Here in downtown Toronto, THIS is THE slip and fall season! We are currently in a bit of a warm stretch which is causing all that snow we just had to melt. Slush by itself can be slippery and if the temperatures drop, we can get slippery ice! Slipping and falling on hard concrete can cause spinal misalignments!
Here are a few tips to help you survive the slip and fall season!
1. Buy non-slip boots. Dress shoes have very slippery bottoms and can easily cause you to take a tumble! Wear good fitting, supportive boots with a non slip sole! My personal recommendation for boots are Blundstone! They are made in Australia, have great support, very comfortable, have a non-slip tread and they have amazing longevity! My first pair lasted 6 winters before they lost some of their support. They feel great on your feet and will save your spine this winter!
2. Build up your core muscles. Increasing your core strength will better prepare you to catch yourself if you start to slip and help to protect your spine if you fall! Here is a link to a YouTube video showing 4 simple pilates exercises you can do to start you on your core strengthening journey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QURr_ujngCg
3. Stretch regularly! Keeping your muscles loose and flexible will help you to prevent and injury if you do fall!
4. Work on your balance! Working on your balance with things like a Bosu ball or wobble board will engage your intrinsic stabilizers that help to prevent your body from becoming injured. This helps to strengthen and stabilize your joints and make you stronger in the process! We regularly make balancing routine for our chiropractic patients with fantastic results!
5. Visit a chiropractor if you do fall! Nobody takes better care of your spine than a chiropractor. If you fall you should call a chiropractor right away regardless if you feel pain right away or not. Falls can create misalignments and injuries in your spine that you may not even feel. If these spinal misalignments heal wrong they can lead to longer term complications like headaches, back pain, nerve pain, sciatica, neck pain and even arthritis in your spine! If you fall get checked out right away, if everything is fine that is great news but if something did get injured, the earlier you start treatment, the better the recovery! If you live or work in downtown Toronto and have a slip and fall accident, call us at 416-504-8880 to get your spine checked! You can learn about our new patient process here: https://getadjusted.ca/what-to-expect/ you can also download our initial examination forms here: https://getadjusted.ca/online-paperwork/
Stay safe out there Toronto!
- Your downtown Toronto Chiropractor Dr. Matthew Hannikainen
