"You don’t have time to worry about back pain over the holiday season" says Dr. McNeil. A lot of people suffer from back pain over the holidays because of long hours standing and constant walking while looking for holiday presents. Another cause of back pain is pulling big packages off the shelves in the store in improper ways. Some people also complain about having back pain due to bending over while wrapping presents for long hours.  Back pain can be an uncomfortable feeling in the back but can turn into something very serious if ignored. Once left untreated it can affect the quality of life. You might even find that the pain and muscle tension can even keep you from sleeping, working or even enjoying the holidays. So, it is essential to find ways to relieve this common condition to make your holidays more memorable and at the same time prevent the condition from worsening. To help have a pain free holiday season, Dr. Chris McNeil, Chiropractor and Chiropractic clinic director, reveals "5 Ways to Relieve Back Pain Over the Holidays".

1.    The first thing you always can do with increased pain or a new injury is rest.  Take frequent breaks from whatever you are doing and alternate between sitting down, to rest your back muscles, and standing up and walking around, to keep the muscles working and the joints moving.

2.    Ice therapy can be used to decrease the swelling in the injured area.  Swelling and inflammation ultimately irritates the nerve in your low back and causes the muscles to tighten up.   Using an ice pack for 20 minutes every hour can great decrease the pain and swelling associated with back pain.

3.    Hot packs can be utilized to minimize muscle tension.  When the back is injured and the muscles tighten up and go into spasm, heat packs can really help relax the tight muscles and provide some relief.

4.    Heat rubs and patches can also be to loosen up tight muscles in the back.  These heat liniments are especially helpful when you have to be on the go. Applying thermo genic creams, lotions or patches can provide some relief to help you get through the day.

5.    A back support may be a life saver when your back pain is severe. When your spine an posture are misaligned, causing nerve and joint irritation, your body will often become antalgic shifting your rib cage to one side.  A back brace from the drug store may help support to take some pressure of your back muscles, nerves and joints and provide you with some relief. A back brace shouldn’t be worn more than 6 hours at a time so you should consult with your chiropractor before trying a back brace.

"These five ways to relieve back pain are very helpful. However, if you have an underlying problem that is causing your back pain, such as misalignments in the low back causing nerve or joint irritation, these 5 pain relievers may only be a temporary patch until the true problem is fixed.  So, it’s always a good idea to get checked out by a chiropractor at the first sign of back pain.  That way you may be able to avoid any severe back conditions that may not only keep you from doing your Christmas shopping, but also sleeping, working or enjoying the holidays" says Dr. McNeil.

To make holidays more fun and pain free, consider Dr. McNeil's "5 Ways to Relieve Back Pain Over the Holidays". For more information, please feel free to visit the website at http://metrodetroitchiropractors.com/back-pain/.

To access Dr. McNeil's free video series on “Top 10 Auto Accident Injury Mistakes” visit http://www.metrodetroitchiropractors.com/mistakes.

You can also listen to a pod cast by Dr. McNeil on "5 Ways to Relieve Back Pain Over the Holidays" by clicking here http://traffic.libsyn.com/chiropractorchrismcneil/5_ways_to_releive_back_pain_over_the_holidays.mp3  

You can follow Chiropractor Chris McNeil Chiropractic Clinic Director at these socials sites:

LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/chiropractor-chris-mcneil/7b/aa/472

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MetroDetroitChiropractors
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chiropractor-Chris-Mcneil-Detroit-Auto-Accident-Injury-Chiropractic-Clinic/186233871581380

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ChrisMcChiro

Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/ChrisMcChiro/boards/

Chiropractor Chris McNeil is chiropractic clinic director for www.MetroDetroitChiropractors.com . After suffering extensive injuries in an auto accident as a teen ager, he attribributes his recovery to Chiropractic care and other physical medicine, as one of the reasons he became a chiropractor. Because of his prior experience with his rehabilitation he is devoted to assisting others in his community to recieve the same types of care so he speializes in auto addicent injuries in his clinic. In this podcast the doctor disucsses the "Top Ten Auto Accident Injury Mistakes".