12/18/2025
Give Yourself the Gift of Relief: How to Survive the Holiday Hustle with Family Chiropractic Plus
The Christmas lights are twinkling along Central Avenue, the holiday playlists are on repeat, and your to-do list is officially longer than a CVS receipt. It’s the most wonderful time of the year in St. Pete—but for many of us, it’s also the most painful.
Between the marathon shopping trips, hours spent hunching over gift wrapping, and the stress of hosting the perfect family gathering, your body takes a beating. It’s no surprise that many of our patients walk in this month feeling more like the Grinch than a jolly elf.
At Family Chiropractic Plus, we believe the holidays should be enjoyed, not endured. Here is how our combination of chiropractic care and massage therapy can help you navigate the "silly season" with less stress and more joy.
1. Unwrapping the Tension: Chiropractic for Stress Relief
We often think of stress as purely mental, but it manifests physically. When you are stressed about holiday planning or finances, your shoulders creep up toward your ears, your jaw clenches, and your posture suffers. This "fight or flight" tension can lead to subluxations (misalignments) in your spine, which irritate your nervous system and create a cycle of pain and irritability.
How we help: Dr. Martin Blankenship and Dr. Jaime Kean specialize in manual adjustments that realign your spine and remove that interference. By restoring proper function to your nervous system, we don’t just treat the back pain—we help your body physically downshift out of "stress mode," helping you sleep better and handle the holiday chaos with a cooler head.
2. The "Shopping Bag Syndrome" (and other Holiday Hazards)
Let’s be honest: lugging heavy shopping bags, hauling boxes of decorations out of the attic, and standing for six hours cooking a feast is a workout your body wasn’t prepared for. This sudden spike in physical activity often leads to:
Lower back pain from improper lifting.
Neck strain from looking down at phones and wrapping presents.
Sciatica flare-ups from long car rides to visit relatives.
The Solution: Don't wait until you "throw your back out" on Christmas Eve. A preventative visit to Family Chiropractic Plus can ensure your joints and muscles are moving correctly before you lift that 20lb turkey. If you are already hurting, our Chiropractic Rehabilitation services can target those specific injuries to get you back on your feet fast.
3. Massage Therapy: Your Holiday Reset Button
Sometimes, you just need to unplug. Our massage therapy services are the perfect complement to chiropractic care. While the adjustment corrects the structure (the bones), the massage addresses the soft tissue (the muscles).
Whether you need a Swedish Massage to melt away mental stress or a Deep Tissue Massage to work out the knots from decorating the tree, our therapists work directly with the doctors to ensure your treatment is safe and effective. It’s not just an indulgence; it’s a medical necessity to keep your blood flowing and your muscles pliable during high-stress weeks.
4. Navigating the Holiday Feast
It’s easy to let health goals slide when the pies and cookies appear. However, inflammation from excess sugar can actually increase your joint pain! As part of our holistic approach, we offer Nutritional Counseling. We can give you practical tips on how to enjoy your favorite holiday foods without wrecking your energy levels or increasing inflammation in your body.
Take Care of You, So You Can Take Care of Them
You spend so much of December taking care of everyone else—buying gifts, cooking meals, and making magic happen. This year, put yourself on the list.
Don’t let pain steal your holiday spirit.
Stop by our office on Central Ave or give us a call to schedule a "tune-up" before the big day. Let our family take care of your family this Christmas season!
Family Chiropractic Plus 📍 3862 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33711 📞 (727) 388-0966 🌐 www.familychiroplus.com
