An important point to note is generally the more the sciatica nerve is irritated, the further down the leg the symptoms of pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, and/or burning occur. The reverse is also true. As the nerve becomes less irritated, the symptoms generally improve in an ascending fashion. This translates to less pain, numbness, tingling, weakness and/or burning in the foot or lower leg. This can help you gauge whether your self-treatments are helping. Watch the video accompanying this handout. In the video we use tape to indicate the normal patterns of sciatica and how it can improve. Watch this video before performing any sciatica exercises. We have used tape in the photos to demonstrate the preferred progression of your pain. In photo A the pain/numbness/tingling is in full force travelling down the entire leg and possibly into the foot. In photo B the pain/numbness/tingling has begun to centralize- first leaving the foot and calf, then the back of the thigh. In photo C the pain has centralized to the low back. In photo D the pain is gone. 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 September of 2021. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/II6t-rMLFOI. Bob: Today we’re going to talk about how to stop low back pain with Dr. Stuart McGill’s walking program. It’s kind of nature's back balm. Brad: I know right away, when people have back pain, they say, my back bothers me when I walk it hurts. Well, we’re going to show you a specific system that Dr. McGill has come up with, so that you can get into walking and get that pain away and get you back to functioning again. Bob: Let’s get into it. Brad: Right on. So, now this is not meant for if you have sciatica. Pain down the leg, there is another modified walking program, but you can still learn some things you can learn from this because there’s crossovers. The first thing you want to do if you’ve got lower back pain and we want to get into walking, we’re going to plan on walking on a flat surface. No inclines, declines, or rough surfaces, bad terrain, anything like that. And you’re just going to stand up with good posture. Go ahead, Bob. Bob, you like to do this more so than I. Bob: It’s just a kind of a check. I like to take my hand and grab the wrist on the opposite side and pull back a little bit and it just straightens me out. So, I see a lot of people are a little bit flexed like this. Brad: And you may not even be aware of it. Bob: Right, and this kind of jolts you back to reality, where you should be. Brad: Yeah, kind of pull and feel the shoulders go back. The idea is back pain is oftentimes from a slightly flexed forward posture that you’re not aware of. So, we want to get that and get the strain of our body weight and our trunk through that low back. Bob: I’ve said this before, Brad but I’ve seen some runners in our neighborhood that I just want to stop them, get behind them, and straighten out their backs because they’re running bent forward. Brad: Don’t do that though, Bob. Bob: I won’t, I won’t. Brad: The next thing is once you get up tall and you feel like you have the back pain under control, and you may have to tilt your pelvis a little bit. Bob: Yeah, one way or the other. Brad: Find that most comfortable position and then you want to tighten up you core muscles, so your abdominal muscles, like your natural back belt is going to control that posture. Bob: This can make a big difference. You might be in pain the entire time and walk, but if you tighten your abdomen just a little bit, sometimes it can take away the pain. Brad: So, it’s a combination of proper posture position, that core tightening of the abdomen, and then at this point, don’t just take off walking. Dr. McGill talks about, just march in place, not a high march, but knees up about halfway. Shifting the weight right to left. Test and see how that feels. If that’s feeling good, still keeping that core tight, then we’re going to start to walk. Now, we understand that your back may be bothering you and you maybe only get five, maybe 10 steps and it starts to hurt. You stop. Sit down, relax it. Make sure you sit with good posture, of course, and then go back to it within an hour or so. Then repeat this and the goal is go from that 5-10 steps to 10-15 and each day you’ll find you’re going a little bit further and you’re going to learn a little bit each time you work on it. Bob: Yeah, what position feels the best for your back. Brad: It’s really a good way to understand your body positioning. You’re going to learn that proprioceptive skills that we call it in therapy very well. Bob: Now, what happens over time is, as you get more moving, you get more blood flow to the back. It acts like a lubricant almost or nature’s balm. Brad: That’s that term, balm. I don’t like that term. It just sounds kind of weird to me. But I looked it up and it’s accurate. So, Dr. McGill is right on. Oh, another important thing he does mention is swing the arms from the shoulder joint, so we’re not walking, I’m exaggerating. Bob: Right, the robot. Brad: And of course, the right arm goes with the left leg, but if you think about that, you’ll probably screw it up. Just walk normally. Then a little bit brisker pace. You’re not walking slow and testing it, you know, be a little courageous there, arms swinging, and then pick up the speed a little bit and that’ll take the stress off the back slightly, and it can feel better. I’m not talking power walking, and we’re just talking faster than that slow cautious walk. Bob: I find it interesting; I think Dr. McGill found it to be true is that there’s less weight on the back when you pick up the speed, the pace. I tried this with a patient of mine. He came in limping terribly, and he didn’t have sciatica, so this did work for him. He looked like he had just been run over by a truck. I started working just to work on walking to start off with. Went over some of these things, had him walk at a higher pace. By the end of the session, he was whipping his way around. He had the biggest smile on his face, like, wow! Brad: And I think that’s what a lot of people can experience if you take your time with this. Bob: Well, I think they’re afraid they’re going to hurt their back. And generally, it’s not going to hurt their back. It’s going to help your back and it’s a good thing to do, not only just once a day, but Dr. McGill recommends four times a day. Brad: Well, on this program, he said once you get up to 30 minutes, walk 30 minutes three times a day. That’s what he recommended. Again, take your time and start out at 5-ten steps. It may take a few weeks or hopefully it settles in faster than that. Bob: Yeah. Three times a day that coincides with meals. I mean, as a reminder you can do it after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Brad: Absolutely. And you feel good about eating, you know? You’re working things out. Things will move better. Bob: So, walking. One of the best things you can do. I know I had a friend and I’ve told this story many times. He worked at a back clinic. He was a physical therapist. That’s the first thing they would do with back patients is get them walking. By far, that was the number one thing he did. Brad: I wonder how many patients were like, I came here to learn how to walk? Bob: Yeah, right. This is what you give me? Where’s the modalities? Where’s the exercise? Brad: Aren’t you going to put a hot pack on? Sometimes the simple things work the best. So, carry on with your walking and be careful. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble 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 Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ 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 February of 2021 . For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fee0p8zh4o4 Bob: Today our title that we’re going to discuss is the seven most important questions to ask your hip surgeon. So, obviously you’re going in for hip surgery for some reason. It might be a hip replacement, might be a pinning, but this is pretty comprehensive, and Brad and I were talking about this. They don’t all necessarily have to be of your surgeon. It might be his assistant, your nurse, it might even be your physical therapist for some of these later on. Brad: Right. This is an important video because, you ever go to the doctor and you walk out and you say, “Oh, I wanted to ask him that,” and you completely forgot about it, and things are rushed, the doctor doesn’t have a lot of time to spend with you or whatever. Bob: You can also find a print out of these questions on our hip program page. Number one, can you try physical therapy first? Imagine that two physical therapists saying that you should try physical therapy first. We’ve seen many times that people think they’re going to need surgery and they have therapy, and it goes well, and they end up not even needing the surgery or delaying it. Brad: I’ve got a patient right now, extremely tight hips, who’s limping around for quite a while. Bob: A friend of yours, right? Brad: Yeah. He just had a stroke too. But it’s coming along so we’re working at this as well and we’re stretching it out, things are getting better. He’s probably going to need a hip replacement but at least he’s got some relief and it’s going to delay it, make things more comfortable until it’s absolutely needed. Bob: Right. At the very least, you’re preparing the hip for surgery. If you still have the surgery, it’s in better shape. Number two, what is the risk to performing surgery now? So, you want to ask, “Can I avoid surgery? Can I wait six months or a year? Is it going to compromise your outcome? Is it going to affect your outcome?” Now, I don’t think that’s as important on hips as it is on shoulders. Rotator cuff injuries can get worse. But it’s still a good question to have and to me, I always ask the patient, “Is your health going to be okay in a year or a year and a half?” Because sometimes you’re not able to tolerate a surgery as you get older. Brad: Sure. If you have a heart problem and the doctor will go over that with those precautions about what limits you from having the surgery. Bob: Okay, number three. Again, this is kind of all tied together. What are the alternatives to surgery? Physical therapy, there’s anti-inflammatories, there’s injections, and just education on how to run your life and keep from