Avoid Back Pain & Injuries this Holiday Season
Over the weekend, I was flipping through the channels and came across the early morning show on CBS where they were talking about holidays and back pain. They reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that over 50,000 people every year sustain some sort of winter-related back injury, and 5,800 of those are holiday decorating-related.
As a Chiropractor in Livermore California, I couldn’t help but get interested in this topic as I see so many cases of holiday-related back pain in my Livermore office every December and January.
Things such as straining backs from cooking turkeys for Thanksgiving, lifting and putting up Christmas trees and decorations incorrectly, to neck aches from wrapping presents for hours and of course the back aches caused from holiday travel. So I figured, in light of the holidays coming our way, I’d share some tips of saving your back and neck from needless aches and pains that I share with my patients.
- When shopping and carrying heavy presents and or groceries it is always better to distribute the weight of the bags into two hands.
- When putting up lights and decorations, be sure to use a step ladder or ladder so that you can get your shoulders as close to the height you are hanging to avoid neck and shoulder pain.
- When loading up the car with holiday groceries and gifts, be sure to use your legs when bending or lift a back leg off the ground slightly when reaching and bending forward to protect your lower back from injury.
- After a long day of walking or running around in the cold, use a warm moist towel (warmed up in the microwave is best) over aching joints or arthritic joints to provide instant relief.
- During holiday travel although costs might increase, it is safer to check in heavy bags instead of trying to lift overhead in compartments and lug around the terminal during travel.
- Always bring a u-shaped pillow for in-flight napping and resting to prevent neck aches.
- Don’t forget to pack your pillow during holiday travel so when you get to your destination, you can wake up without neck pain from pillows that are too soft in hotel rooms.
If you are having back pain, contact a Livermore chiropractor to get checked out and treated so you can have a safe and happy holiday.
