It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And it’s also the most chaotic! From making sure the house is spick and span ready for those visitors, to mastering the perfect Christmas roast, the festive period can be your back’s worst enemy if you’re not careful! But following these simple tips from our Southend chiropractor can help reduce your risk of picking up a painful back injury this Christmas …
Lift correctly
Avoid bending from your back or twisting while lifting objects. Whether it’s a heavy gift or a 20lb turkey, hold the object close to your body with a good base of support and your legs apart. Then, bend at your knees, lift and turn your entire body from your feet to move objects.
Build strength while standing
If you’re spending long periods in the kitchen rustling up the Christmas lunch, why not get healthier in the process? Try standing on one leg every now and again (if you haven’t had too many glasses of bubbly!), as this will help to build strength in the core muscles of your lower back and abdomen. (Remember to hold on to the worktop to stabilise yourself!)
Change your position
When standing for long periods of time, such as cooking or cleaning, make sure you widen your stance or change your position regularly. This will prevent repeated stress on the same muscles.
Stand tall when vacuuming
Giving the house a last minute spruce up before the big day? Make sure you avoid bending and pushing while vacuuming. Instead, stand upright with your chest slightly pushed forward and use your legs instead of your back to move forward and backward.
Keep weight close
With Christmas comes a lot of carrying – whether it’s the turkey, boxes of decorations or that mountain bike gift you’ve had stored up the attic for months! Make sure you reach from as short a distance as possible when picking up objects and keep the weight as close to your body as possible. For example, rather than reaching over the back seat of the car to pick up a box, get out of the car, sit next to the box in the back seat, bring the object close to you and then get out of the car.
There’s nothing merry about back pain, especially during Christmastime!