Do These Rehab Gadgets Work? Our Favorite Tools for Pain Relief & Recovery

[6:10] whole body vibration like could be used for. Oh, look at her go. This is one of — this is actually one of the great things — is you don’t just stand on it. You can actually do exercises on the WBV plate. So doing squats is really great. It is great for karaoke, right? If you’re just trying to really hit that note, you got the — and you need the VBR. You guys might not be able to hear her because she doesn’t have the mic right in front of her, but she sounds like

[6:40] Pavarotti. It’s wonderful. So the research for this — there’s a few things that it’s really good for. For example, it’s really good as a warm-up. Warm-up. I can’t speak English. I need more whole body vibration plate. But it’s really great as a warm-up for exercise, like if you’re doing a HIIT workout or some sort of plyometrics or explosive training. This wakes up the the nerves that are called

[7:11] proprioceptors that are in your joint capsules. So that vibration, that shaking helps to kind of activate those and get you ready that way. Also, it encourages some blood flow to the muscles. So if you’re going to do something like go for a run or a bike ride or jogging or pickleball, whatever it is, it helps to get your legs, your quads, calves, your feet, even your glutes and hips ready.

[7:43] Holding different positions on it can kind of focus on different areas. So she’s holding a squat there. My son actually just injured his knee. We’re actually using this to kind of help him rehab. So as he’s trying to work on some of the stability, do a one-leg stand on the vibration. Can you do that? Can you nail a one-leg stand? Yeah. So, one-leg stand on the vibration plate. It can help with like some ankle proprioception and things like that. Now, beyond just kind of those obvious things. Oh, I should say it

[8:14] feels good, doesn’t it? It actually feels really good. Yeah. Like helps your back relax and everything. Some people do planks or push-ups on it. Okay. Some people will just jump over it. Don’t do that. That’s stupid. You could — you just do that with a pillow. So, looking at some of the research here — oh, one group that this is really great for is folks over 80, especially, and also post-menopausal women. It helps with

[8:44] bone density. So if you’re looking to maintain bone density, a whole body vibration plate — using that on a regular basis can help you with muscle tone as well as bone density. It’s got really good cardiovascular effects for people who are obese or overweight. It can help with blood pressure. It helps to kind of bring your blood pressure down if you’ve got high blood pressure. And

[9:15] it helps with mobility, gait — if you are worried about falls or tripping or anything like that, whole body vibration is really, really good. So I like using it before I get on the Peloton, or after I get on the Peloton, or when I get home from work and I’m just like sore or stiff, or when I wake up in the morning and it’s like I need something to get me going. And I should mention if you’ve got ADHD, it actually helps with focus. Yeah, the vibration — I guess it just helps

[9:46] your brain. Shaken baby syndrome, I guess. So yeah, whole body vibration — one of my favorite things recently. And so yeah, that’s it. Shake and bake. Let me turn that off. Shake and bake. Ch. Oh, I feel good. I feel warmed up. Yeah, that’s good. Right. You could probably go run half of a half of a 5K. What’s that? What’s that? A 1.25K.

[10:18] So yeah. 1 kilometer. 1.25. It is. Yeah, it’s 1.25. Yep. Mhm. So — I have patients that use these and — yeah. I haven’t read up on the evidence on them, so I can’t really talk about it, but you clearly have. But they seem to really like it. The evidence is emerging is what we’ll say. And I think that that’s actually one of the things that has gotten it out of clinics and into homes. So you could get on

[10:48] Amazon and you could buy whole body vibration and you can still pay your mortgage. So they’re nice and affordable. I’m not going to tell you how much it is because we’re playing a game with that later. Yes. And so, I’m trying to drop some hints to Raul over in the booth so that — you know — a family can own one of these. Okay. So, still pay. Yeah. So that’s that’s my thing number

[11:18] one. Love it. Your turn, Kathy. It might be my new — Okay. Yes. Oh, what she got for us? Oh my gosh. Your favorite thing is Notre Dame. Well, yes. Yes. But if we’re not in rehab. Can you see these? Yeah, we have that. Oh my gosh. What is this? Oh, are they amazing or what? Yes, those are good. Okay, if you’re just listening,

[11:49] Kathy has Notre Dame shoes. And shocker. If this is not your first time watching the podcast, you’re not surprised. You are not surprised. Yes. My partner when I got these — first of all, they’re cross trainers and so they’ve got gold and blue and and of course the ND logo on the back. They’re kind of gaudy, but I love them. My partner says to me, “You’re a 57-year — not seven — you’re a 50-something-year-old woman. What are you doing with those shoes?” Uh-huh. And I said, “Exactly.”