hurting your hip. Brad: Right. Bob: Number four, what is the expected length of recovery? How many days will you be in the hospital? And then we have lots of sub-questions for that, too. Let’s go ahead and start and it looks like I’m number one. How long will you need to follow the hip precautions? If you don’t know what hip precautions are, they’re guidelines given to the patient after surgery, and they include such things as, “Don’t cross your legs, don’t bend you hip greater than 90 degrees” and all that. Brad: And again, make sure that’s clear because there’s more than one type of hip procedure and precautions are different. Bob: Yes. For each doctor, they’re different. Brad: Next one, will you need full-time or part-time care? If so, how long? So, let’s talk about when you return home, are you going to be able to be independent or you need to have a spouse or family member or maybe home care come in to help you out. Bob: And that requires pre-planning obviously. Will you need a hospital bed at home? Good question. Brad: How soon will you be able to walk after surgery? Weight-bearing status. Typically, as 100% weight-bearing, or as tolerated, but not always. Sometimes you may have complications and there are some restrictions for that. Bob: Well, especially if you fractured your hip, and in that case, you might be non-weightbearing. So, that’s going to greatly affect your ability to get around. If you are not full weight-bearing. Will you need crutches or a walker? And if so, how long? So, you want to prepare ahead because you aren’t going to go out to the store and get crutches, or I guess you can order online too, when you’re at home Brad: Sometimes they’re given to you there, or they issue it to you at the hospital, but make sure that you don’t want to be stuck to be waiting for a walker at home for two days. That’s very uncomfortable. It’s not safe. Bob: Exactly. Brad: When can you lie on the operative side? So, sleeping in bed or you’re on the couch can you roll over on the side that’s been operated on? Very important to know. Bob: It’s funny. It’s usually sooner than I think. They allow it quick usually. A lot of time on the recheck they’ll say it’s okay. Brad: Yeah, and that’s on the hip. I think with a fracture or something like that, that’s when you really need to pay attention more. Bob: How soon will you be able to climb stairs after surgery? So, if you have a lot of stairs, in therapy, a lot of times we work on that before you go home, if you’re staying the hospital. Brad: There’s a specific pattern on how to go up and downstairs to take the pressure off you’re operated hip. Bob: There’s a right way and a wrong way. Brad: When can you shower after surgery? That’s a good one. You don’t want to have an infection in the incision because that will really raise havoc in your life, so get that very clear. Bob: When can you drive? It’s an important one, because when are you going to be able to start getting around? Brad: Independence, you know? How soon will I be able to resume normal lifestyle activities besides walking? Bob: Well, going back to work. The people at work are going to be asking you, “When can you come back?” So, that’s a good question to ask. Again, does it always have to be the surgeon. I don’t know if I’d load up the surgeon with all these questions. But I would ask someone that is in the know. Brad: If it’s a typical hip replacement surgery, they can oftentimes say it’s probably going to be this, but if it’s a fracture or something like that, there’s too many other variables that may intervene with that. Bob: What are your lifting limits? That’s a good one. Brad: You must pay attention and listen to them. Bob: I left this next one for Brad. Brad: Oh, yes. When is sexual intercourse feasible after surgery? It’s a good one to know because you don’t want to have a dislocation or mishap there. That could be a problem. Bob: Again, this is probably a later question, which sports can you participate in? Brad: Yeah. Plan on none for a little while. Bob: Yeah. There’s some that you may never be able to do again. Brad: I know someone, I haven’t seen him for a while, but he had a total hip replacement in his early 50’s and he plays, they call it masters hockey. He wants to get back into it and I’m saying, “Forget it, buddy.” Bob: Well, at least it’s not pounding. Brad: Yeah, well, when you fall, and you’re going to fall. You’re in your fifties and playing hockey and even though they don’t go after people aggressively, but they’re guys. Things are going to happen. Bob: Yeah, you get caught up in the emotion. All right, let’s go to number five. This is the main questions now. And this one, I hope you can maybe find out without asking the surgeon, but how many hip surgeries do you do a year, and how many surgeries of this type? This is an important question because they have found through studies that the surgeons that do more hip surgeries obviously have better results. It just makes sense. If you’re doing one a year, I don’t think I’d go along with that guy. I don’t even know if I’d go along with the guy that does shoulders, hips, you know, he’s doing everything. I would like the guy that’s doing a lot of hip surgeries. Brad: Yeah, you must do the homework on that. Bob: Number six, what are the risks of complication, and what is your complication rate? You can find that out, how often does this doctor have people that have problems, and how often do they have people die? Brad: A big one is infection rate. If you can look at the percentage of infection rate, their history, that’s probably one of the biggest things. Bob: Yeah. Number seven, final question, but then there’s some sub-questions on that too. If you’re going to undergo hip replacement surgery, you may want to ask these specific questions then. These are just for hip replacement. So, number one, what is the implant made of? You want to know if you’re going to set off metal detectors in the airport. Brad: And if so, then you do have to carry a piece of paper or something in your wallet that helps you get through, because that happens. This has been going on for years. How long will your joint replacement last? That’s a good one. Is it going to be 10 years? 20 years? If you’re going to be playing hockey. Bob: Yeah, it’s going to be less than that. And this is going to be a good one for physical therapists. What can you do to keep your joint replacement working as long as possible? Again, your therapist can guide you on that. Brad: What activities or factors could make you joint replacement wear out more quickly? Bob: Falling in hockey would do that. Brad: Yeah, yeah. Obviously, any falls is not going to be good, but can you go back to running? I’m quite certain that’s a negative. Bob: Probably no, sorry. Brad: But biking, that may be a different situation. You’ll have to make sure your bike’s seat is adjusted properly. Things like that. Bob: Good one for your therapist again. And this one’s going to have to be the surgeon or maybe his assistant. Will you need antibiotics for dental care? Brad: Oh, right. Yeah, I know I’ve had knee and hip patients when they go to the doctor, they must let them know. Sometimes they must take a round of antibiotics before they go in. It’s something like you can get an infection in your mouth. Bob: And then it travels to your hip. Brad: Right. For some reason, these replaced joints attract these, and you can get infection without even opening the skin, and it’s amazing how that happens, but that’s a concern and they should make you very aware of that. Bob: Yeah, it happened to my mother-in-law. It was her knee, but she didn’t have any cuts down there, but she had some nosebleeds and stuff, and I don’t know if she got it through her nose or picked up a bug. Brad: Yeah, it gets into your system. Bob: It seem to go right towards that joint. Brad: Right. The metal in there, it’s not a normal thing, to have that in your body, so it reacts different. It’s a good question to ask the surgeons. Bob: I’d like to hear a surgeon espouse his few thoughts on that. All right, thanks! Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble 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 Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ 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.

Does your back appear to be shifted or crooked to one side? (see photos below). Is this a relatively new development? We are not referring to scoliosis that you may have had for years. We are referring to a shift in your spine that may have started at or about the same time as your sciatica. If you do detect a spine shift, be sure to first address this issue with the following exercises: 1. Look at yourself in the mirror to determine if you detect a shift. You may need a friend or loved one to look at you and verify. 2. In our experience a shift in the spine from a disc problem is relatively infrequent, but if you do have a shift you may need to correct it for treatment to be successful. If you do not have a shift, move on to next exercise (press ups). 3. Steps to correct a right shift a. In a person with a shift to the right side, their shoulders and upper back appear to be shifted to the right as viewed in photo above. b. To correct this, stand with your right shoulder and right hip facing the wall. Stand approximately 12 to 18 inches away from the wall. Bend your right elbow to a 90-degree angle (right angle) and lay it flat against the wall. Now lean against your right arm with your body and allow your pelvis to sink towards the wall. This will begin to correct the shift. Do not perform this if it becomes painful to do. Watch our video on YouTube if you have trouble understanding how to do the shift: 4. Steps to Correct a Left Shift a. In a person with a left shift, shoulders and upper back appear shifted to the left as viewed above. b. To correct this, stand with your left shoulder and left hip facing the wall. Stand approximately 12 to 18 inches away from the wall. Bend your left elbow to a 90-degree angle (right angle) and lay it flat against the wall. Now lean against the left arm with your body and allow your pelvis to sink towards the wall. This will begin to correct the shift. Do not perform this if it becomes painful. Watch our video on YouTube if you have trouble understanding how to do the shift. 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.

