Weekend Warrior Syndrome
Weekend Warrior Syndrome
I have seen a lot of weird things at the gym, but I would like to think that none of us would walk in off the street and start throwing around 100 pounds. Performing some sort of a warm up seems like common sense. Most people also know not to lift more than they are able.
This might come as a surprise to many of you, especially those approaching middle age, but the same rules apply at home. Too many people wake up on Saturday morning, throw on their comfy jeans, and walk straight out to their garage. Once inside they look around and find the most awkward, heavy item in there and lift it as quickly as they can. Many insist on using only their back. Once they have hurt their back they move on to raking, shoveling, or weeding to ensure that they have properly wrecked themselves.
Even those that know their limits and avoid heavy lifting can fall victim to Weekend Warrior Syndrome. Seemingly menial tasks like weeding can create a pain in the back that burns deep and stabs like an ice pick. The two enemies to our lumbar health are overloading the spine through heavy lifting and fatiguing the tissues through repetitive movement. Being bent over and pulling those darn sprouts falls under the latter. These injuries do not just happen in the backyard, but also on the pick-up basketball court and behind the ski boat. Perhaps it happened because the kids goaded you into going on that hike or your friend who called you grandpa when hesitated to jump into the lake from the high cliff. In the end the result is pain, aches, and an emphatic “I told you so” from your wife.
That all sounds so scary. Few things are as bad as a finger wag and a head bob from the spouse while you are already hurting. It seems best to avoid the situation entirely, so our natural inclination is to avoid the thing that hurt us. We stop waterskiing and avoid kayaking. Power walks become slow walks and then shuffles. Eventually we consider the walk to the mailbox to be our exercise for the day. But the answer is not to avoid physical exertion; we must do a better job of preparing ourselves to move. Regular and meaningful exercise, proper stretching, a nutritious diet and chiropractic care are all essential to staying active, being healthy, and living well as we age.
Did you notice that I included chiropractic care? It is a key component of overall health. It helps us avoid the injuries that come with being a weekend warrior or the vacation viking. Adjustments help the joints in our back and extremities to work correctly. They help keep us remain balanced and moving as we were designed. Whether you come in before you need it or after you told someone to hold your root beer, chiropractic care can help prevent injury or help your recovery. Give us a call today and let us keep your weekends full of warrior activities.
