More musculoskeletal injuries occur during the Christmas holiday period as people are busy & tend to push themselves to fit things in. So we have some Present ideas to help you avoid looking like Santa after his busy night delivering presents across the world.
Avoiding Common Christmas Injuries – It’s important to have fun at Christmas and take steps to help avoid common injuries to make sure we can enjoy a pain-free holiday.
- Reduce your sitting time or take breaks
- Prolonged sitting can lead to short-term injuries like lower back pain. It is also related to an increased risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease
- Present idea: Get a Fitbit as they can remind you to move each hour and keep track of your steps, heart rate and other important indicators
- Get active
- The Christmas holiday allows us to have some time off work. With more free time you can invest in your health via physical activities. Bushwalk or a bicycle ride can be a fun and healthy choice for catching up with family and friends
- Present idea: Join a gym to help you get regular exercise and help maintain a healthy lifestyle
- Slowly build up your physical activities
- To avoid injury, it is crucial to choose the type and intensity of exercise according to your current fitness level. If you are new to exercise, start with something easier like walking, then slowly build yourself up to more difficult training.
- Present idea: Get a Physio, Exercise Physiologist (EP) or Personal Trainer (PT) to help develop a training program tailored to you that allows you to make sure you get benefits yet minimise the risk of injury
- Don’t ignore the pain
- If you have injured yourself in the Christmas period, do not push through your pain or force yourself to attend planned activities. It is recommended to consult a local physiotherapist for proper treatment to ensure the optimal recovery
- Present idea: Visit PROHEALTH PHYSIO to commence becoming pain or injury free 🙂
Need help? Contact our friendly team for help!
For further information please refer to:
Source: Australian Government – The Department of Health
Title: Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour : Research and Statistics
Read Time: 5+ minutes
Source: Australian Government – Preventative Health Taskforce
Title: Australia: The Healthiest Country by 2020
Read time: 45+ Minutes