Photo via Pexels Finding healthy habits that work for your lifestyle isn’t too difficult, but it’s often a challenge to stick with them. Creating a new routine takes time and energy, and if you’re pressed for both, you might find yourself giving up on it. The key is to incorporate small changes into your life and set realistic goals for yourself. For instance, you might change the way you think about workouts if you make them more fun. Here are a few more tips from physical therapists Bob & Brad on how to make healthy habits stick. Find a diet that works. Whether your ultimate goal is weight loss or you just want to incorporate some healthier foods into your diet, it’s important to remember that a slow lifestyle change is much easier to stick to than a drastic one. Rather than limiting yourself to certain foods, which can lead to a relapse, create a realistic meal plan that still allows you to have some of your favorite things. You can also compromise and have your old favorites in a different way — for instance, cooking with olive oil instead of vegetable oil, or using dark chocolate when baking as it has less sugar than milk chocolate. Deal with stress at work. If morale is tanking at the workplace, whatever the factors, stress is ever present. No doubt there are toxic coworkers contributing to the negativity, so have a strategy in place on how to first identify the personality type of these ne’er do wells, then how to deal with them. You may simply need to avoid interaction if at all possible. If they’re on your team and avoidance isn’t possible, learn how to work around them in such a way that minimizes time in the shared space. Learn how to shop. When we think about healthy habits, we often don’t include the ways we shop for food, but it’s an extremely important part of making positive changes to your diet and lifestyle. Not only is it a good idea to make a shopping list and stick to it, but you’ll also need to learn how to read food labels properly, as well as put together a well-balanced meal. Greatist suggests a meal-prep plan, which can save you time and money. This involves cooking large quantities of a healthy meal to distribute throughout the week. These are easy ways to stick to healthier eating because you’ll be more knowledgeable about what you’re buying. Get moving. In addition to finding a diet that works and learning how to shop, it’s crucial to start a workout routine with realistic goals. The Anxiety & Depression Association of America notes that daily activity can help with everything from boosting your mental health to relieving joint pain, but it’s up to you to find the right movement for your needs. You might try yoga, take up a sport, attend an aqua aerobics class, or simply get outside with the kids for a game of kickball. When you’re engaging in an activity and having fun at the same time, you’re much more likely to stick with it. Finding healthy habits that you can easily work into your routine can take some time, so try to remain patient as you start the process. Look for support from friends and family, which can help you stay focused on your goals. Physical therapists Bob & Brad can assist you with do-it-yourself treatment for common problems. With a series of videos and follow-along printables, you can be on your way to a healthy, fit, and pain-free life.

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://youtu.be/547ui_sIC9Q. Bob: Today we’re going to talk about how to fall asleep fast. We have 12 tricks to sleep all night like a baby. Brad: We have 12 tips, you may not use all of them, but use a combination of them you can use. Bob: Yeah, choose from them. Figure out which ones work for you, it’s kind of like an experiment. Brad: We are all individuals, Bob. Bob: That’s right. All right, Brad. What are the best ones for you? Brad: Well, Bob, let’s just start at the top. I’ll mention as we go. Bob: Okay, we’ll start at the top. Brad: This is a common one I think everyone may not do but will probably agree with. Just slow down and relax your breathing. In your nose, out your mouth. Bob: I think a lot of people don’t know this one, Brad. Brad: Perhaps not, but slow things down. Breathe in your nose, exhale out your mouth, fill your lungs and instead of holding your tummy in, you’re going to do the diaphragmatic breathing where your relax and let your belly expand and breath out that way. Bob: I have found this to be very helpful if I’m worried about something. If like I’m ruminating, the breathing just slows my thinking down and it slows my breathing down. I like the four square, where you breathe in for four second, hold for four seconds, then breathe out for four seconds, then hold for four more seconds. Makes the square. It does help me, I concentrate on the breathing instead of the problem. You do it enough times and suddenly, you’re sleeping. You wake up in the morning and go, “Oh, that worked.” Brad: The other one, and some of these you can combine, this is one we use in our bedroom is white noise. We just have a fan going but there’s apps for your phone. Our grandkids have these little ones, it just does the little trickling of water, probably make them pee their pants. But they also have a little thing that goes on the ceiling, and it shows stars and things moving around. Bob: Oh, it’s a separate machine. Brad: No, it’s all the same machine. It does the noise and makes the stuff on the ceiling. Bob: Sure, projects a little thing on the ceiling. Brad: Yeah, and you can have different projections like stars. Bob: So, this is probably more for and infant or something like that? Brad: Yeah, but I like it too. Yeah, it’s made for kids. Bob: See what I mean? Brad: Room temperature. Now last night, we had it up to 72 degrees in our house. Bob: That’s too hot. Brad: I don’t know why we had it there, it’s too hot. I woke up in the morning, I slept well but I could tell it was too warm. Get it down to about 68 or 65 even. Bob: 65 was the agreed upon temperature. I just saw the studies on this, and this is the one that was universally accepted. You could go lower, but it’s not only going to help you get to sleep faster, but it’s going to help you stay asleep. If you’re waking up at 4 A.M., it may be because your room is too hot. Brad: Or if I put my arm outside the pillows, then I have a frozen arm. Bob: Right, but that’s how you’re trying to dissipate the heat from your body. Brad: Anyways, or 18 degrees Celsius for those people outside of the U.S. We still have that Fahrenheit thing here. Proper pillow size. We can go through this briefly. A lot of people use a thick pillow or two pillows. His neck is up at and angle. It’s Restricts your breathing, puts stress on the neck, on your spine. You should be down to on narrow pillow. Bob: Keep everything in alignment. Now, my spine is in a line. Brad: There you go. If you’re a side sleeper, then you want a thicker pillow because you want to fill in the gap that your shoulder makes. Bob: Otherwise, my neck will be stretching all night. Brad: Yep. So there, you might want to have another one. You can fold one pillow in half if that works. Make sure that you have proper pillow spaces for you neck alignment. The next one, we’re going to do the pillow between the legs. Bob: So, I’m sleeping on my side. I must do this because I’ve been having some trouble with my hip as I’ve been crying about for 20 videos now. If I don’t have the pillow, look how to hip is straining. Now this may seem minor but when you get old, this stuff matters. Brad: Yeah, this is more of an older person thing but not always. Bob: It’s also twisting my back a little bit. So, if you want to put your back in perfect alignment, and the hip in perfect alignment and even the knees feel a lot better. Not clanking up against each other. You just put a pillow between the legs. Now, I find a pillow during the winter is fine, buy during the summer it’s too warm, so I use a smaller one that is designed for this. You can buy them online. Brad: You've got a knee pillow. Bob: I have a knee pillow. Brad: Well, let’s go onto the next one, Bob. Now if you happen to have some back issues, knee, or hip pain, often, this is a leg wedge. Now we don’t like to have you go and buy stuff, but we have not found anything to replicate this, and these are not that expensive. Again, hip, knee, or back issues often people find this much more comfortable. Bob: If you try to use pillows, it’s just not enough. You’d need like three pillows, and it still doesn’t feel like this does. Brad: This is kind of firm but not hard. The angle here, puts your pelvis in the right position and your knees. I know with my back, I’ve got spinal stenosis and if I overdo it, like outside doing yard work, I know I did it, I’ll sleep like this for about the first two hours and I’m so relaxed, my back feels better, and then I’ll usually kick it out on the floor. Bob: I wish it was a little longer though, Brad. Brad: They do make longer ones, Bob. I saw that. For the taller people. Bob: Oh, finally. They discriminate again us, you realize that don’t you? Brad: I know, Bob. Anyways, let’s go onto the next one, Bob. Number seven, I like the number seven. Bob: Yeah, I know you do. Brad: Caffeine. Don’t drink