♪ Bob and Brad, ♪
♪ the two most famous physical therapists ♪
♪ on the internet ♪
- Hi folks, I'm Bob Schrupp, physical therapist.
- Brad Heineck, physical therapist.
- We're the most famous physical therapists on the internet.
- In our opinion, of course, Bob.
- We don't really believe that by the way.
(Brad laughing)
Today, we're gonna talk about fix upper trap knots.
(Brad grunting)
And shoulder pain in 30 seconds.
- Yeah, Bob.
- You're asking a lot, Brad.
- Well, Bob, we've got three different options,
and if you try one of these three,
I have a very strong feeling you're gonna have success
with at least one, if not two.
- Sure. And it doesn't take much time out of your day.
- 30 seconds. - Yeah.
- Now the video for those people, you're gonna say,
"Oh, how many minutes for a 30 second?"
Well, you know, we have to show you and explain
a little blah, blah.
- We like to talk.
- Yeah, that's right.
- Do we have, we don't have giveaway.
So let's go right to work, Brad.
- Wow, okay then.
Say no more. Oh, what about the podcast?
- Oh yeah.
Check out our podcast.
- Yeah, absolutely.
- Bob and Brad.
- I was just listening to the one in the surgery
for the back by the-
- Sure, Dr. Bosi.
- Yeah, very interesting.
- He's an interesting guy.
- So upper traps, you know,
this is probably one of- - A common problem.
- Yeah, almost everyone, if you get stress in your life,
that's one of the most common muscles that tighten up,
leads to shoulder, neck aches all the way up
into the headaches.
- Often caused by poor posture too.
- Absolutely, which we never have of course.
(Brad laughing)
- We try to adjust.
- Yeah, everyone gets drawn into poor posture.
- Yeah.
- Sometime in their life.
So the first option we're gonna talk about is
just fatigue the muscle, which a lot of people think
stretch a tight muscle, all these other things,
heat massage, blah, blah, blah,
but just fatigue the muscle can be a great way
to make the muscle relax.
So we're gonna give you three options,
you do these for 30 seconds.
You need some resistance.
You're gonna use either a band like Bob is showing there.
- With handles. - Yeah.
You can use the dumbbells of whatever you have, hopefully.
Or again, my latest favorite bands are these loop bands
because they're so easy to use.
- I think it comes in four different sizes,
I mean four different strengths.
- Right, right.
But you can put two of them together
to get a variety of- - Right.
- And plus you can simply like when I do this one,
spread your feet apart a little bit,
it'll increase the resistance, closer,
change where you grab on it,
and you're gonna go out in this direction.
And Bob, do you wanna show what you wanna emphasize?
I'm gonna think about.
- You're trying to squeeze the shoulder blades together
and actually think about pushing the shoulder blades down,
but that really never helps people out.
- Well, on this, 'cause we might wanna get the upper traps.
- Sure.
- We might be going the opposite direction.
- A little bit up, yeah.
And squeeze the shoulder blades together though
'cause we do wanna work our posture too
while we're doing this.
- And because the resistance is coming from down,
naturally the upper trap, they just have to be-
- They're gonna kick in.
- Bob, my glasses!
- Here we go.
- I can't do my exercises while my glasses,
they're falling apart, the magnets are not working anymore.
I gotta get a new pair.
- They're above 50 years old, Brad.
(Brad laughing)
- Well you gotta get your money's worth.
Okay, here we go, let's just show one.
- Sure.
- Two, and if you do these for 30 seconds
that should be ample time to fatigue the muscles.
Oh yes!
I really think the bands are a better option
for this particular exercise. - Sure.
- Your dumbbells, if you've got dumbbells,
go ahead and use them.
- They really give a good resistance.
- The band. - The bands, yeah.
- Yeah, because you can vary the resistance.
You have to get new dumbbells or another set
to vary the resistance, which is not as convenient.
So there you go. Do that.
That's gonna, I feel those fatigue now.
And they're relaxing, Bob.
- I suppose you could use maybe a couple of gallons of milk.
- Well, sure. - You know.
- If you get two gallons or maybe two half gallons.
- Right.
- But you gotta have the kind with the handles,
'cause we got those cardboard ones and-
- Oh, yeah.
- They're harder to hold, if you drop one of those babies.
The next one, number two.
Deep pressure massage in 30 seconds
is actually about the right time.
When you put deep pressure on a tight muscle,
it typically takes about 20 seconds before it releases,
20 to 30 seconds, and then it'll release and you get that-
- So what are you talking about?
