Overcome the ‘Festive Fear’ and Improve your Musculoskeletal Health

The National Accident Helpline suggests that 27% of people feel more stressed during the festive period, also known as the Festive Fear. Due to the bustle and endless to do lists, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men say they are more likely to do things in a rush – which inevitably leads to accidents!

So, what are some common Festive Injuries & how do they connect to our MSK/general health.

1 in 50 people have fallen out of the loft whilst getting the decorations out. 2.6 million people have fallen off a stool or ladder while hanging up decorations and most commonly 30% of people have injured themselves slipping on ice.

There is one thing that ties all these incidents together – proprioception.

Proprioceptors process sensory information when our body moves, this lets our brain know where our limbs are at any given moment – which is essential for our coordination. It also is important for us to allow us to grade the force and speed of movement, maintain muscle tone and maintain balance.

So how can we improve proprioception and therefore prevent these very common injuries?

 Proprioception Rehabilitation usually is threefold:

1. Balance exercises

Standing on a balance board is often used to retrain or increase proprioception abilities. Using a Bosu Ball or stability disc and perform simple exercises such as squats (single or double legs). Tai chi also employs these principles – in a slow and focused way.

2. Somatosensory Stimulation Training

This involves using different textures such as cotton balls or Velcro to help receptors recognise different textures. This is very important especially for walking around – as textures change between carpet and hard flooring.

3. Joint repositioning training

Joint repositioning tasks include matching limbs to certain areas with your eyes closed or blindfolded. This includes putting the limb at the starting position and moving it to a reference point (that is seen beforehand). This can be done on the same side (homologous) or contralateral (opposite) side. Functional tasks such as picking up objects and placing them in different places with a blindfold on, is also helpful.

At Goodall Healthcare Group, through our MSK and rehabilitation services, we can help you to improve your proprioception. Proprioception is key as we age, poor balance increases the risk of falls. Through training with GHG, regular preventative MSK MOTs, you can increase the dynamic response of muscle spindles and prevent the degeneration of axons which helps with information processing.

So don’t delay – use Goodall Healthcare Group, not only to make Christmas a bit more of a breeze, but to improve the quality of  your life, long-term .