♪ Bob and Brad ♪
♪ The two most famous ♪
♪ Physical Therapists ♪
♪ On the internet ♪
(lighthearted pop music)
- 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.
- Keep your hand off my face.
- Waw!
- I got this fly.
- Carry on.
- Today we're gonna talk about the top core exercises
for low back pain including spondylolisthesis.
I never say this right.
And stenosis or spinal stenosis.
- Right.
Bob, this video is dear to me because about 15 years ago,
I had a flare up of back pain that wouldn't go away
with standard core exercises.
They actually irritated it and my other exercises.
And it went on for quite a while.
And finally, I discovered an exercise routine
that I could strengthen my back when it was painful
without irritating it and making it better at the same time.
- Now, let's set the stage here, Brad.
You actually got to the point, you couldn't run anymore.
- [Together] Right.
- Right.
- How was it when you walked?
- I could walk 3/4 of a mile before I started
getting leg pain and sciatica going down
my right leg to my ankle.
- Sure. So it was bad?
- It was not fun.
I was considering going to a surgeon.
- Sure.
- I mean, for me to do that- - Yeah, you're a great-
- To throw in the towel.
- You're a grade two-
- Spondylolisthesis. - Right.
- Right.
- Which is quite a shift.
- Yeah, yeah. - I mean-
- But you know, the good thing is, is I found a way to get
through it and I never did call the surgeon,
and life is much better now.
And this exercise routine is responsible for it.
- Yeah, here he is now 75 years old.
And he's able to run- (Brad laughing)
- Wait, I only look like I'm 70.
(both laughing)
- Yeah, he looks like he's 70.
- All right, Bob. We gotta carry on.
- Okay, go ahead.
You got to do the work, right?
- I thought we had to do the-
- Oh, by the way, if you're new to our channel,
please take a second to subscribe to us.
We provide videos, how to stay healthy, fit, pain-free,
and we upload every day.
Also go to www.bobandbrad.com, go to the Giveaway section,
because they're always giving something away.
- That's right.
- This week we're giving away
a Platinum Far Infrared Heating System.
- What happened to our- - Yeah, I know.
- Platinum Far Infrared?
- Anyway, go to www.bobandbrad.com, you'll find it there.
Oh, here it is (laughing).
We're really on the ball today.
- Yeah. So it's interesting you said that.
- Yeah, it penetrates really quite well.
- 2.6/three inches into the muscle, the joints, et cetera.
- Three six, not six three.
Okay, go to also Facebook,
it'll be pinned to the top of the page.
Go to Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok
if you want a 62nd version of our program.
And after this, I think I'm going to those.
(both laughing)
- Yeah, we're on the podcast as well.
So if it's the first time ever watching our program
you'll probably click off now realizing we were
just a bunch of doofuses but it's not true.
We have some good information.
So hold on just a minute.
So these exercises we brought up, I'm not kidding you.
I would do planks, made it worse.
I would do the exercise where you hold the plate
and you go backwards on the machine.
I ain't going to get that core straight.
That really irritated my back.
And so finally I did some research
as a good Therapist should do,
and I came up with these exercises.
And now, well you do need to have an exercise ball
about this size, 60, size 65 centimeters.
You can get these cheap.
You know, you can get them $20/$25.
And actually this one that we endorse,
I like it because it's rated at 2000 pounds.
It's puncture proof.
I'm you can take a knife and puncture it,
but if you bump into a sharp corner of furniture,
it's going to be just fine.
It's a good quality ball but let's get on with-
- We don't make junk.
- Right, we don't endorse junk,
'cause some of these balls are junk out there.
I've learned that.
So the first exercise.
The key of the ball is, you're going to find out,
none of the exercises I do do not irritate my back.
And they strengthen my core because my back
is supported one way or another.
- [Bob] How often are you doing these, Brad?
- Well, now I do these three days a week, 50 reps each.
People starting out, I think three days a week is fine,
every other day, Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
Probably 10 reps to start.
- Sure. - Right.
The first I'm working my core.
If you strengthen the core,
the muscles in the back relax.
Which is good if that back is sore,
and we start to strengthen the core.
- It's like you're creating a brace for your back.
- Right.
- And look at how Brad, he brought his pant leg up,
so he can grab onto the ball easier.
And then he's got the heels digging into the ball,
so that helps hold it on.
- This ball is really kind of grippy on your skin.
So that's how I did that.
I can really hold it.
I don't even have to dig my heels in with this ball.
I really like it.
But regardless, you can use any ball you want.
- Yeah, look how well supported his back is with this.
- My back is completely supported
by the floor and it just feels great.
And my core is getting a nice workout.
- If this would give you pain, you wouldn't do it.
- Right.
- You want to make sure you breathe, Brad.
- I'm breathing, Bob.
- Okay. Sorry, fake for the reminder though.
But yeah, I've done people,
had patients do these and by the time they get to 10,
if they've been sedentary they've had enough.
So like I said, I do 50 now
but I've been doing these for years.
- And then take a day off then afterwards
let your body recover.
- The second one.
Now, there's a set of four here.
This is the second one of four.
As I put my hands here,
and I put my wrist on my chin right there,
and there's a reason I do that.
And that blocks my chin from doing this.
- [Bob] Sure.
- So that keeps my neck safe.
- [Bob] Yeah, you're bringing the head straight up
towards the ceiling almost.
- Did you ever do that, Bob?
