WEBVTT - Mini Motivation: Dealing with joint pain

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<v Speaker 1>This is healthy heer with Amelia Phillips, and welcome to

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<v Speaker 1>one of my mini motivation episodes. These are shorter, more

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<v Speaker 1>practical conversations really designed to motivate you with simple, actionable

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<v Speaker 1>expert advice that you can implement straight away. So today

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<v Speaker 1>we're going to be talking about chronic pain and how

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<v Speaker 1>we can best manage and ideally move beyond our chronic pain.

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<v Speaker 1>It actually blows my mind how many of my members

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<v Speaker 1>suffer from this, be it chronic, low grade pain such

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<v Speaker 1>as a sore back or neck, or ongoing conditions like arthritis.

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<v Speaker 1>Pain can be a huge energy drainer. And my message

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<v Speaker 1>to you, if you do suffer from chronic pain is this,

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<v Speaker 1>don't give up. Don't let this pain beat you. Keep

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<v Speaker 1>exploring ways to work around your pain to remain mobile

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<v Speaker 1>and strong and ideally reduce its impact on your overall

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<v Speaker 1>quality of life. We're going to be here for a

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<v Speaker 1>long time, so let's minimize that pain as much as

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<v Speaker 1>we possibly can. Now, I pose this question to mobility

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<v Speaker 1>expert Dan O'Sullivan Dan or hands Dan, as he's known

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<v Speaker 1>to in his half a million followers on insta He

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<v Speaker 1>specializes in mobility for over forty year olds, he deals

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<v Speaker 1>with a lot of chronic pain. He runs online programs

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<v Speaker 1>and has a popular YouTube channel with many awesome mobility

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<v Speaker 1>workouts for us to try to have a listen to

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<v Speaker 1>his take on how we can best manage chronic pain.

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<v Speaker 1>Dan with your half a million followers and your very

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<v Speaker 1>popular YouTube channel. I know you work with so so

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<v Speaker 1>many different clients from all ages, rangers, and abilities, but

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<v Speaker 1>I bet you work with a lot of clients who

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<v Speaker 1>are suffering chronic pain such as neck, back, hip, knees,

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<v Speaker 1>be it from arthritis, from injury, or immobility. Can you

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<v Speaker 1>please talk us through how you help these clients move

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<v Speaker 1>beyond their pain.

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<v Speaker 2>The first thing I do is I set realistic expectations

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<v Speaker 2>and the biggest thing that I have So I had

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<v Speaker 2>chronic back pain for five years and it was very

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<v Speaker 2>debilitating when it was at its worth, so much so

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<v Speaker 2>if I had to sneeze, I'd have to hold onto

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<v Speaker 2>a book or you know, even to get out of

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<v Speaker 2>the bed, I'd have to like roll to the side

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<v Speaker 2>and get down on the floor first. And the best

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<v Speaker 2>way I overcame this was it's understanding the movement that

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<v Speaker 2>causes that aggravation and trying to find a variation of

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<v Speaker 2>that that you can actually achieve. And the reason why

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<v Speaker 2>I say that is because for most people they try

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<v Speaker 2>to avoid movements. So if I know that, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>standing there trying to pick something off the floor hurts

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<v Speaker 2>my back, well, then I try to avoid picking things

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<v Speaker 2>off the ground in that position. But the reality is

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<v Speaker 2>is sometimes life is going to force me into that position.

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<v Speaker 2>So isn't it better that I try to understand why

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<v Speaker 2>is that happening? And what people neglect to see is

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<v Speaker 2>they tend to go to where the pain is. So

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<v Speaker 2>I might have a pain in my lower well, potentially

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<v Speaker 2>my hips are unstable, which keeps trigger in the back.

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<v Speaker 2>So it's this, you know, it's the idea of trying

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<v Speaker 2>to find the root cause and then how can I

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<v Speaker 2>build from that point? Like I have people you know

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<v Speaker 2>had frozen shoulder as an example, and literally the movements

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<v Speaker 2>that we had to do was a lot of it

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<v Speaker 2>was like isometrics, and for anybody who don't know what

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<v Speaker 2>that is, it's like it looks like you're doing nothing,

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<v Speaker 2>you're in a static position, but it's about contracting and

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<v Speaker 2>relaxing the muscles.

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<v Speaker 1>For example, if you were sitting there having an arm

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<v Speaker 1>wrestle with someone. Your arm's not moving, but you're obviously

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<v Speaker 1>working hard. That's an isometric contraction.

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<v Speaker 2>That's the best analogy I've ever heard. I was going

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<v Speaker 2>to say, plank, I'm going to take that. I hope

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<v Speaker 2>there's no copyright on that.

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<v Speaker 1>Take it, my friend.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that's a brilliant one, because yes, what with a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of mobility training to improve your range of motion,

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<v Speaker 2>we actually work on contract relax, which is that kind

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<v Speaker 2>of idea whereas if you were arm wrestling, you would

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<v Speaker 2>contract as much as you can and then you would

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<v Speaker 2>relax and you would contract, So you're educating the tissue

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<v Speaker 2>on what to do. And then the benefit of that

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<v Speaker 2>then is you go into more of a length and position.

