Our Blog

Dec 21, 2014

It’s the same thing over and over…

This past week in the office I’ve seen a lot of patients that I haven’t seen in a while. They come in with various complaints and ailments, but the vast majority are lower back related. More specifically, the lower back symptoms have been caused by holiday decorating, wrapping presents, travel, and all the other activities this time of year brings.

We seem to do this to ourselves during this time of year. We tend to travel to visit family and friends. We decorate our homes. We spend hours leaning over boxes and meticulously placing time along the seams of wrapping paper. We sit and write out Christmas card after Christmas card. We get stressed out as the last days of the year come to a close. And we do this all willingly. Year after year.

You’d think we would learn a few things. A few things about ourselves and a few things about this time of year. But life plays a little joke on us. We forget as each year passes, we also get a year older. I’m sure many of you can relate to me. I’m approaching 40, but in my mind I don’t feel any different than I did when I was 20. My body, however, doesn’t seem to think it’s 20 any longer. And judging from my conversations with my patients, this line of thinking doesn’t change as the years pass. I’ll wait for you to finish nodding your heads.

This other thing we forget is how we felt the previous year. If you had lower back issues this time last year, chances are you’ll experience similar issues this year. Unless you’ve changed your lifestyle, started a consistent exercise program or lost some weight, chances are your back is not as good as it was last year. But the holidays have a way of making us look forward, not backward. Maybe it the impending New Year. Or maybe we all just have short memories. It’s probably a bit of it all.

So if you had problems this year related to the extra activity, take a moment to think back and recall if you had similar problems in the past. I’d encourage all of you to prepare better throughout the year. Start an exercise program. Make some dietary changes. Whatever you do, be consistent with it. And If you have questions, please ask away. I promise, if you make consistent changes you will thank yourself this time next year.

I won’t be back here for another blog until after Christmas. So I’ll take this opportunity to wish everyone out there, from our family to yours, a very Merry Christmas and holiday season.

And with that, I wish everyone out there a safe and healthy week.