caffeine before you go to bed. Even a couple hours before. Bob: It’s from like one o’clock on, Brad. Brad: Oh really? Bob: I mean, there’s a half-life of it and it’s probably still affecting you. So, not in the afternoon at all. You must stop. Brad: It kind of depends on when you go to bed though. Bob: It does. If you go to bed at a normal time. Brad: So, if you’re like a nine, 10 o’clock person. Bob: I would say, yes. Brad: Then of course that goes along with alcohol too. I guess you shouldn’t be drinking a beer or something before you go to bed. Bob: I think one is fine, but you drink too many, you know, it’s going to have that effect, you get to sleep but you’re not getting deep sleep. Brad: And then you must get up and go to the bathroom more and all those things. Be reasonable with that. I think everyone could have good judgement on that. This next one is something a lot of people probably aren’t aware of. It’s the contract relax mechanisms, or relaxing muscles. If you take a muscle and you contract it as tight as you can for about six seconds. Bob: We’re tightening it without moving it. Brad: Right. Isometric. Then you relax it, the muscle will relax very effective and efficiently. We’re not just going to do the bicep or the neck. Bob: They go all the way through the body. Brad: Yeah. Or the upper extremities too. I think you can do whatever works if you don’t cramp. If you’re one of those people that cramp. Bob: You could start with your feet. Your calves and then do the knees. Brad: A section at a time. Bob: It’s that thing that is taking your mind off the thing that might be keeping you awake. It’s giving you something else to focus on. It’s relaxing everything, you know, the entire body. A lot of times you’ll find out that maybe you were clenching one part of the body because you’re upset about something. Brad: Without being aware of it. Bob: Working with Brad Heinick, oh, it just gets me so upset. (LOL) Brad: Well, yes. My wife tells me about that, too. I’m working on it. The whole upper body thing, it’s a little quicker clench and relax. Bob: Sure, you can tighten that stuff. I’m just picturing this now. Your wife lying next to you, and she’s all scrunched up and Brad’s just sleeping. Brad: She’s trying to relax after putting up with me for the day. Well, weekends are also tough on her. Bob: Yeah, a full weekend. All right, we need to move on. Number ten. Be still with the dark room. Dark room makes a big difference. Your body creates melatonin, if it’s during the sunlight it’s thinking that it’s supposed to wake up. During the night when it’s dark, it’s teaching your body to sleep. Your circadian rhythms. Brad: You hit every nail on the head there. The next one, if you’re an animal person, having a cat or a dog in bed with you or you know, somewhere where you can do that, that’s very relaxing. My wife is a real dog lover and I’m not a dog hater, I like the dog there, but if it was me, I would maybe move the dog. Bob: I’m going to say, our cat we don’t have it anymore, but when we had the cat, it would start meowing before we got up. Brad: Well, that cat had issues, Bob. Bob: Yeah, that cat did have issues. Brad: Anyways, for a lot of people, that can be a real relaxing thing for sleep. You know if you are or not. This next one, I didn’t know about this until a couple years ago. No blue light. Bob: Looking at a computer before you go to bed. Brad: Well, looking at your phone too. Bob: That blue light is, what is it? Bob: It’s the same thing, it does the same thing as sunlight. It makes you think that you’re supposed to be waking up. It could throw off your circadian rhythms and it does not help you. Especially if you do it every night like an hour before. It could mess you up and that’s why you might be having trouble sleeping. Brad: Those sarcadian rhythms. Bob: Circadian not sarcadian. Brad: Circadian, they kill me all these pop buzz word things that come up from year to year. Anyways, good luck with your sleeping. I’m sure you’re going to find some more useful tips in here. Bob: Yeah, sleep well. Sleep tight. Thanks. Interested in learning about the products mentioned: 1) Bed Wedge Pillow 1.5 Inch Memory Foam Top Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble 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 Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ 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.

Back spasms are a good opportunity to learn you are in control of your back. When spasms occur, lie down on your back with your knees bent and with your feet flat on the bed. Tighten up your abdomen and try to lift one foot ever so slightly off the bed. You can tell whether you have tightened your abdomen by poking your fingers into your sides while lying on the bed. Start by relaxing your abdomen and poke your fingers in. Tighten your abdomen and poke again. Feel the difference? Make sure you are not sucking your abdomen in but rather just tightening the muscles. Try lifting one foot again while tightening your abdomen. Is there more pain? Less pain? Now fine tune the arch in your back by making it larger or flatter. Try to find the most comfortable positions. Your pain and spasms can often diminish by tightening your abdomen, readjusting the arch in your back, and slowly lifting one leg and then the other leg. If the pain and spasms continue, try the following position instead. You may want to do this for a day or two before starting any exercises. Lie down on your back with your feet up on a leg wedge, pillows, stool or chair. Place an ice pack on your lower back to help let things calm down. A leg wedge is available from Amazon. The recipe for an ice pack is as follows: 2 large freezer bags 1 cup rubbing alcohol 4 cups of water Mix rubbing alcohol and water in a freezer bag. Remove the air from the bag and zip it up. Put that bag into the second bag and remove the air from the second bag and zip it up. Put this in the freezer overnight. Your ice pack should be nearly frozen but still bendable. Re-freeze as often as needed or until the bag leaks. Windshield Wipers: An Alternative Exercise for Back Spasms or Severe Pain This exercise is done to help relax muscles and get some movement in the spine and hips. For this exercise, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the bed. Gently rotate your knees back and forth. If the movement hurts to perform in one direction (e.g., to the right) avoid rotating to that side and just rotate to the left side. Perform 10 times. As with all recommended exercises, the WINDSHIELD WIPERS must be PAINFREE! If not pain-free, they are not to be done. 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 of . For the original video go to https://youtu.be/KGGp_M4b2ZQ Bob: We’re going off on a little side path today, Brad. Today, we’re going to talk about one way to keep your baby, or grandbaby, healthy. You have grandbaby’s, right? Brad: Well, yeah, they’re getting not to be babies anymore. Two years old is the youngest. Bob: Okay, gotcha. So, as our audience, you may or may not know that Brad and I share a goal that we’re trying to help as many people as we can before we’re put into that cold, cold earth. That includes babies. I don’t just mean Brad, I mean tiny babies. How can we help babies Brad? Brad: Sure. Well, they need to sleep properly, healthfully, and comfortably. Bob: Right. Is healthfully a word? So, it’s a concern of parents of course, and there’s concern from grandparents, and as many of you may know, we have a relationship with SleepOvation. We really like their adult mattresses. They’ve come out with a baby mattress. Brad: Right. Here it is. Bob: We’re really impressed with it. It addresses some of the concerns that you may have about your child when they’re sleeping. Brad: Some of the concepts are similar to the adult mattress. They’ve modified it to fit the infant, or the toddler. Bob: Let’s talk about them. This is a word I had never heard of before Brad. Plagiocephaly. I can’t even say it. It’s flat head syndrome. Your brother had this. Brad: Right and still does. Bob: And what happened? Brad: Well, your head becomes flat on the back. As a matter of fact, Chris’ son has it as well. Anyways, when you have long hair, you don’t see it, but if you have no hair or little hair, you can see the head’s not rounded normally. Bob: Some of it stems from, Brad, that we really encourage people to lay their baby on their back because they don’t want SIDS to happen. Brad: Sudden infant death syndrome, right. Bob: You’re getting all the pressure on the back of the head. It’s at that stage where the bones are still growing and forming. It can flatten out. I know a certain percentage of children must wear a helmet to reshape it. Hopefully, this mattress and we’ll show you in a minute why it might reduce the pressure and help with flat head syndrome. Brad: That’s what it’s designed for, especially on the one side. Bob: They’re doing a study on it right now through Seattle Hospital I believe. We’ll mention that too. Overheating, we want a mattress that doesn’t overheat. This has little air channels. Rollovers and proper spine support. All those things. Brad: Very similar to adults, but it’s different when you’re