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- The 7 Most Important Questions to Ask Your Shoulder Surgeon.
Shoulder pain can have a dramatic impact on your quality of life. Shoulder surgery can remove pain and restore function, but the decision to proceed with shoulder surgery should be made carefully. Here are 7 questions to ask your shoulder surgeon before proceeding with surgery. 1. Can You Try Physical Therapy First? This question is tied in with question two. If there is minimal risk of having shoulder surgery later, why not try a conservative approach to treating your shoulder problem? Many patients will not require shoulder surgery. 2. What is the risk of not performing surgery now? What could happen if you wait six months? One year? The question is whether avoiding surgery for 6 months or a year will compromise the long-term outcome. This issue needs to be discussed with your physician. For example, what if you have a rotator cuff tear? What is the likelihood that your rotator cuff tear will progress and worsen without surgery? Will your tears remain stable? Will your muscles atrophy and become unable to be repaired? This is also a particularly good question for individuals under the age of 30 who are considering surgery due to a shoulder dislocation. Often the goal with shoulder dislocations in the young is to stabilize the shoulder before they experience repeated dislocations. 3. What are the alternatives to shoulder surgery? A conservative approach to the treatment of the shoulder should be employed whenever possible. As already stated, many patients will not require shoulder surgery. In addition to physical therapy, anti-inflammatories, injections, and education may be enough to obtain an acceptable recovery. For example, while a rotator cuff tear may not heal, many patients still obtain good long-term function after a period of rehab. 4. What is your expected length of recovery? How many days will you be in the hospital after surgery? This question needs to be asked so that you can plan your life and manage your expectations. The recovery from a typical shoulder surgery can be quite lengthy. Specifically, you should ask your surgeon: Recovery Sub-Questions: a. Will you need full-time or part-time care? If so, for how long? b. How long will you be in a sling? You may be in a sling for 4 to 6 weeks. Your restrictions may continue for up to 6 months. So, it is important that you and your family are prepared from a mental standpoint. c. When can you expect the shoulder to be pain-free? d. When can you lie on the operative side? e. When can you drive? f. When you can return to work? g. When can you return to sporting activities? h. How soon can you resume housework, gardening, etc.? 5. How many procedures do you perform every year? How many surgeries of this type have you done? You should ask your surgeon what they specialize in and how many surgeries of this type they have done yearly and in total. Volume is associated with outcome. Surgeons who perform a procedure more often have lower complication rates and better outcomes than those who do so less often. 6. What are the risks of complications and what is your complication rate? Will the shoulder heal? If possible, you should try to find out the general complication rate for your surgery. You can then compare it to the surgeon’s specific complication rate for that surgery. If you are undergoing repair of a rotator cuff you should find out the expected chance of it healing after surgery. 7. If you are going to undergo shoulder joint replacement surgery, you should ask these specific questions. a. What is the implant made of? Will you set off metal detectors at the airport? b. How long will your joint replacement last? c. What can you do to help keep your joint replacement working as long as possible? d. What activities or factors could make your joint replacement wear out more quickly? Check out the full Shoulder Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/shoulder-pain-relief-program
- This Is Deadly & Can Easily Be Prevented
This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in December of 2023. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaW_Is8H9fQ Mike: David Bloom was a very talented 39-year-old reporter who was best known for covering the Iraq war and in April 2003, he suddenly collapsed and died. Brad: Now, the cause of David Bloom's death was determined to be a pulmonary embolism, which is a blood clot that he had in his leg, that traveled up to his lung, and that was the result of his death. Mike: So what is a DVT in a pulmonary embolism? A DVT stands for deep vein thrombosis, which can be located in your legs. Commonly the thigh region, sometimes the calf, up towards the pelvis and even in the arms. Brad: So a pulmonary embolism is a clot in the lungs that can be fatal. Now, that clot originates from a deep vein thrombosis, like Mike said, often from the leg, either the calf or the thigh. The blockage in that area breaks apart, floats, or actually travels through the bloodstream and ends up in the lung. And that's how the transition occurs. Mike: Now, at the end of the video, we will show you what you can do to help prevent these things. Now, we're going to cover some signs of a DVT, commonly known as a blood clot. They can include pain, swelling, tenderness, redness of the skin, and typically in the areas we mentioned earlier. And also, we're going to show you a test right now, you can try it home on yourself to perhaps see if you have a blood clot. Brad: So the manual test or screening for a deep vein thrombosis in the calf area is to stretch. This is a manual test that therapists are trained on as well as doctors. And you stretch the calf and that's painful, it's pretty sharp pain. Or you can grab the muscle belly mid-calf and squeeze, and that's very painful. Brad: The problem with this test is it's not really reliable. In other words, if it's positive, you still have to go and get an ultrasound Doppler to confirm that's what it is. So stretching the calf hurts, and squeezing the calf hurts, maybe there's a thrombosis in there, but it needs to be confirmed. Now, we're going to go through the signs or symptoms of a pulmonary embolism. Difficulty in breathing, chest pain or discomfort in the chest, faster than normal or irregular heartbeat, coughing up blood, low blood pressure, or lightheadedness, or fainting. Mike: So when it comes to any of these symptoms, Brad just mentioned, it is important to contact your doctor as soon as possible, or if you can't get ahold of them, check in to the emergency room. So now we're going to talk about some of the risk factors that may increase your chances of developing a DVT or pulmonary embolism. Brad: Anytime you are sitting for long periods of time, for example, in an airplane, train, or bus, that can increase your chances for a DVT. Also, a fracture in your leg, severe muscle injury, major surgery, immobility, limited movement, paralysis, birth control pills. Mike: Pregnancy in up to three months after giving birth, heart disease, lung disease, cancer and its treatment, inflammatory bowel disease, previous DVT or pulmonary embolism, a family history of DVT, inherited clotting disorders, age, and obesity. Brad: So this brings us to the question of how many people are actually affected by DVT or pulmonary embolism. And according to the CDC, it's 900,000 people per year in the United States. Mike: Now, how many people have actually died from pulmonary embolism? And that answer is 25% of the cases. Brad: Okay, one simple exercise you can do to help decrease the risk of a DVT or blood clot. And we're talking about if you're in a seated position, traveling and you're kind of stuck there for a long period of time, it's simply to do ankle pumps that get the muscle and the calf working to help that blood flow and keep things moving as they should. You simply do 10 to 20 of them every 30 minutes. Mike: A second option you could try is wearing some compression socks. Brad has them on his foot. Now, this can help because it has graduated pressure, it helps take the blood from your feet and pushes it back up into your legs, especially if you're not moving much. Brad: That's right. So again, they are socks that are compression socks, and you'll see they're actually specific to the medical field. So if you're concerned that you may have a blood clot or have a high risk for it, please talk to your doctor and make sure you get yourself situated so you're comfortable. Mike: And if you want to check out more videos on DVT, we have one right here, "Is a Blood Clot Causing the Pain in Your Leg (DVT)? How to Tell & Prevent". Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin, Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat, Clapper, Threads Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager Weighted Heating Pad Fitness: Resistance Bands Pull Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stress Balls Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.