[12:19] Hey, how’d they do in their bowl game? They did great. Remember that time a couple years ago they beat Oregon State by like 95. The only thing I remember is 2001. Oh gosh, that’s the one I always hear about. But the most recent one was really fun. Okay. Anyhow. Anyhow, tell me about these fancy shoes. Aren’t they fancy? They’re so — they do look nice. They are. They are my favorite ones. They’re my cross trainers. So that means I can lift weights in

[12:50] Kathy: them because that’s one of my favorite things to do in this world. Wait, I can’t — I can’t lift weights in regular shoes.

Jason: We’ll get into that.

Kathy: Okay.

Jason: That’s — but that’s part of it. So this is my footwear talk actually.

Kathy: Okay. Yes.

Jason: And it — you know, you lift better when you feel better, and you feel better when you’re wearing these fancy Notre Dame cross trainer shoes.

Kathy: Do they have to be Notre Dame, or can it be —

Jason: I mean, these are the best. So —

Kathy: Mm-hm.

Jason: I would always choose these blue and gold ones,

[13:21] right? Like, if you got them in like yellow and green, would you just sprain both ankles while you were trying to, you know, lift your five pound weights over your head because you’re weak?

Kathy: That’s a recipe for ACL tear.

Jason: Sorry, Duck fans.

Kathy: Sorry. You better go blue and gold.

Jason: Yeah.

Kathy: So, cross trainers. Yes, you alluded to that. Why cross trainers? Well, they — they’re — the base — the sole of them. I think I have a

[13:51] shaken brain syndrome — from this vibrational plane.

Jason: I can’t get my words out.

Kathy: You got a concussion on the whole body of my face.

Jason: I do, because I’m like, what are they?

Kathy: Did it — it gave you a

Jason: Oh my gosh.

Kathy: Oh. Anyway, they are cross training shoes that don’t have a high heel, so they’re flatter to the ground so that you can lift weights. And I’ll talk about that later.

Jason: Call that zero drop. Is that what it is?

[14:22] Kathy: It’s not quite zero drop. They have a little — they have a little bit of a drop. They have a little bit of a heel, because also you can do cardio in these. These are not running shoes. You don’t want to go out and run even a half of a half of a 5K.

Jason: Oh wow. No, you might want to run 500 yards at the most.

Kathy: At the most. Not 500 yards — 500. Not the best for running.

Jason: Not the best for running, but you can. You can do jumping. That’s kind of what they’re made for — lifting weights, but also jumping. And maybe they were called cross trainers because

[14:53] perhaps they were used at CrossFit.

Jason: Okay. Yeah. So, like if you’re doing CrossFit — which I always see those people running out in traffic.

Kathy: Yeah.

Jason: As they train in some abandoned warehouse somewhere. And you wonder if they’re just hoping they get hit by a car.

Kathy: Yeah. Well, to go back sometimes though, like honestly, it’s like you go to some of these places and it’s like they’re making a break for it, and I just want to like pull over and be like, “Get in. Get in. We’ll drive.”

Jason: Get in. There’s no burpees up the road.

Kathy: Exactly. Exactly.

[15:24] Jason: I’ll drive you to — I’ll drive you to the Burger King. Get in.

Kathy: Yes. So I will recommend — I will recommend cross trainer shoes for people who want to, say, come to Helix and go to my strength training classes, because we do cardio at the end. We’ll do a Tabata, we’ll do jump ropes, and so these kinds of shoes you can lift weights and you can also kind of run in. And my whole point in talking about my cross training shoes is that in our

[15:56] clinic we’ve seen a lot of good outcomes recently. I would say in the last year or so, recommending better footwear.

Jason: Mm-hm.

Kathy: It is kind of — underrated. Okay. Footwear is underrated, and we’ve been —

Jason: People forget about it.

Kathy: Yeah. And we have gotten on a kick lately, and I kind of attribute this to one of my colleagues, Aaron, who’s a therapist at our clinic.

[16:27] Jason: We have to get Aaron on.

Kathy: We do have to get him on —

Jason: Because Aaron is famous for the — yes — the TPI stuff, right?

Kathy: Yeah. But he’s also — so he started recommending these Brooks

Jason: Mm-hm.

Kathy: to people, because for some reason we got a rash of people with plantar fasciitis all of a sudden.

Jason: Ah.

Kathy: And so he started recommending Brooks, and in fact I started buying Brooks sneakers because he was recommending them — and remember I had a foot problem.

[16:57] Jason: Mm-hm.

Kathy: And so the Brooks that I have picked out — the ones I wear — are the Glycerin. And so they’re kind of like medium cushy.

Jason: Yeah.

Kathy: And they have like a 12 mm drop,

Jason: so it kind of supports both the Achilles and the plantar fascia

Kathy: at the bottom, too. But there’s also — let me look this up — but I think it’s the

Jason: yes, the Brooks Adrenaline,

[17:28] because — intense.

