There are so many heart-warming things to enjoy at Christmas – family get-togethers, seeing the little ones’ delightful faces when they open their presents and the plates upon plates of delicious food, to name a few. But the festive season can also be a time for some old (and new) aches and pains to show their not-so-friendly faces!
As leading chiropractors in Southend, we often see an increase of patients following the Christmas holidays – and quite often, a large number of the symptoms they tell us about are in some way linked to overdoing it during the festivities. Whether it’s Dad coming in with backache after doing his best Santa impression and lugging around all those heavy boxes (every family’s got a Santa-wannabe!) or Mum who’s spent too many tiresome hours sitting hunched on the floor wrapping presents. One way or another, the demands of creating a perfect Christmas will have taken its toll.
From lifting injuries that have a 25lbs turkey to blame to painful twists that have the fairy lights to answer to; our team of Southend chiropractors have seen them all! With that in mind, here are two top tips for a pain-free Christmas!
1: Avoid Repetitive Strain Injury
This type of injury can happen in the lower back if an action is repeated over a long period of time such as cooking that scrumptious Christmas lunch or wrapping presents. It’s important that you balance the movement of your body so that you do not spend too long doing the same activity. Try spreading out the gift wrapping over a course of a week instead of doing it all in one go and do it on a table not bent over on the floor! Also, perhaps think about cooking some of the Christmas lunch on Christmas Eve.
Not only will breaking down your work load help to prevent back ache, but it will also help to ease your stress and anxiety levels, which are often a contributory factor in many types of muscles strains.
2: Be Mindful of Muscle and Joint Strains
The Christmas period often brings a higher risk of muscles and joint strain as most people overreach and twist more often than usual (those decorations may look impressive, but they certainly have a lot to answer for!). Overreaching, twisting or stretching can cause the muscles, tendons and ligaments to tighten which can lead to muscle spasms, pain and restricted movement. The advice from our Southend chiropractors is to always keep your back straight and your knees bent while lifting. It’s also important not to arch your back when reaching out to grab something. If you can’t reach the item comfortably, then get as close to it as you can and slide it towards you or ask for help.
Remember that the festive season is meant to be enjoyed, so make time to look after you – your health is more important than playing ‘Super Santa’!
To book an appointment with our dedicated team of chiropractors, contact Cliffs Chiropractor Southend on 01702 430430.