♪ Bob and Brad ♪
♪ The two most famous ♪
♪ Physical therapists ♪
♪ On the internet ♪
(hands clapping)
- Hi, folks I'm Bob Schrupp, physical therapist.
- Brad Heineck, physical therapist.
- And we are the most famous physical therapists
on the internet.
- In our opinion of course, Bob.
- Today we're gonna talk about how to sit pain free
at home with back pain and sciatica.
The big thing with back pain
and sciatica is you wanna avoid this position.
So I'm gonna have the spine here aligned.
Brad, do you mind facing
that way? - Sure.
- So you wanna avoid that c position
that we're talkin' about, that slumped position.
If you recall from some of our earlier videos
that is the position that can cause the discs
to herniate or bulge.
- Or if they are, make 'em worse.
- Right, if they're already herniated or bulging
it's gonna make 'em worse.
Also if you just have plain old back pain
that can stretch out the ligaments
which make your back unstable
so these are all things you wanna avoid.
What we're wanting to do as much as possible
when we're seated, is to get into the s position.
Now I don't know if this is an s this way
or would be this way, I don't know on camera
but you're gonna have a curve in basically,
a curve out, and another curve in.
So that's where we're concerned about
is right here in the lower back.
- This lumbar they call lumbar lower dorsal.
It's a curve going inwards facing
from the back side this way.
- Yeah so you're gonna wanna have something
to help support that.
It's just gonna be a lot easier
'cause if you have to try to do it on your own
your back gets fatigued and your back is the strongest
when it's in this position.
That's what we're shootin' for
but we're gonna say that even if you are
in this position which is the correct position,
it's still not great on your back to be sitting.
As much as possible when you have back pain
and sciatica with most kinds, you wanna avoid sitting
to a large extent.
I'd rather have you stand or lie down if you're able to.
- So short term sitting is best.
Sitting on a taller stool's better than sitting.
The lower the chair the worse it is.
- Yeah good point Brad we probably should have brought
a big stool in here.
- Well anybody can do it that way.
(Bob laughs)
Actually there is one right there we could--
- Yeah we'll grab it from (mumbles) in a little bit.
- Well we could talk about how low a chair like this is at.
Soft it's low to begin with plus it has three to four inches
of cush that even drops you down lower.
- Yeah why don't we start with this char, Brad
just so we gonna show what we're gonna first try.
So we're gonna avoid sitting.
So when I had an episode of sciatica I actually stood
as much as possible and I did my notes that way.
So there's some jobs where you can stand.
There's some jobs where you might have a standing table.
So if you're gonna just in a regular old chair like this,
you're gonna wanna try to have some support there.
Lotta times we have people start off with a roll towel
and the reason we do that is because that way you can
kind of adjust it to your curves.
If you're a larger person with a larger buttock
and larger curves, you're gonna probably wanna have
a larger towel because it has to fill in that gap.
If you're a more slight person like I am,
you probably don't need as much.
I get by like in my car with just a piece of foam like this
that's only that thick.
Once you've determined which one works for you,
then you can get a more permanent one.
- And you know it's workin' for you
because it's clearly gonna feel better.
It's gonna feel like good support.
You're gonna say wow I wish I woulda put that
in there a long time ago kind of a thing.
- And generally you wanna have it around the belt level
or a little bit lower.
I tend to find a lot of people like it lower depending
on the style you use.
- But you'll know again because it's gonna feel good.
You'll just adjust as it feels how it feels.
- How it feels better, yeah and these are some
of the the foam supports.
These are Ron Mckenzie.
We'll have some of these listed in the description below.
This one's way too much for me, Brad.
- Too big for you?
Here try this one.
That's called the d shape one 'cause it's not round.
- And it's pretty firm.
- And the density of the foam is firm.
- This one's a little better.
Still probably be too much for me but it's better
and then this--
- Look at that one.
- Yeah so this is the one I'd probably use
and what's nice about this one's air filled
so you can actually adjust the air in it.
You wanna grab your favorite one, Brad?
- Yeah and that's the thing.
There is no way for us to determine what your back needs.
And it also depends on not only your body but the chair.
If you got a soft cushy chair, some cars are rounded out
more than other ones because they're older.
They're just built bad.
- Yeah well when we go over to the reclining area
you're gonna find out, we need a lot bigger
of a support there.
This is the one that Brad likes.
- Right I don't have sciatica
but I deal with spondylolisthesis.
Kinda similar to stenosis but this is a memory foam
and I had the biggest problem for years getting out
of a car with back pain and I found this
and it just changed my whole world
in regards to sitting in a car
for long term. - Weren't you been using this
for when you're cutting lawn?
