How To Have A Pain-Free New Year

It’s that time of the year again; the Holiday season is ending, and a New Year begins! Which means you may have traveled to see family, climbed up into the attic to put up the Christmas decorations, and inevitably lifted heavy luggage and presents. The latter may cause a great new year to become a nightmare with a terrible back injury. We often see patients with back pain from lifting luggage or boxes awkwardly and feeling immediate discomfort in their low back.

Maybe your back pain is not from lifting something awkwardly but from sleeping on a relative’s uncomfortable guest bed while visiting them for Christmas. Either way, chronic back pain is something that none of us want to deal with in the new year! Using proper body mechanics such as hinging at the hips and keeping your spine braced is a great trick to avoid back pain-You know, the whole lift with your legs thing! Another great piece of advice is to set aside the ego and get someone to help you with the lift.

Sleeping in an uncomfortable bed can also cause a lot of pain and discomfort, especially in the low back. One way to avoid awkward sleeping conditions is to sleep with a “neutral” spine. Make sure you are sleeping on your side or your back to help maintain a proper spinal alignment. Adding a pillion between your legs while on your side or sleeping with a pillow under your legs while lying on your back will also help take the pressure off of your spine. Try to avoid sleeping on your stomach, which can cause issues up and down your spine, specifically in your neck.

Our Doctors and staff at First Choice Physical Therapy want to wish you and your family a very Happy & Healthy New Year. We have two locations to serve you—one in town and the other on the beach. Keep an eye out for our third clinic coming in January of 2022.  If we can help you with any of the problems mentioned above just give us a call at 850-248-1600 today!