Black Friday and Cyber Monday spark the biggest weekend in shopping of the year. From there we head into December which has people hopping online and hitting the malls in droves to score deals for friends, family, loved ones and themselves.
But beyond the damage done to credit card balances is a another concern – shopping injuries. Shopping season absolutely takes its toll on your body, but by making physiotherapy a part of your preparedness plan you can avoid them all. Today we take a look at the most common injuries to watch out for and how physio can help.
Most Common Shopping Injuries During the Holiday Season and How Physiotherapy Can Help Prevent Them
Acute Injuries from Slips, Trips, and Falls at the Mall
Physiotherapy can obviously help rehabilitate injuries sustained when falling slipping on a wet surface or after being bumped by an overzealous coupon clipper. But how can it possibly help prevent this sort of acute injury? By improving your balance.
Armed with better core strength and balance, your body will be better prepared to react and stabilize when something (or someone) compromises your path. It’s analogous to an athlete running on a slippery surface and attempting to dodge an opponent at the same time. For the “average” person core strengthening can make a big difference, but for others there may be an underlying reason and therefore a more dedicated treatment plan. For instance, if you often experience dizziness and a loss of balance you may be suffering from a vestibular system disorder or vertigo which can make you far less surefooted. If this is the case a physiotherapist will employ vestibular rehabilitation therapy. Alternatively you may have underlying issues with your gait (manner of walking), at which point a physiotherapist can prescribe custom orthotics. All of the above can greatly improve your balance and reduce your risk of slips, trips, and falls in the mall.
Chronic Hand and Wrist Pain from Online Shopping
You may have skipped the Black Friday crowds and opted for online shopping for Cyber Monday and the rest of the holiday season, but don’t assume that you’re out of harm’s way. This is especially true of those who work online, as you’ve already been primed for repetitive strain injuries to your hands and wrists.
The repetitive movements that comes from shopping (etc.) from the perceived comforts of your laptop or desktop stress the tendons that connect hand and arm muscles to your bones. When these tendons are overworked, small irritations, rips, and tears follow. This results in injury that may cause tendonitis in the wrist and hand which can mimic the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome in the process. Tendonitis may be responsible for the pain, aching, numbness, and loss of strength and agility in your hands and wrist, making the simple task of “add to cart” very painful.
We have already provided a guide to recognizing the early or late stage signs of this type of injury along with insight into how physiotherapy can help. View our guide to stopping hand and wrist pain when online, be you shopping or paying those bills via eBanking after the fact!
Do you use your smartphone apps (Amazon, eBay, etc.) to shop online instead? We have also provided a guide to smartphone injury symptoms and treatment.
Acute Injuries from Big Spender Fender Benders
Progressive Insurance reports that there are 34% more car accidents on Black Friday while ICBC reports that crashes in mall parking lots peak in December.
As you already know, physiotherapy will assist with ICBC chiropractic treatments. However, by making physio a part of your life (ahead of time) you can also become a more comfortable driver and avoid holiday season fender benders in the process.
While it may seem silly (to some) to suggest that one should seek out a physiotherapist to prepare for the holiday shopping season, there is most certainly an underlying reason for all of this. The point here is to show how physiotherapy can be leveraged to improve all aspects of our lives – be it shopping or some other day to day activity. Whether you’re a shopaholic or not we encourage you to schedule a consultation at our Burnaby clinic today to keep those holiday season (and beyond) injuries at bay.