What is Plantar Fasciitis? The Plantar Fascia is made up of three thick flat, fibrous bands on the bottom of your foot. These three bands help form the arch of your foot. With Plantar Fasciitis you may have sustained some micro tears in the band or bands. The microtears result in inflammation of the Plantar Fascia. “Itis” refers to inflammation. Hence the name Plantar Fasciitis. The Plantar Fascia bands have a poor blood supply and generally do not heal quickly. The telltale sign of Plantar Fasciitis is pain after rest. For example, it is typical for you to wake up in the morning and have no pain in your foot until you attempt to take a few steps. Then the arch pain re-emerges. The belief is that you have sustained some micro-tears in the Plantar Fascia (a thick, flat, fibrous band on the bottom of your foot). While sleeping, or after sitting in a chair or car too long, the fascia begins to half heal. Then you step on your foot and basically retear the band. So, you need to do the following exercises BEFORE you get out of bed and BEFORE you stand up again from sitting. If you do not have time to do all of them, try to do the first one or two. 1. Arch Stretch: Place your affected foot on the opposite knee. Take your shoe off and grab all your toes with one hand and cup your heel with the other. Pull your toes and ankle toward your shin. Do not stretch it into feeling pain (just bump into the pain). Repeat 5x as you hold for 20 seconds 2. Arch massage: Use your knuckles or your thumbs to massage the arch of your foot. You can massage in a circular fashion. You can also do a splaying massage-start with both thumbs side by side and press into the arch as you separate the thumbs-repeat. Avoid massaging areas of the arch that are too tender or sore. Instead, massage around the tender or sore area. Massage for 1-2 minutes. Alternative: Use a massage gun and massage longer and more often (throughout the day). 3. Put on a pair of shoes or sandals with good arch support BEFORE you get out of bed. If you get up in the middle of the night you should also put on shoes or sandals with good arch support before going to the bathroom. Do not walk barefoot or stocking foot at any time. Do the following later in the Day: 1. Stretch and massage your calf (ball or massage gun) 2. Stretch and massage the shin muscles. (Use ball or massage gun) 3. Pin down the Achilles tendon and bend and extend the foot. (Use both hands) This video is 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), Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US), T2 Massage Gun X6 PRO Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head, EM-19 Massage Gun 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.

Photo by Marcus Aurelius: https://www.pexels.com/photo/couple-practicing-yoga-6787440/ Pain is an aspect of life that is unavoidable, and everybody will experience it at some point. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly half of all American adults experience pain in their daily lives. The situation only grows more concerning when we look at the elderly as studies based on the National Health and Aging Trends Study show that the majority of adults with recurring pain experience multiple and separate kinds of pain. Ultimately, pain is a constant reality for a lot of people, and while it's natural that people are affected by aging, it's also possible to age in a healthy manner. The human body is a complex machine, and while that makes it likely to falter, it also provides countless opportunities to help its internal processes to ensure a higher quality of life. Here are three important strategies that can help when dealing with existing aches and prevent future pain. Exercising and Stretching Perhaps one of the most common ways to minimize pain is to limit movements and try to be as delicate with it as possible, however, this isn't always the best course of action. A study in 2015 published by the University of Antwerp proved that exercise is effective when dealing with chronic pain, even if it isn't musculoskeletal. This doesn't mean that individuals should force themselves to keep on moving despite the pain. However, it's important to understand that precise movements and professional guidance can help a body recover its old strength and overcome its aching. Muscle weakness as a whole is a major cause of pain, and statistics released by the CDC confirm that it becomes more common with aging. The prevalence of muscle weakness that comes with age is another important reason to exercise even if no musculoskeletal complications have developed. Strong and active muscles aren't likely to generate aching, and the more developed they are, the more resistant they'll be to impacts and falls. While a lot of individuals correlate exercise with intense regimes and gym subscriptions this doesn't have to be the case. A low-impact exercise, such as yoga, can be easily followed at home and in the comfort of the neighborhood. A Proper Diet Perhaps one of the most important aspects when it comes to aging in a healthy manner is a person's diet. An unbalanced diet will undeniably make people more likely to develop health complications and comes with its own set of pains. But when it comes to food, what is consumed can be as important as what is avoided. As such, eating foods that slow down aging is incredibly important in any diet. But likewise, it's important to truly grasp what this means in a medical and scientific context. In broad terms, while many foods are known to have health benefits when most people discuss anti-aging food they usually mean food that contains antioxidants. Antioxidants are nutrients like Vitamin C and E that can help prevent oxidation at a cellular level. This means that a diet rich in antioxidants can prevent tissue deterioration both inside and outside of our bodies, making it so that the negative effects of aging manifest at a slower pace. Foods rich in antioxidants include broccoli, almonds, Brazil nuts, and asparagus. The Importance of Supplements While most antioxidants, vitamins, and other beneficial molecules can be found in food, that doesn't mean they can only be consumed this way. Supplements can be a reliable tool to meet the recommended values for certain vitamins or proteins. Many supplements are explicitly sold under an anti-aging label, meaning that they are easy to identify. The health impact of supplements might not be the same as that of anti-aging foods, but studies have proven their efficiency in various circumstances. For instance, Vitamin C supplement consumption has been linked to reduced cases and severity of colds in both adults and children. Aging is a reality of life, but that doesn't mean it has to be tied to pain. Pain is a complex process that warns of the issues and injuries a body is experiencing, meaning that the best way to avoid aches as we get older is to have better preventive care. The appropriate level of exercise can help get rid of or avoid musculoskeletal aches. Meanwhile, a proper diet can load a body with important nutrients like antioxidants that slow down aging considerably. Supplements are great to provide that final push a body might need to avoid pain. There are many ways to avoid the aches of aging, and it all starts with the conscious choice to change some habits.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in August of 2020. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ9BLFeIcXA Bob: The title of today's program is willpower will not help you exercise. What will help is surprising. So, the way I see it, there are two different ways to help you exercise. One, you can focus on your willpower and achieving goals, like you’re going to use that willpower muscle. I’m going to try harder. Brad: Strong like bull, get out there. Motivation. Bob: You find out it doesn’t work. I’m going to explain to you why that is in just a little bit. The other way is to change your circumstances so you massively reduce your reliance on willpower. We’re going to give you seven tips at the end of this. Brad: What about the Kool-Aid? Bob: I’m going to show the Kool-Aid. We have a pitcher full of water with dye in it. Brad: It looks like Kool-Aid. Bob: It does, but it’s a pitcher full of red water, basically. So, I’m going to get back to this. I want to mention Tim Ferriss who I like to listen to a lot. He’s a good guru as far as self-help. Brad: I was listening to him this morning. Bob: Were you? Brad: Yeah. Bob: Awesome. He says self-control is overrated. Willpower is not reliable, systems are. It’s better to create a system. We’ll explain them. There is also some science behind this. Roy Baumeister did some studies and showed that willpower can be fatigued if you spend too much time on activities that require self-control. He did an experiment and participants were exposed to hard-to-resist foods. What food for you is hard to resist? Brad: Well, you take those Cheerios with a little chocolate in them, and you put the marshmallows in them, and boy, they taste good. It’s like a dessert. Bob: Crunchy and sweet. Probably a little bit of salt maybe. Sweet and salty. Now, French silk pie and wedding cake for