, you're not going to sleep as well. And finally, white noise. So if you're not familiar with that, it's just, like a fan, people primarily use fans, you can also buy white noise machines and you can pick what kind of noise. Bob: Now they have apps on your phone for white noise. Brad: Yep, apps on your phone. And it's just background noise, very calm and soothing, works very well. I use a fan. What do you use? Bob: A fan. I’m a fan of a fan. Brad: A fan. Okay. Very good. All right, if you address all seven of these, and if there is any of them that you haven't used, I have a feeling it's going to help. And maybe there's four or five that you've avoided, just because you weren't aware of it. Bob: Yeah, it makes a big difference. Brad: Yep. You can't go wrong with more sleep, and better-quality sleep. Bob: Right. Brad: So, I don't know. You want to go to sleep? Bob: Yep. Get out of here. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat 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 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.

Warm Up *30 seconds of each 1. High knees 2. Straight leg kicks 3. Walk out plank Workout *20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest *2 rounds, resting 1 minute in between rounds 1. Plank (on forearms) 2. Right side plank 3. Left side plank *Same as pictures above 4. High plank 5. Mountain climbers *Pull your knee towards your chest, alternating legs 6. Tabletop leg extensions *Start on hands and knees, extend one leg out, lift and lower *20 seconds per side 7. Scissor kicks *Start with legs up towards the ceiling, keep both legs straight, lower leg towards the ground, alternating legs 8. Scissor kicks with arms added *Start with arms and legs up towards the ceiling, lower opposite arm and leg towards the ground, alternating sides This article is part of a series called Workouts with Jordan. Check the full series of videos along with the downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/workouts-with-jordan Jordan now has her own YouTube channel called Follow Along Fitness. Whether you’re a senior, a beginner, a pro, or even pregnant - there’s something for everyone!

Neck pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders, affecting 27 per 1000 people on average. According to research published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, there are several risk factors that can exacerbate neck pain. In particular, aging is the most important risk factor for most chronic pain, as the normal anatomy of the cervical spine changes at advanced ages. While the studies show us that there is no definitive treatment for neck pain, there are ways that we can ease the severity of pain by targeting the causes behind it. Keep reading for a closer look. Causes of neck pain Common causes of neck pain include muscle strain from overuse or worn joints that worsen with age. In some cases, persistent neck pain has a specific cause, such as a damaged facet joint or disc that stems from injury or the growth of masses, including tumors and cysts. Here, the pain only becomes aggravated by factors such as bad posture, smoking, or obesity. Treatment of neck pain Strained muscles in the neck can be addressed with specific massages that target the restrictions and trigger points in the structural tissue around your neck. Often called the ‘slow fix’, self-help myofascial release progressively helps your body release and rebalance through a series of stretches and deliberately-induced pressure. Neck stretches, where you turn and drop your head to one side, can help ease you in. It is especially key, however, that one first uses heat therapy to coax the muscles in the neck to loosen up before treatment. The usage of massage tools such as our inflatable myofascial balls can additionally be used to ease the body into the massage treatment. Myofascial balls or trigger point balls can be lied on or leaned against for 90 - 120 seconds to allow time for the muscles to release. This can be done by placing two inflatable myofascial balls in a bag, lying flat on the floor or bed, and positioning the bag under your neck so that your spine is between the balls. Medical intervention becomes necessary when neck pain worsens or persists after several weeks of self-care. This could be a sign of a more serious problem, such as damaged muscles, ligaments, disks, vertebral joints, or nerve roots in your spinal cord, or even a sign of other health conditions such as meningitis or rheumatoid arthritis. In these cases, it's important to address these underlying causes first. Prevention of neck pain According to the research from BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, the most commonly reported risk factor for neck pain was working in awkward postures. This is critical information, considering how the latest data from Pew Research Center tells us that the adoption of key technologies by elderly people has grown markedly in the last decade. 