tiny. Bob: I just want to say, the guy who invented the SleepOvation mattress, he’s got 36 patents Brad, in the U.S. All for mattresses. He has hundreds of patents in Europe or overseas. This guy, I consider him “the genius.” He knows what he’s doing. Brad: He’s been around, and it’s been his life. Bob: Exactly. I feel comfortable in supporting anything he makes. I know that he’s gone to the Nth degree to make sure it’s safe and that it’s going to be the best mattress out there. This is the SleepOvation Baby Mattress. The thing is, what’s cool about this, it’s got two sides. One side is made for the infant, and it has little teddy bears on it. Brad: So, in other words, the cushion on this side is designed for a lighter, smaller body. Then, on the other side, is for toddlers. As they grow, then you’ll flip it over and use the other side. We’ll talk about the difference in a little bit. Bob: If you look inside, they have it printed on the inside cover. So, if you clean the cover, you don’t have to worry about putting in on right. Brad: Yeah, you want to keep it consistent. Bob: You know, I really want a grandchild. Matt? Brenna? Brad: Still practicing. Bob: I don’t know if I’m allowed to put pressure on my children. Am I allowed to do that? Brad: I don’t know. We don’t know the rules on that. Bob: So anyway, this is cool. This is the infant side that’s up, but look at the little, tiny mattresses that you can see here. It has air channels so keeps it cool. Bob: This reduces pressure, again 25 to 35%, spreads out the forces, so you’re not getting point pressure. Bob: Seattle Children’s Hospital is conducting some tests on these to see if it works with plagiocephaly. They’re also applying for FDA clearance for that. Then the other side is the toddler side. I don’t know what, when do you become a toddler? Brad: I don’t know if it’s at two years. Bob: The thing is the cover is water resistant on the infant size. On the other side, the toddler side, it’s waterproof which I guess is even more than water resistant. Brad: Yeah, at that age they may be potty training. There are some issues there. I had issues like that when I was a kid. Bob: Well, let’s be honest Brad, you had issues with all those. Brad: My poor parents. Bob: You can buy extra covers if you want to. It comes in two sizes I believe. It’s going to be made with safe, non-toxic materials. Brad and I, we get products sometimes from overseas. We got a neck supporter once and the smell was so bad. It never went away, remember that? For weeks later, it was still there. Brad: If it wasn’t toxic, it smelled like it was. We put that one off to the side. Bob: Right. But this meets all the standards. I don’t know what they are. ASTM cribs mattress standards, I don’t know what those are. Brad: It’s something they can look at on the SleepOvation website and read it for themselves. Bob: That’s about all I have to say about this, Brad. I just think we’re going to make that baby happy and hopefully, someday, will make me happy by giving me a grandbaby. Brad: They’ll all come at once Bob. Bob: I’ll be a happy guy. Thanks. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble 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 Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ 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 2016. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClylSTLubvY&t=1s Bob: Today we’re going to be taking about the big lie, which comes in part from this book called Paindemic. This was written by Doctor Melissa Cady. She’s a doctor of osteopathy and she wrote a chapter in this book called The Disc, I believe it is, and that chapter alone might be worthwhile getting this book. Brad: It’s a good chapter. If you have back pain and you’re thinking about getting an MRI, you should read it. Bob: Right, MRI, or if you’re thinking about having surgery, you want to. We’ll talk more about this book in the future, but right now, let’s talk about the big lie. First off, let’s say you’re having back pain. You go in and you have an MRI, and they found out you have a bulging disc or herniated disc. You’re going “oh my God.” Brad: Right, you’re all excited. I better get surgery. Bob: The thing is that’s probably the last thing you want to do because the problem is, what you’ll find out, this study – we’re going to show a couple studies – is shown that some people at a certain age have a bulging disc, and they have no pain at all. So, let’s go to the chart. So, if you have a bulging disc, what they did is they did MRIs on people. They did MRIs on people who were having no symptoms whatsoever, they had no signs or symptoms of pain. They did it on people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. What they found out is that 30% of the people in their 20s had a bulging disc. Brad: No symptoms. Active people. Bob: 40% in their 30s – no symptoms, had a bulging disc. All the way up to when you’re in your 70s, 77% of people had a bulging disc, but no pain. Brad: And you can see it gradually goes up with age. Bob: It’s a part of aging, it’s a deterioration process. Brad: It’s like getting grey hair. Bob: Or putting on a few extra pounds. So, are you going to get surgery when you get grey hair brad? Brad: No. Bob: The other thing was disc protrusions, which is a disc herniation. On the disc herniation, the same was true, Brad. At age 20, 29% of the people had a disc herniation and had no symptoms. All the way up to 80, 43% had a disc protrusion or herniation and no pain. Brad: So, if you think about it, you have back pain, and you may have had that herniation in your disc for 10 or 15 years prior without any symptoms. Then you get back pain, and it may be from a different cause, you get an MRI, and they see the herniation or the protrusion and point the finger at that. You have the surgery, get it taken care of, and still have the pain. Bob: Yes, because it wasn’t from the herniation. So, we’ll talk a little more about that, but right now Brad is going to show what a bulging disc would be like. First off you have the disc itself. Brad: We’re going to look at L5 and L4, two lower vertebra. Brad: This red bulge here represents a bulging disc or herniated disc and now if we look at these two vertebrae, and we’re going to take it out and show a model of those. Brad: This cup represents one of the vertebrae, this is the other. The green ball represents the disc itself. This is a healthy disc. It moves, it has some mobility in it, so that you can move your spine as we all do. Brad: Particularly if the bugle is in the back where most bulges are, when you bend forward, it often makes it worse. Or when you lift weights with poor body mechanics and seated with poor posture and that bulge can eventually turn into a herniation. Bob: A herniation is when some of the inner material of the disc spills out back. Brad: A disc is just like this. You can see there’s material under this, it’s a thicker liquid, but it can come out and cause that bulge and that’s a problem that you do not want to have. Bob: It’s a problem that is not really a problem unless it pushed out the back and hits a nerve, Brad. Brad: Right. I guess what I meant to say was when it gets this far out, and it’s extreme, and creating pain and whatnot. Bob: So when should you have surgery? There are times you should. One is if this bulge or herniation is pushing against your spinal cord, which is running right down in this hole of the back of the vertebra. The other one is if it’s hitting one of the nerves coming off on the sides. If it hits that nerve, it could give you some pain down your leg and if it’s causing you “foot drop”, where you start getting weakness in the foot, that’s usually a sign that you’re getting pressure on the nerve and it’s pushing on the nerve itself. There are three instances. One, is it pushing on your spinal cord. It will tell on the MRI, you’ll see that. Two, was it pushing on one of the spinal nerves. Or three, is there a mass in there. I mean if you have cancer or some type of mass growing. Brad: Right, sometimes it’s benign and they get in there to remove it and it takes care of the problem quickly. Bob: Or a blood clot. There could even be a blood clot growing on the spinal cord. Dr. Cady, she said she knew plenty of physicians and surgeons who would avoid back surgery like the plague, that was one of her quotes. So, it’s something you want to consider, that you want to try some aggressive physical therapy way before you try surgery. It kind of is the last case scenario. Again, don’t get distraught if you’re seeing a lot of things on your X-Ray which is just showing general aging which is conveying a disc protrusion or disc herniation. Brad: Yeah, I think Bob meant to say MRI. Bob: Did I? What did I say? Brad: X-Ray. Bob: Oh X-Ray, well X-Rays show some of that stuff too. Brad: Sure. Bob: Alright, thanks! If you are having pain associated with a bulging or herniated disc you may want to check out our Sciatica Program for more information. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble 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 Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ 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.

