Movement is Medicine: Protecting yourself against holiday related injuries
Another year has gone by and that New Year’s resolution of getting in better shape didn’t quite pan out as intended. Never less, the Holidays are here and you have to get your home ready inside and out before the relatives and neighbors stop by to spread some cheer. This means crawling in the attic, or climbing up on shelves, and yes climbing the ladder. All of these activities alone can place awkward and undue stress on our joints and muscles, and make us susceptible to injuries. No one wants to be in the emergency room due to an avoidable back or leg injury. According to the Center for Disease Control, Holiday related Falls increase to a rate of 8.1 per 100,000. Injuries to men were higher than women. Mostly, falls from ladders and standing on furniture were reported as the source of the mishap. So, lets discuss a few ways to ease our stress, and lower the risk for Holiday related injuries.
Warm-up before getting up on that ladder. Remember you just ate turkey and stuffing a few days ago and had to loosen the belt 2 notches just to sit down. Riding the stationary bike or even walking around the block for 10 minutes should suffice. Next, gently stretch your legs and arms. Longer sustained stretches held for 30 seconds or longer are generally best to ease muscle tension. Avoid bouncing or ballistic movements during the stretch phase. Bouncing can actually make your muscle tighten back up and you won’t get the desired result of increasing your overall flexibility. Increased flexibility allows you to reach farther or twist a little more with less stress on the joints. The key is to start slow and take your time.
Once you have warmed up and stretched, you are ready for the activity of lifting, climbing, and reaching. However, have you planned your work? Do you have help to lift heavy items? Have you moved everything out the way so you can climb up into your attic safely? Be careful when climbing to the top of the ladder while holding on to the rain gutter that you were supposed to fix last year. If you think the action of reaching out to the limit of your outstretched arm while extending the opposite leg to maximize your body length like a Cirque du Solei performer is dangerous, then listen to your conscious and step down off the ladder and move it over into a safer position. Repeating this step might give your legs a little more of a workout, but sore legs will heal faster than a broken back from falling off your ladder.
There are several tools sold in the stores this time of year that can help you hang lights, check light bulbs, fluff your wreath (yes I did see a wreath restoration kit at hobby store), but no tool will replace common sense. If you have known knee problems, wear your brace or sleeve that you might have in the back of the closet. This won’t cure your arthritis, but a little compression around the knee can decrease swelling, and be a reminder to be safe. If you have back or shoulder problems, practice reaching up overhead while on the ground before you climb the ladder or stand on the kitchen counter top. If you can’t perform the task with both feet on the ground, how would you safely do this while suspended from the ladder and hanging on your rain gutter.
Most people get injured doing an activity that they are not used to performing. If you have any doubt about ladder safety, just watch the scene in the movie “Christmas Vacation” when Clark Griswold is hanging his lights and tries to move the extension ladder to the right while standing at the top rung. Funny in the movie, but we laugh because we have all tried to do something that we later realized we shouldn’t. So let’s summarize our holiday safety tips. Be safe, be smart, warm-up, stretch and stay active long after your New Year’s resolution. At least through the Super Bowl.
Alliance Health would like to welcome Lance Hairabedian, EdM, PTA, to our physical therapy team. Lance joins our team with over 27 years of Physical Therapy and sports medicine experience. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Fresno State in physical education with the athletic training option, and his master’s of education degree from Oregon State University with an emphasis in exercise science. He spent over 25 years as a certified athletic trainer. Lance enjoys seeing his patient’s progress on a daily basis. Through clever analogies and good nature humor, his patients get a deep sense of his commitment. He enjoys getting to know his patients while focusing on their recovery.
Lance will be happy to answer questions submitted to lance@alliancehealthfresno.com. Learn more about movement, fitness and health in this space each week, on our Facebook page, by going to www.alliancehealthfresno.com, or calling 478-5833.
This article first appeared in the Hanford Sentinel, Movement is Medicine column, written by Alliance Health.
