12/22/2025
Ho Ho Ouch! Even Santa Can Benefit from Physical Therapy.
Between shopping, carrying boxes and bags, hours in the kitchen, and packing luggage, your lower, middle, and upper back take a hit. Add stress and long days on your feet, and those aches show up fast.
This holiday take a break and stretch out your back with these quick, easy stretches. Your back will thank you for it.
Here are a few easy ones to try:
• Seated spinal twist
Sit tall on a yoga mat, gently twist your torso to one side, hold for 10–15 seconds, then switch. This helps relieve mid-back stiffness from long car rides or flights.
• Standing back stretch
Place your hands on your hips and gently lean backward. Hold for 5–10 seconds. Great for counteracting hours of bending while cooking or lifting packages.
• Shoulder blade squeezes
Pull your shoulders back and down as if you’re pinching a pencil between your shoulder blades. Hold for 5 seconds, repeat 10 times. This helps relieve upper back and neck tension from carrying bags or hunching over phones.
• Knees-to-chest stretch
Lie on your back, bring both knees toward your chest, and hold for 20 seconds. This relaxes the lower back after a long, busy day.
After the holiday, physical therapy can do even more. Hands-on treatments, guided stretching, posture correction, and strengthening exercises can help calm pain, restore movement, and prevent future flare-ups. Whether it’s an old injury aggravated by extra activity or a new strain from sudden movements, getting it checked early matters.
Don’t push through the pain.
Call to book an appointment at our conveniently located physical therapy and sports rehabilitation facility in Edgewater, New Jersey. Let our expert physical therapists help you recover, move better, and start the new year feeling strong.