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APTA offers tips for reducing holiday strain

Rehab Private Practice Alert, December 14, 2005

In addition to being emotionally taxing, the holiday season can take a physical toll, says the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

Familiar holiday activities such as shopping and lifting stacks of presents and heavy boxes deplete already overspent energy and can contribute to neck, shoulder, and back injuries.

APTA recommends therapists to remind patients to take precautions, like maintaining balance by distributing the weight of shopping bags equally and lifting boxes with your legs.

According to APTA member Kendra Harrington, PT, DPT, MS, of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, observing proper body mechanics can go a long way towards preventing muscle and joint discomfort.

"During the holiday season, we see a significant rise in patients who are experiencing back, shoulder, and neck pain," she says. "Many have desk jobs and are fairly inactive most of the year. Rushing around and carrying too many things at once-and in the wrong way-place added stress on bodies which may increase the chance of injury."

In addition, APTA recommends therapists give their patients the following list of reminders when shopping:

  • Maintain your balance by distributing the weight of shopping bags equally on both sides of your body.
  • Try not to carry a heavy purse. Instead, consider using a fanny-pack or small backpack, using both straps on the backpack, and keeping your back straight in order to make the buttocksn not the shoulders, carry more of the weight.
  • Wear comfortable shoes when shopping, preferably walking or running shoes. Many ankle and foot injuries occur from carrying packages while wearing high heels on hard surfaces, such as the floors in shopping malls.
  • Don't lug overstuffed shopping bags for extended periods. By making repeated trips to your car to unload, you get a good workout while relieving the stress on your back muscles.
  • Consider using a shopping cart or getting help to carry packages to your car.

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