61% of those aged 65 and older use a smartphone — and prolonged smartphone usage according to research published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science can lead to poorer posture. Interventions are important to accommodate these lifestyle choices. Investing in ergonomic accessories that reduce neck pain can help. Having an adjustable tablet mount, for example, adjusts your tablet at an angle so that users do not have to hunch over and lean in to get a better view of the screen. Users can instead focus on maintaining a relaxed and straight spinal curve. Otherwise, investing in ergonomic furniture such as an ergonomic mattress can help older people sleep better and rest strained neck muscles. The orthopedic mattress from Nectar, for example, makes use of medium-firm memory foam so that the spine remains aligned with gentle pressure during sleep. 90% of their customers already say that their mattress helps with overall aches, including neck pain. Otherwise, a lack of proper sleep has also been shown to lead to increased inflammation, and better sleep quality brought along by a more comfortable mattress could lead to less discomfort. Early prevention and treatment are key to addressing neck pain. If you are struggling with neck pain, get started with our Neck Pain Relief Program where we determine the direct causes of your neck pain and the best ways to address them. By becoming proactive with treatment, you’ll be able to enjoy your ache-free senior years. Written exclusively for Bobandbrad.com by Agatha Cameron

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in January of 2023. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77gJLUEFanc&t=39s Bob: This is a two-part stretch. Brad: I'm in the middle of the first part of the stretch. So, I'm using stair rails, handrails to support my arms. I'm getting stretch in my shoulders, my lats, my low back, my hips, and calves. Bob: You could use a sink to hold on to. Brad: Yeah, you could grab anything solid that is about that level. A sink you can get your hands around so you don't go backwards. Bob: And Brad, what do you call this? Brad: The Stretcharoo! Bob: Stretcharoo! Brad: Stretcharoo! Nice general stretch. You're going to hold it for 15 to 30 seconds. If you wanted to go longer, you could, but that's a good rule of thumb to start with, anywhere between there. Bob: And no pain, no pain. Brad: No pain, yeah. If you are feeling pain, you have an injury or a joint replacement, you may not want to do this. This is for generally healthy people. Bob: Okay, Brad. Show them the second part of this stretch. Brad: Right, so after you've done the first part, you're going to drop down. If you have steps, you go down to whichever step you feel comfortable with regarding the stretch on your back, in your hamstrings, in your arms. I may start at the top and then word down. Bob: It's a good hamstring stretch. Brad: Yep, so you'll lock the legs or knees out for more hamstring and arch your back. You'll feel it right back in the back of the leg. I like to do a little twist here to get the trunk and the sides of the trunk along with it, so we don't miss any parts of the body. You can drop down. Whoa. The hamstrings are starting. Bob: Lean back. Brad: Yep. Oh yeah, the hamstrings are starting to feel it. Arch the back and then do it. Yep. Bob: The Stretcharoo! Brad: Stretcharoo is right. More flexible people, you can go down to here. Again, you're not trying to create any pain, just a gentle or normal stretch, use good judgment. If you do not have a staircase like this, we're going to show you some options with a chair or a stool. Bob: Great. You look flexy. Brad: Ah, I feel strong like bull. So you can move around and adjust yourself. Again, 15 to 30 seconds. We'll get to a chair next. Bob: You didn't go back and forth. Brad: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. You can go back to the squatting. Or combine the two. That's a good option. And then strong like bull. Okay, now, if you do not have the stairway at your house, use a chair, a sturdy chair with armrests, and then you can start out with this stretch with your hands of the armrests, as we talked about, for your 15 to 30 seconds, arching you back and et cetera. And then drop down to the seat of the chair. You can do the first one, the squatting with your hands on the armrests. The only thing is, it has to be a sturdy chair, because if you lean back, obviously we want to stay stable. Bob: Right. You could use the sink and the chair. Brad: Right. Yep. Put the chair, use the sink to hold on a little higher. The sink really works out well, you know. Bob: I agree. Brad: I think that's why they made sinks, is partially for exercising. Well, you know, over the years, we've done that many times with patients. "Go home, hold on to the sink, so your fingers are around it, then do your leg exercises." Bob: Good point, good point. Brad: Yeah, if you're a therapist, you get what we mean. Otherwise, it's just babble. Bob: Adios. Brad: Take care. Bob: Stretcharoo! Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat 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 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 is important to understand many of the muscles of the wrist and hand originate in the forearm. You do not need to know the specific names or functions, but you will be well served to apply massage to the muscles on the front and back of the forearm. You may also massage the palm side of the hand (palm, fingers, and thumb). Use the air-filled attachment. If painful, you may do cross-fiber friction massage over tendons at the base of the thumb (extensor pollicis brevis, abductor longus = De Quervain’s tenosynovitis. Use the following guidelines to choose the appropriate attachment: a. Big Round Head Attachment: Good for larger muscle groups like the glutes, quadriceps, or hamstrings. Allows you to cover more surface area. Moderate in aggressiveness. b. Small Round Head attachment: Less aggressive to moderate. Great for tendonitis or tenosynovitis if used sideways. (Big & Small Round Head) c. Air-filled (Pneumatic) attachment: Probably the least aggressive head. Great for use around bony surfaces and sensitive muscle groups. Good for the palm of the hand and the palm side of the fingers. d. Bullet Head attachment: Aggressive. May be helpful with treating trigger points or knots in the forearm. e. Plastic Flat Head attachment: Moderate. Good on the IT band, Pectoralis Major (with ribs underneath), or Plantar Fascia (bottom of the foot). Great for tendonitis if used sideways. f. Steel Flat Head. (Can be heated up or cooled down prior to use). Moderate to Aggressive. g. Knobby Attachments: Generally, for larger muscles. More aggressive. h. Field Goal: Can be used along both sides of the spine. Also, some have recommended its use on the Achilles tendon. This article and video are part of a series of videos on how to treat your pain with self-massage. Check the full series of videos along with the downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/massage/ Bob & Brad's Massage Guns C2 Massage Gun (US), T2 Massage Gun, EM-19 Massage Gun, Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US), X6 PRO Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head 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 in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in November of 2022. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/IQxLdxveXYc Brad: Do you feel like you need a back massage, but there's nobody around to massage it for you? Bob: How about your wife? No worries. We will show you the way. Brad: The first one, you can actually do this to yourself. It's not real easy, but it works. Bob, can you show them? Bob: You need to have good shoulder range of motion. Brad: Right. Bob: So you are going to use either the knuckle on your pointer finger or the knuckle of your thumb. So grab it with the other hand, and I go along the paraspinals. You want to show them that? Brad: So he is going not over the bumps directly on the spine, those are the spinous processes. We're going over the muscles, the erector spinae muscles and dig in deep. Again, you need good shoulder flexibility for this. Bob: Both sides. Brad: And it's going to take some effort, some work. Bob: And the final thing is you go along the rim of the pelvis. Brad: So that's just above the Iliac crest, we call it. Work those knuckles in like Bob's doing. Bob, how you feeling? Bob: Oh, I'm great. So the next one involves a purchase. Brad: Okay, yes. Bob: This is the Body Back Buddy, but you could use any one, like Thera Cane. Brad: Yep, there's a number of manufacturers of these, but they all look about the same. The big advantage of using these you get mid back and lower back, and it's much easier on your shoulders than what we just demonstrated. Bob: You can massage up and down. Brad: Oh yeah, It'll make it groan. Bob: Press hard. Brad: If you have one knot, simply go on that and maintain pressure for about 30 seconds. You can work it lower by that pelvis area, the multifidi. Bob: It'll be your best friend. Brad: Sometimes it works better to use these other knobs in here. You'll find out that it becomes something you need to work with, but they work well. Now the easiest and what feels the best of all is simply this back massager. This is one that Bob, and I have both tried and family members. Bob: Oh, they love it. Brad: Everyone's fallen in love with it. I'm going to turn it on. The really big advantage is it heats up, for one thing. And then you can push the button and it changes the direction of the massaging heads, which can be a big advantage. Bob: There is no cord. Brad: No cord, which is a good advantage. You can take it traveling with you. You don't have to be stuck to the wall with a 110 volts there. Bob: You could take it camping. Brad: Yeah, you can take it camping. Now I'll show you how this works. It's amazing. I couldn't believe how warm it gets. Bob: Yeah, it feels good. Brad: Yep. So, we're going to take this, and it works the lower back. Even at the belt line, you can go to the SI joint with it. I'm going to move it up. Bob: My wife used it all weekend. I think she loves it more than me. Brad: Yeah, you're not going to get any of the attention now. And then, of course, I'm going to go up to that mid-back here. Bob: She even used it on her SI. Brad: Yep, yep. Did I mention that? I thought I did. Bob: No. Brad: Darn it. It feels good. It is really a nice massager. The bonus, I use it on my hamstrings as well, even though it's a back massager, as well as quadriceps. It's really nice. Bob: It'll be your best friend. Brad: Yeah, it is. And it looks like a tooth. We don't know why that is. Anyways, it does have a strap. All right, very good. So, massage your back by yourself with the hook massage, the Thera Cane daily. Bob: Or best of all. Brad: Or the big kahuna, the fine looking back massager. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat 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 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 2021. