Christmas is Coming the Goose is Getting Fat and Physiotherapy Clinics get full with Christmas Injuries! Whenever we discuss this with people they always laugh but be assured you that this can be no laughing matter - especially over the Christmas period when you have a house full of people and fun to be had. So, the four main complaints that we see most years through the Christmas period are injuries from:
Putting Up The Christmas Tree
Wrapping Presents
Christmas Card Writing
Cooking The Turkey
Putting Up The Christmas Tree:
If you take a step back this really shouldn't surprise anyone. The man handling of a 6 FT + tree either into a car or onto a roof rack then into the house is clearly a tricky manoeuvre. However, with a bit of teamwork the exercise can be easier.
The injuries we tend to see related to Christmas trees are low back strains and shoulder injuries. If your back or shoulders are hurting before you even head to the garden centre please consider postponing the visit, or taking a helpful friend. The height of the tree makes the stress on the body quite high so sharing the load between two people will help dramatically Also if possible, put the tree (wrapped in an old sheet to save your car) inside the car so that you don't have to lift the tree above shoulder height, which significantly increases the load on the shoulders and upper back / neck.
Wrapping Presents:
Why do people still wrap presents sat on the floor? Those of us with young children have probably all been found hiding in the bedroom sat on the floor desperately trying to wrap presents without small eyes seeing. However, irrespective of how carefully you sit, you will be loading the hips, knees and lower back sitting on the floor for a prolonged period, especially whilst leaning forward to wrap the gifts. We see patients most years that have sat wrapping presents on the floor only to be in pain for days after. The pain is often felt when you get up rather than at the time. So our advice is to send the children out to play and set up a wrapping station at the kitchen table.
Christmas Card Writing:
Now, I must say that this is getting less and less as people send significantly less cards due to the digital age. However, there are still a large number of people who send many cards and spend hours writing them. The main injuries we see are shoulder / neck aches and elbow pain.
The shoulder and neck aches are due to the static holding of the shoulder muscles whilst you write The muscles around the shoulder are strong and able to work for prolonged times but they do fatigue and make you ache. We have all felt the need to rub our shoulders and neck after a period of concentration or work. So, take breaks and try to limit the card writing to 20 minutes at a time. The elbow pain can be from overuse of the muscles that extend the wrist and hold it in a position suitable for writing - this is inherently “tennis elbow.” Tennis elbow can occur when there is irritation where the tendons attach on the outside of the elbow. Using a larger diameter pen to reduce tension and over gripping in combination with frequent rests can help.
Cooking the Turkey:
This is the injury Physiotherapists dread to hear about the most, as it happens on Christmas Day when the Physiotherapy clinics are shut and everyone wants to have a lovely time. A turkey is heavy and, if you add to that the roast potatoes, a tray with the turkey in is very heavy. The majority of the injuries occur whilst lifting the hot loaded baking tray out of the oven and cause injury to the lower back - often the discs. This is an especially precarious task if you have a low oven and you are bending over with the heavy tray outstretched in front of you.
There is no easy way to avoid the lifting but if you have a “weak” back please delegate the activity or ask someone to share the load with you. Also, use your knees to bend and engage the core to support the spine. If you are plagued by a “weak” back you would be wise to address the problem with core strengthening or Pilates. Victoria at ThamesPhysio would be very happy to help you address these problems.
The above information is for your interest and information, if you have any specific concerns or aches and pains that you would like to get sorted out Victoria at ThamesPhysio would be very happy to address any individual needs.