Joseph T. Cox, M.D.
The holiday season is quickly approaching, and with it lots of excitement. It’s an opportunity to buy fun presents for our loved ones, cook and eat delicious food and celebrate with friends and family. As a spine surgeon, I know from both personal and professional experience that we lift, push, pull and climb things during the holidays that are not typical during the remaining parts of the year. People also tend to eat and imbibe more than during the other months of the year, which can lead to weight gain and pressure on your spine. Hopefully, the tips below will keep you and your spine healthy during the holidays:
Lifting Decorations and Groceries
When lifting a heavy object like a box of decorations or a full sack of groceries, several considerations can decrease the risk of developing low back pain. Always pick up objects using good squat form, bending at the hips and knees and keeping your back straight. Your back should stay relatively vertical when using proper form. Once the object is firmly in your grasp, hold it close to your body to keep the center of gravity of the object near your center of gravity.
Decorating Safely
It’s hard to outdo Clark Griswold without getting on a ladder and maybe even your roof. Unfortunately, extravagant rooftop decorating is very dangerous. Falls from rooftops and ladders can lead to devastating injuries. I would strongly recommend against long ladders and walking on the roof. When using a short ladder, minimize trips up and down the ladder. Always ensure the ladder feet are firmly set in place and that a spotter is present to stabilize the ladder and hand over anything you forgot to grab before climbing to the top.
Eating Healthy
With all of the extra food platters and candy, it’s hard to avoid unneeded calories. For every pound gained, your lower back feels four additional pounds of pressure. The opposite is also true, so for every pound lost, your spine feels that you’ve lost four. Drinking 16 ounces of water 10 minutes before meals, using a small plate and waiting 5-10 minutes before deciding to go back for seconds are just a few simple things you can do to avoid overeating.
Continue Your Exercise and Stretching
With the extra demands during the holidays, make sure to take time for yourself. Taking 20 minutes a day to do some form of exercise will release endorphins to help you tackle your next holiday challenge. It also will burn some of those holiday calories should you accidentally eat too much. For your back, I recommend core strengthening exercises such as crunches, horizontal and side planks and back extensions. These exercises are simple but can help with both neck and low back pain and are easily found online.
Joseph T. Cox is a physician with Bienville Orthopaedic Specialists. He sees patients at the practice’s Gulfport and Biloxi offices. (228) 230-BONE (2663).