REALLY? Pains in the rear hurt Christmas cheer

Picture this: It’s Christmas morning and the sound of your kids trampling down the hallway echoes sweetly in your ears. You hear them running toward the Christmas tree to see what Santa brought and your mind goes back to when you were a kid, and the magic of Christmas morning. Not wanting to miss any of the excitement, you jump up out of bed and just like that, it hits you like a ton of bricks.  “Oh, my back!” you shout to your spouse. They look at you with wide eyes and a bit of a teasing grin, as you just “showed your age” in that one final twist out of bed. You did it good this time—your Christmas spirit flies out of you as fast as Clark Griswold’s sled going down a hill. Burning pain runs from your low back into your buttock and down your leg. It’s sciatica. Sciatica is a fairly common issue experienced by the average person. Even though it can’t always be prevented, there are some tips to help avoid injury: 

• Aim to maintain proper posture and a healthy weight. This can be easier said than done, but practicing the “little things” can pay off big in the long run.  

• Regular exercise and focusing on strengthening the core muscles will help prevent spinal injury and nerve impingement. Maybe if the person in the scenario above had a little less fluff and a little more buff in their mid-section, their muscles could have protected them against this injury.  

• Try to avoid sitting for too long and look into a sit-stand desk for work, if you are at a desk for a majority of the day. 

• Then, of course, there is the ever-popular: “lift with your legs, not your back” and share the load with a buddy whenever possible. 

No one wants to be the Grinch on the couch while the rest of the family enjoys the holidays! If this scenario hits too close to home, we can help. So, keep in mind, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and enjoy this time of year with your families.