Column The Correct Way to Spend the New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day (When You Have Back Pain)

December 29, 2023

As the name “the year's final dash” suggests, I felt the days go by quickly in December.
In this issue, I would like to talk about how to spend the year-end and New Year's holidays.

Many of you may spend the New Year's holiday relaxing.
Those who are usually active in their work or hobbies may want to take it easy during the year-end and New Year's holidays.

In such a situation, every year, after the year-end and New Year's holidays, people tend to suffer from the following problems:
(1) Headache
(2) Sprained neck (from the night)
(3) Back pain
(4) Weight gain
I have a feeling that many patients complain of the 4 conditions above after the New Year.

The causes are mainly as follows:
(1) Patients may experience a different rhythm from the usual in their daily life, due to traveling back to their hometown, having guests over, cleaning up, etc.
(2) Eating disorders such as overeating, while being less active than usual.
I think these are the two main causes.

Even without heavy labor, any work different from your usual routine or daily rhythm may trigger the pain.
When one's daily routine is different from the usual, the body may be subjected to various kinds of fatigue.

Physical fatigue can be caused by the combining factors of exerting muscles that are not normally used, coupled with the continuous use of movements and postures you are not accustomed to.
Other types of fatigue may include fatigue of the autonomic nervous system and of the internal organs.
The autonomic nervous system is our body's source of power and balance, and it helps us balance every day of our lives.
When stresses as different as an unusual routine, psychological weariness caused by the constant socializing with the in-laws or acquaintances, or the sheer number of people around during the holidays all add up, the autonomic nervous system become very solicited and as a result needs to be more balanced than usual, making it easier for fatigue to creep in.
Excessive eating and drinking can also cause fatigue of the internal organs, which in turn puts various strains on the different organs of the body.
One umistakable sign of organ fatigue is soreness in the muscles of the back and lower back.

In order to avoid the above mentioned fatigue, I would like to offer my suggestions to you.
Please try to put them into practice as long as it is not too taxing for your body.

Recommendations
・Spend New Year's Day not “idly” but “slowly” as if it were a usual holiday.
　* Wake up at the usual time and go to bed at the usual time, so that you will not lose your biological rhythm even after the New Year's holiday.
・Change your position or move every 30 minutes to an hour.
　* If you stay in the same position for too long, your body will harden in that position and it will become difficult to move.
・When traveling by car, avoid staying in the same position for long periods of time by stopping at service areas frequently. When traveling by train, try to walk around the train a little, provided you will not lose your balance in the process.
・Cold weather also affects pain and numbness, so don't forget to take measures against the cold.
　* First of all, warm up your internal organs by drinking a glass of hot water first thing in the morning.
・Stretch as much as you feel comfortable is also effective.
・Be conscious of eating in moderation (until your stomach is 80% full).
・Eat your vegetables first, as eating carbohydrates first tends to make you gain weight.
　* It is even better to eat the main dish after you have finished eating your vegetables completely .
・If you overeat or drink too much, skip breakfast the next day or put something easy to digest in your stomach.
　*If you are suffering from any condition or need to take medication, please follow your doctor's advice instead of the above.

Finally, a word about posture.
The most restful postures are the following:
When lying on your side: The side with the strongest symptoms should be on the left or right.
When lying on your back: Place a towel or something under your knees.
* Note that not all of the above are applicable to all patients. It is important to find the most comfortable posture for you every new day.

We would now like unaccustomed to conclude this year's newsletter about our "introduction to how to spend the New Year's holiday".
I wish you all the best for the coming year.
Thank you for this past year and we hope to see you in the next!