Kathy: It does sound intense. It’s got some good cushioning in the heel, but also kind of supports — like, not excessive pronation, so it doesn’t let you over-pronate.

Jason: Okay.

Kathy: But they’re not too rigid. And then the other one — and this is one of the more popular ones that we recommend — is the Brooks Ghost.

Jason: And that’s for consistent heel cushioning. And then it has a nice heel-to-toe transition. So it’s not a huge heel, but it has enough cushioning in the heel. And it has enough heel

[17:59] lift as well. And that’s why we use the Ghost too. We recommend the Ghost because it’s more for neutral feet. And yeah.

Kathy: Pretty good arch support as well. So we’ve just recently had some good success with helping people with foot and ankle pain, even knee pain, recommending the right shoes.

Jason: Okay. Yeah. So, if you’re out looking for — these are Under Armour — I’m not sure.

[18:30] They’re Under Armour trainers.

Kathy: Under Armour train. Yeah.

Jason: Okay. Oh, what does it say on the side?

Kathy: It says stronger, longer, faster, better.

Jason: Okay.

Kathy: And that’s how I feel when I wear them.

Jason: In the gym.

Kathy: Well, and this is probably a good time to mention that we have a shoe guy coming on soon. Yes. In a few weeks, we’re going to have Simon O’Brien from Ultra.

Jason: Yes.

Kathy: Which — I’m a big fan of Ultra.

Jason: I like Ultra, too.

Kathy: So yeah. Good. Thank you.

[19:02] Jason: Yes.

Kathy: Does everybody get a free pair? No. That’s — we’re not that — Oprah.

Jason: We’re not there yet.

Kathy: Yeah.

Jason: Maybe one of these days.

Kathy: One day we will be billionaire Oprah Winfrey.

Jason: And then you get a pair.

Kathy: Yes, you get a pair. Everybody gets a pair.

Jason: You wouldn’t wear my Notre Dame shoes.

Kathy: If I’m free — I’m Notre Dame agnostic. Yeah, exactly. So,

Jason: No, good stuff.

Kathy: Yeah. So, I think right now is a good time

[19:33] to stop and talk about one of our new favorite things. Let’s talk about our affiliate deal. Jason: Yeah. Kathy: All right. I’ve got ADHD, which means that my brain is incredible at ideas and it’s terrible at staying in one lane. So, for most of my life, focus is something that I’ve had to fight for. And then I found Brain FM. No exaggeration, it feels like someone installed a performance upgrade in my brain. Brain FM uses music engineered with neuroscience to guide your brain into specific states. Deep focus, flow,

[20:03] relaxation, even sleep. It’s targeted input for how your brain actually works. When I turn it on, it’s like my mental noise drops and my attention locks in. I can work for longer without burning out. Writing, clinic work, podcast prep — stuff that used to feel scattered suddenly feels organized. For my ADHD brain, it’s basically a superpower. So, right now, you can try Brain FM for free for 30 days. Use our affiliate link in

[20:33] the description. The free trial costs you nothing and it supports the PTCH Podcast. Gives you a chance to see what your brain can really do with the right tools. So, if you’ve got ADHD like me, see if Brain FM can help unlock your superpower instead of struggling with willpower. And we’re back. Okay, so Kathy, Brain FM really is one of my favorite things. It’s seriously — well, just really quick, I’m going to cheat and I’m going to do two and a half favorite

[21:03] things, because Brain FM is one of them. The way I even stumbled on it was I had like a big project to get done and I was listening to the Interstellar soundtrack and I was just like — I was grinding like non-stop. Kathy: Yeah. Jason: I just — I was a machine. Couldn’t be stopped. I got so much work done and I was like, man, what on earth is it about this soundtrack that is working for me? And just doing some digging and research, found

[21:34] actually published scientific literature from Brain FM about these types of sounds and how they influence your brain. So then I started using them and now it’s like every single day. I think I’m on like a 30-week streak or something like that. So it’s fun. Anyway, so go get you some Brain FM right now, but that’s not my other favorite thing. Kathy: Okay. Jason: This is my — which camera am I on here? Kathy: There you go. Jason: Is it this one? Yep. So, there it is.