- Can My Rotator Cuff Tear Heal?
Four muscles make up the “rotator cuff” of the shoulder. The four muscles work together to move the shoulder and stabilize the shoulder. Each of these four muscles has a tendon by which it attaches to bone. When a tear occurs in one of the rotator cuff muscles, it happens in the tendon. Most tears in the rotator cuff tendons occur from a gradual wearing down of the tendon. This may occur during impingement (or pinching) of the shoulder tendon. Tears can be “partial” which means the tendon is damaged but not completely severed. Tears can also be complete, which often means the tendon is torn from where they are attached to the bone. Many rotator cuff tears will not heal. The ability to heal can depend upon the severity and size of the tear. Tears in which the tendon is detached from the bone will not heal on their own. Massive tears are also unlikely to heal. Age can also play a role. The older you are the more difficult healing becomes. In addition, if the same conditions remain in place the tear may get worse. For example, if the initial tear was caused in part by an impingement AND the impingement continues, the tear could get worse. But also consider this. Some tears will not heal properly even with surgery. This is a discussion you should have with your surgeon. “What is the likelihood my shoulder will heal, and I regain normal function after surgery?” A recent study in Finland involving 167 patients with nontraumatic rotator cuff tears found physical therapy treatments alone produced results equal to those experienced by those who had arthroscopic surgery and open surgical repair on the shoulder. This study was published in the January 2020 Journal of Bone and Joint. So, your rotator cuff tear may not heal. But you still can regain normal pain-free motion and strength if you participate in physical therapy treatments. So, for most rotator cuff injuries, the recommendation is to try a conservative approach of physical therapy and see how you do. How will you know if your rotator cuff tear is getting worse? There seems to be a relationship between increasing shoulder pain and the original rotator cuff tear getting larger in size. When should you have rotator cuff repair surgery? The need for surgery should be decided after a detailed discussion with your orthopedic physician. Points to keep in mind. In the case of a large rotator cuff tear or sudden injury leading to significant shoulder weakness, early surgical repair may be indicated. Other circumstances may also lead to surgery. Are you active and use your arm for overhead work or sports? Do you have persistent pain or weakness in your shoulder that has not improved with nonsurgical treatment? Are you having pain at night and difficulty using the arm for lifting and reaching? Are you experiencing ongoing symptoms despite several months of physical therapy and medication? Check out the full Shoulder Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/shoulder-pain-relief-program
- Fix Plantar Fasciitis Fast - Foot Pain Gone (50+)
This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in November of 2023. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/Eq0SssY4ZXs Brad: Oh, this foot pain. This plantar fascitis is just killing me, especially in the morning. Mike: We're going to show you five options on how to walk pain-free again. Brad: Now, plantar fascitis can be a really painful problem and lasts for months. It typically affects people between the ages of 40 and 70. Mike: First, we're going to show you what is causing the problems with a little anatomy lesson. Brad: That's right. Let's get to it, Mike. All right, my favorite part of the program. Mike has volunteered to sacrifice the bottom of the foot so we could put some colors on there. The green represents the location of the plantar fascia. It's a very tough tissue that connects from the base of the toes all the way to the calcaneus, or the heel. The red part represents where a vast majority of my patients have a very tender spot. That's where the fascia is actually tearing away from the bone or the calcaneus. Mike: So when most people think of the plantar fascia, they just look at the part we showed on my foot, but realistically, it's part of a longer chain, and it runs from your great toe here up around the Achilles tendon into the calf and goes behind the knee. All this connects into one long segment. Brad: And this is critical for how you treat it. So now we're going to show you five options on how to treat plantar fasciitis at home so that you get rid of it as soon as possible. And you're going to see why we demonstrated or showed the whole length of the tissue that's involved with the treatment. You'll see it all makes sense. Now, a very common symptom is when you get out of bed in the morning, you put weight on your foot, and you get severe foot pain. If that's you, this is something that will help. Because if you don't do anything about that, that'll make the healing process go on for weeks or longer. So let's explain it briefly. When you sleep, your foot is plantar flexed. Brad: The plantar fascia actually starts to heal in that fashion. Now, when you stand up and dorsiflex and put weight on your foot, that stretches the plantar fascia, and the injured hotpot actually gets torn apart, re-injuring it every morning, limiting the healing process, and it can last forever. So what do you do about it? We put a splint on. They call it a night splint. They're very common. You can buy a number of them on the internet or wherever you'd like to. Now, this is Mike's. He's been wearing one, not right now, but you've worn this. Now, without the brace, you would sleep with your foot plantar flexed. Now, the brace is adjustable. You essentially pull it up and strap it down so your foot is in a neutral position. Mike, can you tell us what works well for you on this? Mike: So this isn't going to feel like a stretch. It's just going to keep your foot in a neutral position. So it's not like it's going to be tight when you put it on. Typically what you can do is wear it right away when you go to bed. You may wake up and your calf may feel tight. If that's the case, maybe not start with it right away. But if you wake up in the middle of the night for whatever reason, say you use the bathroom, maybe put it on then before you go back to bed. That way your foot is in its position before you get up in the morning because this is how you want to be to not tear that plantar fascia again. Now, I don't have plantar fascitis, but it also works for other ankle or calf issues. Brad: All right. Now, I've had a number of patients that the only change they made for treatment for their plantar fasciitis is to wear a night splint. And they noticed it immediately getting out of bed in the morning. Much less pain and it started to heal, and throughout the day, much greater progress in taking care of the problem. Okay, now, if you do not have a splint like Mike has, and you don't want to get one, you can heal this without one. But before you get out of bed in the morning, you do need to do some range of motion and specific stretches. This morning treatment, before you get out of bed, we're going to do some stretching. Now, keep in mind, that we have the blue fascia whole train right here. Now, what you're going to do to start is simply range of motion. Up in the air. You can rest your foot here. And do at least 10 repetitions. Brad: It's going to be a little sore at first, especially when you go up. Do it until it feels better and loosened up. Then the next step is actually doing some stretching. Now, the thing is, remember the plantar fascia goes up to the toe. You could stretch to get the fascia and the heel, as well as the calf, and hold it. You can hold for 15 to 30 seconds, or stretch and relax, stretch and relax. If it's really painful, start gently and then progress on. After about 10 repetitions, it should be good. Remember the big toe, or as Mike calls it properly, the great toe, pull it back and stretch that. That's a critical stretch, and it's easy to do as well, which is really nice. Mike: Now, the next step to do before you get out of bed is to do a little bit of massage to the plantar fascia region on the bottom of the foot. You don't have to work the whole chain or train, as Brad just said before. So what you could do is circular motions, just the whole plantar fascia, which I've highlighted here. Or you could do a splaying massage, in which you kind of bring your thumbs together and then pull apart. Whatever feels better for you, do that. Mike: You can do this for two to five minutes. If you want to work around the painful area, and it feels good, especially after you massage it, that is fine. If it just makes it worse and irritates it, you don't have to do that area. Just do the surrounding areas. Get that plantar fascia loosened up and ready to move before you start walking. Brad: Good job. All right, so that is critical, that you stretch