The Top 6 Things Physical Therapy Can Help You Do This Holiday Season

Is pain slowing you down and making your holiday season feel less than festive? Physical therapy is here to help you live pain-free so you can enjoy all of the activities that make the season so special! Here are 6 things PT can help you do this holiday season:

1. Hugs!

Whether it’s kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, or other young family

members, scooping up the little ones into bear hugs is a small thing that

can bring a lot of joy during the holidays. Over 80% of people will

experience back pain at some point in their lives, and it can keep you from

something as simple as bending over for a hug. Walking like

Frankenstein is so Halloween – get treated and move pain-free again.

2. Give the Best Gifts

Receiving gifts can be fun, but they don’t call it “the giving season”

for nothing. Unfortunately, leg and foot pain can keep you on the couch

 instead of out discovering and delivering the perfect gifts this season.

 Plantar fasciitis, tendinitis, muscle pain and even spine problems can

create leg and foot pain. No matter what the cause, physical therapists

 have the expertise to help to treat your pain to get you back on your feet.

Now if only they could help you wrap all those gifts…

3. Cook for Friends and Family

For many people, one of the warmest ways to show love and appreciation during the holidays is through food. Whether you’re going to a potluck, cooking for a holiday gathering or volunteering at a local shelter, it can be difficult to prepare and serve meals when you’re experiencing shoulder, neck or back pain. If you have pain for more than two weeks, you should seek a physical therapist’s help in determining the cause of your pain and creating a plan to help you move and feel better. Remember, you don’t need a doctor’s referral to see a PT!

4. Put up Holiday Decorations

If dizziness, vertigo or other balance concerns are keeping you from throwing up those festive holiday decorations this year, remember that physical therapy can help treat a wide variety of balance and dizziness issues. These are typically caused by problems in your vestibular system (your inner ear) or by muscle imbalances. Physical therapists can identify the cause of the problem and help decrease symptoms through muscle strengthening and other exercises – because the only fall you should experience this holiday season is snowfall.

5. Celebrate the Season

The holidays can be jam-packed with activities like family gatherings, religious services and holiday parties, but nagging pain can keep you from fully celebrating the season. Rather than masking pain with medications that can leave you feeling groggy and can wear off too soon, physical therapists can detect and treat the root cause of the problem so you feel comfortable making plans – and keeping them.

6. Help Others

The best way to get into the holiday spirit is to give back, but you can’t help others if you can’t help yourself! Pain can keep us from doing so many things for ourselves – from seeing friends and family to simply getting out for a walk – but it can be especially hard when it keeps you from helping others in need. No matter what kind of pain you’re experiencing, physical therapists are here to help you so you can pay it forward.

If you’re experiencing pain or feeling the effects of a past injury, physical therapists can determine the cause of the problem and create a customized plan to ease and prevent pain through manual (hands-on) treatment, specialized exercises, stretches and other proven, effective, modern techniques. Don’t let pain become the new normal, especially during the holidays when there is so much to enjoy.

Give us a call today and lets get you scheduled for a FREE 10 minute consultation! 208-478-1488.