[22:04] There it is. Okay. This is so cool. I think we got this from the future and it’s like somebody accidentally left it here. Because it’s really neat. This is the Venom Go from Hyperice and it is heat and vibration and you can wear it. So, for example, here is what it looks like. Oh, is this — is this what the ladies do on social media? Let me put my hand behind this. You know, like my

[22:34] daughter was doing this once. She’s like — she’s like, “Hey, Dad, look at this.” And I’m like, “What are you doing with your hand?” So, I don’t know. Raul, is this a thing? Is this — this makes it work. Okay, this does help. Kathy: Oh, okay. Well, shoot. Jason: Yeah. All right. There we go. There it is. These kids know what they’re talking about. Kathy: Okay, so yeah, first things first, this comes in two parts. There is an adhesive pad and then there’s a control box. And these connect magnetically,

[23:06] which is so — this is like — it’s like a fidget toy, right? Okay. So, you can take and put this adhesive pad anywhere. Okay. Like, come on. Be an adult. Anywhere within reason. Jason: Anywhere within reason. You don’t want to know where you’d put it. And it sticks right on. So, like let’s say that I have a strain in my forearm or something like that. I can just go click this sucker on and — oh, let me hit the power. Look at that. It lights

[23:36] up. Are you kidding me? I’m from the future. Kathy: You are — Terminator. Jason: Okay. So, I’m going to do this near the microphone. You can hear that kind of buzzing and vibrating. So, it feels good. A little bit of vibration there. It’s got different patterns that it’ll do. Kathy: Sounds like a bunch of killer bees. Jason: Okay. So, the vibration feels good, right? Vibration can help a muscle relax. You know, you get some neurological effects. But the coolest thing is that this heats up like

[24:07] instantly. There’s a heat button on the side. I turn it on and now I feel warm instantly. Just like that. And it’s got three settings for heat. This is the very hottest. And so I can wear this like throughout the day. Like, if I have some low back pain or like a leg strain or something like that, I can have this on and be going about my business. I’m going to turn off the vibration. But yeah, so like people will get those hot packs

[24:37] where it’s like now they’re just exposed to the air, it heats up and everything like that. And those — I’d say 70% of the time they work. About 30% of those that I open, they never heat up or they don’t get very hot. Kathy: This is consistent. It’s reliable. It’s going to get you to a therapeutic temperature and it feels great and it’s really, really convenient. It’s got a USB-C charger and it charges really pretty fast. And so I’ve had times

[25:07] when maybe I’ve had like a shoulder injury or something from adjusting and, like I need something to help me get through the day and this thing does it for me. It’s like Harry Potter magic. Kathy: It is. I bought one from you. Jason: That’s right. Kathy: Last year. Jason: We talked about this on another episode and I was like, “Oh, you’ve heard of that?” And you’re like, “Yeah, I bought it from you.” Yeah. So, I love it because like you said, it instantly heats up. You know, the other place I use it — my upper trap. Jason: Oh,

[25:38] you know that upper trap, levator scap, that’s just like the tension. Kathy: Yeah. From stress. Jason: Yeah. And I just lay on the couch and just let it buzz away. Kathy: Yes. It’s really nice. And after a while, this pad will get gross. Okay. So, when you buy one of these, it comes with a three-pack of pads Jason: and it’s got the USB charging cable. And so when it does really get gross, you could just throw this away and you can buy like refill kits. It’s really pretty affordable. I’m not going to say the price because Raul’s listening Kathy: and Raul likes to cheat.

[26:10] Jason: That’s what we know about Raul. Why? Well, because he’s won some games, right? He tied one. He won one. So, what do we know about Raul? Raul likes to cheat. Kathy: Cheater. Jason: And if you’re not cheating, Kathy: you’re not winning. Jason: You’re not winning. Yeah. And you’re definitely not trying. So, yeah. That’s it. That is my other favorite thing. I’m just going to let it sit here and warm up. Kathy: Have you been watching Fallout? It’s like my Pip-Boy. Jason: No. Okay. So, if you’re a video game nerd, you are laughing your head off right now. My joke is hilarious.

[26:40] Kathy: So funny. You’re like, “Oh my gosh, Jason: that Dr. Watz’s face is pretty funny guy.” Kathy: Very, very funny guy. All right, Kathy. Kathy: Yes. Jason: What’s your other favorite thing? Kathy: This is my — Jason: Do you mind if I’m still warming up during the — Kathy: He’s warming up. Warm it up. Warm it up. Jason: Kathy: What? Jason: I know. What is it? Is it a calculator? Kathy: It’s my TI-25. Remember those? Jason: Oh gosh. Yeah. I remember having to rent those. Kathy: Oh yeah.

[27:10] Jason: Big deal. Kathy: I was actually an HP guy. Jason: And I was in the computer club in high school. Kathy: Yeah. Jason: You don’t say. It’s a pretty natural trajectory — whenever you are like the sit-and-reach champion, you’re going to get recruited by some clubs. And let’s just say the computer club was the club for me. So yeah, I had my HP calculator and I wrote games for it. So I wrote myself a blackjack game. I wrote myself a snake game. Kathy: Wow.