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FRleYEHkXA&t=390s Bob: Today we're going to talk about the danger if my shoulder clicks and pops. Learn why and how to fix it, we're going to cover it all. Brad: That's right, Bob, we're going to carry on. Bob: We don't want a noisy shoulder. Brad: Okay, let's go on with these shoulder problems because it's not uncommon for people to have clicks and crackly shoulders. And people get concerned, is this something I need to see the doctor about? Very good concern, and it's possible, yes. But we're going to explain to you why you may have those clicking and popping in your shoulders. Sometimes it's just like grinding. I'll say to my patients is it like Rice Krispies? If you ever had those, and they say, “yeah, that's kind of like it.” Or it could be something like a clunk, clunk, or pop, whatever, there are several different reasons that we're going to show you why this can happen. It can make you feel better just knowing that your shoulder is not literally falling apart. Bob: Well, we'll show you some things that might help take it away too. Brad: Absolutely, that's going to be a little bit later. Bob: A lot of times, you don't actually hear it, you feel it, the grinding. Okay, let's show what some of the causes could be. Brad: Sam is going to be grateful and happy to help us out. So, we're going to look at the shoulder. If you're going to have these noises and whatnot, they're going to come from the ball and socket of the shoulder joint typically. Here's the socket which is a very shallow socket and then the nice, rounded ball on the humerus. Brad: Keep in mind, it doesn't look so clean, it has a lot of connective tissue around it. And that can start to cause some of these problems. We'll get back to that. Bob: One of the problems, is that quite often the shoulder bone here moves forward in the socket. It's not back in the socket where it should be. And that causes things to grind, it can put pressure on the labrum, and it can put pressure on the tendons coming through. And you're going to show that, right, Brad? Brad: Exactly, so this represents a tendon coming through from the supraspinatus, and that comes over, and connects to the humerus. Now sometimes that tendon can slide back and forth. Bob: That can make a sound. Brad: Right, also there's a tendon toward the front that goes for the bicep tendon, and that can pop back and forth. Bob: Yep, or it can also get squished right there under the acromion. And that can cause noise after a while after it gets scar tissue. Brad: Exactly, so along with it are arthritic changes. Let's say the ball of the socket is getting arthritic. Bob: It's getting flaked. Brad: Yeah, it's not smooth anymore, it becomes rough. And that can also be that Rice Krispy sign. Bob: And then there's the labrum. Brad: The labrum which we did mention already, but we're going to show you. This brown rubbery stuff represents a capsule and some other tendons. But right here’s a labrum, and that's kind of like a cartilage material. And sometimes that can rip, Chris has one of these, it's been confirmed. And that'll make a clunk sound. Bob: It's not holding the ball in the socket the way it should be. And again, if your ball is not in the socket like it should be, it could put pressure on that labrum. It's just not working the way it should. Brad: So obviously, number of reasons. Now, sometimes these can be bad enough that you may need surgery, but the big rule of thumb, is if your clunks or snaps and Rice Krispies and there's no pain with it, you just feel it, that's a pretty good sign, you don't have to get too concerned about it. Bob: Sometimes it's a precursor to pain. I mean, I would like to take it away if you can. Brad: Yes, and we're going to show you some good rules on how to do some exercises and how to correct it before it turns into a problem. Bob: One other thing, Brad, we forgot to mention is the shoulder's not going to work the way it should either if the rotator cuff, the four muscles around the shoulder, they're not working as they should. So that's why Brad's going to show a strengthening exercise too. Brad: And that goes back from, Bob mentioned, that ball can come forward oftentimes out of that socket if you will, and then you get those noises. Bob: Yeah, and if the rotator cuff is working as it should, it should rotate the ball correctly and not cause problems. Brad: Exactly. All right, so, here we go. The first thing we can look at is posture. It all boils down to the fundamentals. If the posture is not right, the mechanics aren’t going to be right. Bob: Look at this, if I'm rounded out and I bring my shoulder up, that's as far as I can go. But now if I straighten up. Look how high my shoulder goes now. Brad: You get about an extra 20 degrees of free mobility just by changing your posture. Bob: Right, and this is also causing it to impinge, which can lead to some of the problems we were just talking about. Brad: Right, so you look at your posture, and sometimes you can take a picture of yourself when you're not aware of yourself or have someone tell you, and you might find that your shoulders are forward and you're not aware of it. And we need to bring them back. So, just squeezing back, I would call them W's, if you bring your