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<v Speaker 2>So again, if we can picture trying to touch our toes,

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<v Speaker 2>we might go down to a certain point and maybe

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<v Speaker 2>we have a bench in front of us and our

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<v Speaker 2>hands are on the bench, so we feel nothing but support.

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<v Speaker 2>Maybe our butt is against the wall, and maybe there's

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<v Speaker 2>a yoga block in between our knees. This is why

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<v Speaker 2>for anybody who goes to like a yin yoga class,

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<v Speaker 2>this is why we have bolsters. This is why we

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<v Speaker 2>have support because the more your body feels supported. Guess what,

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<v Speaker 2>the apprehension is less. And so with somebody who has

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<v Speaker 2>chronic pain, the pain is a signal. It's telling you

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<v Speaker 2>that there's something happening. So constant pain shouldn't always happen,

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<v Speaker 2>unless it's blunt trauma, which is obviously a different thing.

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<v Speaker 2>But if you're just going about your day and you're

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<v Speaker 2>constantly in pain, I would say you're probably out of alignment.

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<v Speaker 2>And I would probably say structurally, something is not where

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<v Speaker 2>it needs to be. So in terms of how could

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<v Speaker 2>I approach that, obviously that's a million dollar question in

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<v Speaker 2>terms of where is it. But if we say back

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<v Speaker 2>pain or hit pain, which is where a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>people do suffer lower back pain, and you know, I

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<v Speaker 2>would say for most people, if you can understand how

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<v Speaker 2>to segment that spine and build goods to ability in

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<v Speaker 2>your hips, you're probably setting yourself up to be having

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<v Speaker 2>like much greater movement capacity. So I would say for

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<v Speaker 2>most people getting into some form of a movement practice,

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<v Speaker 2>if you're like I'm talking dropping painkillers and you're in

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<v Speaker 2>your serious pain, then it's definitely best that you probably

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<v Speaker 2>work with somebody who is very well versed in this

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<v Speaker 2>as opposed to just guessing.

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<v Speaker 1>I think for a lot of people it's that low

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<v Speaker 1>grade chronic pain that's not quite bad enough to be

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<v Speaker 1>in acute injury or to send them to the physio.

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<v Speaker 1>But they're walking around and I'll get that all that

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<v Speaker 1>hurt when I walked up and down those stairs. Oh

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<v Speaker 1>my back's just so tight. And so what I'm hearing

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<v Speaker 1>you say is number one, paying a lot more attention

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<v Speaker 1>to it and really narrowing down what the trigger points

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<v Speaker 1>are for that pain, which a lot of us don't do.

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<v Speaker 1>We just kind of generally go, oh, well, when I,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, bend over, it hurts, So I think that's

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<v Speaker 1>a really good one. Then you spoke about structural so

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<v Speaker 1>I just want to find out. So what you're saying

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<v Speaker 1>there is it trying to understand if there's structurally something

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<v Speaker 1>going on, such as I know for knee injuries, it

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<v Speaker 1>can often be an imbalance if you might have really

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<v Speaker 1>tight itb and a really weak vastest medialist and so

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<v Speaker 1>suddenly your patella, which is your kneecap, might be just

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<v Speaker 1>slightly malaligned. Is that what you mean by kind of

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<v Speaker 1>understanding the structure?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I want to simplify it for people because again,

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<v Speaker 2>if they're not in the health space, you know what

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<v Speaker 2>you just said there might totally just confuse the life

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<v Speaker 2>out of them. So what I would usually say is this,

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<v Speaker 2>get down into your brand nickers. Have a look in

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<v Speaker 2>the mirror. Do you notice anything out of whack? When

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<v Speaker 2>you like so, Jenny, what I would say is I say,

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<v Speaker 2>jump up it down for two or three seconds and

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<v Speaker 2>get yourself into just kind of like a position if

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<v Speaker 2>I told you got to stand every ten minutes, where

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<v Speaker 2>do you find yourself? And then look look in the mirror.

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<v Speaker 2>What do you see? Are your legs like symmetrical? Like

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<v Speaker 2>is your left leg in the same angle as your

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<v Speaker 2>right leg? Or is your right leg turned out more?

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<v Speaker 2>Is your shoulder hyped up more than the other shoulder?

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<v Speaker 2>Is your hips hiked up more? So this starts to

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<v Speaker 2>tell you a story, and then what you say is okay,

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<v Speaker 2>well why is that happening for most people. I've been

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<v Speaker 2>doing this for twenty two years. I've only had two

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<v Speaker 2>people who I had to admit the feet on and

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<v Speaker 2>that was because one had a bone spur in their hips,

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<v Speaker 2>so they literally could not widen their legs anymore because

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<v Speaker 2>it was bone on bone. The option was either shave

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<v Speaker 2>that or live with it, and then the other person

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<v Speaker 2>had surgery on our foot and whatever way they fused

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<v Speaker 2>it put in a position that we can never change.

