Preventing Injuries Over the Holiday Season

Preventing injuries over the holidays is vital to enjoying the holiday season. With Christmas fast approaching, how can you avoid injuries that may damper your festivities?

Be safe on ladders

The majority of injuries during Christmas holiday period are a result of falling from ladders when hanging decorations. Have someone hold the ladder steady at all times, avoid using a ladder in wet and slippery conditions, and always making sure there are no obstructions or dangerous elements like power lines nearby.

Drive safely

There are more motor vehicle accidents over the holiday season due to more people travelling, and a higher number of intoxicated drivers on the road. Be cautious of other drivers on the road and make sure you do not drive too soon after consuming alcohol.

Ensure kids are using protective equipment

Using new Christmas presents is another leading cause of injuries. Children may receive their first bike, scooter or skateboard and will be jumping with excitement to ride it for the first time. You may be too caught up with other preparations for the day that you forget to remind them to wear a helmet, elbow and/or knee pads. This can lead to some nasty accidents. Ensure kids wear the necessary safety equipment with any new presents they may receive.

Manage stress over the holiday season

Everyone understands the chaos that comes with the Christmas, from last minute shopping to frantically preparing the perfect Christmas lunch for family and friends. This chaos can inflict stress upon your body, making one more susceptible to injury or illness.

So, during this rush period always remember to have some down time to ensure your body is fit and well for all the festivities Christmas involves. Stress can also lead to headaches. To prevent headaches his festive season, try these 3 quick activities.

• Diaphragmatic breathing: This is how we are supposed to breathe, into our belly. When we breathe incorrectly we use the wrong
  muscles leading to tightness and headaches. Start this exercise by lying on the floor. Bend up both knees so feet are flat on the floor. Place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest. Breathe so your hand on your belly moves but the one on your chest doesn’t. Spend 5 mins breathing on the floor. Not only is it good for you but it is also super relaxing. In fact, we bet you have a nap afterwards.

• Chin tucks: This exercise targets you deep neck flexors. We tend to
  get headaches when our superficial neck muscles get overactive and our deep neck flexors get weak. To activate the deep musles, lie on your back with your knees bent up and feet flat on the floor. Gently tuck your chin as you slide your head backwards along the floor/bed. The trick is not too feel like you’re tensing. Minimal effort for this one. Try doing 15.

• Massage: try a little self massage at the base of your skull. A Pocket
  Physio is a great tool for this, pop into Pivotal Motion Physiotherapy to grab one for yourself.

Lift with your legs

Ensure that your use your legs rather than your back when picking up and moving luggage around. Adopt a good strong squat position. Keep the load or luggage close to your body and push through your legs to lift it.

Change positions regularly

If you are spending long periods either driving or flying remember to regularly stretch out your legs to keep blood circulating. Take a break every 2 hours, on long car trips is not only important for preventing driver fatigue but is also good for preventing you being stiff and sore when you arrive at your destination.

Ease into your New Year’s resolutions

New Years is a time full of celebrations and of course, resolutions. Many tend to make the resolution of being fitter and healthier, which is great! But only if it is performed in the correct manner. Don’t push yourself too early, as this could potentially cause a serious injury and put a lengthy hold on you fulfilling your resolution.

Start off slow and gradually increase your workload to give your body time to adapt to the exercise it is performing. Here at Pivotal Motion we use the 10% rule. Only increase what you are doing by ~10% each week. This reduces the likelihood of niggling injuries.

Stay active

To prevent injuries in the new year it is also important you don’t do absolutely nothing over the Christmas period. Try and stay active. It doesn’t have to mean going to the gym. Go for a walk on the beach or get the family together for a game of backyard cricket. Ensure adequate stretching in order to prevent sports injuries.

In saying this, if anything does happen, don’t stress! Pivotal Motion is the physiotherapist Newmarket knows for reliability! Don’t miss out on any of the fun that the holiday festivities have to offer. Call us on 07 3352 5116 or book an appointment with our exercise physiologist online today.