me are hard to resist. I always have two or three pieces. The bride and groom are always mad at me. So, if you were exposed to that and you had to say no, that reduces your willpower. Just the fact that you said no, and you had to fight it. They found out that people who did that, who resisted something they liked, performed worse in mental tasks after they had to refuse it. Brad: From the stress of refusing it, possibly. Bob: Yeah. He did some other studies too, but it shows that your willpower is limited, and it can become fatigued. In my opinion, I’ve seen it myself, I’ve seen so many other people, they only have so much bandwidth. They only have so much willpower. I’m going to take this pitcher full of red-dyed water and that represents you in the morning when you wake up. That’s how much willpower you have. Brad: This is a little analogy here. Bob: Now, the first thing is, let’s say you don’t get a good night's sleep. You’re starting at a deficit. You’re already losing and I’m pouring a glass of the red water into a bucket. That’s some willpower, gone. Brad: Now instead of a gallon of red water or 'willpower', we’ve got less than a gallon. One glass less. Bob: Now you wake up and the first thing you do is turn on the news. What does the news do? Brad: That pulls you down about three notches or 10 because it’s negative information. Bob: You’re going to get anxious, you’re going to start feeling stressed. Another glass is gone. Then let’s say, you check your emails. There are problems at work. So, boom, willpower drops some more? Then maybe you have breakfast, that all goes fine. Hopefully, your spouse isn’t yelling at you. The dog missed the cardboard square it was supposed to go on. Brad: Yeah, because what if something happened like you didn’t take the dog out and it made a mess on the floor? Bob: All right, I’ll throw that one in there too, Brad. I’ll give you half a glass for that. All right, now you’re driving to work. Now, we’re fortunate we live in the area where our drives, I don’t think, are stressful. Brad: I find it relaxing. Bob: I do, too. If I’m driving more than a half hour, it gets to be a lot, but now I listen to podcasts. You should be listening to our podcast by the way. The next thing is, let’s say a lot of you do have a stressful drive to work. That depletes things. I’m pouring another glass. Brad: We’re over halfway there. Our willpower is less than 50 percent at this point. Bob: Now, you get to work and what’s the first thing you do? You’re going to see some donuts on the desk. You’re trying to stay on a diet, so you resist them. That takes a little bit of willpower, too. We’re really getting down there, Brad, aren’t we? Brad: Yeah, especially if they’re long johns with cream in the middle. Bob: That is one of mine, too! Brad: With chocolate on top. Bob: Oh, yeah. Then you have a long day at work. That’s a full glass. Then you have a stressful drive home. Another glass. Brad: We’re 75 percent empty now. Bob: Now you get home and there are some cookies on the counter. You must do another glass. Brad: And maybe the grass needs to be cut and it’s staring you in the face. You're like, "Oh my goodness, I don't have enough time." Now, this is what you have left, about 12 percent. It has just a little bit left in there. Bob: Wow, you are the engineer type, aren’t you? Brad: Well, Bob, you can tell by looking. Bob: So, now that’s all you have left, and you want to go work out and you’re like, yeah right, I'm not going to work out. Brad: Yeah, that’s the last thing you want to do. Bob: There are things that can help replenish this. If you come home and take a nap, that might give you a little bit more. You’re going to wake up refreshed. If you meditate. For a lot of people, meditation helps destress. There are things you can do to help improve it again. That’s what we’re going to do now. We’re going to tell you the seven things to help you extend your willpower. Brad: So, when you’re down at 12 percent of red juice left, how are you going to fill it up? Bob: Well, that and also so you don’t get down to 12 percent. Brad: Throughout the day, from the beginning. Bob: Right. One of the first things you can do, and this is one reason they recommend exercise in the morning because if you exercise right away in the morning, you have full willpower. A lot of times people feel like exercise energizes them. Brad: Gets the blood going, gets the oxygen working in the system. Bob: Not only does it not deplete your system, but it might also add to your system. Either way, you’re going to get it done, you’re going to feel better about yourself, and it’s going to help your stress levels. Try to exercise at the same time every day so it becomes a habit. You don’t want to have to think about it. I heard Obama used to wear two types of suits because he didn’t want to think about putting mental energy into what type of suit, he was going to wear that day. I heard the same about Einstein. A lot of these genius people wear the same things all the time, so they don’t have to think about it. You do want to establish routines. This does drive my wife crazy. I eat the same breakfast, and I eat the same lunch every day, but again, it decreases my decision-making process. I am a man of routine. Number four, surround yourself with positive people who exercise. Positive people will add to your energy level. What do negative people do, Brad? Brad: Pull you down, Bob, right down the old drain. You need to stay away from that. Bob: I have a good friend, after you hear this, you'll know why I didn’t mention his name. I hadn’t seen him in a couple of years, and we went out and he started getting on this negative track and it went on and on. When I was done, I was so depleted. I got home and I even went for a run. I had to counteract the negative. I do think if you’re an extrovert, you might get a workout buddy. I'm an introvert so I like to work out alone. If your spouse or a friend is upbeat, it’s going to make your life so much better. Number five, consider where you live. This is a big one. If you have a stressful commute, it can ring you down. My wife's brother had an hour and a half commute and for him, it was stressful to work, it was stressful at work and on the way home. He just got tired of it. Brad: That's not an unusual drive in bigger cities. I have a brother-in-law who does that and his mindset is, that he just puts something on the radio and relaxes and it doesn't bother him. Some people can adjust to it. I wouldn't, I'd last a week. Bob: We have to take genetics into account here because there are people that are born with huge amounts of bandwidth. Brad: Bandwidth? You’re talking radio frequencies. Bob: Willpower or bandwidth, you have a lot of reserves. Like your friend, Chris. I think he has almost unlimited bandwidth. Brad: Energy. Bob: Yeah, energy bandwidth. I bet you he could go, go, go and he doesn’t get depleted. Brad: Yeah, but you don’t want to put him in a car waiting in traffic. Bob: No, that wouldn’t do him any good. Brad: So, patience is, like you say, it’s a genetic thing, a personality trait. Bob: Number six. I am a person that takes a nap, and it does replenish my willpower, without a doubt. I’ll do something and suddenly get tired, I'll take a nap, come back, and boom. I’m hitting that thing and jumping at it. Brad: Sometimes I’ve done that where I get up and so groggy, it takes me half hour to get awake again. Then I feel good so, I don’t know how to get to that. Bob: You nap too long. I think 20 minutes is good. If you get into REM or deep sleep, you’re groggy. Number seven, Brad mentioned this one many times, don’t watch the news. It’s just stressful. As far as your emails, I think what you should try to do is designate like two times a day or one time a day that you read it. Don’t be reading them constantly. Brad: Well, what I do is I’ll look at it more often in case it’s something that the person wants an urgent response. The other ones, I just leave. I’ll look at those later because I have a feeling, I know what that’s going to be about, I don’t want to even think about that and if it's not an urgent thing. Bob: Right, you must manage them. I know that varies from person to person. Some people get 500 emails a day and they’re trying to stay on top of it. As you said, try to compartmentalize. I’ll worry about that one later, don’t worry about everything right now. They said some of the presidents have been good at compartmentalizing. Bill Clinton, when he was under impeachment, could focus on other things and put that out in the back. All right, that’s it. I spent a lot of time talking about this, but I think it’s important because exercise is important in your life and if you can manage your willpower, the amount that you have, and set up systems, you’re going to be way ahead of the game. Brad: Very good. I hope this helps you and make some adjustments and think about the red water. Good luck, thanks! 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 Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor 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 in order to help you make the best choice for you.