It's putting pressure right on the pressure point
or trigger point. - Trigger point, right.
- So you feel that little knob, that irritated spot.
That's a trigger point.
- Yeah.
- And sometimes if you put pressure right on them,
it actually releases, it goes away.
- And everybody, you know, I've done so many patients
where it's typically right here on the neck.
- Yeah. - Off to the side.
And even if you don't have tight muscles.
- Kinda on the neck trap.
- Even if it's not tight knotted,
you'll find that trigger point.
- Right.
- But when you're knotted up-
- I can find it right now.
- You wanna show 'em with the Thera Cane?
- Sure.
With the Thera Cane, it's really nice
because you can actually find it pretty well
without help. - Exactly.
- And you can just get in there
and get to the spot.
- And Bob knows where it is.
- I can work on that, and I like to, along with this, Brad,
I like to do some motion.
- [Brad] Oh, that's right, I remember that.
- Yeah, I like to actually do some neck extension
while I'm putting some pressure on it.
- That's a little trick that.
(Bob grunting)
Oh, look at that.
- I'm pulling on this thing.
- Well, don't pull so hard, Bob.
It'll make you sound like you're in pain.
- It hurts so good.
- Oh, it hurts so good.
And that is a key of getting this.
The other option, you can take a tennis ball
or a lacrosse ball, something that's a little firmer,
go up against a wall and use that.
And the really nice thing about doing this
on the wall is you can roll it a little bit.
- Right.
- You can also lie down on the floor,
on a hard floor, carpeted floor and do the same thing.
The advantage of that is you can just let gravity
use the pressure, but you can't roll on it like this.
- Yeah, plus it started to work on your posture.
- Yeah.
- It's kind of working as a fall component.
So if you posture like this,
you lie on that thing and it actually takes you
to the other direction.
- Yeah, well here, come on down here.
And we'll just do a quick go.
You know, I think that's what the English people
say go, let's have a go.
There we, oh yeah.
So you can roll on it here too as well.
Oh!
- It's pretty aggressive, you may wanna start
with a towel over the top and a couple of pillows
under your head.
- Yeah, yeah.
- If you're gonna do that.
- That's a good idea, Bob.
You can't roll on it with a towel so much.
- No, no, you can't.
- Number three, this is the easiest one and the funnest one,
but there is a cost involved.
So, but it is pretty popular.
A lot of people do have the massage guns,
but the other two options, I think you'll have success for,
but if you have one of these.
Now, this one I've got the air cushion head,
it's not quite as aggressive.
- I've got the bullet head.
So very aggressive actually, and I like that.
This is a C2 and this is a Q2.
- Q2 mini.
- Yeah, mini.
- It's smaller.
- I like this because it fits right in my hand.
I can get to that knot pretty easily.
(Bob grunting)
- There's a one word of caution that you must adhere to
and take key to it, is do not-
- [Bob] Go up to the neck.
- Not on the neck.
I mean, I'm just barely touching and it's like,
it's just no good, you don't wanna hurt yourself.
- I would also avoid the carotid arteries.
- Yeah, not in here. This is for the shoulder,
more into the shoulder.
- You don't really want a massage a pulse or artery.
- Right, exactly.
We wanna stay on the muscles, not the bones,
not the tender area.
So that is of caution, particularly with this area of trap.
- Some of you, if you don't have decent shoulder range
of motion, may have trouble doing this.
- Yes, exactly.
You know, in that case, this is not as aggressive,
but this one has got the wrong head on but much easier
to get back there.
- What's nice about that one, a lot less expensive.
- It is.
- That doesn't penetrate as well,
but it does come with different heads.
Some of them are a little more aggressive.
- And the next thing.
Usually people, elderly people, this is really good for-
- Right.
- 'Cause they're not as muscular, strong and-
- Right.
- Like you and I.
(Bob laughing)
Strong like bull.
Anyways, that's the third and final option.
So there's no doubt in my mind, in 30 seconds you will find
something to release that pain from that tight muscle.
- Right, very irritating.
- And you can do this not only on the.
Yeah, I am very irritating. (Bob laughing)
My wife said that last night.
Not really, but she probably was thinking it.
- My wife is thinking it everyday.
- Well, you've got one of those (indistinct) that says
"Welcome home" on the wall, yours says-
- Go away.
(Brad laughing)
- Irritated Bob is here.
No, no, he's a nice guy.
- You're right.
- Be careful in everything that you do.
- Thanks for watching.
(gentle music)