♪ Bob and Brad ♪
♪ The two most famous ♪
♪ Physical therapists ♪
♪ On the internet ♪
- Hi, folks, I'm Bob Schrupp, physical therapist.
- Brad Heineck, physical therapist.
- Together, we are the most famous physical therapists
on the internet.
- In our opinion, of course, Bob.
- So, I made sure I've been doing this lately, Brad.
- What?
- I've been trying to look up the research on stuff.
- Yes.
- So, if we're gonna recommend something,
we wanna make sure there's some bones behind it,
some structure behind it.
- Skeletal strength.
- Yeah, that's right. - Yes, that's a good idea.
- So if you have low back pain,
and you've had it for a long time...
- What are you pointing at me for?
- I'm pointing at you because you had low back pain,
and you've had it for a long time.
How many years, Brad?
- Well, I still do.
I don't know, since I was in high school.
- Right, and Brad does a lot of things
to help keep that back pain at bay?
- Right.
- At one point, you were unable to run,
unable to perform the athletic-
- Yeah, I mean, I was very limited.
- Activities. Right
- Right, I could walk for 3/4 of a mile,
I'd get numbness down my left leg to the calf,
for about a year that was like that.
There's a number of things I did.
But with spondylolisthesis,
I had something to work with, something concrete.
Some back pain doesn't always provide that.
- Right, and you're how old now?
- I can't remember.
(Bob chuckles)
No, I'm 59.
- And he does triathlons, yeah?
- Yeah.
And actually my back has gotten better
in the last five years as a result of some exercise programs
using the product that we're gonna talk about today-
- Right, so... - Has been helpful.
- We're not gonna say it necessarily changed your life,
but...
- No. It was part of the recipe.
- Part of the equation.
- Exactly.
- So they did a study on far-infrared heat,
and that's what we're talking about here.
- Right, right.
- And we actually got the Thermotex model here.
- Right.
So are we gonna talk about this?
- Oh, sure.
You wanna do that first?
- So I can get it out of the way,
I'm feeling like I'm...
- We're gonna do a giveaway, we're giving away the,
what is it called?
The OasisSpace, we should probably know the name.
- Just right there. It's a hard word to pronounce for us.
- Four wheel walker, beautiful, well-made
and will serve you well if you need it.
- Yeah, it's a high end walker.
So if you know someone that needs a walker
that's very smooth, got brakes, and the forearm pads,
if they have wrist problems,
they are really helpful for keeping you upright straight.
So anyways,
- We've been keeping people waiting here Brad.
- Yeah.
- So again, far-infrared heating system here we have.
So based upon a study, we're gonna show this study.
We're gonna show it right now sure.
And 39 people with chronic low back pain,
21 received the far-infrared heat,
- Which we should maybe mention
that there's also the standard heat hot pad side.
- Right.
- They don't have the far-infrared
so they don't go as deep.
- Why is far-infrared heat better?
- It goes deep into the skin,
into the muscle and the joints,
two point three, six inches,
- Right.
- According to this study, specifically with this brand.
- Right, so that shows you versus just a surface deep,
- Right, just figure skin deep,
that's all you're gonna get--
- This could be a big difference.
- Right. - In treatment.
- Exactly, so when you get that deep heat,
you're gonna have increased circulation
and a number of other positive things going on
under the skin.
- So these 39 people had chronic low back pain,
meaning over six years on average
- Okay.
- And 21 received the far-infrared
and 18 received the placebo.
- Which was very interesting because
they both wore the same unit, just that the placebo
was not plugged in.
So they thought it was on, but it wasn't,
and that's the thing about far-infrared,
you don't feel a lot of warmth effect.
It goes in deep, but it's not like a typical hot pad
where you can turn it up,
- It'll burn you, right. - And it almost get too high.
- So again at end the 21 people demonstrated
significantly improved backs.
In fact, 50% better as far as pain.
- Sure.
- And they did this for seven weeks.
We don't know how often they did it in a week.
- I still think it's in there Bob.
- Yeah, we're trying to find the details on it.
But what we're going to recommend
is Thermatex actually says, and I know this sounds onerous,
but to actually put it on the back system two times a day
for 45 minutes, now this again,
for some people is gonna be very easy to do.
All you do is leave it in your chair.
- Yeah.
- And when you sit in your chair,
you go ahead and lean up against it.
If you're watching TV at night, that's what I do.
Very simple.
Brad puts a pillow behind it
so that it gives some back support.
- Right, yeah.