1. Drink water immediately after working out. May add salt or Nuun tablet. 2. Eat something within 20-40 minutes of working out. 3. Keep moving. Cool down. 4. Massage gun as an alternative to keep moving. 5. Wear compression socks after working out. 6. Get plenty of sleep. One of the best recovery things you can do. 7. Take vitamin D3 to help with muscle recovery. This video is 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) Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) T2 Massage Gun X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head EM-19 Massage Gun Other Products Mentioned BECOMING A SUPPLE LEOPARD BY KELLEY STARRETT 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 April of 2022. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PliNa8Ryp3s Brad: We just did a video on potassium and how critical it is to stay healthy in regard to muscle contraction and nerve conductivity, and how it fits our motto of how to be healthy, fit, and pain-free. I was so excited about it, I wanted to go through and show some of the food groups that are high in potassium that Chris and I eat, and Bob too, and some things that you can eat as well to improve your life, health style, and heart in particular. Chris: Absolutely. Brad: Cut down on the salt and increase potassium, and you're going to have a healthier heart. Chris: Exactly, there is a relationship, and when you eat a high diet in potassium or potassium-containing foods, it knocks down the sodium, so, it also helps with kidney stones. Brad: Excellent, and one more point I want to go on before we hit the food is, if you want to try supplementing potassium, these are a much better source of potassium as opposed to taking pills or supplements. Chris: Yeah, the FDA actually limits the amount of potassium that they will be able to put in each capsule. It's limited to 99 milligrams, so you'd have to eat several capsules to get what you're going to be getting from these types of foods. Brad: Right, so that's 99 milligrams, versus hundreds from food. Chris: Yes. And avoid a lot of stomach upset. So if you need to take supplements, let's say there's an allergy to certain things, definitely do it with your doctor's guidance. Don't just go willy-nilly and take it. Brad: But if you're a healthy person, you can eat all the foods high in potassium you want and you're going to be nothing but healthy. Chris: Correct. It's going to make a big difference. Brad: Okay. Let's start with bananas. Everyone, it seems, knows about potassium in bananas, don't they? Chris: Yep, bananas? Love them. Brad: So typically you're going to eat them raw. I've got some information. 422 milligrams of potassium versus that 99 milligrams in a capsule. So there you go. Peel it, eat it, that's typically how most people eat it, except for banana bread. Chris: There you go. Brad: I don't know if it maintains the potassium when you bake it. Chris: A lot of times, what I've read at least is cooking can vary things from about five to 10% for the most part. There are some nuances to that with the foods that you cook and eat too. Brad: Typically the higher the heat the more the nutrient level may drop. Chris: And boiling versus steaming makes a difference, too. Like corn, you know it's one of those things, that cooked corn is better than raw. I don't know if we'd do raw corn. Brad: This is a beautiful example, cantaloupe. I don't know if this is a fruit or a vegetable. Chris: Cantaloupe. Well, I would say it's got seeds, so I'm going to go fruit. Brad: There we go. It has 427 milligrams of potassium from the source I got. You'll get different numbers for these sources, we know they're all high. Chris: Your favorites. Brad: My favorite foods. Yes, the avocado. I started to eat them a couple of years ago, and I usually have four to five per week. I just cut them open and eat them raw. You can make all kinds of things. Chris: Guacamole, the best stuff ever. Brad: Just keep the salt out of it, by the way. All right. The next one is a big hitter that I have not been familiar with, but Chris, you eat these on a regular basis. Chris: Beets. I have them daily. So it's kind of interesting with the way potassium goes. There is less potassium in the root and more potassium in the leaves. Brad: Do you just eat this raw? Chris: It's pretty earthy. I actually usually blend them. So what I do is I take a beet every day. When I take them home, I cut off the leaves and I'll use them in a salad. The root I will actually peel and I throw it in the blender, straight up. No cooking. Brad: All by itself? Chris: I put it in there with an orange which also has a lot of potassium. I put it in there with kale, I put it in there with spinach, some pineapple, some raspberry, and some blueberries. Brad: So you save the leaves, which have a higher level of potassium, so do not throw them away. Chris: It makes a great salad. You can mix it in with other salad parts if you want. I use the leaf right on a burger myself. Brad: Cool! And they look healthy. Chris: They are, a good green color, they have red veins. Brad: Make sure you wash it, particularly, in my mind, if it's not organic there may be some pesticides. Chris: You want to wash them for about 30 seconds. You want to run running water over it for at least 30 seconds. Stores carry food detergents also that some people feel that they want to go to the Nth degree. But most studies suggest just running cool water for 30 seconds is sufficient. Brad: So food detergent is like a soap made for cleaning food? Chris: Yeah, I believe it's a surfactant type that's made specifically to take care of all the things that may be on there. Brad: We don't have detailed information on that, but it is available. Look at this, dried apricot. Make sure you get the ones without sugar. Chris: They're sweet naturally, I don't think you need it. Brad: Figs. Now there's a rule of thumb that goes along with these, and what about the color? Chris: Yeah, the rule of thumb if you're just looking for things with potassium, orange and yellow typically anything orange and yellow, like oranges, bananas, cantaloupe, apricot, sweet potato, which we're going to get to, are going to be higher in potassium naturally. You're not going to go wrong with the greens. Things that we didn't bring out today, kiwi, are actually more than a banana. Tomatoes are an excellent source of potassium. Potatoes are awesome. I'm Irish, so I love them. Brad: So this potato, I understand there's more potassium in the skin area, so you don't want to peel it if you want to get high potassium. Chris: Yeah, you want to do a baked potato if you can, because most of the nutrients in any potato, or sweet potato, are actually contained within the skin itself. Brad: I eat sweet potatoes. I've read in some books, maybe sweet potatoes are a better option than regular potatoes. You can argue, there are people all over that will argue differently, and it's like politics and religion. I don't care about arguing about nutrition. Chris: They're both good. Brad: Okay, the next one. Now, this is interesting, they say white beans. I have some baby lima beans, which are white, great northern beans, I don't know if that's got anything to do with Wisconsin and Minnesota people? But anyway, Cannelloni beans. Chris: White kidney beans. Brad: White kidney beans. So those are a nice source when you're making soups. I think that's probably a staple for that, but I'm not a cook. If I can't make it easily, it's not a good one. Chris: Yeah. Brad: Now this one is very interesting. This is our number 10th one, prune juice. Very high in calcium and fiber. It's a great juice. This happens to be organic. I like to stick with organic personally if I can. It costs more, but I like the idea of fewer chemicals. Now what we are going to do, is we're going to grind this all up and we're going to condense it down in about 30 seconds with the Magic Bullet. This Magic Bullet is going to make something so high in potassium, we will not have to worry about eating anything for the rest of the day. Brad: All right. Let's taste this and give out a grade. It's not bad. Chris: Not that bad. It's pretty banana-ey. Brad: I think we should make some more. I think the beans are ground up really well. Chris: It's a winner. Brad: A potassium party it is. Chris: There we are. Thanks. 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 Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor 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 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 April of 2022. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iDxp6kafVU&t=762s Brad: Today the topic is potassium. Believe it or not, Chris is the pharmacist, I'm a physical therapist, and we're not nutritionists. However, potassium affects both of our jobs incredibly. That's why we need to know the basis of it as well as everybody out there because it's an electrolyte, also a nutrient that is absolutely critical to keep you healthy, fit, and pain-free, which is our motto. So you are going to learn what foods you can eat to get this critical mineral or nutrient. Chris is going to go through it. You've done a lot of research on this, it's up to date, and just stay tuned. Chris: All right, so potassium. I think the title is right, it probably is the most critical electrolyte, mineral, or nutrient for our body. It's in every single one of our cells. Potassium rules the inside of all cells and sodium rules the fluid outside of the cells. Brad: Salt? Chris: Salt, sodium specifically. But we'll talk a little bit about that as we progress. Potassium is critical for muscle functioning, nerve transmission, and bone health. It works in your kidneys, for proper kidney functioning as well as helping to minimize kidney stones. Brad: I've read something about heart health. Chris: Yes, heart health, it immensely helps with that. When we have a diet high in potassium, it helps to keep those blood vessels relaxed. And basically, with potassium, interestingly there are just so many things that are intertwined with sodium. The diet that we choose, if it's higher in potassium naturally, will keep our blood pressure low. There's study upon study that