before you get out of bed. Do the massage for a couple of minutes. I don't know if you can go five minutes, your fingers will probably get sore. We're going to show some better options for that throughout the day. Whatever you do, once you get up, put your shoes on relatively quickly so that helps support the fascia, so you're not walking around barefoot initially. Do what feels good on your foot. Now we're going to show you some more massaging you can do, because the more you can massage this throughout the day, maybe two or three times, the better it is. So obviously you need to take your shoes off. You can do this with your socks on. Whatever works well. Simply use a golf ball, tennis ball, or lacrosse ball. Mike has an actual massage ball. You could use a softball. The rule is the harder the ball, the more aggressive and the smaller. Like, the golf ball is going to be the most aggressive. At work, you could just simply take your shoes off and put a ball underneath your desk, if that's the type of work you do, and massage it every couple of hours. Mike, do you have any more input? Mike: They even sell little massage balls that are only like 3 to $5 with little nodules on them. That's what I have at home. It actually feels pretty good. Brad: Right. When using the ball, the hardness of the ball and the size of the diameter makes a big difference. The most aggressive would be the golf ball. It's hard. It's small in diameter. But I would suggest starting with a tennis ball that gives a little bit, and then you can work that. And when that doesn't feel like it's hard enough or aggressive enough, then you can go to like a lacrosse ball and work that. And the most aggressive is the golf ball. Okay, now another good option. If you happen to have a massage gun at home, take advantage of it. It'll save your hands and fingers. Either use the roundhead or the airhead that's soft. And don't get too aggressive right away. Don't overdo it, even with your hands. You can work that plantar fascia. And I would not go straight in on it. With the ball head, you can go sideways. Now, with the airhead, that doesn't work so well. But the airhead's softer. It's more forgiving. It should not hurt. You should feel like a good massage. As Mike said, don't go over that painful spot if it hurts, only do that if the massage actually makes it feel good after a few seconds. You can work on that. Work that massage. Brad: Now this is a critical part. Seeing how we're working this, we're also going to work the muscles up the chain. Because when these muscles get tight, that puts stress on the tender area and then will make a significant difference in making it feel better. So you're going to work this large calf muscle. Mike, do you have any input? You do this a lot. Mike: I have some knots in my calf, so that's a little touchy for me. So I'm not going to push as hard there. Brad: Right. So if I have a knot, and it really hurts to go over that, don't beat it up. Work around that knot. Be gentle with it, and then you can get closer as it loosens up. You may spend three to five minutes with this and not get a sore hand. They're a wonderful tool. Mike: So after you massage the calf muscle, it is good to stretch it as well. You can do this throughout the day. If you do not have any devices, you can simply go up to a wall to stretch. Let's say I'm going to stretch my left calf, I'm going to put it behind me. Have a straight knee. Notice that my toe is pointing forward. I'm not turning out like this. And the more I start to lean forward and look up, the more calf stretch I'll feel. If I'm back, I don't feel anything. As soon as I start bending more and pushing, I will feel a good calf stretch there. Brad: You must keep your heel on the floor like Mike is doing here. If it lifts up, that does not make an effective stretch. Now, another great benefit, stretch with a straight knee, and then try and keep your heel on the floor and slightly flex the knee. Brad: That stretches a different muscle. You get the soleus that way versus the gastrocnemius. You don't need to know that, but just do that a few seconds each way to be complete. Now, if you happen to have an incline board, this is mine, I actually made it. We have a video on how to make one very cheaply if you're handy and you have a few tools. Otherwise you can buy them pretty cheap. This is my favorite way to stretch a calf. It just works better. It's not so much work, and it's a little more effective. Mike, do you have any comments on the incline board? Mike: To make it more aggressive, if I'm standing here, I feel nothing. The closer my other foot gets even with the board, or in front of it, you're going to feel much more of a stretch. Again, you're going to straighten your knee out. And this hits it well. Brad: Yeah, they're a wonderful device. Now, this technique we're going to show you is how to change your walking to take the stress and pain off that plantar fascia. Almost everyone, they heel strikes when they walk, and the force goes through their body, through their heel, and that puts a lot of stress on that fascia, that tender area. We need to change that. Mike is an excellent person to do this because he's changed his walking to the soft knee, which helps the plantar fascitis strain. Ooh, go ahead, Mike. Mike: So when you're going to land when you're walking with soft knees, you're going to land more on your forefoot, or you can land with kind of a flat foot like. The whole goal is to not be heel-striking like this. Mike: So forefoot or flat foot, whatever's comfortable for you. When you're actually walking, what you're going to do is take smaller steps. Notice I'm not going to be stepping as far as normal. I'm going to be taking shorter steps, and I'm going to be landing on my forefoot. As you get comfortable doing this, you might start to go more of a flat foot. It will take some time to get accustomed to. Your gait pattern is going to slow down initially, but over time, it'll start to return and feel more natural. Just make sure you're landing on your forefoot and you're not locking your knees out when you're walking. I'm having nice bent knees. Brad: A good way to learn how to do this, I have found personally, is I walk around the house with my stocking foot or barefoot on a hard floor, and you can feel when your heel strikes in, in that normal pattern, versus the forefoot. It's much more comfortable, and it's like a quiet, soft walk, taking the stress. And you'll feel pain reduction on that painful heel as well. Nice job, Mike. Now, if you're one of those people that's had plantar fascitis that's been bothering you a few weeks, take these steps to heart. Do them every day. It will improve, and you'll have progress and success. Good luck. And Mike has some more to say, don't you, Mike? Mike: Yes. Another important key feature of plantar fascitis is your footwear you are wearing. We're not going to talk about it here, but if you want to check out our video "You Are Walking All Wrong & It's Causing Pain", we explain it all in detail. Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin, Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat, Clapper, Threads Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager Weighted Heating Pad Fitness: Resistance Bands Pull Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stress Balls Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.
- Fix Pain Causing Habits
If you've been experiencing pain or discomfort while walking, these exercises might just be the fix you need. They're designed to address any imbalances or asymmetries in your walking pattern that could be causing you pain. One exercise involves reaching while walking. If you have a problem with your right side bending too much, try reaching your right arm up to the ceiling as you walk. This helps to lengthen your right waist and engage your right gluteal muscles. After a few steps, rest your right hand on your head, maintaining the length in your right waist. Then, lower your right hand to your side, continuing to feel the natural lengthening of your right waist as you walk. Repeat this exercise frequently to correct any side-bending patterns in your walking. Another exercise focuses on reaching while sitting. If you have a right side-bending problem, shift your weight to your left hip while sitting and reach overhead with your left arm. Feel your left waist lengthening and your left hip pushing down into the chair seat. Notice how your right waist muscles contract and your right hip lifts slightly to help lengthen your left side. Repeat this exercise on both sides, but finish with the right side to train your body to lengthen on the right side while sitting. These exercises can be done frequently while sitting to help correct any imbalances and promote better posture and movement patterns. For more in-depth guidance and additional exercises, check out the comprehensive guide in the book "Top 3 Fix" today! *This content was created with the help of AI.
