The holidays are upon us and with them come the event that is known as Black Friday Shopping. 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.

Amundson Chiropractic Health Services cautions all to consider back safety while shopping and decorating. Since the added demands of this season can stress the capacity of our bodies, we need to do everything we can to help ourselves. Eat right, drink plenty of water, stretch, exercise and take a few minutes to slow down and reflect on what the season is all about. Dr. Amundson encourages 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. 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.).

Wrapping Your Gifts-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.

Stay safe while hanging those holiday lights!-Don’t over reach. Use a step stool or ladder. Many times people want to get the decorating up and done, so to speak. Rushing the job can lead to mis-judging distances and over-reaching. Move the ladder down. When up on the ladder, don’t lean and reach. Keep your body centered on the ladder to maintain balance and decrease undue pressure on your spine and back.

Sometimes the holiday season can be more stressful than joyous. If you do experience pain or discomfort as a result of holiday shopping stress, 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 and consider a visit to Amundson Chiropractic Health Services. Give us a call today at 816-220-0660, Dr. Amundson can provide treatments to help alleviate your pain naturally, so you can enjoy the holiday season as it was meant to be.