arms back, squeeze your shoulder blades behind your back, and do 10 of those throughout the day. Bob: That's the first exercise I give patients, is I tell them, go home, and start doing some of these. Brad: You can use a wall, and try to touch your elbows to the wall and hands to the wall. That way you kind of know where you're at, you might start out not even being able to touch the wall. And the goal is to get back there. My left side is always tighter. I work on that myself. Bob: I can tell. Brad: Yeah, exactly. So posture, look at that. Number two is we're going to look at two specific ranges of motion that you'll see. One is flexion, we talked about that, going up in front, or extension, going back. Bob: You compare one shoulder to the other shoulder if you have one that's better than the other. Brad: Let's say, my left shoulder is the good shoulder, and the other has the clicking and popping. The left shoulder goes all the way up, and the right shoulder goes up two-thirds of the way and it might start the click or pop or maybe that's all it goes or a combination, we want to see if we can get this range of motion back to normal. And we've got a couple of tricks to show you. Bob: Yeah, we've got whole videos on this, but we'll show a couple of them right here. Brad: Right, our favorite ones. If your hand only getting up part way, you can just take the other hand to help it. Bob: Absolutely. Brad: Start with posture, and then the good arm goes up and stretches the bad one. You don't push it into real sharp pain, just a little stretch pain is all and then go back down. Up and down and do those 10 times. And then do those three or four times a day. To get more aggressive, we like to use a stick. Bob: Oh, you can hold the stick with the bad shoulder leading and bring it up. But I think you should show the Statue of Liberty. Brad: Absolutely. So, let's talk about this one a little bit. The arm that is forward would be the shoulder that we need to stretch, then the back arm is doing the work, just relax the left. But the Statue of Liberty stretch is much easier. Bob: Well, it's easier and it's more effective. First, you're going to start off, let's say you don't go up that high. You're going to work your way up a little bit. And then you can lean forward and put traction on the shoulder, so much more effectively. Don't let the arms slide down, but you come back and work your way up a little higher. To progress the Statue of Liberty, eventually, you hope you get all the way to the top and you can just give it a little good, long stretch, and you're going to find out it improves your range rather rapidly. Brad: And again, this shouldn't create any sharp pain, if it does, do not do it, it's just not the right stretch. Also, use a stick about four or five feet long with tips on the bottom so it doesn't slip or slide or poke a hole in your furniture. Bob: Right, the Booyah Stik tends to have a nice grip by the way, and you can say Boo-yah. Brad: Boo-yah! All right, and the other one is the extension, going backward. And you can just take a cane even for that, you don't need such a long stick for this one. And it's like you're paddling a canoe and you just stretch back. And again, you'll check one side compared to the other, the good side goes back farther. Bob: This is one again you could clasp your hands and bring them back. Now, Brad has trouble with this one. So, he actually uses a towel. His shoulders are tight going back. Brad: Oh yeah, I'm a tight-shouldered person. I'm not sure what's wrong with my shoulders, but they're getting better. Bob: You probably don't want to reach for that wallet in your back pocket. Brad: Well, hey, yeah, we want to keep it in there. Let's go to the next one. Bob: Well, we just did the range of motion. I'm going to throw one more in there. How about hanging? Brad: Oh yeah, once you get to the point where your range of motion has improved and you're almost there and it doesn't hurt that much, there's no sharp pain, but you want to get more aggressive to stretch it, just hang on a pull-up bar or something very sturdy that'll hold your weight. Bob: Yeah, we have our wall anchors here, and we have a whole bunch of devices here. We have our pull-up system of ours, and you get three of these anchors with it, and you just put it in the wall anchor and then you can go ahead and just hang. Brad: Yeah, obviously I wouldn't buy them just to hang, I would buy them to do pull-ups. Bob: If you're going to do pull-ups too, this is the system you're going to want to get. Then we have the hanging handles. These are what you'd get if you just want to hang. Brad: Yep, specifically for hanging. Bob: And what's nice about it is you can start off by putting some weight on your feet and then eventually go to the point where you lift your legs up. It's good for your back too, by the way. Brad: Yeah, it's good for decompression of the back. Good for posture, good for your shoulders, and hand strength. There are a lot of benefits to it. Bob: Do you want to do strengthening it all, Brad? Brad: Yes, I do. Now the strengthening part we mentioned before about a weak rotator cuff, probably 90% if not 100% of the therapists are going to show you this exercise for the core strengthening exercise. You're going to need something stretchy like a band and anchor it, we're using