- What is Causing Your Shoulder Pain? Shoulder Instability? How to Tell.
Shoulder instability is an unstable shoulder. Your shoulder is made up of bones that form a ball and socket. When you have an unstable shoulder the ball of the shoulder is not staying within the socket. If your joint is too loose the ball of the shoulder can: 1. Slide around in the socket. 2. Slide partially out of the socket (called subluxation or partial dislocation). 3. Slide completely out of the socket (called shoulder dislocation) All the above movements can result in pain. Normally, several structures work together to provide stability at a shoulder. This includes the bony structure of the joint surfaces, ligaments, muscles, and the capsule (demonstrated with the ball in the sock). Shoulder instability is generally caused by one of three problems: 1. Trauma or injury. The shoulder becomes unstable due to tearing or stretching of the shoulder ligaments. 2. A person may naturally have loose ligaments. They may have joint laxity or double-jointedness throughout their body. 3. Some athletes who are involved in sports with repetitive overhead activities develop shoulder instability. Examples include volleyball players, swimmers, and baseball players. Typical signs that may occur with an unstable shoulder: 1. Repeated shoulder dislocations. 2. Repeated instances of the shoulder giving away or feeling like it is coming out of the socket. 3. A sensation that the shoulder feels loose or that it is just hanging there. Tests for unstable shoulder: 1. Sulcus sign. Pull on the involved arm toward to floor. Look for an indentation on the front of the shoulder. 2. Apprehension sign (should be done by a qualified health professional- do not attempt on your own). Can be done seated or lying on your back. Lift the arm out to the side to a right angle. Bend elbow to 90 degrees. Externally rotate and look for signs of apprehension- the person feels as though it may dislocate. 3. Look for signs of loose ligaments throughout the body. Check fingers, thumb, and elbow. Can you bend your fingers back to 90 degrees or a right angle? Can your thumb touch your forearm? Does your elbow hyperextend? 4. Have someone hold on to your collarbone and shoulder blade with one hand. With their other hand, they should attempt to move their upper arm forward and back. Look for instability, clicking, and popping. If you have an unstable shoulder or shoulder that dislocates you will want to see your doctor. Your doctor can provide you with the appropriate recommendations for rehabilitation and/or surgery. Check out the full Shoulder Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/shoulder-pain-relief-program
- #1 Way To Improve Blood Flow & Circulation For Legs
This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in October of 2023. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/EgAc99QIzvs Mike: We're going to show you the number one way to improve blood flow circulation and decrease swelling in your legs while seated. Brad: But before we do we are gonna show you three ways to improve blood flow and circulation while in bed or on the couch. Alright, now this occurs primarily in bed. I would not do this on the couch, but lying down we want to get circulation moving from the legs all the way up, moving proximal, in other words, towards the trunk. If you have lymph swelling or lymphedema, there's a specific way and we're going to show that first. And you can do it lying flat but it works better if you elevate the legs so that the fluid can go downhill. I may even put another pillow under here but for now, that's better. All right, it's a little bit higher. One more pillow would be better. Brad: So, think of the fluid flowing this way. If it's lymph, what happens is there may be a blockage up in the lower abdomen and groin area. If you don't clear that first, everything in the legs will not go. It's like a dam. You need to open the dam to allow the fluid to go down into the system here. So, we're going to work with that first. Mike is going to relax and breathe. So, everything is relaxed. Now, I was taught a way to think about this is that in your belly button is where this fluid goes like a drain in a tub. And it's not exactly how it works but if you can think about it, that helps. Now Mike's relaxed, he's breathing with his stomach and he is going to do a hand-over-hand motion just to help that fluid, that lymph to move forward blocking any area up in the waistline area. Brad: Okay, once you have cleared this area for a minute or two then you're going to go to the lymph nodes or in your femoral crease right here. And you just do a simple massage in a circular area and that's going to clear that area so the lymph can flow through there. Brad: You're going to spend a minute or two there, and then you are going to work on the thighs, bringing your hands as far down as you can reach from the knees and pulling that fluid. There we go. And instead of keeping the hand flat, bring it in like you're scooping, like you're swimming, you want to pull that fluid towards you. It's like when you swim, you don't have your fingers out wide. You keep it together. Brad: There we go. And we continue. So, open the drainage here so things can flow. And we're working this way. And this is as far as you can go because your arms aren't long enough. You know, if you have it professionally done or you have someone else, they can work this down below the legs. We're not going to cover that as this is an independent exercise. Mike: Now, here are three exercises you can also perform in bed if you do not have lymphedema, but want to increase the blood circulation in your legs. If you have lymphedema, you can do these as well. It will not hurt. The first exercise is simply ankle pumps. You want your feet still elevated above your heart for this and you're going to perform this for 30 seconds. You can go up to a minute if you want, just simply going up and down. Once the timer hits 30 seconds we'll go onto the next exercise. Mike: The second exercise is bridging. We're going to perform this for 30 seconds. It's not a 30-second hold, just hold it for a couple of seconds. Up top, make sure you have a nice straight back here, not rounded. You can use your arms for support. If you don't need your arms for support, that is fine. This is going to get a lot of different body parts moving in your legs, including your buttocks, and get those glutes firing. Mike: So, after doing this for 30 seconds, the last exercise, you're going to bring one knee up, hold it with your arms, and you're simply going to try to straighten your leg up towards the ceiling. Just go with what's comfortable. You might be a little tight, but that's fine. Don't go with the full range. You're going to perform 30 seconds on one leg. Once you feel good there, make sure to switch and perform on the other side. And this will get your legs warmed up and activated for the day. Brad: That's right, Mike. Good job. So, the whole idea with this is muscle contraction. The muscle contraction gets the blood moving, particularly the venous blood or the blood returning to the trunk. So, now we're getting to the number one way to improve blood flow and circulation in the seated position. Mike's in a chair and we're going to need a stool. Mike: Or an ottoman with some pillows. Brad: To elevate the legs. Now actually, if you have a recliner at home, that works the best because you can recline the trunk, and elevate the legs, but you almost always need some pillows to get those legs a little bit higher. Mike: Now, when you're in this position for three to five minutes, you're going to either perform ankle pumps going up and down, or you're going to do windshield wipers bringing your ankles out side to side. This is going to help increase the blood flow all the way from your ankles up to your thighs, which is what you want when doing this. So, you don't have to go nonstop for three to five minutes but just be conscious of this. Brad: Yeah, I do my windshield wipers like this. It's just more entertaining. Mike: All right, I see. Brad: Because it gets boring doing exercises. All right, so these exercises and techniques are going to improve circulation in your legs. Now, if you're not able to be up and moving throughout the day, it is important that you do these seated exercises at least three or four times a day. So, you get that circulation moving and maintained. Mike: And if you want to check out more videos on how to improve your blood flow, but without doing exercises, you can check this video "Best 3 Options To Increase Leg Circulation/Blood Flow Without Exercise." Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin, Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat, Clapper, Threads Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager Weighted Heating Pad Fitness: Resistance Bands Pull Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stress Balls Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.