[27:40] Jason: What language? Basic. Kathy: Oh jeez. I don’t even remember what you use for that. But yeah, I was a programmer. I was a coder back in the day. Kathy: I believe it. Jason: Yeah. Now I couldn’t like code my way out of a wet — can anybody code their way out of a wet paper bag? Kind of like real-world stuff. I don’t feel like there’s a lot of guys in basements that if you put them in a wet paper bag, they would have the skills that it takes. Kathy: Probably not. Jason: I’m so sorry. What’s the thing that you have there? Kathy: And we’re back. Jason: Yeah. Uh-huh. Turn on Brain FM.

[28:10] Turn it on now. Kathy: Yeah. Maybe we should have that running in the background. Jason: Jeez. Okay. Kathy: All right. What you got? Jason: This is my favorite gadget in the clinic. Kathy: From Chattanooga. Jason: From Chattanooga. Chattanooga makes good equipment. I’ve got some Chattanooga. Kathy: I bet you do. Jason: What is this though? Kathy: This is — I don’t have that. This is the NMES. So NMES stands for neuromuscular electrical stimulation. Jason: Okay. Kathy: Okay. So this can also double as a TENS

[28:41] unit. Jason: Yes. Kathy: But that’s not what I use it for. Jason: Okay. Kathy: So what is neuromuscular electrical stimulation? Jason: I think I’ve heard about this. Like we have a mutual patient that you use this on. Kathy: Yeah. Jason: And it’s like a freaking miracle. Kathy: It is a miracle. Jason: Like they came in so excited about this because — oh, look at that. Kathy: Oh, wait. They each get their own pads. Jason: Wait. Young H. Kathy: Wait, I know that guy. Jason: Sounds familiar. Kathy: Yeah. Jason: Did you use this on my boy, too? Kathy: Yeah. This is the one.

[29:12] Jason: That’s his — I was talking about. No. Okay. I guess you’re just using this on everybody. Kathy: Yes. Okay. All right. This is what you’ve been using on Alson’s knee. Kathy: That’s right. Jason: This goes on his quad. Kathy: It does. Okay. Yes. And what does it do? So, my little machine here hooks up to the pads just like Jason’s pad on his — Jason: Yeah. Kathy: So, these are electrodes and they hook up to my machine. And so what my machine does is it does send an

[29:44] electrical current into your skin and muscle. It’s very surface. Jason: I mean, we don’t recommend this for people that have defibrillators or stimulators. We don’t do that. Kathy: So there’s some contraindication. Jason: You’re wearing a defibrillator. Kathy: Yes. Jason: You got bigger fish to fry. Kathy: Yes. That’s my first question. Jason: Probably too many fried fish. Kathy: Yes. Do you have a pacemaker? Jason: Yes. Kathy: We don’t use it with that. Okay.

[30:14] Kathy: So, what it does is — I put the two pads on. The one I use it mostly for is quad, but I have a couple other stories that I want to talk about too. The one — my favorite thing to use it on is the quad because when people have a knee injury, they have swelling, surgery, anything like that, there is this ridiculous spinal reflex that we are programmed with that we haven’t evolved out of. It’s called arthrogenic inhibition, Jason: okay? Kathy: in which the brain and nervous

[30:46] system, when it senses swelling or pain in the knee, it shuts down some of the muscle fibers in the quad. Jason: Mm. Kathy: So, you can no longer get full access of the quad muscle. You can no longer get the full strength of your muscle, which to me seems silly because you’re just going to fall over. Jason: Yeah. If your body is programmed to fall if it gets a little weak. Kathy: Yes. Jason: You’ve had a rough day, you’re going to fall. Kathy: So, when it’s safe and when we’re ready to get that quad going — because anytime I’m doing rehab, knee

[31:17] rehab, the first thing I want to do is get that quad strengthened up again. And so what we need to do is start to get the brain and the quad talking to itself — talking to each other again. And so this NMES machine, like I said, sends the electrical stimulation into the skin and into the muscle and basically it starts the action potential of the nerve. So it’s really talking to the nerve. Jason: So it stimulates the nerve to send the

[31:47] message to the muscle — hey, wake it up. Kathy: Yeah. Time to get going. Jason: Time to get going here. Kathy: Yeah. No, we don’t want any of this on vacation anymore, right? Jason: Let’s get this quad going. Kathy: So, what I’ll do is — it helps the contraction of the muscle. So, when people come in, a lot of times after a surgery or after an injury, they really, really, really have a hard time squeezing that quad. Jason: And so, I put this on, I turn on the machine, and it helps the muscle

[32:18] contraction. It will help you contract your muscle. It recruits some of those fibers. It recruits the fibers. And then what I have the patient do is squeeze that muscle as well. And so you get an even bigger contraction. And that really is what starts the rehab process. So I use that with people, you know, say someone who’s got a sprained knee. People that have had meniscus surgery, people that have ACL, total knee replacement. The first

[32:48] place I heard about this of course was at University of Colorado. There’s a professor, Dr. Jennifer Stevens Lapsley, that did research in her lab on this, and people that had total knee replacements — if they use NMES immediately out of the gate had better results getting their quads stronger. Now, what I’ve also transitioned this to, and we have — this is probably the other patient you

