My 5 top Christmas Injuries!

Aah Christmas.... whether you’re a fan or not, it definitely asserts its presence…and that includes Christmas-specific injuries. I kid you not, so to add to your Christmas cheer, I’m going to tell you about those physical dangers lurking amidst the mistletoe.

Come January, we physios see a whole host of Christmas-related injuries at our clinics. Back injuries, fractured ankles, all kinds of bumps and bruises. To help you avoid these, I’ve complied my top 5 Christmas injuries and how to prevent them. And before I sound too preachy, I’ve engaged in all of these behaviors myself on numerous occasions and am no angel either. But here goes:

1)     Dancefloor-related injuries

The Christmas party night out, a few drinks, very high heels, a slippery floor and an ankle strain/fracture. If you were reading my previous blog on the causes of injuries, you’ll know that injuries occur when a combination of factors interact. You wouldn’t believe the fractures I’ve seen from this: either wrist fractures ( your hand goes out to stop the fall) or ankle fractures from going over on those heels. Crunch.

Solution: Bring a pair of flats in your handbag for the boogie

2)     Christmas-tree injuries

Collecting the tree, carrying the tree, putting it on the car roof, getting it down, getting it to stand upright, moving it about to get the right spot, picking it up after the cat knocks it down….all these create manual handling events. And even though it’s an inanimate object and can’t move on you, its awkward shape and weight make it a biggie for back injuries. I’ve just had PTSD at the memory of how one year, I spent about an hour with a blunt axe getting the base of mine to fit into the stand….shudder.

Solution: Don’t forget the principles of manual handling: assess your load, don’t lift and twist at the same time, and stop being a hero and trying to do it all on your own. Oh, and take your tree stand with you when shopping for a tree..!!

3)     Christmas decoration injuries

Putting them up high on the tree, standing on a chair to get the star on top, reaching in to the back of the tree to get one ‘just there’. Sticking up the tinsel on the ceiling ( does anyone do that anymore??). Somehow, we find ourselves in awkward spots, reaching beyond our reach, straining to get that Blu-tac to stick. This is a classic for shoulder, neck and upper back injuries.

Solution: Get your ladder instead of standing on that chair and trying to reach. Or, find a taller person, for God’s sake!

4)     Turkey and cooking injuries

Pots are heavy when full of big things like a ham or the thousand spuds for the roasties. They are even heavier when filled with water. And turkeys are HEAVY, particularly if you are bending to a low oven to get out. Add in the dangers of hot water in the pot, or hot oil around the bird and you have a disaster waiting to happen. Burns here as well as neck and back injuries.

Solution: Be careful gauging the weight of things that you are lifting, particularly when there are liquids involved. This is because liquids move, and the weight can shift and that bird can slip around on the roasting tin.

5)     Stairs injuries

I’m not sure how many people die on stairs every year in Ireland, but hospitals certainly see severe injuries from falling on stairs. This time of year, we are getting the decorations from the attic, bringing them down the attic stairs or ladder, THEN down the household stairs...... a double whammy. Common mistakes are wearing slippers or flip flops on stairs (mea culpa for sure)  and carrying so much down the stairs in one go that you can’t see the steps and miss your footing ( yep, done that one too).

All kinds of injuries, including bad head injuries and concussions occur ( and…ahem!...a little thing called death).

Solutions: wear proper footwear on stairs. Do smaller runs down carrying things, and don’t take the lazy man’s load.

I'm not even going to go there on all the painting/new bathrooms/new furniture spree that takes place to 'get ready for the Christmas', or making the thousand beds for all your visitors! Stay reasonable, for God's sake..... surely a bit of imperfection is allowed on the big day?

So stay safe, my friends. Whatever about the emotional baggage that Christmas brings (let’s not go there!) try to at least to keep the physical stuff at bay. Have fun!