shows it's a perfect relationship between potassium in our diet and heart attacks. The more potassium we have, the fewer heart attacks we have. Brad: Oh really? Now, maybe you're getting into this later but can you just take a potassium pill? Chris: We'll talk about that. I'm not a fan. Brad: All right. We're going to get into that. Chris: We'll get to that later. The good stuff is from the foods we eat. But the higher the sodium in our diet, which is the American diet, and the lower the potassium, the higher the risk of heart disease and heart attack. So, there is study after study, you can go into Harvard medical review you can use some of the simple things like web MD. You can find all of these things if you want to look for yourself. You can go to the National Institute of Health, that's an excellent site. That's going to be a lot more scientific reading. So, if you really dig into the details, it's an excellent site. Just type in potassium, and what it's good for and you're going to find excellent information. I know a lot of people like to kind of look at some of the things that we talked about. Brad: Yep, dig into the details. And if you're not into that, don't worry about it. Chris is going to give you the information and translate it. Chris: So, the reality of this is, how much potassium do we really need? For guys, it's a little bit higher than for women. So about 3,400 milligrams what does that really mean? For women, it's about 2,600 milligrams, but if they're pregnant, it's 2,900, so they have some ranges. If you're roughly getting 3000 milligrams of potassium in your diet, it's a good thing. And the cool thing about taking potassium through foods is we can't overdo it. Whereas you had talked about the supplements, you can overdo it. So the FDA actually limits the amount of potassium you can get in that, whether it's potassium citrate or potassium chloride. Brad: So you get sick from it if you overdo it? Chris: You can get sick, you can get nauseated and that can cause lesions in your gut. So they actually limit it. I'm not a fan of the supplements. If I have a customer that comes up and says, "I'm just looking to get a little bit more potassium in my diet." First, you want to talk to your doctor because potassium levels themselves are very, very specific. They want you, depending upon the study, basically between 3.5 and 5 is the easiest numbers to remember. Brad: That's a number you get from a blood test? Chris: That's the therapeutic window. Yeah. So when your doctor takes blood work from you, they're looking at this number. It's very important for doctors because too much is bad and too little is bad. If you have too much, the side effects are very similar to if you have too little which is kind of weird. You treat it very differently though. If you have too much potassium if that number is a six, and that's Milli moles per liter in case you're keeping score at home, then we want to use a binder and it's an acute medical crisis. Brad: So you're saying, to get that number in that range you'd have to take supplements? By taking too many of the pills? Chris: You'd have to take a lot. You'd have to take a bottle to do it, so it's hard. Which is good. Brad: But you could hardly not eat too many fruits? Chris: It's really hard because of the way that the potassium is packaged in all these different fruits and vegetables that we have up here. It's a little bit different as far as how it gets absorbed and actually how it's connected and maintained in the foods that we eat. So for whatever reason, and I looked pretty hard, it is really hard to over and imbibe in potassium when you're a healthy adult. Now that's not to say that there aren't things that we have to be careful with. If you have renal failure or kidney failure, or if you have congestive heart failure with renal failure, you cannot eat a lot of potassium, and it can actually backfire on you. Brad: Even through diet? Chris: Even through diet, so we have to be careful. So it's always something that, if you're going to make some major changes you should be visiting your doctor regularly and have a conversation with them. Because, let's say you say something like, "Oh, I've got a bad kidney?" A lot of the medical things that we have can go on for years and years and years. All of a sudden, we go in because we don't feel right and find you've got a problem. Brad: So again if you have congestive heart failure or a kidney issue, then potassium intake needs to be monitored? Chris: It needs to be monitored very carefully. So like I said, if that therapeutic window is too low, you can feel fatigued. You can feel not right, you can be constipated. Your heart may not beat properly, too high. You can feel nauseated. So the symptoms, when they present to an ER situation if you have hyperkalemia, which is too much potassium, or hypokalemia, which is too low potassium, one is probably caused by diarrhea or dehydration, you could have just excreted it out. Whereas if there is too much potassium, who knows if there's something going on with the kidneys, or if there's something else in your body that's happening. The doctors are going to determine that. But their treatment paths are very different. So if it's too high we have to get it down, if it's too low we have to get it up. We want it basically back in that box. Brad: So typically, a person will have those numbers if you go to the doctor, they take a test? And if your numbers are a little high, they're going to address diet? Chris: They will address it with you, yes. And again for healthy individuals, so the vast majority of people on the planet are not going to have a problem with it. It seems like if you eat a well-balanced diet that's oriented high with fruits and vegetables and beans in certain cases, you're not going to have a problem. You can't seem to overindulge; that is the point I guess I was trying to make. Brad: Right. So as far as those people, what benefits are we going to get if we eat plenty of fruits and vegetables versus stuff out of a box. Chris: Yeah, that's my least favorite thing. Anything out of a box is bad. I mean, you want a cookie, you want crackers, I think that's fine, but everything is balance and moderation. At the end of the day the key, and I think we touched on it earlier, is blood pressure. So basically, the number one killer in the United States is heart disease. So, if we want to protect ourselves, if we have a diet that's centric on fruits and veggies it's going to help to minimize our blood pressure issues. And oftentimes if you're eating enough potassium in your diet, you're not seeing pharmacists and doctors for meds because your blood pressure is under control. And if your blood pressure is under control, it minimizes your risk for all the other complications that can occur with the heart. Brad: So we could consider fruits and vegetables to be our medicine? Chris: In a lot of ways, yeah. I think I've said this before, an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure. A very famous person said that a long time ago and I don't know their name, but I think it might have been one of the surgeon generals. But that said, it's still very important to gravitate to these types of things in our diet and the variety is key, eat the rainbow. In a nutshell, what's a generalized guideline? Anything that's yellow or orange is generally going to have a pretty healthy source of potassium. But you can take that a step further, in a lot of things that are green have a lot of potassium as well. Brad: It also seems like things that grow in the soil like potatoes or beets, there are under the ground and they're absorbing minerals or whatever from the soil. Chris: It's a root, so it absorbs the minerals. We can pick on the beet, I make a smoothie with these just about every day, but there is more potassium in these leaves than in the beetroot itself. They each have different values. The beet leaves make an excellent salad, not that I'm a cook or anything, but I throw leaves on burgers if I'm making them. I bet you can toss a salad with this and a little romaine lettuce and spinach, you could get a good salad out of that. Brad: So people might be asking, how much do I really need? Should I just make sure I eat something from these food groups every day? There are more than just the foods pictured, you can Google it. Chris: I mean variety is key, yeah, you're not going to want to eat beet leaves every day. Cantaloupe is excellent, bananas are excellent. We don't have oranges up here, we don't have kiwis up here. I mean, we do have an avocado which is very high in potassium. You have sweet potatoes, you have potatoes, I mean, all of these foods. So you just want to put all these things in your diet. Potatoes are an interesting one because, for diabetics, they are not good because it has a lot of sugar and starch. Lots of starch. So you have to be careful. Again, everything in balance, you don't want to eat six potatoes. I mean, that's not going to necessarily do it, you don't necessarily want to have potato salad. Although if it's mixed in, you're still going to get your potassium, but you're going to have all the mayonnaise and all the other things too. Although it tastes good. So you have to balance with what you've got. Brad: So for myself personally, I find this pretty exciting because I didn't know beets were part of the high potassium. I've been eating avocados, I didn't realize I was eating that much potassium. I've read some nutritional books, and my diet is relatively healthy, but I think I can get it more healthy and enjoy my diet even more through some of this. Now is this going to make me stronger? Chris: Well I don't know. Brad: You said potassium helps with muscle contraction. Chris: It does, right. And potassium is a huge part of any muscle contraction. So if you're going to move your arms up or bench press or run. Brad: But it's not going to give me bigger muscles? Chris: It's going to make you bigger, stronger, or faster, but potassium coupled with sodium where there's a whole electrical chemical exchange, but basically it helps to make that muscle contract properly. It's a very critical thing, especially for