It’s summer time! British summer time is great as we try our best to make the most of it. Perhaps because of the poor weather for most of the year (and summer) when we do get warmer temperatures and if we’re lucky a bit of sun we go for it. We go for it through a BBQ, a beach trip, garden parties or all sorts of summer events.
Summer festival season is here
One of the biggest and possibly best British summertime experiences is a music festival. In just a few short months, hundreds and thousands of you will head off on a trip to a huge number of festivals. There is something for everyone with music genres and age groups changing per festival.
Despite all the differences between all the different festivals, they do have some things in common. This is where we as a busy London chiropractor team wish to share some advice. Almost every single festival will involve huge crowds of people, long distance driving (normally on a farm somewhere), a lot of queuing, carrying heavy bags and camping.
London chiropractor tips to keeping your back safe at festivals
Being a busy London chiropractor we know they aren’t perfect for your body. However we love music festivals and all of the fun they bring and as always we urge a bit of caution to help you keep your back safe whilst your there.
- Share the load – Whether you’re camping for the weekend or just visiting for the day the chances are you’ll be carrying something. Our advice to you is to share the load, don’t be a hero and carry everything. If you’ve got a group of people, use them and share the weight.
- Carry it well – Use rucksacks. Honestly it will make your life and walk a lot easier and it will be so much better for your back. Rucksacks are built to carry a bit of weight and are designed to share it around your body. So ditch the carrier bags and holdalls.
- Protect your back– Ensure your back is protected against a hard and potentially damp surface by sleeping on a good quality camping mat. Use a sitting mat when you are resting during the day and, if uncomfortable, change position as soon as possible.
- Sleep time – All too often at festivals you have to rush to get the tent up either to avoid rain, get a good spot or just to start having a good time. Before you do that, make sure you’ve removed any large stones or sticks from underneath the tent and bring a pillow. By bringing a pillow you can get a much better sleeping position.
- Wear comfortable clothes – You’ll likely be standing a lot of the time, so wear comfortable shoes and avoid tight fitting clothes.
- Keep hydrated – If you are standing or queuing or long periods of time, drinking alcohol will cause dehydration which, in turn, can aggravate muscle pain. This is made worse if it is warm, sunny or windy. Make sure you keep topped up with plenty of water and juice.
That’s it, remember to follow this simple advice and have a great time.