- [Bob] No, that's a good idea.
- It really does work well.
- Well, when I started doing those, Brad,
my neck got really sore.
And I guess it's fairly common
if you aren't used to doing those.
So, you might have to workout
at a while before you can tolerate it.
I mean, the front muscles got sore.
- Your neck muscles are working to hold your head up
regardless but we don't want to be doing this.
- Right, right. - That's not good.
Okay, so do your 10, 20, or whatever your set of those are.
So we've got the lower abs.
Now we've got the upper ab.
And now this one is a little more difficult.
I'm going to grab the ball,
lift the ball up like on the first exercise.
We're going to put our arms here and lift our trunk up.
- [Bob] So you're doing both?
- I call it the double crunch.
- [Bob] Sure.
- So we're going like this.
And again, my back is completely supported by the floor.
- Yeah, the low back is completely supported, so.
- And for new people, I pretty much guarantee you're
going to find this much more difficult.
Maybe- - Yeah.
You probably won't be able to tolerate this
for a couple of months, maybe.
- If you have spondylolisthesis or stenosis,
these should actually feel good because it's opening
up the faucets, giving you a little break there.
And that's exactly the case with me.
They always feel good.
Finish out there and give yourself a little break.
And the fourth one in this set is you're going to
lift the ball up, across again.
Right elbow goes towards the left knee,
and the left knee goes towards the right elbow.
So we're going like this.
And we just do a cross.
And now we're getting different fibers on the muscle.
And you get a little bit of back movement with this,
which in my case it always feels really good.
I enjoy this exercise and hopefully you find the same.
But as Bob said, if it does irritate your back-
- You don't do it.
- Wait till it gets better.
- Again, he's keeping that low back real flat.
And you know, it's supported.
- I don't even have to think about it.
- Sure.
- The mechanics of it actually force it.
That's why I really enjoy this.
Okay. So that's the first set.
Now, the second one.
When you strengthen core muscles for your low back
it's important to strengthen these muscles,
but the ones in the back are probably just as,
if not more important.
And the ball is going to support
my low back while I do this.
And you can see, can you still hear me Tanner?
Because I'm on my mic underneath on my belly here.
- [Bob] Sure.
- Now, I'm going to work this.
So we're going to work hip, the multifidi as an extensor,
and as well as the back extensor group all together.
- Yeah, the back has to work in order to stabilize
while that leg is being pulled up.
- And you know, if you're not used to the ball,
be careful with it and patient.
You can put your hands here and do it,
as you get better, you go down a little more.
Sometimes I'll take a towel and put it on the thing,
and just on the floor for a rest.
That's completely up to you.
These, I do 10 on each leg.
And then I put my hands on the ball here.
I spread my legs out wide because that's going to be a base.
- [Bob] Sure.
- And I'm going to just extend using my hands to
help only as far as it's pain free.
- Right, so it's good to still, even though
extension often bothers people with spondy or with stenosis,
it's good to get some extension there because
throughout like you're going to be extending that back.
- Yeah, you don't want it to get tighter
and tighter so you can extend it.
- Right, right. So you're flexed over like this.
- The key is you work in a pain-free range
and you'll be just fine. - Right.
- And I do do this on the second.
I do three sets of 10 of each. I do 10 here.
I'm not going to go all 10 now.
- [Bob] Sure.
- And then I'll put a little rotation in so that,
for example, when you look over your shoulder
when you're driving or any time,
you do maintain some range of motion with a little rotation.
But it's gotta be pain-free,
you are not torquing out at all.
Just a little pain-free motion.
- If one direction hurts and the other one doesn't,
go ahead and work that non-painful direction.
- Yeah. That's a good point, Bob.
I did have a spondy patient,
that he had that exact same thing.
So I just had him work the pain-free side.
Go back to the painful side when it becomes pain-free.
- Right.
- And now this next one is a very common
back strengthening exercise that we show,
it's called The Pointer Dog.
It looks like this and you're working.
You can show them the muscles
that's working there, Bob, across my back.
- Yep, he's pulling the shoulder blades together here.
And obviously the low back is also working.
- Right. even the hip in there.
- And the buttocks, you know,
where you're getting the glutes working,
and the big engine of the back.
So, you can do it on the ball too, right?
- And the ball, I suggest,
don't even do the regular one I just showed-
- Yeah, start with the ball.
- Start with the bal because that adds support.
Your back doesn't have to work as hard but-
- It'll be easier the first, you know,
first times you're doing it to do it this way.
And then eventually you can work too without the ball.
- Right, and I would start with just a hand,
you know, work your hands first
and then work your legs first.
The only reason is because if you do the full line,
you're going to find it's a little wobbly on the ball.
- [Bob] Sure.
- And if you're not used to it,
I don't want to just get you discouraged.
Again, the ball has excellent benefits therapeutic wise,
balance wise, strength wise.
You just have to be patient with it, get used to it.
- And it's inexpensive.
- It is.
- For a workout device, it's really-
- And with these, I would just do them three times a week.
You could move that up and you could eventually
do these daily once your muscles get used to it.
But it's the beauty of the ball, Bob.
- That's right.
- I am completely sold that the ball is one
of the best tools you can have in your household
for strengthening, back pain, all kinds of stuff.
- Yeah, "Beauty and the Beast".
- Oh Bob!
- Thanks everybody for watching.
(lighthearted drum tune)