- We Ranked Balance Tips, From Worst To Best!
This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in October of 2023. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/l31Y535tYBw Mike: Why is this so important to Bob? Well, Bob has been diagnosed with ataxia which greatly affects his balance and he has tried many different ways to improve it. Brad: Bob is going to offer his opinion, and I would say his expert opinion, as a veteran therapist and someone with ataxia, and rate these activities from 0 to 10 and we even have scorecards. It's going to be official. Mike: Now the ataxia has also affected Bob's speech so he's not going to talk too much during this video. Brad: So the first thing Bob tried was working with his diet to improve his balance and walking. Now he's following Dr. Wahls who's a physician and she has MS. She improved her condition from being in a wheelchair to being able to walk with a cane again, just through her diet. Bob: Right. Mike: Now the goal of this diet was to help her cerebellum, which is your coordination center, produce new mitochondria, which are the powerhouse of each cell, which could help bring back balance and walking. So Bob tried this. Bob: Correct. Mike: Now the diet is pretty restrictive for the average person. It includes eating things such as meat and vegetables. You have to cut out dairy, gluten, and sugar as well. So it's not meant for everyone, but Bob thought he would give it a try. Now he did not see a lot of improvement personally with his balance, but he does think it would be good for people who have MS, or possibly some type of head injury issue they've had. Bob: It helped with some stomach issues. But for my ataxia, I would rank it 1 out of 10. Brad: 1 out of 10. So, let's see what we have next. All right, the second thing that Bob tried was strengthening. Now strengthening is supposedly related to balance significantly in some people's book. So he tried those, exercises from the hips and below. Mike, more details, please. Mike: Now the point of doing these strengthening exercises is to help Bob get off of a chair, or on the floor if he happens to fall. So the focus is going to be on the hips and knees. Now the first exercise Bob recommends, and he found very helpful, is called the split squat. It is kind of a lunge variation and it's really good for practicing kneeling down to the floor and getting up. Mike: The next exercise Bob recommends is doing some sort of hip abduction exercise. That means bringing your hip out to the side to help strengthen the abductors, which help with walking. Mike: And the last thing he did were some hip circles while laying on his back just to get some mobility moving in his legs. Bob: I rank the strengthening exercises a 3 out of 10. Brad: The third thing that Bob tried was standard balance activities. These are activities that, as therapists, we've used over the years and it'll be very clear in just a second. Mike? Mike: So the first thing Bob liked to do is called tandem walking. So he would hold onto a railing at home, or you can do it with a cane, or assisted device, and you're going to simply go heel to toe while walking. Try to keep your balance. This is very challenging for some to make sure to hold onto something for your balance. Mike: Also, Bob did some sidestepping, which is simply stepping sideways. Again, he holds onto a rail for balance. Mike: Now the third activity Bob also does, you just stay stationary. make sure to have a walker or chair, something in front of you, and you're supposed to bring your feet close together, like this. You'll notice most people, if they have poor balance, have a wider base of support. Simply standing with a narrow base for a duration of time, maybe 15, to 30 seconds, will be enough of a balance challenge for them. Brad: So Bob, what is your ranking for these activities? Bob: I'd rank it a 3 out of 10. Brad: 3 over 10, all right. I was expecting a little higher on that. Now the fourth thing that Bob worked with was his vestibular system. Now that's within your ear. Common symptoms that happened with Bob, as well as other people, is when you turn your head things start to get dizzy and obviously, bad for balance. Now these exercises, that Bob is demonstrating right now, are what he did. We did a whole video on this, but Mike can you explain a little more about this before Bob hits me? Mike: So Bob is doing the more advanced versions while he's trying to track his thumb with head movements right now. This was probably the most challenging variation. If you're just beginning, you don't even have to have your thumb up, and you can just practice turning your head side to side, or up and down. Now Bob is tracking his thumb going up and down as well. Different people may have different issues going side to side, or up and down. So focus on which ones you need work on. Bob: At first, I would get dizzy when practicing it, but after a while, you adapt and improve. It's definitely worthwhile. I rank it a 4 out of 10. Brad: Alright, 4 out of 10. This is one that people with vertigo would also use as well. Bob: Yeah, I agree. Brad: Alright, the fifth thing that Bob tried was some high-tech device. It's called the stochastic resonance device. Now that's a lot of words, but it all boils down to a device like this. It's Velcro, wraps around the leg in this position, and here, this little device works with your phone through an app, and it does vibration which has a specific vibration that you go through your app on your phone, you work with it. Brad: It stimulates the nerves which helps muscle contraction and coordination. Now this has been successful with some people that we'll get more into. Bob uses it just below the knee. It also can be used on the ankle. For the arms, it gets placed just below the elbow. And actually, it can be used for voice and speech as well, where you wrap it around your neck. Bob: Yeah, I do. Brad: Very interesting. It's very new. It does not work with everybody. But Mike, can you talk a little more about it? Mike: Now, before Bob started using this he did a six-minute walk test. It is a common practice in physical therapy. You see how far you can walk in six minutes. This includes your rest time, as well, in these six minutes. Anyway, Bob tested this out, and after wearing this for three months he found he could walk 100 yards further, as well as stumbling less, and he was able to pick up his feet more. Bob: I would give it a 6 out of 10. Bob: I really like it. Brad: Good deal. Are we going to talk about how to get one? Bob: Yeah, we will. Brad: Alright, first of all, we're going to show you two very successful cases that use this device. The first is on a 78-year-old woman, and the next one is on an 87-year-old woman. Mike, do you want to give a little more detail? Mike: So this is Linda, a 78-year-old who has left knee pain and has had some increased falls recently. As you can see, in the left picture she's not wearing the device. In the middle, she has the device. On the right, she has been wearing it for two hours and you can see the significant change in her walking pattern. Brad: Alright, our next patient is Olga. She's an 87-year-old female who had spinal decompression surgery, as well as mini-strokes, and a few other complications, really causing her walking problems. Mike: She has used a walker for over three years and has not been able to use a cane safely within this time. After wearing the device on both ankles for two minutes, she was able to stand up and walk using a cane approximately 60 feet without any assistance. Brad: That's big progress. Alright, now this stochastic device that Bob is using, he gave a a good rating. We have absolutely zero affiliation with this company but we do have a link to it, https://accelera.us/product/sr-100/. It's rather expensive, but if you use the code BobandBRad2023 they will offer 5% off and free shipping. So you can decide if you'd like to go with that route. Mike: And if you'd like to check out another video on how to improve your balance you can click on the video "25 Second Balance Exercises That Stop Falls (PDF Printout)." Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin, Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat, Clapper, Threads Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager Weighted Heating Pad Fitness: Resistance Bands Pull Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stress Balls Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.
