Chiropractic Tips for Avoiding Holiday Shopping Back Strain

The holidays are upon us and with them, the added demands of the season. 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 shopping and decorating-related.

encourage you to consider the following tips to help keep you and your loved ones healthy and happy this season.

Treat Holiday Shopping as an Athletic Event

• Stay hydrated! Drink eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of water a day.
• Be sure to stretch before and after a long day of shopping or decorating. When you are stressed-out, your muscles are less flexible than usual.
• Wear shoes with plenty of cushioning in the soles to absorb the impact of walking on hard surfaces and that will provide good support on ladders.
• Make sure your clothing is as comfortable as possible. It’s a good idea to wear layers, because you may be going from a cold environment (outdoors) to a warm environment (indoors).
• Leave your purse at home. Wear a light fanny pack, or if necessary, a light backpack instead. Pack only those items that are absolutely essential (driver’s license, credit card, etc.).
• If you start to feel some pain, try the following treatment: apply an ice bag to the affected area for 20 minutes, then take it off for a couple of hours. Repeat a couple of times each day over the next day or two.

Plan Frequent Breaks into Your Shopping Day.

• During a day of heavy shopping, take a break every 45 minutes.
• If possible, obtain a locker. Lockers can help cut down on how much you have to carry around.
• If your mall or shopping center doesn’t offer lockers, try to plan trips to your car.
• When taking breaks, try to eat light foods. A salad and some fruit stave off hunger pains.
• Skip the coffee break! Coffee and sodas contain caffeine and sugar, which add even more stress to your body.

Wrapping Your Gifts.

• Since there is no “ideal” position for wrapping gifts, the most important thing to remember is to vary your positions. For example, try standing at a table or countertop for one package, sitting on a bed for another, sitting in a comfortable chair for another, etc.
• Do not wrap packages while sitting on the floor. Wrapping packages while sitting on a hard floor can wreak havoc on your posture, and should be avoided.
• Always stretch before and after you wrap gifts.

Chiropractic Care Can Help. Some times the holiday season can be more stressful than joyous. If you do experience pain or discomfort as a result of holiday shopping stress, consider a visit to your doctor of chiropractic. Your doctor of chiropractic can provide treatments to help alleviate your pain naturally, so you can enjoy the holiday season as it was meant to be.

To make an appointment with Dr. Akhavan, call 604-990-6676.