[33:18] were talking about that I’ve used it on. It’s a person who has what’s called dystonia in her lower leg. And so she basically has drop foot. And she has a hard time voluntarily contracting her ankle. And so she’s generally in a wheelchair because she has a parkinsonian issue that she deals with. And there’s a number of things that can cause dystonia. Like sometimes people get

[33:48] dystonia for like no good reason, right? They might get it in their neck, right? Or in an arm or a leg, and it’s just like that muscle just starts contracting, right? Because it’s kind of got a mind of its own. Yeah. So this patient has hemiplegia on the left side. It’s kind of intermittent anyway. It’s a neurological disorder, but I put these electrodes on her lower leg, in the muscle that helps lift her foot up so that she

[34:18] can walk. The other thing that’s great about this machine is it comes with a button. A button. A button. Ooh. It hooks to the machine. The machine — you can put it on your belt buckle. Uh-huh. And so when you want your foot to lift, you hit the button and it just goes. Lifts your foot. Oh, that’s dope. Yeah, I like that. So this person last year for the first time was able to go and walk on the beach. Yes. Because of the use of this machine. She went out and bought one

[34:48] herself. Yeah. Because we were using it in the clinic all the time. Yeah. And she went and bought one for herself. And so, um, you know, for her to be able to get out of her wheelchair, walk on the beach — she had to use walking sticks, you know, family around, too. But just for her to be able to clear her toe off the ground, this machine was just kind of a life-changer for her. Yeah. And because I mean, that’s when you’re really sort of transcending the “I’m helping you with your leg

[35:19] problem or whatever,” you know? You’re improving somebody’s life literally by giving them — I mean, and I don’t know who really needs to be walking on the beach, right? But it’s nice to be able to walk on the beach. It makes you feel like a person. Yeah. Right. When you can’t walk on the beach, you want to be able to walk on the beach. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. Let me ask you this. Are you familiar with Russian stim? Yeah. Is this basically the same thing? Basically the same? And

[35:50] I don’t know exactly — I should know the difference between the two. But I have one machine in the clinic that does Russian stim. Yeah. And it’s a bigger machine and I just hit the —

Jason: You want to know how to tell the difference?

Kathy: Yeah.

Jason: The accent. Nasdrovia. Yeah. Okay. I couldn’t resist. Boris. Yeah. Put this on your leg. Well, and Russian stim is interesting. It’s called

[36:20] Russian stim because the Russians tried to cheat. They tried to cheat. Oh yeah. Heck yeah. They were trying to use electrical stimulation in order to make super athletes. And so they were trying to give their athletes a training advantage. Like, can we use electrical stimulation to make it so they can lift more weight? What they actually found was that they could, to a point, because whenever you’re — let’s say that you want to go out and you want to lift some weights. Yeah. And you haven’t lifted weights. One

[36:53] of the things — excuse me — I used to be a strength and conditioning specialist, and one of the things that would annoy me so much is whenever somebody would go out and they start working with a personal trainer and then they go and they lift weights for a week and they’re trying to lose weight and gain muscle, right? And they gain weight and they’re like, “What’s going on?” So they have this conversation with their personal trainer and they’re like, “Well, you’re just putting on muscle.” No, no, you’re not. No, you’re not. Not in those first few weeks. No. What’s probably happening is that person’s eating more

[37:24] and drinking more because their body’s like, “What are you doing?” Yes. But, in the first stages of muscle training, you’re not building muscle — you’re recruiting more muscle fibers, which is what this does. And so what the Russians found was that they could actually decrease that gap in time between an untrained athlete and a trained athlete being able to recruit those muscle fibers. And so it’s great for rehab. It’s not very useful for

[37:56] athletes, right? It’s not making you a better sprinter or something like that. But the rehab benefits are huge because you’re able to help those people recruit the fibers artificially until, in some cases, they can do it themselves. Yeah, that’s the basic theory there. Yeah. Isn’t there a scene in Rocky — the Rocky movie — where they’re doing that to Drago? Yes. Drago. Drago. I will break you. Yes. Yeah. They have him hooked up to the —

[38:29] just made that connection.

Kathy: Yes. Uh-huh. And then you got Dolph Lundgren who’s just like there bouncing the pecs.

Jason: Yes. Is he still alive?

Kathy: I think one of those guys died.

Jason: A lot of those 80s like —

Kathy: Are you thinking of —

Jason: A lot of those 80s steroid guys have like kicked the bucket this year.

Kathy: Yeah.

Jason: I’ve watched this reel about all the wrestlers — the pro wrestlers — like, you guys, those guys don’t live to be 70. Hulk Hogan was an anomaly. Anyway —

Kathy: — has nothing to do with this. Nothing.

