Taking the Pain Out of the Holidays

Holidays can be such a pain! Every year long hours of traveling and shopping take their toll on the human body. Just ask Dr. Lynn Kerew, D.C., M.P.H., during the holidays the numbers of patients she sees at her busy Santa Monica practice increases due to the stresses holiday activities place on her patients’ bodies.

Last year, AAA reported a total of over 100 million Americans traveling during the holiday season in November and December. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the average Thanksgiving long-distance trip length is 214 miles, compared with 275 miles over the Christmas/New Year’s holiday. At the same time the near 50,000 shopping centers throughout America are expected to swell with busy shoppers, despite the state of the economy.

“Low back pain is the number one ailment my patients come to see me with during the holiday months,” said Dr. Lynn. “This is an exciting time of year for many folks, but it is filled with so much planning, traveling, gathering, shopping and often too little sleep that many people can get themselves into a world of hurt, literally!”

Dr. Lynn has several tips and reminders for everyone looking to make it a pleasant pain-free holiday season, also many of the items recommended in this list double as great holiday gift ideas for any friend or family member who travels frequently:

When shopping:

• Be sure to really be aware of how much time you are spending on your feet and especially how much weight you are carrying when shopping.
• If you’re already in pain or have a history try to keep your shopping load to no more than 10% of your body weight.
• Consider a portable shopping cart to make those long days at the mall less painful, they may not be the sexiest, but neither is spending the holidays on your back!

• This simple ergonomic shopping bag handle is great for reducing hand, wrist and arm stress from carrying too many bags at once:
  • Wear proper walking shoes! Get a proper pair of shoes that will give you the proper support so you can walk for hours at a time.  Pretend you will be walking on cobblestones the entire time; you will not want to wear shoes that will hurt after 1 hour.  I like Euro Shoes and O My Sole.
  • If you’re heading to a shopping center use their coat check service to eliminate the extra weight of a heavy winter coat.

When traveling:

• Get some sleep! On overnight flights, bring some sleeping aids.  Even if you are not tired, force yourself to sleep by using homeopathic supplements you can purchase at the homeopathic store.  If you don’t sleep you will be jetlagged for days.  Likewise, use JetLag homeopathic remedy when you arrive and just before you go home; about 12 hours before on either end will really help you.

• Get up often on the flight if you are not sleeping.  This will help to prevent DVT – Deep Vein Thrombosis which is a potentially deadly blot clot that can travel to your brain (stroke) or heart (heart attack).

• Get an aisle seat. If you can sit in either business class or on international flights, luxury economy, there is more legroom and possibly a better meal. More legroom which is important, even if you are only 5 foot 4 like me!

• Invest in a travel foot rest for the flight:

• Invest in Noise Cancelling Headphones and also eye shades, to help you rest easier.

• Neck pillows provide much needed neck support for long periods of travel both in a plane or in a car (if you‘re a passenger of course!)

• Here’s a millet bolster pillow perfect for providing much needed extra support at hotel and travel destinations

• Be sure not to schedule too much time in between stops. You will get to your desired destination quicker and also be less jet lagged when you arrive.

• If you’re staying at a hotel ask for a room that has plenty of light and is away from noise.  Ask for a room with plenty of views and windows.  It does not hurt to ask….they will put you practically in a dungeon unless you speak up on your preferences.

• Do not skimp on the sunglasses!  Your eyes are your most important organ outside of your brain and heart.  Don’t be cheap!

• Leave the big camera at home. A smaller compact camera is better for travel.  Also, you will be shopping and carrying stuff and your camera will become a beast of burden before long if you carry a heavy one.

• DVT – Deep Vein Thrombosis is a serious traveller’s threat no matter what age with excessive hours on a plane. There are socks made specifically to combat this:

• The Gel Seat will ease the stress put on your buttocks for long periods of sitting great for planes, trains and automobiles!

• I personally like to use Bagellini bags because they are great for travel!

• With its zipper on top, The Uptown bag, will make it hard for thieves to get into any pocketed areas.   The bag is lightweight, having many compartments in center to portion out your tidbits for the day, i.e. food, tickets, money, credit cards and such.  It can be worn as a sling to the side, helpful for less shoulder strain.
• Here’s one good for a day outing or going to the beach

• An ergonomic suitcase handle is a real shoulder and wrist saver, as most telescopic luggage handles do not rotate effectively when you pull them.

• Special ergonomic suitcases like this one have better telescoping and softer handles with special wheels to make them easier than others to pull around airports and hotels.