Christmas may be known as the most wonderful time of the year but sometimes the festive spirit can backfire & result in an injury.
It’s important to be well versed in how you could sustain an injury – and know how to cure it with a simple massage.
From straining muscles while putting up the tree, to culinary catastrophes in the kitchen, we’ve rounded up the most common causes of Christmas calamities and how you can ease the pain.
1. Decking the halls
No Christmas is complete without an impressive tree and there’s nothing more festive than the annual trip to the garden centre to choose yours. However, many homeowners will strain their muscles attempting to lug their lofty fir trees around. If you’re a victim this month, our Deep Tissue Massage can help. Perfect for those experiencing tension in the back and neck, the massage reduces this by releasing knots and restoring elasticity.
2. Wrap it up
There’s nothing greater than seeing the smiles on your friends and family’s faces when they open the presents you lovingly chose for them, but wrapping can be a laborious process and leave you with a sore neck and shoulders. If you’ve spent hours bending over to painstakingly snip wrapping paper and fix bows, you’ll benefit from a Deep Tissue Massage to ease the pain. Deep tissue massage is designed to increase blood flow to targeted muscles, kick-starting the body’s natural healing process so will soothe sore neck and shoulders in an instant.
3. Walk the walk
Retail therapy might be brilliant for burning calories but spending hours pounding the pavement to get all your Christmas shopping ticked off can leave you with painful legs. Give your limbs some TLC to ensure they carry you through the festive period with our Sports Massage. This treatment uses deep manipulation of the soft tissue to correct problems and imbalances caused by strenuous physical activity like shopping. It helps improve flexibility and may reduce recovery time, getting you back on your feet in no time.
4. Culinary calamities
If you’re channelling your inner Mary Berry by entertaining this December, it’s important to take care in the kitchen. Two of the most common Christmas cooking injuries are back pain from lifting a heavy turkey and Repetitive Strain Injury from endless vegetable chopping. If your kitchen antics have left you sore, opt for our Thai massage. This type of massage can increase physical flexibility and help resolve postural misalignments, while clearing and balancing your energy channels, which can often be left off kilter during the stressful holiday season.
5. Playing the doting relative
December is the perfect time to spend with friends and family but overexcited nieces, nephews and grandchildren can leave you in pain. If you’ve strained your back playing with the little ones and haven’t got enough energy left to make it through the rest of December, our Energising Massage will be the answer to your woes. This refreshing treatment uses a variety of massage techniques alongside hand-picked essential oils to awaken your senses and boost your energy levels, all while tending to sore muscles.
6. The annual loft trip
Whether you’re retrieving the presents you’ve been hiding up there all year or making the annual trip up the ladder to bring down the decorations, a loft excursion can sometimes end in injury. A Thai Yoga massage can increase flexibility, improve core strength, and help to manage pain in your shoulders, neck and back caused by that much-dreaded trip to the attic.
7. Topping the tree
No tree is complete without a shiny star or impressive angel at the top. However, clambering to reach the top of a 6ft tree can leave you in pain. If your decorating attempts have wreaked havoc with your back, it’s nothing a simple massage can’t fix. The Urban Classic Massage has a plethora of benefits and is the perfect way to relax after hours spent hanging tinsel and baubles. Using long strokes and deep circular movements, your therapist will help you unwind and de-stress, while boosting your immune system.
8. Sitting comfortably?
Big families bring plenty of fun to the festive period but anyone from a large brood knows the annual attempt to squeeze everyone comfortably into the lounge often ends in discomfort. If you got the short straw and ended up sitting in an awkward chair, you’ll benefit from an Urban Classic massage over the festive period, which releases muscular tension and decreases inflammation.
9. Too much TV
One of the best parts about the holiday season is the endless hours of entertaining TV on offer. But spending hours staring at the small screen can leave you with a painful headache. Soothe a sore head with Reflexology. This complementary health therapy uses pressure points on your feet, lower legs and hands to correspond with different areas in the body. These areas can be stimulated to restore balance, decrease stress and reduce tension, especially around your eyes and head.
10. Food glorious food!
From too many pigs in blankets to a few too many dips into the Quality Street tin, December is the one time of the year you can overindulge. However, if your festive feasting has left you feeling sluggish and bloated, a Lymphatic Drainage Massage can work wonders. This hands-on treatment uses gentle, repetitive strokes to soothe and support the lymphatic system, which plays an instrumental role in protecting you from infection and disease. Sometimes referred to as a ‘Detox massage’, this type of massage will support your body’s internal filtration mechanisms and help keep your immune system (and body bloat) in check.