Safeguard Your Spine at Christmas
I hope you're excited about the festive season which is but upon us.
With Christmas and New Year’s fast approaching, many of us have extensive “to-do” lists for the week ahead. From holiday shopping to cooking and cleaning for guests, wrapping presents and traveling to see friends and family, it’s simply a very busy time of year. So perhaps it’s not surprising that the holidays are also a prime time for back pain, with GP's and physiotherapists reporting a seasonal high in patients seeking help for an acute or chronic issue.
To help make sure you’re in a festive mood when Santa strikes, here are a few commonsense pieces of advice to keep in mind while you’re getting ready to ring in the New Year.
Here are Six Ways to Safeguard Your Spine at Christmas
1. Stay active
With all the festivities beginning, Christmas parties to attend and shopping to be done this time of year gets extremely busy. Make sure you still schedule time for your health and well being. Whether it is your regular exercise therapy class, a gym session or a swim it is important that you continue to make time to keep your body moving.
An early morning or evening walk can be an easy and effective way to keep active and use up some of that festive season fuel. Get to bed a bit earlier, wake up 30 minutes earlier with your active wear prepped the night before and start the day outside. I also like the idea of a Christmas light crawl!
2. Practice proper bending, lifting and twisting techniques.
Everyone knows how easy it is to hurt yourself when you’re hanging lights on the house, carrying heavy presents or eskies around the house and wrapping presents. Your best defence against back pain at such times is knowing and using proper bending, lifting and twisting techniques. Always practice good body mechanics by lifting with your legs rather than your back, and keeping heavier loads as close to your body as possible instead of holding them with your arms fully extended.
When you find yourself up a stepladder hanging holiday decorations, practice commonsense fall prevention like wearing the proper shoes and having someone there to steady you; the fact is that falls are the No. 1 cause of back injuries in adults. You should also ask for help lifting heavy packages and eskies stocked with beverages into and out of the car and around the house, and be careful to properly distribute the weight of your new purchases evenly across your body when you’re shopping. Finally, try wrapping presents on a table or kitchen bench this year rather than bending over them on the floor – your back will thank you later.
3. Tackle vacuuming and other household chores with the proper caution.
Vigorous house cleaning is par for the course when you have company coming for the holidays. But the repetitive movements involved in vacuuming, mopping floors and other household chores can easily bring on back pain.
I’m sure many of you have experienced Sally’s exercise therapy classes which have taught you how to clean your house with good technique so please put this into practice.
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4. Take time out to relax and de-stress.
Holiday time is a great opportunity to recharge your batteries and get ready for the next year ahead.
Understanding that holiday stress can wreak havoc on your neck and back muscles, be sure to take time out from your busy schedule to rest, relax, go for a walk or otherwise wind down after a long day of shopping, wrapping, decorating, cooking and cleaning. Do your best to maintain your normal bedtime, and get enough sleep so that you can avoid fatigue and depression that can lead to back pain.
5. Travel smart with these spine-safe driving and flying tips.
Whether you’re driving long distance or flying the friendly skies to visit relatives this season, there are several precautions you can take to minimize the chances of your back pain flaring up before you reach your destination.
6. Cook with care, and eat responsibly.
‘Tis the season for overeating and weight gain, and neither is good for your back. Not only do those excess kilos put more strain on your spine, but consuming a diet that’s high in sugar and saturated fats robs your body of the nutrition it needs for strong bones and muscles. This Christmas, steer clear of those high-calorie foods, and avoid excessive use of caffeine or alcohol. Also remember that staying hydrated is good for your spine because of the high moisture content of your intervertebral disks.
Separately, an often-overlooked cause of back pain over the holidays is all that work that’s being done over the kitchen sink. The awkward posture you assume while slicing and dicing those carrots, peeling potatoes, washing vegetables and carrying out other meal preparations can leave you in a lot of pain, and just standing on the hard kitchen floor for long periods can spur back issues.
One suggestion for reducing the incidence of problems is to stand on a padded mat or rug while you work, which will reduce the pressure on your spine and potentially lessen your chance of slips and falls. You might also try carrying out certain jobs (like cutting veggies) while seated at the kitchen bench.
Happy Holidays from everyone at Chevron Island Physio! We hope the above information helps you avoid unnecessary back and neck pain while spending time with family this season.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Written by Alison Jeffrey- Physiotherapist, Women’s Health & Pilates Instructor
To prevent future injuries, book an appointment with us online today or call our team on 07 55 04 7000.
