I can’t believe it’s Christmas already! Well,all the shopping, running around, gift packing can certainly make you forget about looking after yourself . So here are some simple things you can do at home to look after your lower back while still getting ready for the festivities!

smiling family festivities scaled

Sitting is one of the worst things you can do for your lower back

Doesn’t mean you just stand all day! Only means that you need to change your position every half an hour or so to keep the circulation flowing. While most of us would like to sit straight , we do slouch on the sofa now don’t we? Especially at the end of the day?Watching t.v? hmm…I know you…So just make sure you even just get out of your position and take a minute before you sit down again. Sitting puts tremendous pressure on the discs of the lower back causing a disc bulge sometimes.So please do yourself a favour and get up!

Don’t just bend over…Squat! to protect your lower back

lower back pain on bending

Bending over again puts a lot of pressure on the discs of your lower back. So if you’re moving furniture (as you may be to accomodate more guests)..just make sure you squat and lift. By squatting, you’re making sure that you use the leg muscles instead of the lower back. This will actually protect it from injury. This is, in fact, one of the commonest reasons for lower back pain– bending and lifting! Now as a physio I can certainly get rid of lower back pain but someone wise once said…prevention is better than cure!

Be careful with loading your shopping into the car!

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I see a lot of people load their shopping in the car boot while holding the bags at an arm’s length. The further away the load is from your body, the harder your lower back muscles have to work to keep your balance. So make sure that you’re standing right next to the boot of your car rather than reaching for things from a distance. This way you’re not going to be leaning into the car with weight in your hands. Does this make sense?As much as you can , try to use your legs. Remember, I what I said before?squat instead of bending over.

Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!!