your heart muscle itself. Brad: Yeah, yeah, that makes sense, I really like that heart. The stats of people eating more potassium, and less salt, are a clear indication. Chris: Yeah, there is study after study that shows that. I can't stress that one enough, and the American diet is exactly the opposite. It's too much salt, not enough potassium. If we can just tilt the tetter-totter, so to speak, we make huge changes for everybody. Brad: What about the nervous system? Chris: Basically it helps with nerve impulses. So it helps make those cells. Brad: So functionally is that going to make us more alert? Chris: No, we're not going to turn into Flash or anything like that but it just allows healthy nerve conduction. It's going to help promote the cell. It's in every cell in our body, I can't stress that enough. It governs a little bit of everything. So I have a 3,600 milligram of potassium diet, it's not going to make you superhuman, it's just going to make you a healthy human. I think that is the thing that we're all striving for is to have balance and healthiness. And I think that's key to the quality of life. Brad: Right, right. Chris: So if we can continue to eat a well-balanced diet with good variety, I mean, eat the rainbow. Brad: What are you talking about eating the rainbow? Chris: Eat the different colors of foods. Brad: So the colors have something to do with nutrients? Chris: Blueberries, avocado. The beets are red. Bananas are yellow. Cantaloupe is orange. Brad: Berries too, I understand. Chris: Berries, red raspberries, blueberries. They're not quite as high in potassium, but they all contain it. Find things that you enjoy whether it's throwing them in a blender in a smoothie. Every day I make a smoothie where the staples are beets and oranges, kale, and spinach. Brad: All right. Well, I think this is incredible information to absorb and change your life. We're going to do another video on just 10 of these items and a little bit of fun on how to make them, because you want to make your eating fun, healthy, and pain-free Chris: Yeah, because eating should never cause pain. Brad: That's right. All right, thank you, Chris. Potassium, the big letter K+, it's not special K but it's potassium. Chris: Potassium, the scientific element, it's the letter K, so thanks, guys. 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 Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor 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 in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This is a very simple concept (with three rules) that can help prevent the strain placed on your back from repeatedly bending forward or bending down. You are going to rearrange your home, your garage, and your workplace using these three rules. Rule Number One: Items that you use frequently (or at least daily) should be placed at a height somewhere between your shoulders and your waist (most desirable). Rule Number Two: Light items or items that you use weekly may be placed at levels above shoulder height (less desirable- but okay). Rule Number Three: Items that you use less than weekly may be placed at levels below waist height (least desirable). **Heavy items should be avoided when you have back pain/sciatica. Ideally you would want to place ALL items at a level somewhere between the height of your waist and the height of your shoulders. However, this is usually impossible due to the restraints of storage space. By placing the frequently used objects at the correct heights, you will rarely need to bend forward and put stress on your back. Check out the full Sciatica series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website. 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 health care 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 back-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. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in May of 2017. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S30nHV5A5Os&t=617s. Bob: Today, Brad, we're going to talk about the big lie about heel spurs, heel pain, and plantar fasciitis. This is kind of a myth that's going around and it's being perpetuated by a lot of websites, even. Brad: Sure. You're right, and it gets people, their anxiety too high and makes the diagnoses worse than what they really are. Bob: So what are we talking about? Now a heel spur actually forms, if you look at the bottom of the foot right on the heel. You have the fascia, that's the tough band that runs from the heel to the toes. Well, underneath the fascia are some small muscles that help flex the toes. Brad: Right. They curl the toes. Bob: Yeah. They put a force on the bone and they're pulling on the bone. If those muscles are tight, they're going to be pulling on the bone for years and putting the stress on it. And what does bone do when it reacts to a force? Brad: It calcifies. Bob: It calcifies and pulls out. So here we have the muscles attached from the heel to the toes. Brad: By the way, this is Bob's rendition or artistry of a foot. Bob: It's terrible. Brad: So those are toes, and this is supposed to be some big fat, calcaneus, I guess. Bob: Yeah. Here we have the muscles in the green here, and they're pulling on this bone, and after a while, it actually calcifies and through Wolf's Law creates more bone and it creates a bone spur that sticks out. Brad: And they are a little pointy. Bob: They're a little pointy. Brad: Yeah. That's why they got the name bone spurs. So are they causing a problem, Bob? Bob: That's the big dilemma here. That's the big myth, that they cause you pain. This is what happens, Brad, you go in and you're having pain in your heel and you've had it for quite a while and you're going to the doctor and finally he decides to take an x-ray. And lo and behold, he sees a bone spur. So he goes "that's what's causing your pain?" Well, it's not. Generally, in very rare cases it might. Brad: Sure. Bob: If you can actually feel it, they said, if you can feel it below the surface, it might be giving you pain. They said one out of 20 people who have heel spurs has pain. Brad: And they've done studies on this where they take people with zero symptoms, X-ray them and find a certain percentage of bone spurs, but there are no symptoms. They're living a normal life. Bob: In one study I saw, 15% of the population has bone spurs, and they have no pain. So, what's causing your pain in most instances is the plantar fascia which is down below. So, you treat the plantar fascia and the pain goes away. Brad: So the plantar fascia is a wide ligamentous material that runs along the bottom of your foot. Bob: Right. Let's go ahead and show it on you, Brad. Brad: So this red spot here. That's a common hot spot for the plantar fascia. Bob: That's generally where you're going to feel the pain with plantar fasciitis. And the fascia runs along the bottom of the foot there. Brad: Yeah, it's that wide band and it goes from the heel all the way up. Bob: Up into the toes. Brad: Right. Bob: It does extend up, you know when you stretch the toes, you are stretching the fascia. I want to show that a little later on. Brad: Right. Bob: But let's say that's really not where your pain is. Let's talk about some of the other things that could be causing your heel pain. Brad: Sure, you bet. Bob: First off, let me say, Brad if you are having heel pain in both heels, I would probably have you get checked out by a doctor. Especially if it's both heels and other joints, it could be something more systemic. I don't want to throw out scary terms, but it could be rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or some of these other things. Brad: You're saying typically you don't have this problem in both feet. It happens in one. It's kind of like sciatic, it's usually one leg affected. Bob: Right. Although it can. I had the start of it in both feet because both of my shoes were bad. Brad: I can just imagine. I suppose that was in your college days. Bob: Well, no, it was just from running too much. Brad: Last year? Bob: Yeah, I was wearing it out. Brad: Sure. Bob: Which by the way, they find more bone spurs in people that are older of course, because it takes a long time to create that bone spur. Brad: Right. It takes a while for that calcification. Bob: So one of the first tests I want you to do, is I want you to do the squeeze test. Where you just go up there you squeeze the calcaneus bone there. Brad: Okay. Bob: You're going to squeeze it. And if there's any pain there, then you should go and get x-rays, because maybe you have a fracture there. Brad: Okay. Bob: You know if you're osteoporotic or if you run a lot you could have a stress fracture there. Brad: So you're squeezing the bone itself. Bob: Yep. You're squeezing the bone itself. Brad: Pretty aggressively. Bob: Yep. Yep. You want to see it. There shouldn't be any pain. Do you have any pain right now? Brad: Absolutely not. Bob: No. No. Brad: I'm not that strong. Bob: So yeah, that might be part of it. (chuckles) All right. Now let's palpate another spot, Brad. You've already got it drawn in there, the red spot there. You have the posterior tibial tendon that comes around through here and attaches to the navicular bone. So if your heel pain is actually coming from right around in here, you are more likely to have posterior tibial tendonitis. Brad: Sure. Bob: And not plantar fasciitis and not a heel spur. Brad: So actually, the bone right above it acts as a little pulley system and it goes around and the muscle is up in the calf more. Bob: Yep, it pulls up and turns the foot in and all that. Brad: Yeah, it makes you invert. Bob: The other spot, if your tenderness is in the back of the ankle and this might even go down into the heel. Then you may have more Achilles tendonitis. Brad: Right. You've got that big Achilles tendon there. That's an amazing tendon. It really does a lot of work so it can easily get injured. Bob: And then the last one, Brad. Yes. So you could have it on the outside of your foot, again, going around the ankle bone. And that would be peroneal tendonitis. Bob: All right. So Brad, again, I'm going to assume most of you are going to have plantar fasciitis. That's the one that's