While the biggest concern of many during holiday shopping is finding the best deal possible, the activity provides ample opportunity for an individual to suffer some type of orthopedic injury. Black Friday may be over, but that doesn’t mean that stores will get any less packed or risks may be any less apparent, and if you’re worried about your overall health over the coming weeks, then consider the injury prevention techniques outlined in a new report.
When holiday shopping, you don’t want to pay more attention to fashion than you do to comfort. It’s imperative when roving the aisles that you’re wearing the type of footwear that will limit the pressure placed on your foot. You want something that can provide you with ample support where’s it’s needed most. Otherwise, your ankle has a greater propensity to slip from beneath you, especially when you’re navigating cold, potentially wet floors made more so by persons who drip all over the ground after walking through a slushy winter parking lot. With the right shoes, you can keep foot injuries at bay.
Perhaps more important is the idea that you want to limit the amount of strain that will be exerted upon your back during this time of the year. If you intend to buy hordes of products for every far-flung friend and relative, then the temptation will be to load yourself up with more weight than you can carry just to be done with things as quickly as possible.
This is a mistake. You should have patience when shopping for the holidays, taking the time you need to avert potential back and shoulder injuries. If you’re in a shopping mall, you don’t want to rove from store to store, adding a bag to your load at every juncture until the cumulative weight is more than you can handle. It’s a far better idea to stop off at your car once you start to feel a strain, dropping the bags off in the trunk and then heading back in to complete your trip.
Strive to maintain balance at all times, not hoisting too much weight on one side of your body, which may even mean switching a purse between arms or simply opting for the type of bag that straps across your chest like a seatbelt. When you have even small bags, take the time to carefully balance the weight and alter the arm you’re using to lift.
Finally, don’t think that you get off easy just because you’re doing all of your shopping from the comfort of a home computer. Sit up straight whenever you’re using a computer, especially if you’re utilizing a laptop, where the temptation is to set up shop in positions not conducive to overall back health.
About the author