- Stretching Your Thighs
Stretching your thighs can help you feel more flexible and relieve tension. Find a stable surface like a table or countertop and lie on your back. Bring both knees up to your chest and hold them with both hands. Make sure to keep your back comfortable with a pillow under your head. Next, focus on one leg at a time. Hold onto your left knee with both hands and slowly lower your right foot off the edge of the surface, bending your right knee at a 90-degree angle. As you do this, pull your left knee even closer to your chest to keep your pelvis in place and prevent your back from arching. You should feel a stretch in your right upper thigh. Hold this position for 7–10 breaths, then switch sides and repeat. Remember not to force your leg down; let it gradually lower as your muscles lengthen. If you feel any knee pain, adjust your leg so that your knee is outside of your hip. Over time, as your muscles become more flexible, you'll be able to bring your thigh closer to the surface. Repeat this stretch 2 times on each side, and aim to do it 2–3 times a day for best results. Strengthen your thighs and keep your body feeling great with this simple stretch routine. For more in-depth guidance and additional exercises, check out the comprehensive guide in the book "Top 3 Fix" today! *This content was created with the help of AI.
- What is Causing Your Shoulder Pain? Frozen Shoulder? How to Tell.
When you have a frozen shoulder, the main symptoms are pain and stiffness with nearly all movements of the shoulder. To Test: 1. Stand in front of a mirror. Raise the affected arm straight forward with the elbow straight and your thumb pointing up. If you have a frozen shoulder the motion will usually be limited to just above parallel with the floor. You may also feel pain in the arm as you lift it. Compare this movement to the non-affected shoulder. 2. Stand in front of a mirror. Raise the affected arm out to your side with the thumb pointing up. Again, motion in a frozen shoulder will usually be limited to parallel to the floor or even less. Compare this movement to the non-affected shoulder. 3. Stand in front of a mirror. Bend both elbows to 90 degrees. Place both elbows into your side. With the elbows tucked in, rotate your hands out and maintain the 90-degree angle. The affected arm will not move as far as the non-affected arm. Women tend to get a frozen shoulder more than men. The typical age for a frozen shoulder is between 40 and 60. You are more likely to get a frozen shoulder if you have diabetes. Recent trauma (surgery or arm fracture) can put you at a higher risk for a frozen shoulder. Heart disease, thyroid disease, and Parkinson’s disease are also linked to frozen shoulder. It can be hard to sleep at night due to the pain in a frozen shoulder. Check out the full Shoulder Pain Relief Program series of videos along with downloadable guide sheets for each video on our website here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/shoulder-pain-relief-program
- When You Turn 50, 5 Exercises You BETTER Start NOW!
This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in September of 2023. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/cOXPdxy9U1M Brad: When you turn 50 or older, you're going to want to do these exercises daily to help remedy neck pain, back pain, hip pain, knee pain, all the way down to the ankle. Mike: We have five exercises that we're going to show you in a follow-along format that'll get your body moving better and feeling better. And we may even have a bonus. Brad: A bonus. Yeah, a major bonus. All right, for this 30-second follow-along, first of all, glute strengthening. You're going to lie down like Mike is and work on bridging. You can do it on your bed, better on a carpeted floor. Hold it for two seconds down. You want to think about squeezing those glute muscles, those butt muscles together. While you're doing that, you can take your hands or fingertips and feel those muscles tighten up. You're going to do this for 30 seconds. Mike: And this next stretch we're going to do is going to work for back pain on one side specifically, neck pain, and even shoulder pain. So what you're going to need is some sort of stick or mop handle, something tall. I'm using a Booyah Stik. You're going to reach up as high as you can comfortably with your palm facing away. And then you're going to lean into it. Hold it for 30 seconds. You can do a static hold like I am right now and just stay here. Or you can kind of rock back and forth depending upon how your body feels. It's going to open up a lot of different things. Mike: And we're going to switch sides starting now. Make sure to work both sides. Brad, what do you have to add to this? Brad: Well, if you're using a mop or a broom handle or a piece of doweling, sometimes you don't have anything it needs to stick on wherever you're at. So you can take a shoe, put it down, and put the end of it in there. And that gives it a nice option to get some grip in there. I really like this one. We can do it standing like I'm doing or seated like Mike is doing. Mike: And we'll say that was 30 seconds. The next exercise is going to work your shoulders. I'm doing it on the ground and Brad is doing it up against a wall there. Notice that my thumbs are pointing up and I'm acting like I'm making a snow angel just with my arms. If you're on the floor, it's good to have bent knees and pillows behind you. Brad, what about the wall? Brad: Make sure your butt, your shoulders, and your head are all contacting the wall. Go up as high as comfortable and back down. Make sure you breathe. Coming up on 30 seconds. Good deal. Mike: Okay, the next stretch is going to work your shoulders a bit. It's called the pinky-up-the-wall stretch, or arms up the wall. So what I'm doing is putting my pinkies and my elbows on the wall, reaching up as high as I can comfortably, and coming back down. If this is hard with both arms at one time, you could certainly just do a single arm as well. Brad, what is this going to help people with? Brad: Think about bringing the shoulders up at this point. So the shoulder blades elevate and we're gonna position those shoulder blades so that the shoulders work properly. Mike: And 30 seconds already. Okay, now we're going to work on a calf stretch. You simply need a wall in front of you. And I am stretching my back leg here. Notice how it is pointing straight ahead. The more upright my posture and the more I lean towards the wall, the more stretch I feel in my calf itself. Brad, am I forgetting anything here? Brad: Yes, you are, Mike, look at this foot. I want to emphasize you don't want your foot turned out. Make sure it's pointed ahead. Now, you can have a knee locked. Let's do the other leg and we'll clarify this. Mike: We're going to switch legs here. Brad: Now, the knee is fully extended. There we go. That gets the gastroc muscle. Do that for 15 seconds and then bend the knee and then do it again. Make sure the heel stays glued to the floor, which stretches a deeper muscle called the soleus. Very complete. It's a nice one to do. All you need is a wall, a floor, and some shoes. Mike: That's all you need? Three, two, one. Brad: We're done. But wait, Mike, there's more of the bonus, the prayer stretch. Mike: So I am doing it in a kneeling position. Brad is doing it in a seated position. For me, I have my heels together and my knees out wider. And I'm just sitting down into this. I could push my hands more forward and get more of a stretch. It kind of works everything. We're going to sit here for 30 seconds. If this feels uncomfortable, you can certainly rock forward. Take a break and then come back into it. And Brad is doing it with a chair. And we got three seconds left and we're done. Brad: All right, so that's three or four minutes of stretching. After you do it about five times, you'll have it memorized and it's something you'll want to do every day. Mike: And if you want to check out more videos for seniors to stay active, you can check out this video here, " 3 Leg Exercises Seniors Should Do To Keep Their Legs Strong." Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin, Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat, Clapper, Threads Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. For this week’s Giveaway visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways Bob and Brad’s Products Pain Management: C2 Massage Gun (US) C2 Pro Massage Gun with Heat and Cold Therapy Fit Glide Q2 Mini Massage Gun (US) Knee Glide Eye Massager T2 Massage Gun Air 2 Massage Gun Foot Massager X6 Massage Gun with Stainless Steel Head Leg Massager Holy Cowabunga Cream Uni Massage Gun D6 Pro Massage Gun Back Massager Posture Pad Lite Foot Massager EZBack Massager Weighted Heating Pad Fitness: Resistance Bands Pull Up System Pull Up Bands Wall Anchor Grip and Forearm Strengthener Hanging Handles Hand Grip Strengthener Kit Stress Balls Stretching: Booyah Stik Stretch Strap Bob & Brad Amazon Store and other products Bob and Brad Love Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop Medical Disclaimer All information, content, and material on this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.