very, very common. Brad: Right. Bob: Let's just show you three things you can do for it, Brad. Brad: Sure. Bob: You know, we don't want to have you leave here with us just giving you this big myth and then finding out we didn't give you any answers for it. So, one thing you want to make sure of, Brad is, that when you get up in the mornings you're putting your shoes on before you get out of bed. Brad: Right. Bob: And that usually is a symptom, isn't it, Brad? That when you get up after you've been sitting for a while or in the morning, it really hurts. Brad: Right. Should we tell them the reason? It's because if you sleep all night, your feet are typically in a relaxed position, or plantar flexed. These tissues tighten up overnight, and they're already sore because they were sore the day before, and then you put a quick stretch on them with all that weight and all those tender tissues wake them up really quick. Bob: Then they break open again. That's scar tissue and you break it open again. Brad: Well, it'd be like if you had a cut on your knuckle and bent it hard, and you just split it. Bob: Yeah, exactly. So, before you even get out of bed, the thing I like to have people do is to actually stretch those toes. And you're stretching that plantar fascia. Just grab the forefoot here and pull. And this is so easy to do in bed before you even get out. Brad: Right. You're going to do it slowly, you'll know. Your body will tell you. Bob: Yep. Just go ahead and give it a stretch. And I would like to see you doing this stretch throughout the day like if you're sitting in a chair and you've been sitting for a while, and before you get up again and you get that sharp pain, go ahead and give it a stretch. Brad: Sure. Bob: Before you even get up. Take your shoe off and have people talk about you in the office. That's always fun. Brad: Maybe you can get someone to come over and do it for you. Bob: Oh, I bet you that's going to be easy to do. Yeah. All right. The next thing you want to try, Brad, is we had a lot of people that have had luck with the splint. The night splint. Brad: And there are quite a few different makes and models of these, but they have the same basic concept. Oftentimes they're Velcro. Bob: This is the thing that, my wife was doing all the other things you're supposed to do, she was icing and stretching. This is the one that healed it quickly. Brad: Sure. Bob: I mean, I was shocked. It was within two nights and she was already back to walking and then by a week she was back to running. Brad: So in her case, that was a key part of the healing. Bob: I know I'm only giving one example, but the studies have shown too, that this combined with the other stuff often really does help. So show what it does, Brad. Brad: Oftentimes they're adjustable. So see, my foot can plantar flex or go down, but if you pull it up, then that pulls it into that neutral position. Bob: Yeah. You really have to watch it. I mean, you can't stretch it too much. She said there were a couple of times she woke up in the middle of the night and had to release it because it was too much. Brad: Right. Bob: So. And the last thing I'm going to show you, Brad, is a taping one. And this is the thing, you try it and if it works great, if it doesn't work, don't do it. But you just get some tape, athletic tape that doesn't stretch much. So what you're going to do is, this is the one if we're going to do the left foot here, you're going to put it underneath the foot, underneath the heel, and you're going to bring it up and around. This should be a longer piece. It should go all the way around, I didn't measure this before. But what this is doing is called externally rotating the heel. So you're going to pull up on it like this and then pull it across. Brad: You tape up to there? Bob: I would tape even beyond it. Brad: Okay. Bob: I would go all the way around even. Brad: I've done it up to this area already. Bob: Oh really? Brad: Yeah. Bob: That would do it too. Brad: Yeah. Either way, it pulls it this way, but then I always put some tape around to hold the end. Bob: Right, to hold the tape in place. If you even do it my way, I would double tape it by every means. Brad: You could double tape by combining ours and really have some support over there. Bob: Yeah. Either way, you're really trying to externally turn that heel. Brad: And you know this will work because as soon as you walk the pain will go from an eight over 10 down to half of that. Bob: I think when you first step, it's going to feel awkward because you have to let the tape stretch out a little bit. Brad: Yeah, you'll feel the tape pulling. Brad: Just pulling your skin. Bob: Right, if it's going to help, it's going to help right away, it's going to feel better. Brad: Right. Bob: And if it does, you can tape every day. Brad: That is fun as a therapist when you put that tape on and they get up and walk around and they put a smile on their face and say, "Oh, I can't remember walking like this." Bob: Right. Without pain. So, thanks, everybody. Brad: Oh yeah, it's time to go. 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 Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor 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 of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in January of 2020. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugUIwENVI8w&t=345s Bob: Today we're going to talk about is your hip pain actually coming from your back and how to tell. We've got some simple questions and some simple tests that you can try. Brad: Absolutely Bob, because as therapists we know the two can easily be misconstrued. Bob: Misunderstood or mistaken. I don't know, we'll come up with a word. Bob: So yes, hip pain or back pain, it can be very deceptive because sometimes they share the same locations even. Brad: Yep, and similar symptoms. How many times have you had someone come in with a hip pain diagnosis from the doctor and you end up treating the low back and the problem's gone? Bob: Absolutely, this happens all the time. So, the first thing we're going to do is ask three questions. By the way, this information is from the book Treat Your Own Hip, by Robin McKenzie. This man truly was the most famous physical therapist on Earth. Brad: Yeah, he has a whole system that's worldwide. We love him. Bob: So the three questions, number one: do you have pain in your central low back, that means your middle low back? Brad: By the belt line. Bob: And particularly back pain on the same side as the hip pain. So, you're having hip pain, and you're like, "Ah, I always have back pain too along with it." It's on the same side. Two: does coughing or sneezing increase your back pain? Brad: Or your hip pain. Bob: Or your hip pain, right. Brad: Does it create your pain, the problem you're having. Bob: Right, do you have numbness, tingling, pins and needles, or weakness in the knee or foot on the same side as the hip pain? If you answer yes to all three of these, it's more likely that you're having back pain than hip pain. Those are the signs of back pain not hip pain. Brad: But not necessarily, we're just saying, it's more likely. Bob: It's more likely, right. It's not positive but it's more likely. Okay, the second thing you want to look at is pain location. I have used tape and my tape is representing what's more typically hip pain. Hip pain tends to be more in the groin, and also on the side. This is more what we consider the hip. I know a lot of people consider the buttock the hip, but this is really more the hip. Bob: All right, if you're having pain in the areas that Brad has marked off here in the low back, or going down the butt, or maybe even going down the leg all the way, then it's more likely back pain. Brad: Right, right. Bob: Again, not 100%, but your odds are more, if you're a betting man or a betting woman, that's how I would bet. Brad: It's really important to understand that pain location oftentimes is not related to the source of the pain. It refers because of the way the nervous system is in the body. It refers to different locations. You know as therapists we work with it all the time, it just is common knowledge to us. But the layperson may not understand that. Bob: Yeah, it's weird to think your shoulder might be sending pain down the arm or neck pain is sending pain down the arm. Brad: Very similar. Bob: All right, the third thing that I want you to try, is I'm going to have you sit in a chair. And you're going to sit straight up first and see what that does to your pain. You're going to sit on a stool or a chair, and you're going to sit straight up and see what your pain does. Then I want you to slouch, and while you’re slouching, I want you to grab the bottom of the chair and pull up. That's going to put compression on the spine. Pull up. Brad: I think it's pull down? Bob: Pull down with the back, pull up at the arms. Brad: Compress that back a little bit. Bob: Compress the back. I just did this with a patient yesterday because she had a hip replacement, but she seems to be having back pain with it. This caused increased pain. This made her pain worse. So it was more likely her back because your hip is not going to hurt when you do this. Brad: There's no extra stress being put on the hip when that happens. It's clearly more on the back. Bob: So, you can also test it by standing. So you stand and put your hands on your thighs. Then slide down the thighs like this. Again, this is not increasing the stress on the hip to any large extent, it's increasing the stress on the back. If this makes your pain worse, again we're thinking more back pain. Bob: You can do extensions standing. You can extend with your arms up or extend with your hands on your hips. If this makes your pain worse, again more likely to be the back. Brad: Right. Bob: Have I been clear Brad? Brad: Yep, clear as mud. Bob: I had a medical teacher who used to say, "Oh am I as clear as mud?" He'd always say it like that. "Am I clear as mud?" What, it was funny? So that's it, that's the end of the thing there. If you are having back pain, obviously, you want to treat that, because your hip pain is never going to go away if it's actually coming from your back and you're treating your hip. Brad: So the next question our viewers are asking is, well what are we going to do, we want the pain better. Bob: We have videos on what to do, so you can search our channel. Brad: And also this book is written for the layperson. These are usually pretty cheap around the 10-dollar range. It goes through everything we just went through plus treatment. Bob: It'll have all the treatment. All right, remember Brad and I can fix about anything. Brad: Except for... Bob: A broken heart. Brad: But we continue to work on that, and we won't give up until we get there. Bob: We can fix hips though. Brad: Oh yeah, it's pretty close. Bob: All right, thanks. Interested in learning about the products mentioned in today's video: 1) McKenzie Method - Treat Your Own Hip 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 Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor 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 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 May of 2022. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmKv9JZI_Pk&t=9s Brad: Today we're going to discuss heart attacks, early signs, and symptoms. We're going to discuss some treatments as well as some variations between male and female symptoms. So, stay tuned, and Chris is going to give you everything you're going to need to know. Chris: All right, so heart attacks, in the United States, and pretty much worldwide, are the number one killer for both males and females. Brad: Wow. Chris: When we have a heart attack, it's not like what we see in the movies where it's like, "Oh my God, I'm having a heart attack, get help." It's not like that. Sometimes they are, 90% of people are going to present with massive crushing chest pain and shortness of breath. Those are the top two symptoms of a heart attack. But there are subtle differences, there are differences between men and women, to a degree, and we'll kind of dive into that a little bit as well. But the symptoms of a heart attack oftentimes ramp up gently, or quietly, before we actually have the actual heart attack. Brad: So you mean over a period of a day or weeks? Chris: Days, weeks, even up to three to four weeks, particularly in women, so we'll touch on that a little bit. But men can have that too, so it's not exactly the same. What can happen is we have little tiny vessels, and basically, the definition of a heart attack is basically there's an occlusion, blood flow is stopped, it doesn't feed the heart muscle and it causes damage. So time is muscle in the world of a cardiologist. Brad: So something gets in the vessel, blocks it like a dam, and there you go, you have no blood. Chris: Exactly, so it's basically a plaque or just a little bit of fat, or junk, goo that's kind of hiding around in the arteries. It plugs it up, and it doesn't give oxygen and rich nutrients to the heart muscle itself. The longer that it's occluded, the more damage is done to the heart, and obviously, the endpoint can be death. So, time is of the essence to recognize these symptoms, and sometimes it's a little bit more simple, and sometimes it's a little bit more complex. Brad: Sure. Chris: Overwhelmingly, males and females present with overwhelming chest pain, it almost feels like an elephant is sitting on your chest and squeezing. You have difficulty breathing. And this is where it kind of starts to break down between men and women. Women may have things that led up to this. So for the last month they just kind of feel fatigued when they're just doing normal household tasks that they do day to day, all of a sudden they're just, "Man, I gotta take a nap, I am just wiped out." Things that just shouldn't crash you, from that standpoint. They may think, "Well, I've been busy at work, I've been chasing the kids around all day." Just lots of running and gunning. Maybe it's just a little stress, little anxiety, and so they kind of bypass that fatigue. They might have a little bit of chest pain, but then it all of a sudden, it seems like, well maybe it was some indigestion. So they delay time to care. And so the problem is if you feel something you want to say something. How do we delineate between, is it a little bit of heartburn? I don't want to run to the doctor every five minutes and think I'm having a heart attack, but at the same time, you don't want to ignore very serious symptoms. That's one of the things that's very crucial. Brad: I want to go back, you said women may experience that more often, but men don't? Chris: Not as often, usually for men, it just seems like it's the chest pain. Which, a guy might think it's a pulled muscle in their chest in a lot of cases, like they're working out, or they did some yard work. And then all of a sudden they're like, "Yeah, I just don't feel right. "I just can't catch my breath," and all of a sudden they may be sweaty, and kind of clammy. Brad: Women don't? Chris: Oh yeah, no, they do, too. Men and women have the same experiences, but women, when they present with a heart attack in a lot of cases describe more symptoms, and in more detail than men. Men, it's pretty simple, for whatever reason. And I don't know if it's because it was often thought of as a male dominant disease, which is 100% wrong. Males and females, it's number one for both of us on the death list. Brad: Okay. Chris: Over time it's become recognized better, but the interesting thing is we're talking about the ramping up so you can get some of that fatigue, shortness of breath, sometimes pain that radiates down the arm up into the neck and jaw. Which seem like traditional things, but sometimes people just blow it off as "Oh, I pulled a muscle in my neck." So one thing that people can do if you think you did have a pulled muscle is if you do a little stretch, it's going to go away. So if it doesn't go away, it is consistently there or gets worse, that is definitely the time to probably be looking at 911. Brad: And oftentimes that feeling will come with increased activity. Chris: Yeah, and that's the other thing I was going to touch on. So if your chest has been hurting you and you're sitting down, you're like, "I'm just going to get a glass of water and see if something helps." And if you get up, and upon exertion, that chest pain is getting worse. That's also another critical sign that probably something more dangerous is going with the heart itself. So it doesn't matter if it's more neck pain, more back pain, more pain down your arm, or even in the right arm which is interesting, because usually, we think our heart's on the left side of the body so if we have right sided pain, that's kind of strange. Or even the right side of your back. So women will present, and be more descriptive, of all those subtler symptoms, which are not the big two, which are chest pain and shortness of breath. So that's where it differs a little bit. Some of that may be due to women having a slightly smaller heart, a little bit faster heart rate, and also smaller blood vessels. And those smaller blood vessels may be what leads to more of the subtler symptoms like the pain down the arm, the neck, or in the back, or even nausea or indigestion kind of symptoms. Brad: Sure. Chris: So for whatever reason, though guys can equally have those in a lot of cases. But it just seems like it's more present and more descriptive with women. Women will present and tell you at least three different symptoms or more, whereas men will just tell you two. You've got the most skilled nurses and doctors helping you right away to try and get through all this, and they go through a litany of things when people are having a heart attack. They have very specific protocols for that. Brad: Correct. Chris: Circulation is everything. And so we want to make sure the sooner that they can get that clog fixed, the sooner you're going to recover and get back to healthy. Brad: So if someone's having these symptoms and they're thinking "Maybe I should go in." What are you going to do, jump in the car and drive? Call 911? Or? Chris: We would recommend calling 911 if it's possible. If you live in a little farm community, and the closest hospital is an hour away, it's kind of a crapshoot. Most doctors and legal experts are going to tell you to call the ambulance because the ambulance can provide the care that you need along the route. If you're having a heart attack, and there's no saying when it's really going to turn bad, like if all of a sudden you have asystole or something, where your heart stops beating. If you're in a car, now you've crashed the car or crashed into another set of people. So, if you can avoid driving yourself to the hospital at all costs. That is most ideal. Number one would be 911, the paramedics on those crews, that's their bread and butter. They know all about how to treat you, get things going, and stabilize you as much as they can so that when you get to the hospital the doctors can go to work right away. Brad: Right and they're communicating, so the doctors know what’s going on. Chris: They're communicating as they go, yes. So yeah, it's very involved, and it's quite intricate, but incredible teamwork. So, for the survival chain, it's pretty impressive. Brad: Now, I didn't know if you wanted to mention this, but you talked about you can self-treat a little bit by taking an aspirin? Chris: Yeah, so if appropriate. I think it would be okay to chew an aspirin, so you don't want the enteric-coated aspirin at this point, you want the plain old white tablets. If you're not on a blood thinner, and you don't have an aspirin allergy, we would recommend chewing one aspirin, just one 325 mg aspirin. Basically, it takes five minutes to get into the system and start helping to improve blood flow. So that five minutes can make a difference in your life or a loved one's life. Brad: So, you're saying if you feel the pain, and you're concerned it is a heart attack, you call 911. And then? Chris: Oftentimes the operators are very skilled to listen for things. They may actually go ahead and tell you to chew an aspirin. So that's one thing. And if all you've got in the house is enteric-coated aspirin, still chew it. Brad: What's this, enteric coating? Chris: Enteric-coated. So, a