Or did you stop doing that? - Yeah in my lawn mower, yeah.
I still do.
- I like this one in an office chair
but it's too much in my car.
I don't like it for that.
- That's the thing you may have, like Bob,
a different one for your car and I just keep mine
in my car so I've got this one, I've got one
in my other vehicle, and then I've got
a old one for my lawn mower.
(Brad laughs)
- So why don't we go into the recliner
and just show real quickly, Brad, how quite often
you do need more support behind there.
I generally use a throw pillow
when I'm in the softer chair like that.
Want me to go in?
- Yeah go ahead, Bob.
Be my guest.
- So again because this one's actually firm.
This isn't too bad of a chair you know what I mean?
Compared to a lot but still even with that
that's about right.
- That feels good?
- Yeah and that would be way too much for me
in the chair.
And to be honest as far putting your legs up,
you wanna be carefully you bring so far up
that they're actually stretchin' the sciatic nerve
and causing you pain.
You know what I mean? - That may vary
dependin' on how severe your sciatica is
and then can you go back?
- I don't know if this one goes back.
I don't think it does.
But yeah the more you can go back
a lot of times the less stress there'll be on your back.
- Exactly.
- We know a lot of people that end up sleeping in a recliner
and we're not thrilled with it
but a lot of people just seem like
they can't sleep anywhere else
and so if you're gonna sleep,
put it all the way down as far as you can
and make sure you have the support in your back.
Make sure you have the throw pillow in there.
- I have one of these actually too for my recliner.
- What do you have like 50 of 'em?
- I think three and then that old one doesn't count
for the lawn mower.
- But I can see this one too.
Yeah this'll work well in the recliner.
Yeah that feels really good I can see that.
- The very critical aspect
of sciatic and back pain management.
- On the couch if you're sitting on the couch
you wanna do the same thing but more often than not
it's better for you to actually lie down on the couch.
And put some support in your back
'cause that'll be a lot better on your back
than any type of sitting would be.
- And so many often times couches are really fluffy soft
and you should just don't even lay on 'em, don't sit on 'em
just stay away from 'em.
- Going back to the office, Brad, I don't know
if we mentioned this or not but again we don't want
you sitting at all if you can but if you have to sit
try to sit for like 20 minutes
and then get up and walk around.
That's gonna be a lot better for you
than if you even sit in perfect posture for hours on end.
So we're gonna go over just a few other things to do
as far as techniques or hints.
Number one if you lie on the floor or a lot of times
some people to give themselves some relief,
why don't you lie on the mat here actually, Brad.
Some people will actually lie on the floor
and they'll put their feet up on the coffee table.
- Coffee table, ottoman, sometimes even your furniture
you can go up if it's not too high.
- You've done this haven't you?
- Oh yeah, absolutely.
I do this and I put a cold pack under my back.
I've had patients do the same.
- Now this is something you'd only do if it feels better.
And yeah, Brad often puts a cold pack in there.
Kinda gives his back a little support at the same time.
It helps cool it down.
Now another way I'm gonna have you get up now Brad
if you don't mind.
- Oh, no.
- Oh actually while you're in that position
why don't we show the leg wedge too.
- Oh yeah we should 'cause that is better for most people.
More comfortable relief.
- This is another way to lie down
and actually get comfortable.
A good alternative to sitting really
I know this is supposed to be about sitting
but this gives you a good break from sitting.
- Now I have one of these too, Bob.
- 'Nother thing is instead of, you're
dropping your pennies again.
- Well that's a tip.
- Another thing if you're gonna watch TV for a long time
it wouldn't be the worst every once in a while just
to get up and lie on your stomach.
If you watch some of our other videos
on sciatica you're gonna recall that
that's the treatment where we start you off
up on your elbows and then we have you do press ups.
- You should watch those videos if that's not comfortable
or if it increases pain you may not be ready
for that position yet.
- Right that's a whole 'nother video really.
We want you to walk often.
Walking, we did a whole video on this too
it's part of the series, but walking can really help
your sciatica so you really wanna make sure
that you wanna incorporate that into your day.
Mix it up with the sitting.
- Again walking on flat surfaces not up
and down hills, uneven surfaces, those are off the radar
but nice, flat surfaces.
- So we'll have a separate video action
on how to sit in a car.
That's a whole different animal
and check out the rest of the videos from the program.
- That's right.
It's a complete program, Bob!
(Bob laughs)
- Thanks for watching.
(Brad laughs)
(upbeat music)