- #1 Way You Are Wrecking Your Shoulder
This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in September of 2023. For the original video go to https://youtu.be/1lXMGEUUqRo Mike: Bob would occasionally have shoulder pain until he discovered the number one way to treat this issue. Now, in the past, he used the McKenzie Method, and Mulligan, but things weren't working long-term until he discovered a different therapist. Brad: Right, so what happened was Bob was doing some research, reading some books by Rick Olderman, a veteran physical therapist who has a whole technique that he has developed. Now, to make a long story short, he found out that his shoulder blade was actually the problem, not his shoulder joint. So what he did is continued to research Rick's new technique, and he came up with the solution. Mike: So now we're going to go through great detail of what exercises Bob did to get his shoulder blade back in place, and fix his issues. Brad: And the great thing about it is the exercises are not that complicated, and that's the beauty of this whole program. All right, so before we show you the exercises, the whole idea is that here's the shoulder blade. Now what happened is Bob's shoulder blade was depressed, not emotionally, but physically, it actually was down a little bit. It doesn't take a lot to stretch the muscles here and create that pain all in this area and it can radiate down to the shoulder. So let's start with the first exercise to stretch and get the muscles to release to start getting it elevated. Mike: Okay, the first exercise in Rick's book is called All-Fours Rocking. It also kind of looks like a prayer stretch. So in order to do this, you need to be on your hands and knees. Brad will show a version seated if you're unable to get in this position. So what I'm going to do is sit my butt towards my heels while keeping my hands pushing down into the mat. You can also do this on the floor. And what I'm going to do is sit here for three to five breaths and relax, and then I'm going to return to the starting position. You're going to rock back into this seated position three to five times. Make sure to keep your hands in place, and this'll help stretch out that scapula. Brad: Right. Now you may wonder, why is this actually working the shoulder? And again, come back up, Mike. The shoulder blade, I'm going to show an outline of where it is. Right there where my hand is. Now go ahead. Now what's going on is the shoulder blade is rotating and coming up in the direction that we want it to move. Hold it, stretch out those tight muscles that are pulling it down, and that's the first step, is allow it to get up where it needs by releasing the tight muscles, and it's going to work. Mike: Now, if one side is specifically tighter than the other, you can also take the tight side, cross over a little more like this, and then reach down. I'm feeling way more stretch now on my left side doing it this way. Brad: I do want to add that this can be done on a bed if it's not too soft. Probably best on a carpeted floor and a firm surface. We're doing it here because it's better for videoing, but if this doesn't work for you, or going on all fours, hands and knees, is uncomfortable, simply sit at a table here. Now if you have a chair with wheels on it, it works really well. I'll show you both options here, and if you have a chair with wheels, the hands are like they're glued to the table, and you roll the chair back, and we get the same stretch that I mentioned with Mike. Again, hold for three to five breaths, and come back up. Repeat that three times. Brad: If you have a chair that doesn't have the wheels, which will be very common, then take a towel, and put it on a smooth tabletop or a cupboard. Then we just slide forward. If you don't have the towel on there, the hands may stick. It makes it much nicer to have a slippery, easy surface to move, stretch, again, three to five breaths, come back up. Do that three to five times. How many times per day, Mike? Mike: Do it one time a day, and see how it helps your shoulder out. Brad: That's right. I think we could actually go up to two or three times a day after a while. Isn't that right, Bob? Twice. Bob concurs with twice. Okay, a brief explanation of why we do this exercise. The previous exercise stretches out the muscles down here that are pulling the scapula down. Now those are stretched, we need to complement by strengthening the muscles up by the neck, which will pull the scapular up. So we do the arm slides going up the wall. Mike, can you explain this in detail? And that's how that scapular motion is working. Mike: So to begin, you're going to need your hands touching the wall. My pinkies and my elbows are up against the wall the entire time. I'm going to start sliding my arms up the wall. When I get to this point, I'm going to think about my scapula's turning out, helping lift my arm up. Once I'm up overhead, I'm going to try to hold it for three breaths, and then I'm going to come back down. You're going to perform five to 10 repetitions of this with a heavy emphasis on making sure that scapula is lifting once you get up overhead. You should feel that, where Brad is pointing to on my shoulder blade there. That is what you should feel activating when you're lifting this up. If you can't go all the way up, that's fine. Just go to what you can tolerate, and try to hold it there for three breaths, and then come back down. Brad: One thing I think about is when I get to that point, I just think about bringing my shoulders to my ears, and that way you know the right muscles are contracting and pulling that scapula up. How much pressure are you putting on the wall, Mike? Mike: I'm not pushing too hard. I'm not forcing into it, but I am keeping contact the entire time. If you have too much contact, it's going to be harder to slide your arms, also. Brad: Right, yup. So don't lean into the wall through the arms. Just gentle. Mike: And make sure to go down slow and controlled with pressure as well. You will feel it going that way, too. Brad: All right, the third stretch. You're going to lie on the floor. It's going to address the muscles in the front, the chest muscles. And it's going to stretch those out as well as allow the scapulars to move up. Mike will show it in detail. Mike: So begin in a hook line position. So my knees are bent. This allows my back to be flat on the floor here. I'm going to have my thumbs pointed up towards my head, and then it's like you're making a snow angel if you're in a region of the world that has snow, you know what we mean by this. So you're going to bring your arms up overhead, keeping your elbows and shoulders straight as long as you can. You can either hold it here for 30 seconds, or you can just kind of do repetitions slow and controlled. Try to keep your hands in contact with the floor as much as you can. Mike: Some people, if they were tight, like my right arm here, I'm exaggerating, but it might start coming off the ground. This is okay to begin with. Over time, try to keep your arm flat and touching the ground. Now you will see with me, as I get up shoulder height and higher, I struggle to keep my whole arm on the ground, and my elbows start to pop off, so I'm a little tight, and this is the area I really need to focus on. Brad: Think about your breathing, relax. You can see Mike's face is turning red because he's trying to talk while doing this exercise, but yeah, these are good points, Mike. My shoulder is tight, and I cannot keep my arms, hands, to the floor all the way up, but I'm working on it, and it's improving. Okay, the fourth stretch is stretching above your head in a door. Mike is holding onto the frame of the trim of the door and putting body weight in. Here, let's get over here so they can see it. And we're stretching muscles here, and here again to