lot of times, they're orange in color. The coating is designed to protect your stomach from stomach ulceration so it dissolves in your intestines and then it absorbs. Brad: So you can't chew those? Chris: You can, it's just harder to chew. And it can be kind of hard on the teeth. But at the end of the day, I think that's the most important thing. When it comes down to it, what do we do? We want to recognize the symptoms if it's not getting better. The other thing with women to men, it seems like they take 37 minutes longer to report a heart attack than men for some strange reason. Oftentimes it may be that psychology just says, "Well, it's not happening to me, I'm too busy for this,” or, "I've got so many other things going on. I gotta take care of the kids," or “I gotta get the grandkids. I have to pick them up at school." And they're just thinking about all sorts of other things. Brad: Or do they have a higher pain tolerance? Chris: Much higher pain tolerance, too, I think. I think there are not a lot of clear studies that suggest that, but you'll hear, anecdotally, that doctors will say "I just think women are just tougher." And so they just attribute it to, "I'll sleep it off," or "I'll walk it off," so to speak, or "Rub some dirt on it, and it's just going to go away." Brad: Well, I think most physical therapists deal with a lot of pain with treatment, particularly total knees. That's one thing you do try to get pain with, and hands down, I'm working with a woman I can push her harder than I can any man with a total knee. Chris: I think they are, I don't think there's anything about it, I think anybody will tell you that women are tougher than men. I don't care what you say. They have kids, we don't. So I mean it's a pretty simple argument from that standpoint. But all kidding aside, when we're talking about this, if it just doesn't seem like it's getting better if it seems like the pain is getting worse upon just taking a simple walk across the room, it's 911 time. It's something that I can't stress enough. Some people say, "Well I don't want to go, because I don't want to waste their time." "I don't want to be embarrassed if it's just like a stupid case of anxiety." You know those are all wrong. I mean, let the pros search it out. They're highly trained, they are expert medical personnel. They will do what they can to sort out what may not be real, versus what is devastatingly real. Brad: Sure. Chris: That's the one thing that we want to stress more than anything else. Brad: Both Chris and I have been to the ER with heart attack symptoms. They weren't heart attacks, but we were both glad we went because you feel so much better. Then you try and figure out what the problem was. And we both did Chris: Absolutely. At the end of the day, it's like "Whoo, at least it's not that." You can always deal with a muscle pull or anxiety. That's not simple, and that's not to belittle anxiety. The symptoms feel the same, and so that's the thing that's hard. We just can't, as human beings that are not trained in the medical profession really recognize, "Well, is it just indigestion?” "Is it just a pulled muscle in my shoulder, neck, arm, or jaw?" It’s just too hard to tell. Let the pros know, they're going to help you. I think that's the most important takeaway. Brad: All right, so, there you go. Heart attacks, symptoms, signs, don't mess around with it. I thought aspirin, was something I didn't know about, but I think a lot of medical professionals are aware of it. Chris: Absolutely. Oh, it is. Aspirin is important because it helps, flow is everything when it comes to circulations. It thins the blood just a little bit. Just five minutes of getting that in your system versus swallowing, which takes about 12 minutes, so that's why you want to chew it. Brad: Do you wash it down with water? Chris: Well you want to chew it, just chew it and swallow because actually, you really don't want to drink a lot of water because you could regurgitate. So if you can just chew it and swallow it that's best. And I guess really we'd be remiss if we didn't talk about prevention. There are risk factors across the board, whether it's, age, genetics, smoking, not smoking, drinking, or not drinking. So any of the things. Eating well, and getting exercise, are two of the biggest things that you can do. I mean, sometimes you can't outrun genetics but you can certainly do things to change the table. Brad: Right, I think everyone knows smoking is a big no-no. Chris: It's a big no-no, but it's just something that you're on the fence on, if you have the ability to try and quit smoking, please do. Just make sure you get out there and walk, try and stay active, and do active things. Even though it doesn't seem like maybe it's an exercise program, taking a walk every day is a perfect thing to do to help protect that heart. Brad: Right. All right, very good. Enjoy the day and stay healthy. Chris: Thanks, guys. 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 Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor 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 in order to help you make the best choice for you.

A. Hanging handles B. Teeter C. Saunders table Check out the full Sciatica series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website. 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 health care 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 back-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. Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced in order to help you make the best choice for you.

This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in May of 2022. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xteF42Ko75g Bob: Do you have back pain? What is the best mattress you could get out there? Brad: According to research, 39 different studies, this is complete Bob. Bob: So as Brad alluded to, this is actually a meta-analysis which is the best kind of study, because it's a study of studies. Brad: Yeah. It really envelopes, not everything, but a lot of information. Bob: So they looked at 39 different studies and it was published by. It was published by Caggiari Et al. Brad: From December of 2021. That is recent. Bob: So they looked at the soft, medium firm, and extra firm mattresses and they found out which one was best for you. Brad: Yeah, boy this is good information. I'm curious to find out the details here. Bob: All right, to the results. So again, they looked at the medium firm, soft, or firm mattresses. And most people think, for back pain, what do they need? A firm mattress. Brad: Well that goes with the thought, sleep on the floor if you have back pain, you know those things. Bob: But you would be wrong. What they found is that a medium firm mattress provided comfort, sleep quality, and spine alignment. Brad: Medium firm? It's kind of like steak. To get medium well, it's one of those in-between things, sorry. But I would agree actually seriously because that's what this is. Bob: Yeah. They have standards. All right, next, we'll give our opinion. Brad: Oh, yes. I jumped the gun. Bob: All right, our opinion Brad. So if you're a slighter person, with very thin hips and thin shoulders, I think you can tolerate a firmer mattress. All right. So this is cultural now. A lot of Japanese sleep on the floor or sleep on the futon. Brad: Is that traditionally or is that up to date? Bob: Traditionally. Brad: Okay. That's what I thought. Bob: They tend to be slighter build. Now, if you are a larger person with ample curves, I think you're going to need a less firm mattress. Brad: So the mattress conforms to the body and offers support throughout. Bob: All right. You can sink in a little bit. Finally, we'll talk about this mattress. Brad: This is a SleepOvation mattress. So you can see how they're made with the cutaway, they have 700 of these. We call them little tiny mattresses. And the benefits of that are air channels. So it keeps you cooler. These are special foam that really works well, to help conform to your body. And then on the backside, they have coil springs, which help keep it cool. And it works. Bob: And also provides support. Brad: Support yeah. It's a wonderful system. Bob: So we'll show you, why we like it. Brad: Absolutely. Okay, here we go. On the SleepOvation medium firm mattress, you can see Bob is lying here, supine and he's feeling comfortable. Bob: On my back. Brad: Yep. Now, if we put a line, you can see the line on his pants. If we put a line across his body it stays in that straight neutral position if you will. His heels are sinking in nicely, so there's no pressure there. His bottom is into the mattress. Bob: And my back has complete contact. Brad: That's exactly the first thing I notice is that my lumbar area has support, it actually conforms to that area. Wonderful for back pain. And then all the way up into the shoulders. Bob: What if you're heavier? That's what we're going to show. Brad: Oh, good. This is one of those lifting bags. It's 75 pounds and Bob is 200. Bob: Yeah. 205. So that's 280. Brad: So 280 pounds on this mattress right now. Bob: And I keep straight Brad. Brad: Yes you do. He keeps straight going across there. The whole idea is, does the mattress help conform even with heavier weight on there, and we're doing quite well, Bob, are you feeling comfortable? Bob: I think you and I can attest to the fact that we love our mattresses. Brad: Actually that is easy to say honestly. I am extremely happy with mine. The first day and actually Mike, one of our employees, said exactly the same thing. As soon as he laid down, he felt that lumbar support. And every morning I'm a very happy person. Bob: Do you sleep with 75 pounds on? Brad: Oh yeah. I always have somebody lay on top of me. lol Bob: All right. Thanks for watching. Brad: That was good. 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 Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor​ Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles​ Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Wellness: Bob and Brad Blood Pressure Monitor 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 in order to help you make the best choice for you.