How to look after your spine at Christmas time!

​1. Keep moving!
Thought it can be tempting to vege out on the couch during the holidays, or slip into a couple of food comas during the festivities, it is important to keep your body moving and active. This could include a walk around the block, playing with the dog, or a game of backyard cricket!

2. Stretch!
From previous blog posts, we all understand the benefits of stretching, including increasing flexibility and range of motion, improving blood flow to muscles, relieving tension, improving posture, prevention of pain, and sometimes stretching even helps to relieve stress. Some simple stretches you can do include a head tilt to loosen your upper trapezius or a cat-camel stretch to aid your core muscles – see below for instruction! 

Upper Trapezius Stretch
1) Sit up straight in a chair with your head and neck in a neutral position (shoulders straight, eyes forward), hold your arms relaxed on either side of your body.
2) Slightly tuck your chin down, then tilt your head down to the left until you feel a stretch down the right side of your neck (keep your eyes looking straight ahead).
2a) To increase this stretch, raise your left head and place it on top of your head (do not pull – you just want the weight of your hand to add a little extra pressure).
3) Hold this position for 30 seconds while breathing normally.
4) Return your head and neck to the neutral position.
5) Repeat these steps on the opposite side.
6) Perform these actions 2-3 times on either side.
Note: if this position is painful or uncomfortable, do not proceed – immediately return to the neutral position.

Cat-Camel Stretch
1) Start by setting up on all fours on a stable surface – ensure that your hand are in line with your shoulders and your knees are in line with your hips.
2) Drop your head down and (while contracting your abdominal muscles) pull your belly button up towards the ceiling.
3) Hold this position for 10 seconds.
4) Then, slowly raise your head up towards the ceiling while dropping your belly button towards the floor, arching your back.
5) Hold this position for 10 seconds.
6) Repeat 5 times in each position.
Note: if this position is painful or uncomfortable, do not proceed – immediately return to the neutral position.

3. Prevention is best!
Ensuring that you move appropriately to protect your body plays a huge part in pain prevention. When you’re lifting stacks of presents or moving your Christmas tree, remember to bend your knees and lift with your legs instead of your back. Avoid twisting motions (especially while carrying weight) and remember to move and stretch BEFORE you get stiff and sore. 

4. Ask your chiro!
If you’re concerned about anything over the Christmas break (previous issues, ongoing complaints, etc) ask your chiro on your last appointment before the break! 

REFERENCES

Galloza, J., Castillo, B., & Micheo, W. (2017). Benefits of Exercise in the Older Population. Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinics of North America, 28(4), 659–669. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmr.2017.06.001
 
Taylor, D., Binns, E., & Signal, N. (2017). Upping the ante: working harder to address physical inactivity in older adults. Current opinion in psychiatry, 30(5), 352–357. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0000000000000349
 
Lee, P. G., Jackson, E. A., & Richardson, C. R. (2017). Exercise Prescriptions in Older Adults. American family physician, 95(7), 425–432.
 
Hotta, K., Behnke, B. J., Arjmandi, B., Ghosh, P., Chen, B., Brooks, R., Maraj, J. J., Elam, M. L., Maher, P., Kurien, D., Churchill, A., Sepulveda, J. L., Kabolowsky, M. B., Christou, D. D., & Muller-Delp, J. M. (2018). Daily muscle stretching enhances blood flow, endothelial function, capillarity, vascular volume and connectivity in aged skeletal muscle. The Journal of physiology, 596(10), 1903–1917. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP275459