With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays including lifting and wrapping presents, cooking and cookie baking, we often hear from our clients that they experience an increase in low back pain. We have 5 tips to help you negate low back pain and get through the holiday season feeling good.
Here are our top 3 lifting tips:
- Squat and bend your hips and knees instead of bending forward from your back. Your hips and knees should kick in to protect your back.
- Think of keeping a good posture by keeping your spine neutral and not going too far into a rounded flexed position. You should be able to breathe while you’re in that posture. Don’t hold your breath.
- Keep things close to you. When you’re lifting something, especially if it’s heavy, try and bring it as close to your body as possible. If you are lifting and holding something far out in front of you, you are going to use your back a lot more than if you were holding it close.
Here are 2 General back protection tips:
- Avoid holding static postures for a long period of time, it can really strain your back. Try to avoid standing at the kitchen counter for long periods of time. For example, if you are standing at the counter cutting vegetables, switch to sitting while you mix the ingredients together.
- Be aware of your limitations and what your body is feeling – Plan ahead and play smart. The holidays are filled with baking Christmas goodies and last minute present shopping. Having a plan that includes rest breaks will help reduce the tension on your back muscles. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, this is a time where everyone’s coming together so it doesn’t have to be all on you.
Hopefully you found these tips helpful and they can continue to help you avoid back pain and during this holiday season. If you are dealing with any issues and want to talk to a therapist about it, we are happy to be here for you and help you avoid or get out of back pain for the holiday season. Call our clinic.
