Gift Wrapping and Holiday Crafts: Protecting Your Neck and Back

The strain from gift wrapping and holiday crafts comes less from the wrapping itself than from the position: hours hunched over a table with your head down and shoulders rounded. The fix is to bring the work up closer to your hands and take regular breaks, and most of the setup takes less than a minute.

Raise your work surface so you are not bending over it. A sturdy box, cutting board or turntable on the table brings the paper and ribbon up to roughly elbow height, keeps your elbows near a right angle, and lets you look at your work without dropping your chin to your chest. Work close to your body instead of reaching across the table.

Sit with your hips back in the chair, your lower back supported, and your feet flat on the floor. Keep your head stacked over your shoulders rather than forward: a head that drifts forward puts noticeably more load on the neck muscles. Position the rolls of paper, tape and scissors you use most within arm's reach so you are not twisting and reaching all evening.

Set a rhythm: every 30 minutes or so, stand up, walk a few steps, and do a few gentle shoulder rolls and neck tilts. Staying in one position for two hours causes strain even with a perfect setup. If you have a lot of wrapping to do, split it across a couple of evenings instead of one marathon session.

If your neck or upper back is sore the next morning, that is your body telling you the setup was wrong. If the soreness lingers for days, keeps returning, or spreads down your arm, an evaluation is a reasonable next step rather than guessing. Chiropractic care may help some patients with posture and movement habits, but it works best when your daily setup stops fighting it.

Dr. Gregory Martin has practiced chiropractic since 1996 and sees patients at Gregory Martin Chiropractic at 283 Sparta Avenue in Sparta and at Speedwell Family Chiropractic at 520 Speedwell Avenue in Morris Plains. If holiday chores have left your neck and back complaining, call or text (973) 699-4100 to schedule an evaluation.