Christmas Injuries: 3 Tips on How to Prevent Them

Christmas Injuries: 3 Tips on How to Prevent Them

Christmas is a time for celebrations. It is a time when families get together. People living abroad or in different areas of the country come home and rejoice with their loved ones. There is a lot of festive partying, eating and drinking. What most don’t realise is that during this season, Christmas Injuries, particularly muscular ones, spike up.

According to NHS UK, more than 80,000 people a year seek hospital treatment as a result of injuries during the holiday season. While most of these have to do with cuts and burns, some Christmas Injuries concern falls (for example, from a ladder while putting up the decorations), stress, or muscular pains and aches.

While it’s highly recommended that you seek the assistance of a specialist such as a physiotherapist, should you have any of such musculoskeletal related problems (as pointed out in this interview by professional squash athlete James Hillstrop), there are some precautions you can take in order to keep the risk of Christmas Injuries away:

1. Keep Your Posture Right!

   – 85% of the population suffers from back or neck pain due to wrong posture! By assuming a correct posture, you can prevent the major causes of muscle injuries

   1. Pro Tip: keep head, trunk, and thighs in a straight line; chest high and forward; abdomen flat; and back curved normally
   2. Physio Tip: if you cannot make it on your own, enroll in a one-to one Physiotherapy Postural Programme. Every good Physio Programme starts with teaching you a good posture!

2. No Long Sitting

   Avoid sitting for long periods of time. Stay seated for no longer than 30 minutes at a time. Take short breaks of 2-3 minutes every half an hour

   1. Pro Tip: while on the couch watching your favourite Christmas show with your loved ones, don’t use the remote to switch channel. Instead, get up and do it from the TV screen!
   2. Physio Tip: Sit on the Gym Ball while watching TV and if you attend my classes do your TV exercises to mobilise the pelvis!

3. Get Active

   It’s never too late to begin! If you can, use the holiday season as a starting point for a more active life style. Enroll in a class or sign up to your local gym

   1. Pro Tip: Take a walk or cycle, instead of the car, for short-distance chores such as going to the supermarket.
   2. Physio Tip: Start a clinical Pilates for Beginners group class led by a Chartered Physiotherapist with experience in Postural correction and alignment. In 6 weeks your body will be transformed – you will be leaner, stronger and full of energy!

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