the wall anchors here because it works very well. And then we keep the elbow in and rotate out. The elbow stays in by the ribs, 90-degree bend in the elbow. Not extending the arm, not where the elbow comes away. Bob: Yeah, a lot of times we would put a towel underneath the armpit. Brad: If the towel drops out, it means your elbow got too far away from your ribs. And this is a great way to get that posterior rotator cuff strength, which is usually the problem, that's why we do it so much. 10 of those, and then do those three times a day. Well, as it gets better, you can go two sets of 10, but the repetitions per day are probably more helpful. Bob: All right, the final thing is I'm going to show you this one, this is more advanced. What I put up here is one of our looped bands, and these are for pull-up assists, and you can actually do a lot of moves with it. But this again, you're going to want to make sure you don't have loose shoulders or arthritic, like rheumatoid arthritis. Brad: This is probably for a more active person. Bob: Yeah, this is the active person, maybe a little bit younger. What I'm going to do is, when he was showing the ball in the socket, I'm trying to put the band right on the ball itself. So, I don't want to be too far over, I don't want to be over onto the scapula or the clavicle. Brad: Right about where that black band is. Bob: Yeah, there you go. See, that's going to pull the ball back into the socket. And while it's in this position, I can work on flexion, I can work on external rotation, I can work on internal rotation. It's just a great way of teaching that shoulder to stay back in the socket. After you do this a few times, the clicking stops. Brad: Yeah, this is one, if you're a therapist and you're not aware of this, you may want to do this with your patients. Bob: Yeah, and a lot of times I'll put my thumb or hand on the band to keep it from sliding, I'm trying to keep it on the shoulder itself. It's better to error by having it down a little bit further than have it too far up because then it's not working. So, a beautiful exercise. Brad: It is. Since you have the big loop band, if you have those, I like the smaller one, this works well for doing that external rotation. So, you stand on it either one foot or both depending on how much resistance you want, keep your elbows bent at your sides, and rotate out. Be sure to use the right size band. You might use a smaller one like the yellow one. But I like this because you get both sides and it puts some pressure down, so it does a little more strengthening than the other way. It's just another option. Bob: It's very mobile too. Brad: Oh, it is, you can take the band with you. Bob: Yeah, and you can snap people. Brad: Well, they are fun, you must be careful. We don't want to recommend any of those childish things. We are a family show. Bob: Right, be kind, take care. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat 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 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.

Trigger finger is a condition in which one or more of your fingers or thumbs gets stuck in a bent position. Your fingers or thumbs may bend or straighten with a snap - like a trigger being pulled and released. Trigger finger is also known as stenosing tenosynovitis (stuh-NO-sing ten-osin-o-VIE-tis). Inflammation narrows the space within the sheath that surrounds the tendon in the affected finger. Often you may develop adhesion in the sheath that can also narrow the sheath. If the trigger finger is severe, your finger may become locked in a bent position. If your work or hobbies require repetitive gripping actions you are at a higher risk of developing trigger finger. Trigger finger is also more common in women and in anyone with diabetes. (See video for a demonstration of knot going through pulley) Symptoms may include: 1. Finger stiffness, usually more pronounced in the morning 2. A popping or clicking as you move your finger 3. A nodule or a bump in the palm at the base of the affected finger which may be tender. 4. Finger catching or locking in a bent position. It may suddenly pop straight 5. Finger locked in a bent position, which you are unable to straighten Trigger finger can affect any finger, including the thumb. More than one finger may be affected at a time, and both hands might be involved. Massage It is important to understand many of the muscles of the wrist and hand originate in the forearm. You do not need to know the specific names or functions, but you will be well served to apply massage to the muscles on the front and back of the forearm. You may also massage the palm side of the hand (palm, fingers, and thumb). Use the air-filled attachment. Massage until no longer tender. Over the nodules or bumps and the base of the fingers, you should try cross-fiber friction massage over tendons. Start with the small ball attachment and you may eventually work up to the flat head attachment with rounded edges. You will turn the head attachment sideways to apply the cross-fiber massage. If still too tender after 30 seconds stop the massage and try another time. If tolerated may go up to 5 minutes. May do 3x per day if tolerated on the following day. This article and video are part of a series of videos on how to treat your pain with self-massage. Check the full series of videos along with the downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/massage/ Bob & Brad's Massage Guns C2 Massage Gun (US), T2 Massage Gun, EM-19 Massage Gun, Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US), X6 PRO Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head 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 in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in January of 2023. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA0w_v08Bpc&t=12s Bob: When you bend over to lift something, you don't want any movement coming from your back. You want it all coming from your hips. So, I don't want you to round the back, I want you to keep the back straight. Brad: Wow! Shall I demonstrate on a real person? So, he's saying if you round your back over to flex forward it puts a lot of stress going through that spine. But if we keep straight and use the legs and the hips to bend and lift, it is better on your back. Bob: The back stays straight. And we're going to show you the stretches that allow your hips to do that. Brad: Very critical. Bob: All right, the first stretch we're going to show you is the rectus femoris. The rectus femoris does go up to the pelvis and if it's tight, it could pull your pelvis over. So this is the couch stretch, where you actually put your leg up on a couch, and it's a very aggressive stretch. Brad: Yes, it is. You wouldn't want to do it on a chair like this, it's kind of hard. It kind of hurts your foot, doesn't it? Bob's tougher than nails. But yeah, on a nice soft couch, it works well, and carpeted floor. Bob: Brad will show it on the bed now. Brad: Now you can do this same muscle and same hip stretch, lying on your side, or prone, on your stomach in bed, or on a carpeted floor. So I'll do the side-lying one first, I'm going to show you how to do it with a stretch strap or without. You don't have to have a strap if you can comfortably grab your foot. You grab the top of your foot, and you're going to pull up and back. Now, just bending your knee doesn't do it, you must flex the knee, or bend it, and then bring the knee back. Bob: Right, pull the hip back. Brad: Now I can feel that rectus femoris. From the knee, all the way up to the hip, stretching. If you have a strap or a belt, then make a loop, that could be easier. Bob: It's a lot easier. Brad: I've got better leverage, I'm more comfortable. And you're going to stretch, hold and relax. If you want to do a long 15 to 30-second stretch, you can, but that's kind of difficult. Bob: Then you can flip right on your stomach if you want to do it in this fashion. Brad: If you don't have a belt, and you can comfortably, grab back for your foot, and then you stretch. Brad: This is easier with a belt or a strap. If you have one of these straps, it's nice, you don't have to grab your foot. Bob: There's a reason we call these advanced. It works well. All right, the next stretch we do is called the frog sit. I started this one about three months ago, and I could only go back a few inches. Now I can go all the way down. You get your legs apart, your feet apart and sit back. It's nice to see the gains. Brad: Again, Bob is tougher than nails. He's got it without any cushion. If you want to put a pillow under your knees, or under your feet, and it feels better, that's fine. I'm going to use a cushion here, and my shoes on, because I'm kind of wimpy. Bob: And you can see how his feet are apart. Brad: Yep, and then sit down. Bob: You do pretty well with that, Brad. Brad: Ooh, yeah. But it's stretching, Bob. I feel it. Oh yeah. Wow. I'm feeling better now, Bob. Bob: You look better, too. All right, the next one, Brad, is the pigeon pose. I'm already in that pose. It really stretches the hip flexor. Brad: Yep, from the front angle, it looks like this. Bob: Right, the front foot is turned out a bit. Brad: I don't do this one but it's a good stretch on my hip. I've got some other ones I do. The idea is to stay upright, I'm assuming, Bob: Yep. Let's go right into the next one. Let's do the 90/90 because it's easy just to sit down and put both legs out at a right angle. And now I try to twist and bring myself to the back leg. Brad: I don't do this one, because it hurts my back. I'm not even going to try it. Bob: Then reverse the 90/90. And then I can go into the pigeon pose. Brad: Yeah, those two work together quite well. Bob: All right, this next one is to help you squat deeper. So, you start off, and you can slide against the wall. You can go down as far as you can and eventually, you can actually add some weight. Brad: Sure. Bob: And you just sit here. Brad: How long do you sit there? Bob: As long as you can. Not very long. Brad: I like that idea. At the beginning of the video, we talked about lifting properly and keeping a straight back. And that will keep your back straight. That'll help train you and strengthen you, too, so you do lift and squat properly. Bob: And then you'll probably have to have someone help you stand up. Brad: Well, hey, maybe just don't squat quite so long. Bob: All right, that's it. Brad: All right, very good. Keep those hips flexible, strong, and ready to roll. Bob: And save your back. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat 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 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.