help that scapular release and move upward back where it belongs. Mike, can you tell them a little more about it? Mike: So you need to go up to a doorway, doorframe. You can also do this on a pull-up bar, or anything you can get your fingers on that is above your head. You're going to have to have the door open. Notice my palm is facing away from me. Once I'm straight up, I'm going to lean towards that side, so this is going to apply a stretching force to the shoulder. I'm going to sit here for three to five breaths, and then relax, and you're going to try to do 10 repetitions if possible. Now if this is problematic for you, you can't reach up this high, we'll show you an alternative version using a stick here in a moment. Brad: Right, and a key thing, and if for some reason this gives you pain or sharp pain, then you need to not do it, or do it in a way that's easier, like I'll show in a second. Mike: Now, a simple way to add more of a pulling force, if you can tolerate it, is to simply squat your legs down more. This will apply more stretching to the shoulder area. Brad: Okay now, if using the door trim like Mike demonstrated is too aggressive or too high, you simply take a stick. You can use a broom handle, a piece of PVC plastic pipe, Booyah Stik. Then the important thing is you're going to go up to a countertop, or if you're doing it seated on the chair, the stick must not be slippery, or it must be very stable on the bottom. So if it slips, you can simply take a shoe, put it inside the shoe, and that allows it to grip so it's steady. Very important. Then you bring your hand up as far as you feel comfortable, palm is away so you can see the back of your hand. Grab the stick, and then lean into it. If you're standing, I can simply bend my knees and gently get the stretch until you feel a comfortable stretch. Again, no sharp pain or it's too aggressive. Come back up, and do that. Three breaths. You can do a stretch where you go on and off, pressure on, pressure off. Mike, any additions if you do in the seated position? Mike: Just make sure it's nice and tight next to you. You can do this in a chair, as well. You don't have to be sitting on something tall like this. And I just lean over to feel more of a stretch with this version. Obviously the higher up you can go, the more stretch you will feel. If you're only up a short way, that's fine. You could probably just lean a little more sideways, and it'll naturally help your scapula lift up like it should. Brad: Right. Again, the idea is not to get overly aggressive. Take your time with it to start with. Gradually work into it. All right, now this fifth exercise is actually for your posture. Many people slump without even realizing it, which affects the mechanics of the shoulder, as well as your breathing. So in a seated position, put your legs in a 90-90 position like I have here, not tucked under the chair, or out in front. And then the right hand, will go on the sternum right here. The other hand on your abdomen. Now those are just so you can feel your posture get better. Think about the top hand as going up towards the ceiling at an angle, and then your hand on your stomach, you're going to feel those muscles actually tighten up. Let your arms be relaxed. Let gravity take them where they want to go. Brad: So in other words, we're not going over extend. It's simply up with this chest, feel the stomach muscles tighten in, and let the arms relax. The elbows will actually fall straight down like a plumb bob, if you will, and you have good natural posture. Okay, so Mike, any additions? Mike: Once you get in this posture, you can release your hands, just focus on it. If you notice over time, you're starting to round forward again, just simply use your hands again, get into that posture, and relax. Most people, when they think about good posture, they immediately squeeze their shoulder blades back. That's going to be a lot of work. Your shoulders are going to get very tired doing that. It's not that, it's just simply elevating your ribs. Chest towards the ceiling like this, and now I have good posture. Much easier to maintain. Brad: And this one, you can do throughout today. You don't have to do 10, 15 repetitions. Better to do two or three, and do it 10 times a day, and really get that so it's a natural thing, you don't have to think about it after a while. All right, last but not least, and Bob said this is his number one pain relief postural position thing. Very simple to do. In a chair, the weight of your arm is pulling your shoulder down which can create pain after a while. The idea is to elevate that arm approximately one inch, and that's going to put it in the right position, take the stress off, and the pain drops significantly. Bob, you agree? And that's exactly what Bob experienced. So, if you have a chair that the armrest does not work because it's too low and it's uncomfortable, take a pillow that you sleep with, fold it in half, and then you squeeze it in there. Then you have a nice, soft, cushy arm rest that's comfortable, it's soft, and it elevates the shoulder appropriately. Even with a healthy shoulder, it feels much better than just hanging there. Okay, now. Carry on, Mike. Mike: Well, I should say, if you're in Brad's circumstance in a recliner, that also works as well. Just put a pillow underneath your arm like that. Brad: Good point. Mike: Now, if you happen to have a computer chair, and you're having trouble at your computer station, and your arm rests are too low, and you have adjustable ones, simply elevate them a lot higher than you normally do. Also, if they can angle in, that will help. If they don't, you can also put a pillow in there to help get a nice angle in position. So if you look at how low this is here, how depressed, it's putting a lot of extra strain on my shoulder muscles up here. Mike: Simply elevating that takes that pressure off there. It feels a lot better, especially if you're sitting for eight hours a day. Now for Bob, he is a very tall man, some even say a giant, and his chair- wouldn't go up high enough for his height. His arm rests were kind of stuck at a certain position. So if this was too low, Bob simply took a pillow and put it in here, but later on he took some type of foam pad, put it on the arm rest. That was the perfect height. Perfect height for him. And he taped it on there, and he has an ugly looking chair, but it works for him. Brad: He taped his arm to the arm rest? Mike: No, he taped his foam to the arm rest. Otherwise he'd be walking around with a chair on his butt all day. So after six months of dealing with shoulder pain, and even neck pain, for Bob, he started doing all these exercises and within two weeks, his pain started going away. He still practices many of these exercises daily, because he enjoys them and feels like they work, but you can pick which ones work for you in the longterm, and just stick with those. Brad: Actually, he said in two weeks, his pain was gone. Mike: Gone. Disappeared. Brad: He did say, and Bob, correct me if I'm wrong, the best exercise, or posture change, was the pillow or the pad under the painful side, as well as sliding the pinky up the wall, elevating that, and strengthening to get that scapula in the right position. Worked well for him, so we wanted to share it with you, and hopefully, you'll have the same success. Mike: If you want to check out more videos about shoulder pain, you can watch "Fix Posture & Shoulder Pain With 3 Exercises (All Ages)." Visit us on our other social media platforms: YouTube, Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Wimkin, Mewe, Minds, Vero, SteemIt, Peakd, Rumble, Snapchat, Clapper, Threads Bob and Brad also have a Podcast where we share your favorite episodes as well as interviews with health-related experts. 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