Walking is considered a quick win in the treatment of sciatica. Walking can greatly help the healing process. Walking is going to be highly recommended ONLY if you can do it without increasing your leg pain. Walking for the Cure of Back Pain You may have heard of the charity events Walking for the Cure where they raise money for the treatment of breast cancer. Well, we are going to put our own spin on it: Walking for the Cure of Back Pain. It is so simple, but walking can have a healing effect on backs and back pain. Think of yourself as the tin man in the Wizard of Oz, rusted to the point of no movement. Give him a little oil, he can start moving and is as good as new. Your joints (which your spine has a lot of) love movement and they have their own natural lubrication oil called synovial fluid. The more you walk, the more the joints can self-lubricate. With this, your back muscles can start to strengthen. Your body also puts out its own natural drugs called endorphins, which can help with pain relief. But you say it is painful to walk. There are 10 possible reasons for the pain: 1. Your posture is incorrect when walking and you are putting increased strain on your back. Posture is always huge. Your spine can handle great loads when it is in the correct position. This is not true when your back is in poor form. You can use a broom handle or alternative to assess your walking posture. Place the handle in place as follows: your bottom palm is facing out and your top palm is facing forward. The handle should have 3 contact points including the sacrum or pelvis, the mid-back, and the back of your head. If your head is not touching the handle, attempt to correct it. Correct walking posture would have all three contact points touching the handle and all three should remain in contact while walking. A. Poor walking posture B. Correct walking posture with a stick C. Correct walking posture with hands behind back You can also correct your posture while walking by using your right hand to grasp your left wrist behind your back. In this position pull your shoulders back and straighten your back. Then do a chin tuck. A chin tuck is when you tuck in your chin and work to bring your ears over your shoulders. Your head is not going down or up. It is merely going back, as though someone is going to throw a pie in your face and you are backing your head away from it. Maintain this position and begin to swing your arms normally as you continue walking. 2. You are walking too slowly. Yes! You can overload the spine when walking slowly as compared to a quicker pace. When I hurt my back in the past, my goal is to get back to running by the next day. You would think the “pounding” of running would increase the pain of the spine. However, in my case the self-lubricating nature of the movement AND the increased oxygen to all of the muscles, ligament, tendons, and tissues of the back was more beneficial despite the increase load on the spine. When you walk too slowly, the tendency is to lean back on the spine and let it settle into a flexed harmful posture. We want you to lead with your chest and build up enough speed so that you are leaning slightly forward. Pick up the Bob and Brad Sciatica Program: First Step to Stopping Back Pain and/or Sciatica. BEGIN WALKING. 3 pace of your walking and make sure to swing your arms naturally. The movement of your arms can also serve to increase movement, blood flow, and oxygen to your back. I have had patients who have walked with a stiff back and motionless arms. Their muscles looked tight and therefore less healing was occurring. 3. You are walking too far to start. You may need to work up to it incrementally. Determine how far you can walk before the pain begins. Start in your house and walk across the room. Try to increase the amount of walking you can do each day before the pain begins. If your pain begins immediately, you may need to perform some of the stretches for a few days before re-trying the walking. The stretches and improvement in posture can make a significant difference in pain levels. 4. You may have to decrease the weight on your spine in order to walk. This can be done with a double walking stick, a cane, or double canes to start. AVOID hills and stairs. Stick to flat surfaces. 5. You are taking too long of strides causing a reaction force at your heel which reverberates up your leg and into your spine. The running world has discovered this years ago. They advocate a leaning forward posture with shorter and quicker strides. This causes less impact on the joints and greater speed and efficiency. Along with a quicker pace, be sure to shorten your strides and lean forward. Try to have the front of your foot and your heel hit at nearly the same time. Wear comfortable shoes with adequate cushioning and arch support. Shorter strides and leaning forward 6. You have been thinking it is bad to walk and your back decides to agree with you. Walking acts as nature’s natural lubricant for your back. Take advantage of your body’s ability to heal itself. 7. You are not breathing in a relaxed manner. The importance of breathing while trying to manage pain and anxiety is well documented. For example, breathing is the mainstay of mediation techniques and for controlling pain during labor. Before you start walking, take a few deep breaths in which you breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. When blowing out, purse your lips like you are blowing out a candle. You may also use the breathing 4-4-4-4 technique which is as follows: inhalation, retention, exhalation, and retention again, all the same length. Inhale for 4 steps Retain the breath for 4 steps Exhale slowly for 4 steps Retain empty for 4 steps You may increase or decrease the number of steps for each phase, according to your capacity. For instance, it could be 3-3-3-3 or 6-6-6-6. Begin walking and continue relaxed breathing. Good posture will also help assist your breathing. 8. You are not decompressing the spine. One method for decompressing the spine is to lean onto the back of a park bench or chair with a similar back height. Allow the back to relax and continue for 10 seconds. Repeat 3-5 times as needed. For further methods on decompressing the spine, check out our video in this series entitled “How to Decompress the Spine for Back Pain or Sciatica.” Decompression 9. You may have to build up your walking distance in an incremental fashion. Gradually increase walking distances from day to day. 10.You may need to increase or decrease the arch in your back. You also may need to tighten your abdomen at times for support. See if either helps to shut down the pain maker. Also note, be careful when walking dogs on a leash. The constant or even sporadic pull on the leash by your pet could be causing a torque on your back resulting in pain. Try walking without your dog and compare it to when you do. If you have increased pain with the pet, you will need to build up your core trunk muscles first before resuming pet walks.

It's hard to believe that we are at the end of 2021. This year has brought many changes and challenges for so many. The Bob and Brad team are so very glad you made us a part of your year and hope that we were able to help you make the best of it. We appreciate all of you that watch and support us. We have complied a list of a few of your heart felt comments. We will continue to make videos in hopes that you continue to live healthy, fit and pain-free. "I’m thankful for your YouTube video on Rheumatoid Arthritis. I am 38 years old and was just diagnosed. My physician is not very open and informative on ways I can improve my daily living with this so I have been researching on my own. I was so thankful to find your video showing me what stretches to do to help." "I want to thank you for your EXCELLENT videos. I use them for my students (all 400 of them to help them with their aches and pains and to better understand their physiology. I greatly appreciate your senior videos! I began my career with physical therapy so I love your humor and kindness. You are very special to all of us! Happy Holidays!" "Y'all are the most famous physical therapists on the internet, in my opinion and just straight facts! Thanks for all your help with my frozen arm/ shoulder. I no longer get steroid injections in my back. " "In my professional practice I often refer my clients to your vids for exercise and educational tips. Your energy also helps to keep them motivated as well." "I want to thank you for the video on the one-minute workout. I adapted the 2 minutes- 20 second routine to my Nordic Track ski machine routine. I get bored doing cardio and often just quit. This is what I needed for motivation. I have been using this technique for the past 2 months, and I have started alternating with weight training days. I feel GREAT! Thank you again!" "I received your larger massage gun as a gift, so unable to leave an Amazon review. I wanted to provide you with one, though! For the 1st time ever, my 'barometric pressure' induced migraine-type symptoms disappeared 95% after my husband used THIS gun to relieve the tightness that always radiates from my thoracic muscles all the way up the right side of my neck. I also relieved his lumbar muscle tightness and discomfort! This is going to make hand massage in our home less frequent for sure. So easy to use and from someone who never used one before, seems like a well built device. Best gift from my dear friend Tammy. Way to go, guys. New follower here Happy Holidays" "Bob and Brad, I have watched your videos for the past year after TKR and find them helpful and entertaining. Several months ago it became evident that I was going to need a revision and with that I decided to watch a few more of your videos. In one you introduced the Knee Glide. Looked interesting so I purchased it. Received right before surgery and tried it out - seemed pretty cool. Now after surgery I am convinced it’s the greatest PT device around. Absolutely amazing. I am now showing it to my PTs. Thanks for bringing this to the market." "Thanks guys, I absolutely love learning so much from both of you. You really complement each other with experience and I feel a safety listening to you, thank you!" "Hi Bob and Brad. I live in northwestern WI. I am 36 years old and have spondylosis and spondylolisthesis at L5-S1 from a childhood injury and neck arthritis in my neck C5-C7 from wearing a flak vest and Kevlar helmet for a year in Iraq on deployment in 2005. I struggle with chronic pain in my neck and instability in my low back and I just wanted to say I follow you most every day and I have been able to apply a lot of exercises and stretches you demonstrate and it is the only thing that I have found to give me relief so THANK YOU for what you do. I also like your daily memes of motivation and struggle. You guys are awesome." "Good Morning SIR I Was watching most of your videos on utube and they all were amazing I like the way you just make it simple for us" "Good afternoon Bob and Brad. I received my Bob and Brad massage gun the other day and I want to tell you guys that it is AMAZING!!!. I have used it before my workouts as