[38:59] Anyway,

Kathy: that’s so cool,

Jason: right? And if Chattanooga wants to sponsor us —

Kathy: Yeah, definitely. Guys, come on. Right.

Jason: Yeah, it’s my favorite machine. All right. I love it. All right. Is it game time?

Kathy: It is game time.

Jason: Okay. So, for the game, we just decided this like moments before we started recording. We’re like, “Oh no, we don’t have a game.” And then I had an epiphany. We’re gonna go Price is Right with this. And you know, Raul, you’re going to be the

[39:29] one contestant on the Price is Right. So now, Kathy, if he gets this right — he gets the closest, like let’s say that he gets within 10% of the price without going over — are we going to give him something for free?

Kathy: Heck no.

Jason: Okay. We play for pride and pride only on the PTCH Podcast. So you’ve got to get

[40:00] the closest to the actual price without going over. Now, just for verification’s sake, I have gone through and I have consulted Amazon.com, not a sponsor, for the price of this particular model of whole body vibration plate. Okay. So, Raul, if you would please — what would you say is the retail price of a whole body vibration plate for home use?

[40:31] Raul: It’s a good question.

Jason: It’s a great question.

Raul: Yeah. You mentioned home use, that families would be able to afford it eventually.

Jason: Yes. So —

Raul: I’m gonna say — good question —

Jason: You’re stalling.

Raul: Whoa. 1200.

Jason: 1200. It’s actually $12,000. No. Golly, you’re so far over. So far over.

[41:01] You’re actually — I think that you’re like 10 times over. No. Yeah, it’s — $119.

Raul: No way.

Jason: Yeah. $119. $119.

Raul: No way.

Jason: Yeah, that model. Yep.

Raul: I would have said $299.

Jason: $299. No, $119. If you want a more rickety one, you can even find a more rickety one on Amazon. So yeah, go get you one. Okay, Kathy, your turn. Hit him with the shoes.

Kathy: Okay.

[41:32] Under Armour cross-training shoes, Raul — let’s see, the Notre Dame brand on it.

Jason: You want to do the branded ones? Okay. Oh —

Kathy: The gold-plated branding ones. Okay, these are the new ones.

Raul: That’s about what I would have guessed.

Jason: Yeah.

Raul: Yes. Okay.

Jason: Okay. Okay. So, for some context, I was a —

Raul: Duck.

Jason: Oh. Oh, we’re sorry.

[42:03] Raul: I’ve seen the prices.

Jason: This is going to be Raul’s last shoe.

Kathy: Yep.

Jason: So, for like Duck-branded shoes —

Raul: I feel like around 250 to 300.

Jason: Wow.

Raul: I’m going to go 250.

Jason: 250. Uncle Phil.

Kathy: Yes, that is.

Jason: He’s jacking it up on the Duck.

Kathy: He thought these were Nikes. Oh, these are Under Armours, son.

[42:35] Kathy: You can get your very own pair, Raul, for $139.99.

Jason: Yes. Probably not even the 99 cents since I quit printing pennies.

Raul: That’s right.

Jason: Yeah. So —

Raul: Wow.

Jason: I just think things are like way more expensive than they actually —

Kathy: You lead this decadent lifestyle.

Jason: It does. Look at this guy.

Kathy: Well, but it’s great because you’re making everything look super affordable. Yes.

[43:06] What would you pay for — all right, here we go. The Venom Go from Hyperice. Okay. And this is again — you’ve got your control unit, and it comes with the three pads and the USB-C charging cable. What would you pay for a handsome device like that, Raul? This is the Venom Go.

Raul: So, the instant —

Jason: Reminder, Kathy bought one.

Raul: Okay. Okay.

[43:36] Raul: Take a look at me. So, the instant heat — I think that’s a pretty cool feature.

Kathy: It’s amazing. We’re going to let you try this out here.

Raul: Oh, really? Cool. Cool. Um, one —

Jason: Do you need to examine the product for me?

Raul: Maybe. All right, here we go.

Jason: Here you go. He’s examining the workmanship. I don’t know why I’m doing this because he’s overguessed on everything. He’s going to

[44:07] say, “Well, I was going to say 75 bucks before, but this is clearly at least $19,000.”

Raul: At least $19,000.

Jason: The three pads — you say about $26,000.

Raul: Yes. All right. What’s your guess? I’m gonna go — we’ll say 90.

Jason: 90. You originally were going to go 120, weren’t you? You said that. We’re going to give you 120, because the actual price is 129. So, very good. Very good. Well done. Well done.

Kathy: Good job,

[44:37] boy. And then this last one — I don’t — geez, I’m trying to think about what I would even pay for. Huh?

Jason: The Chattanooga —

Kathy: Chattanooga is a — it’s a reputable brand. It’s not like —

Jason: Continuum.

