Your guide to a pain free festive season!
We all look forward to some time off work over the festive season, whether you prefer to celebrate with family or head out on an adventure. Regardless of how you celebrate, none of us want to be lumbered with unforeseen back pain. With a few little changes to your activities in the run up to Christmas, we've got Christmas all wrapped up so you can relax and enjoy yourself!
Look after yourself this year:
Making a few small tweaks to your normal routine can help you feel good, why not give the following tips a try?
Lighten your Load - When did you last muck out your handbag or the bag you carry? Take out anything that you don't need to carry that day such as a water bottle, extra keys, overstuffed purse of receipts? A few minutes to organise your bag will see your neck, shoulders and arms thanking you for removing the extra luggage they won't need to carry!
Take your wallet out of your pocket! Sitting on a wallet in a back pocket or having that wallet in a front pocket whilst you're seated can add to compression of blood vessels, nerves, and muscles in the area, which can cause irritation, pain and posture imbalances. Do your body a favour and take your wallet out of your pocket when you sit down.
Wrapping gifts is very marmite, you either love it or hate it, but little and often is the key to this mammoth task. Tight hips and stiff backs that are used to sitting on chairs often grumble after sitting on the floor for too long, so don't give them the option! When you're wrapping gifts, use a high table or surface such as a kitchen worktop and stand up, rather than sitting on the floor in front of the TV.
Travelling? A quick word on packing the car: Whether it's gifts, food, or suitcases you're putting in your vehicle, pack the heavier items closest to the boot door so you don't need to stretch to reach the item or drag it before you lift it again. Overstretching is a common contributing cause of back problems and is best avoided. This same idea can be applied to putting items in the oven, in a bag rack or when moving anything heavy.
It's a simple comment, but don't ignore the niggles! Niggles are annoying, but they're niggles for a reason. They're a sign that something is grumbling and isn't quite right for most people. Maybe you overstretched to reach something from a cupboard or had a fight with the Christmas tree getting it out of the car, whatever the reason, don't leave those niggles. Staying in different beds, long car journeys and stress can all lead to tension and exacerbate niggly pain, so nip those niggles in the bud and pop in for an MOT style treatment before you go, rather than end up with 'Turkey Back' causing muscle spasms as you try to take the turkey out of the oven!