And you know, with far-infrared,
you have to have the pad one side out
because it doesn't put,
the far-infrared doesn't go out that way.
You know, it's no big deal just get it inline.
- Brad you got it inline.
- And there you go, yeah like in my--
- Right through the clothes.
- Right, right and you can
like here, I've got this on.
The other day I put it on with this.
I had a very thick a hoodie on and you know,
no problem whatsoever, I could feel the heat.
It takes a longer though, it took, I timed it
it took about seven minutes and I could feel the warmth.
It's not a hot, long, it's just a gentle warmth.
And it was very nice.
- Yeah when they recommend 45 minutes.
They were saying like a five to 10 minute warmup period.
So really just 30 minutes or so.
- Sure, right.
- But I mean, to be honest,
I have mine on for like a couple of hours,
- I have fallen asleep with mine on wake up with mine on.
- Don't say that Brad, we're not gonna hold that,
- You know I'm just being honest Bob but yeah,
but I had no problems, not like it overheated
and they don't take much electricity,
compared to the other ones you--
- You could run it all day for pennies.
- Right I have,
(chuckles)
I forgot about them--
- I have many times too, my wife gets all freaked out,
but I say, it's not costing us anything.
It's not gonna start on fire or so, but anyway,
this is a simple system along with it.
I like to get some movement in the back.
And one thing you can do is actually after
the back has warmed up is just do some cat and camel,
arching and bending back and forth like this.
- You don't have to have it on.
- You don't have to have it on yet I have a system on here.
It does come with straps by the way.
- Right, yeah, elastic ones.
- Got the local straps.
But you can even do it this way.
You can arch this way and arch that way,
flex this way, I should say.
- One of the nice things,
these cords are everything I bought.
This is very heavy duty, commercial duty as I call it.
But there is actually a six foot cord that plugs into here
and you do have to plug it in.
- Right.
- But the nice thing is you can just disconnect it like
with Bob, if you want to get up--
- Yup, Use the bathroom,
- go get a cup of coffee, go to the bathroom.
You can just quickly just connect it there
and not take it off you and you know.
- These units are pricey.
- They are
- They're an investment, I guess, as you'd call it.
- Right.
But if you've got chronic pain
and you respond well to heat--
- Right.
- And you know that heat makes your back feel better--
- Deep heat is gonna, I mean it's different.
- This is gonna be,
and the temperature on it, they have studies on it.
The therapeutic temperature
that these produce is 104 degrees,
if I remember right to 114,
- Wow.
- So it's not a real high temperature
and you don't want it real warm.
The therapeutic temperature to get the circulation
is right in that range.
Thermotex did--.
- But it goes deep.
- Right, exactly.
- And the thing is you can use it on different joints.
I actually, right now, Brad, I'm using on my calf muscles.
I've been trying to work on walking with flat shoes.
I'm going off on a tangent here.
But with less heel
and my calves have been getting sore.
So I just put it on there and I,
- So you take it like this.
There's three panels here.
- I just lay my legs on.
- Like you don't wrap it up around,
- No.
- But you could.
- All right you could.
- And that would probably be a little more comfortable.
- But I get both calves that way.
- Oh, I see.
I do wanna mention, because I like this, if you have
- Ooh the muffs.
- Yeah if you have arthritic or painful fingers,
you've got all these joints,
you roll it up like this and you take the strap here
and you wrap it around like this
and you stick your fingers in.
- Look like a nesting ball.
- Yeah, and then you can warm those fingers.
- Have you been to Alaska?
- Yeah we're going again next year, too.
- Very good.
- Yeah, but in the summer, I don't go for that winter time.
- One final thing, try to get some,
incorporate, some walking in your day,
if you have chronic low back pain,
- Right.
- That's really gonna make a difference too.
You're using nature to naturally wire up your back then,
you know, you are.
- Using nature, walking is nature.
- Yeah.
(both laughs)
- Yeah, though it's true.
- Work with me, Brad.
- Make sure that you go for a walk on a nice even surface.
Not uphill or down hill, not where it's camber.
- Do it several times a day if you can,
even for like 15 minutes,
my wife and I do that in the afternoon.
We'll go for a 20 minute walk.
- I would think a treadmill would be fine
in the winter time.
That's flat, it's very controllable.
- Gotta get out, gotta be tough.
- Well, what if it's icy out though?
- That's true.
- You don't wanna to slip.
- That's right.
- Unless you got Crampons,
you know, big spikes on your shoes that's the one thing
that keeps it fun.
- All right, we're done we promise, thanks.