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<v Speaker 2>But I would say for most people, you can improve

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<v Speaker 2>the position you currently find yourself in. So looking at

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<v Speaker 2>yourself in the mirror structurally and then taking into context,

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<v Speaker 2>what do those joints do. So again, if your shoulder rotates,

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<v Speaker 2>focus on rotation. If your hips rotate, focus on rotation.

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<v Speaker 2>And then with your spine, let's look at that as

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<v Speaker 2>a big global move movement. We have so many nerve

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<v Speaker 2>endings heading down through that lower back. Like, let's get

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<v Speaker 2>that spine comfortable moving in all planes of motion. Primarily,

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<v Speaker 2>let's look at segmentation. Let's look aflection and extension, and

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<v Speaker 2>just do it in a way that you find most comfortable.

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<v Speaker 2>Get down on your hands and knees. Do some catkews

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<v Speaker 2>with lots of intent. What I see is bad catkeos.

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<v Speaker 2>I see people are trying to race through it really

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<v Speaker 2>slow and controlled. Get an understanding. Where am I now

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<v Speaker 2>feeling that little bit of a pinch and why is it?

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<v Speaker 2>Did my hip shift to the side when I tried

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<v Speaker 2>to do it? Or do I actually feel like I'm

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<v Speaker 2>staying quite symmetrical And the only person who knows the

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<v Speaker 2>answer is you, because you have to investigate within yourself.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's what I say to most people, like close

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<v Speaker 2>your eyes, actually listen to your body. Can you actually

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<v Speaker 2>understand what each vertebrae moving feels like? And when you

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<v Speaker 2>do understand that, guess what the pain goes away. The

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<v Speaker 2>other side of that, I just wanted to quickly actually say,

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<v Speaker 2>was the caveat we have to appreciate is if you

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<v Speaker 2>have chronic pain for an extended period of time, you're

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<v Speaker 2>potentially somebody who has excess inflammation. So that's where you

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<v Speaker 2>want to look at other elements as well, like you're

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<v Speaker 2>slip and the choice of foods that you are having,

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<v Speaker 2>because having high acidic foods, as an example, is going

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<v Speaker 2>to trigger that inflammation, and so you might be doing

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<v Speaker 2>the best exercises in the world, but you want to

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<v Speaker 2>look at those other variables to help as well.

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<v Speaker 1>Absolutely, and just on the topic of nutrition as well,

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<v Speaker 1>the impact of supplementing with collagen or joint health is

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<v Speaker 1>also something that shouldn't be understated. So if you are

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<v Speaker 1>suffering a bit of chronic pain and maybe you're over forty,

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<v Speaker 1>considering that is a really great avenue. I've noticed a

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<v Speaker 1>huge difference in my recovery and my joint health since

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<v Speaker 1>I've been taking collagen for the last twelve months. So yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>it's one that I'm a big fan of. Are you

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<v Speaker 1>as well?

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<v Speaker 2>I take collagen And one of the big things I'm

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<v Speaker 2>an advocate for most people is I would say about

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<v Speaker 2>ninety percent of the population are deficient and magnesium. So

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<v Speaker 2>for most people, when you do start getting into a

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<v Speaker 2>consistent practice, when you're consistent of training, your recovery is important.

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<v Speaker 2>So it's kind of like, you know, if you don't

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<v Speaker 2>do anything, you need to do something. If you do

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<v Speaker 2>too much, you need to do nothing as well. So

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<v Speaker 2>it's like magnesium is such a good mineral for people

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<v Speaker 2>to make sure you are recovering even more efficiently. Especially

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<v Speaker 2>if you find yourself getting cramps after exercising, that's a

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<v Speaker 2>good sign that you potentially need more magnesium.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. Absolutely. There's a couple of really great brands. I

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<v Speaker 1>love Carmex by Metagenics for magnesium. There's another one, Designs

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<v Speaker 1>for Health does try mag RESTful Night, which is a

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<v Speaker 1>great one too, And for collagen, there's a Designs for

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<v Speaker 1>Health that has the three most researched different types of

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<v Speaker 1>collagen Ford to gel for to bone and verasol, and

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<v Speaker 1>Ford to a bone is the one that's shown to

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<v Speaker 1>have the most impact on joint health. So there's some brands.

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<v Speaker 1>I'll actually prop those links in the show notes for

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<v Speaker 1>anyone that's curious to know. But thank you so much, Dan.

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<v Speaker 1>I think that's been a really great reminder for all

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<v Speaker 1>of us that if we have got some low grade

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<v Speaker 1>chronic pain, and as you said, number one, we shouldn't

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<v Speaker 1>ignore it. And number two, really we probably do have

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<v Speaker 1>the answer. It takes focus, but it's so much easier

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<v Speaker 1>to get to the bottom of it with the help

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<v Speaker 1>of an expert such as yourself. So thank you so much.

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<v Speaker 2>You're welcome. What I would say is that movement is medicine.