Shouldering the Pain of Holiday Decorating

Shouldering the responsibility of holiday decorating may mean you are burdened with the successful outcome of a holiday spectacle. Hopefully it doesn’t mean you bear the load of an upper-body injury! Protecting your shoulders from injury and pain is possible with our tips.

Common Shoulder Injuries

Chiropractic care can benefit shoulder injuries including:

Rotator Cuff Tear: There are four muscles in your upper arm that are attached to your bones by tendons, allowing you to raise your arm and rotate it. When the tendons are torn, arm movement is restricted. This injury is most common in middle-aged adults and seniors.

Frozen Shoulder: Just in time for winter! All jokes aside, about 2% of Americans experience stiffness in the shoulder. The main symptom is an inability to move the shoulder in any direction without pain.

Shoulder Instability: People of all ages suffer from shoulder instability, but youths and athletes do so more than any other group. The ligaments and muscles which adjoin bone to bone can be stretched beyond capacity, causing weakness and pain in the arm. When the shoulder absorbs too much force from acts like pitching or tackling, it can feel loose and become unstable.

Prevent Shoulder Pain

There are a few tips to help prevent shoulder injury including:

Use Proper Tools: Don’t stretch your shoulders past their limit. When hanging lights or ornaments, use a ladder or stepping stool. Something as simple as hanging a decoration can be a disaster if you aren’t using the right tools, so don’t let something like a faulty hammer be your holiday undoing. When moving heavy bins full of décor, don’t do it alone.

Be Careful with Ladders: Speaking of ladders – be careful! A ladder collapse can send you to the floor shoulder first, which can cause damage to the scapula, humerus, or surrounding ligaments and muscles.

Pay Attention: If you are taking on a big holiday decorating task, put your attention toward your project. Shoulder injuries can happen if you are pulling or pushing without care.

Keep Your Work Area Clear: A cluttered work area can easily lead to a slip and fall which can impair, bruise, and even cause irreversible harm to many parts of your body, including your shoulder.

Get Adjusted at Williamsburg Chiropractic: Routine chiropractic care can help prevent and treat shoulder pain and other related issues. Regular adjustments help improved health and wellness, which establishes a solid foundation for your body’s natural ability to heal itself. Chiropractic adjustments also help improve flexibility, mobility, and range of motion to improve shoulder issues.

If you are getting started with your holiday decorating, don’t let your shoulders suffer. Start with an adjustment at your local Brooklyn chiropractor – just click here to request an appointment!