a warm up and after my workouts as recovery. This massager blows my mind. I love it so much that I want to get the small one for my gym bag." "I am following your shoulder exercises video at 83 years old I am having no pain now Love watching you both on YouTube.? "Got my Bob and Brad Massager today I've been wanting one, can't wait to use it." "Way to go on today’s video Jordan’s Resistance Band Booty Workout in real time. Thanks for trying to save us!" "I had an anterior total right hip replacement yesterday. I'm going home to watch all you guys have on hips. I love your you tube channel." "I’d like to say huge thank you for your YouTube videos on si pain and exercises has been a massive help, I was in agony and collapsing in pain just a few weeks ago but now, after following your suggestions in how to ease si pain I am no longer in agonizing pain and am almost back to pain free I’m now an ever loyal fan... got to find out how to sort my knee out now, that’s another saga xxx" "I’ve been watching and admire u both a great deal! Been through both knee replacements 7 years apart. Toughest surgery to recover from! U are excellent and share on YouTube for free. So thankful for that." "Watched another one yesterday. They are fantastic and already received my ordered books in the mail. Thank you two for the great demonstrations." "BTW I appreciate so much your videos and the incredible amount of helpful information you provide so generously. I 've been to acupuncturists and dozens of physio therapists half my life . I have spinal stenosis osteoporosis DDD with herniation and spondylothesis . Ive found movement and strengthening the only thing that has helped and it's so important to do it properly . This is why I see so much wisdom in your advice. Can't thank you enough Brad and Bob !" "I am almost 76 and I had the Covid, Feb. 2020, and it did really bad things to my body. I had 8 weeks of therapy, and I thank the Lord for finding the two of you. That is when I started getting better. In Sept. my blood dropped down to 5.2, needless to say, I was infused with 2 quarts of blood, after that I began to regain my strength, and again with the help of the two of you, I almost feel like I am 60 again. Thanks again." "Referred to your site by my Dr in Kelowna BC Canada. 73 years young with injured right . Love your videos and sharing like crazy. Oh and the wing is slowly getting better but splitting wood and shovelling snow takes precedent over daily exercises but mixing in the moves with the work is doable" "You guys rock!! I asked and you delivered. Kegels. Not an easy topic to discuss but so many suffer in silence. Thank you!!" "After watching your video on the tennis ball exercise for thoracic pain I tried it heard a loud pop and all my pain is gone!!! I then used the ball over my glutes. I haven't felt this good in a long time. Loose as a goose! Ill be watching!" "Why Bob why? We love you both over here! The 2 most adored physical therapists in the world in our opinion of course! " "Thanks for today’s video in real time sitting in the chair. Awesome guys!" "Your videos have helped me with golfers elbow plantar fasciitis and recently helped me solve a thigh pain. All great advice. Your exercises are excellent! I recommend you two all the time. Thank you both!" "Your advice saved me. I have been to several PT. 25 years ago I was rear ended by a semi. With your help I’m now walking a mile a day and doing hand weights. Following your advice there as well. I just wanted to thank you so much" "I just wanted to take some time and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the FREE assistant you've provided on YouTube. I've dealt with chronic leg pain for years that's been diagnosed as muscle imbalances. My health insurance declined my Physical therapy after only 8 visits but I was able to continue to progress and continue up my leg through your videos. I'm now plowing through your back exercises and stretch's for core strengthening. I CANT WAIT to start running again and you two have made it possible. THANK YOU." "I love and truly appreciate your videos keeping me fit, healthy, and happy with your excellent body knowledge that includes good humor!" "Thanks for informative help during these tough stay at home times." "OK you guys are fantastic, not only do you help me with my shoulder pain but I love the way you explain why you’re doing a particular exercise. A lot of times when you go to a physical therapist, they tell you the exercises to do, but they don’t explain why or how it works. I am more likely to practice an exercise if I understand why it works. Thank you so much, you guys are truly professional and you’re funny and the chemistry between the two of you is great, thank you so much!" "Dearest Bob and Brad and Staff, I have been a big fan and long time youtube subscriber. I greatly appreciate all your efforts and time producing your content and products. Although we are going to some challenging times I just bought two of your massage guns and exercise straps to help me with a severe fall on ice. Your encouragement, passion and love of your profession has been very uplifting and inspiration. I wish you, your families and your business continued and growing success. Its a shame I live on the East Coast would love to meet with you and thank you personally for everything you have done for me. Keep up the great work and education for us in your social media community. Best wishes again to all of you and your staff. If there are any future promotions with your products please keep me in mind. Have a great week! God Bless." "Ya'll are a life saver!!! My husband couldn't walk without extreme back pain. Was in excruciating pain. Went to surgeon and he had a cyst where the surgeon needed to clip the bulging disk. Said there was a chance it would heal on its own as the surgery was too risky. We watched your video and purchased the handles for the wall. He started hanging and within a week, he was without pain. He is still doing it every day and we are going on 5 months without pain. Thank you so much!" "FitGlide arrived today. I have neuropathy in my toes and they were really hurting. I used the FitGlide and the pain was immediately gone! I love this!!!" "Dear Bob and Brad, You may never read this but I wanted to thank you for all you do. I had a disc bulge (which my PT friend diagnosed and gave me exercises for) and without health insurance it was difficult to heal from. Your videos on Youtube helped me stay calm about it and work toward healing in a chill way. I didn't freak out because you both were not panicking and telling me to rush to the hospital. (Short version: my back is 100% better and I now know how to move, lift, and sleep comfortably). My girlfriend also came across your videos on youtube (while searching for exercises for me to do) and said "You gotta see these guys, they're great!" I had asked "Is it Bob and Brad? The two most famous physical therapists on the internet?" she said "YES! Now their song is in my head and I'm fixing my neck!" (She had some neck pain she didn't realize she had with the help of her regular PT too)! I just wanted to thank you for all you do and to let you know you have major fans. I will send my girlfriend memes and say "guess who posted this on Facebook?" and she goes "I don't know but it's funny..." "Bob and Brad, the two most famous physical therapists on the internet!" She will say "What? Bob and Brad posted this? This just make them even cooler!" In short, the Gen Z love you Bob and Brad. Also, many of us are in pain due to sedentary lifestyles and working on computers all day! Thank you for doing what you do and making people feel confident and safe. From your huge fan" "Yippie I found You I have been self rehabilitating myself since my stroke I was released from rehab 2 weeks after my stroke Because I was a charity patient. I was released With No mobility Not movement I went Home Prayed and asked God to lead me That is when I found you on youtube The stroke I had damaged My Frontal cortex on the left side. Watching You I have went from Unable to move my legs arms to Now able to Move Let me give Praise to God First For Leading Me To you. I am now Walking I have. No Good Balance I can not Move my Left Hand nor have use of my hand or fingers on my Left side But I can. Move my arm a little. I am still watching the youtube uploads daily I have to recommend You In a stroke group on Facebook You are Amazing I am a living Witness to This. Going From Completely Paralyzed to Now Able to move around and take care of myself I am not all the way there yet But I am far better Than I was. Thanks to God And You. I am grateful For you. My prayers is That God Richly Bless you with Health, Health and Much More." "Hey I just wanted to tell you guys that your videos helped me out a lot, I had a bunch problems and your guys videos on youtube helped me solve the problem. Thank you guys i appreciate the videos!" "Hi guys, just wanted to say love the Bob and Brad videos, I don't think you have any idea how much you've helped people, not just in regards to injuries etc, but also from a mental /social aspect especially in lockdown! The humor demo the videos is brilliant as well as the stretches. Keep up the great work" "I found your You Tube video on hammer toes. I’ve been doing the stretching and massaging for two days. I have seen a 90% improvement. I am so excited! I will continue the therapy and become familiar with some Thank you so much! Your videos on balance and gait have helped more than you'll ever know! After taking 6 really bad falls in the last year because of my left foot scissoring in front of my right foot, I am now able to walk my Great Pyr for 30 minutes each morning, and for 15 minutes in the afternoon and evening. No more scissoring, no more falls. Just have to get the pressure off my spinal cord now." "Hi Guys, I came across your channel when I had an episode of compartment syndrome followed by foot drop as its complication. I was told by the doctor straight on the face that my right leg can never recover as it was that bad. I was devastated and felt depressed. I was 37 at that time with 3 kids depending on me. Anyways, I followed your videos and was patient... 3 years later now... my feet is completely recovered. I still have numbness on the top of the feet because of the nerve damage and pain for which I am taking pain killers, I can walk and have a normal life which I think is a blessing from God and encouragement from your videos.. thank you guys" "Hi Bob and Brad. I want to share a heartfelt thank you to you both. After being struck by a car while cycling last year, I feel so grateful for my swift recovery. My C-spine was severely injured resulting in an emergency fusion from C3 - C6. I’ve rebounded amazingly, and all has been going well for the past year until I started experiencing severe pain from a pinched nerve several weeks ago. An MRI confirmed Cervical Stenosis just below my fusion. The radiculopathy symptoms were uncomfortable and alarming to me, and my orthosurg suggested an additional fusion (C7). Before agreeing to an additional fusion, I pleaded for a few additional weeks to try some PT. I’m having trouble getting an apt for either PT or injections. While I wait, I took to the web and found you two. Mere DAYS after regularly practicing the exercises demonstrated in various videos you’ve shared, I’m seeing SIGNIFICANT improvement. I’m experiencing less pain/discomfort, I’m seeing centralization of symptoms, and my tricep strength is slowly returning. I feel hopeful for the first time since learning that second surgery was the recommendation. I’ll still aim to get in with an in-person PT, and who knows if I’ll be able to clear this up to my physicians liking, but THANK YOU for your videos — I’ve gotten soooo much out of them." Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble 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 Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ 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 August of 2021. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58QVkw4UbhM Bob: Today we’re with Jordan who is a nutritional coach, and what’s the topic today? Jordan: We’re talking about the worst diet recommendations, in our opinion. Well, I should say in my opinion, because I came up with this and we’ll see if you agree. Bob: We’ll see if I agree. I have a little knowledge on this and that’s harmful to have little knowledge. You've got good posture. I have to work on my posture. So, while we start off, we’ll go over a couple of things today and we’ll make this a whole series. We’ll talk about a lot of different ones. So, what do you want to start off with? Jordan: Let’s talk about calorie counting first. I would say in my field of work, this tends to be the most common, I guess question that I get. I’m not a big calorie counter to be honest, I’ve never counted calories. Bob: Do you recommend counting calorie even at the beginning to get a sense? Jordan: Yeah, for sure. If somebody has no idea and they’ve just been going their whole life eating whatever they darn well please and have no concept at all, then it can be very beneficial to do for a short period of time. For most of us, we could kind of just ditch that and focus instead on food quality. Bob: Yeah. I am the personality type that would not want to count calories. Jordan: No, and it’s temporary. Nobody can do it forever. Bob: Right, they won’t. With the few exceptions, there are some people that are like engineers and stuff that want to chart everything. But I don’t think it would be good for a short period of time because I think people will be shocked at how many calories they’re taking in sometimes. Jordan: Yes, absolutely. And I guess when I bring this up about calorie counting and the negative impacts of it or how it’s not so great is because not all calories are created equally. The trouble is if somebody is solely counting calories, putting it in an app, “All right I want to hit 1800 calories.” We’re not at all talking about food quality. So, I always emphasize that because the trouble is not all food is created equally. 300 calories of something does not equal 300 calories of another food. So, if that doesn’t make sense, usually I tell people, “All right, what about if I gave you a bag of M&M’s.” All right, that will give you about a little more than 200 calories, or I could give you an entire avocado and you’re going to be over 300 calories. Well in the calorie counting world, on your app, it’s going to tell you go eat the M&M’s because you have more calories left. Which I think we can all from a commonsense standpoint, agree that doesn’t make sense. Bob: Right, exactly. It’s interesting though, one time we had somebody involved in nutrition onand he had a big bowl of just like greens and good stuff. And that was equal to just a little, small bowl of M&M’s. So, in that case, he’s like, I can eat this whole thing, or I can eat these M&M’s. Jordan: Yeah, for sure. And with that, you can talk about nutrient density too and not to get all like scientific and out there, but when you’re talking about that example of that big bowl of greens versus this little thing of M&M’s, what do you get out of M&M’s? Honestly nothing. There are zero nutrients, zero vitamins, zero minerals, negative. But in this huge bowl of greens, you’re going to get tons of vitamins, minerals, all sorts of good stuff. Bob: So, I guess you may want to count calories for a little while, then because you’re always trying to make this a way of life. You’re not trying to workout, do a diet for two weeks and then go intense. You’re trying to make a lifestyle choice. Jordan: Correct. Usually if you set someone up with something like calorie counting, it can work well for 2-3 and maybe 4 weeks. Maybe 2 months if you’re really motivated, but nobody is going to do that forever, so I try to not introduce anything to clients that’s going to be a short-term fix. Bob: You get discouraged and then you give it up and then you’re back to square one or even worse. Jordan: Right. Bob: All right, why don’t we move onto a separate topic. Jordan: Another worst diet recommendation, I want to say, “Carbs are bad.” We’re told carbs are bad and stay away from them. Bob: That’s really been popular. Like keto, but the thing about keto is, you can have some carbs. Jordan: You can, to a degree. Bob: Depending on your body type. If you tolerate carbs well, you can have a lot more carbs, than someone who doesn’t tolerate them well. Jordan: Right. But I mean, the main thing even if you’re not doing the keto diet, we just think, I get this a lot too, like people being told that fruit’s not such a good choice because it’s so high in carbohydrates. I just don’t buy into that personally. Some people need more than others. Bob: They have anti-inflammatory feature to them. Jordan: A lot of us need some carbs. A lot of the population does, I think in the short term, like the keto diet, that can be a good tool for people. I mean, talking about, again, something you can do for your entire life. No, not all carbs are bad. Fruits and vegetables are filled with carbohydrates and there’s a lot more good in those than bad, in my opinion. Bob: Now, some carbs that might be bad for you. Carbs from bread is not always good, right? Because you don’t have the whole grain? Jordan: Right. I’m not a big proponent of anything good that’s found in breads and pastas. It’s just the grains that we have today, they’re just incredibly refined and there’s stripped of anything that could possibly be good for us. So, I usually tell people to get their carbohydrates and fill up on fruits and vegetables. That’s what we need. Bob: If you want to stop anything, stop eating bread, especially that’s not all grain or full. I don’t know, what’s the word now? Jordan: To me it’s all bad. There’s not much good on the shelves anymore as far as bread goes. Bob: And of course, refined sugar is a bad carb too that you want to avoid. Sugary drinks. Desserts. You can have them, just don’t go crazy on them. Jordan: A lot of stuff that comes in those middle aisles. That’s been advice that's been given for a long time and its good advice because there’s unfortunately not a lot of good in there. Bob: So, what she’s saying is when you go to the grocery store, you want to avoid the aisles that are in the middle. You want to go on the outskirts. Jordan: Right. Bob: It’s all the fresh fruit and vegetables and I don’t know what’s on the other side of the store. The eggs are on the outside. Jordan: Yeah, every store is set up a little different. Obviously not everything in the outside of the store is good and not everything on the inside of the store is bad, it’s just a good general rule. We could spend most of our time on the perimeter and stay out of the aisles with boxed food and all that. Bob: Let’s take one more. Jordan: Okay, last one we’ll talk about is eating a low fat or fat free diet in my opinion, is a bad diet recommendation. I think people are finally starting to, I don’t know, not be so afraid of fat? Bob: I think they’re seeing what has happened. I mean, if you look back 30 years ago, I mean, I see videos of people in events that happened 30 years ago and everybody’s skinny. They were eating fats galore then. If you read up on the history of this, it was all a big mistake. Jordan: It was. We could go into a whole video on the mistake of what happened in history and why we started eating fat-free, but that’s another topic. Bob: There’s some good documentaries out there on it. What things are you looking for that might be a good source of fat? Jordan: I’ll just kind of what I have. If you walk into my house right now and you would open my cupboard above my stove, that’s where I keep my oils. I have olive oil, good quality source, not a cheap, crappy, refined olive oil, but a good quality olive oil. I also keep avocado oil in there, and I keep coconut oil around too. That has some good uses as well. Bob: Avocado oil, that’s what I started using based off your recommendation. Coconut oil is not going to be for me. I don’t like coconut. Jordan: You don’t like it? Well, that’s not going to be for you. You will not find vegetable oil in my cabinet ever, you won’t find canola oil, I don’t even know what some of the other ones are. I don’t use any of that. Highly processed, highly refined. Other things, avocados, nuts. Bob: Well, the thing you find out when you take in some fat, like in this form, it satiates you. It makes you feel full. Jordan: Right, try a meal sometime where you don’t have any fat like go eat a lean chicken breast and some steamed broccoli and nothing else. Or get your broccoli and drizzle a little olive oil over it. But just that, even that small change, for example. You will notice yourself seem full for much longer. Bob: You don’t find yourself rummaging throughout the cupboards, looking for something bad. Yeah, this has been unfortunately one of the worst ideas put on humankind right now. Jordan: I would argue this should be at the top, number one. Bob: Your thoughts on artificial sweetener? Jordan: I don’t use them. I don’t touch them. Bob: Even Stevia? Jordan: I’ll use Stevia in small doses. I don’t have Stevia at home because I don’t really care for super sweet things. Bob: It’s the best of maybe the evils? Jordan: Correct. If it’s in something though that I’m going to have, I’m not going to put it back on the shelf. I will eat it, but who knows they’re going to come up with something in another 10 years that says that’s bad, because that’s how it works. But I try not to, it’s not in my diet every day by any means. Bob: So, we covered three areas today and we’re going to cover more of these areas in the future so watch for the series on worst diet recommendations that you hear throughout the day. Thanks! Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin Mewe,Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd , Rumble 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 Handheld Massager Back and Neck Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Leg Massager Foot Massager Fitness: Resistance Bands​ Pull-Up System Pull Up Bands Exercise Ball Resistance Bands for Legs and Butt​ 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.