Kathy: Okay. They have many, many, many products. This is the Continuum.

Jason: Yeah. So, Chattanooga products are not your Amazon knockoffs.

Kathy: No, these are medical devices.

Jason: Yeah, they are. It’s a medical brand. It is a medical brand. Yes. Okay. So, I honestly don’t know

[45:10] what the price is. I’m just trying to get you out of the $20 range. Okay. All right. Which — — for context, because I want to help you out here: you can get a TENS unit — like a portable TENS unit — you can get a pretty decent one for 30, 40 bucks.

Kathy: If you want a pretty good one, 60, 75 bucks.

Jason: That being said, I still don’t know how much this one is. It comes with its own case, though,

Kathy: which makes me slightly suspicious. It’s a very nice case.

[45:40] Jason: Don’t forget the button. And — oh, actually the button is actually a big deal because that’s not standard equipment. Kathy: No. Jason: It’s got some heft to it. This is good construction. Kathy: Yeah. So, I’m going to caution you on that one. Jason: I will say my wife does have like one of those portable TENS units, because I know that it’s been really, really helpful for like endometriosis pain and stuff like that. But I think that one’s on like the scale

[46:10] of like the $40, $50. Kathy: This one definitely looks, you know, medical grade, right? Like, more nicely made. So, I’m going to go — I’m going to go $100. Jason: $100. Kathy: $100. Jason: Wow. Kathy: Is that cash or — Jason: All right. What do we got? Kathy: So, we are going to pull it up here. I want to get it straight from the Chattanooga site because there’s a lot of other sites that sell them cheaper.

[46:43] Jason: Where? Sorry for this. Kathy: That’s okay. Jason: It is. Here it is. Kathy: Oh, there it is. Holy Moses. Jason: Wow. That’s straight from the Chattanooga. Kathy: Okay, listen — I’m going to tell you $100 is not correct. No. Jason: $400 and over. Kathy: Yes. Jason: $473

[47:14] and 31 cents. Kathy: Yes. Woo. Okay. It’s quite — but I was kind of watching you scroll through. There’s places where you could probably get one like used or something like that. Jason: Yeah. There’s some — Kathy: fell off the back of a truck. Jason: Yeah. There’s some medical supply companies that sell it. Looks like the least I see it for is like $315. Kathy: Yeah. Jason: Yeah. But I would say like this feels like a quality device. Yeah. Kathy: And so, if you’re out there kind of like doing the Amazon or the Alibaba

[47:46] Express shopping — this is well made. Jason: Yeah. And if you’re interviewing physical therapists for after knee surgery, knee injury, and they don’t use NMES, run — limp, limp away. Limp, limp away as fast as you can. Kathy: Get your wheelchair. Jason: This is a hack. This is a hack that they must be using for you. Kathy: Yeah, it’s a shortcut. Yeah. It’s on the level of BFR. Jason: It is on the — that’s next. Then you

[48:17] go to BFR. Kathy: Then you go to BFR. Jason: Yeah. Kathy: Yes. And if you don’t know what that is, well, you need to just scroll through the PTCH Podcast catalog. Yes. We did a whole episode on it. It was great. So, Jason: all right. Well, that was fun. Kathy: That was a fun one. Jason: That was fun. Let’s do some take-homes. Kathy: Mm-hm. Jason: I need to buy more stuff. Kathy: I think it’s time. Sorry, Mandy. Jason: Bad news. Kathy: No — Jason: this was my first time on a vibration plate. Kathy: Was it? Jason: I liked it.

[48:47] Kathy: Okay. Jason: Except for the minor concussive symptoms I had for about 10 minutes. I’m back though. Kathy: You’re like, right after the cameras are off, I’m gonna go vomit in a garbage can. Jason: I liked it. Kathy: Yeah. Let’s see. Take-home for me — man, I’m not getting those shoes. But, you know, I think I need to be using that technology more, like the NMES, Russian Stim, those kinds of

[49:18] things, because yeah, it really is pretty accessible. I don’t know the average person needs to go to the full $473. No. But if you’re a clinician — Kathy: Yeah. Jason: I’m using this every day, multiple times a day. So, Kathy: totally. But the technology is solid and it does make a huge difference in people’s lives. So, Jason: yeah. Wonderful. Okay. Well, don’t forget to like and subscribe. We’re awesome. We’re so cool. Oh, I should mention we have a website now, the

[49:49] PTCHpodcast.com. So, you can get links to all of our stuff. We’re closer than ever to premium subscriptions. There’s sponsorship opportunities. You’re going to find links to our affiliates, to our sponsors, all that kind of stuff. And it’s awesome. Kathy: Yeah. Jason: And I think there’s just one more item of business. And that is there’s no I in PTCH.