Minimizing Parental Pains: 4 Methods To Help Reduce Injury

Of all the joys of parenting, the biggest issue many of us face is the sheer exhaustion factor. When you’re tired you end up making many mistakes, but on top of this, children want to be carried everywhere. Therefore, it’s important to remember that you are only human and you are prone to a lot of wear and tear. What can you do to minimize parental injuries, whether you are carrying your child or being forced to bend in directions that are, quite frankly, impossible?

Look at Your Weaknesses First

They call this “addressing your gait,” the manner in which you stand and how you walk. There could be a few simple issues that can be remedied quickly. For example, if you have hunched shoulders, you could start with applying KT tape to your shoulder to keep them in place, but also if you find there is a problem with your lower back, the vast majority of back problems stem from poor posture. When you take a proactive approach by looking at your weaknesses, you know exactly what you need to fix.

Understanding the Hazards of Typical Parenting Duties

When we are tired and we invariably have to multitask, we start to aggravate certain physical issues that have been lingering for a long time. But there are some simple ways to sidestep these problems:

Carrying loads closer to the body and to the center rather than off to one side.
When lifting, bend at your knees, not from the back.
If you have multiple things to carry from the car, do your best to make several trips.
When you are holding a child, keep your core muscles tightened and shift from one side to the other to minimize strain on one side.
Try not to lock your knees.

Create Setups That Make Life Easier

Sometimes we find ourselves having to change diapers on a surface that requires us to bend in strange directions. The best thing for you to do is to make sure that, when you are in certain situations which require more exertion, like changing a diaper or lifting your baby out of the car, minimize the setups that force you to put extra strain on your back muscles. When it comes to changing a diaper, one of the best solutions is to have a changing table.

Always Remember Proper Form

It is so easy to strain ourselves, especially when we are holding too much weight on certain muscles, and if we don’t address them they will become worse. If you focus on your form, this will make sure that you are always doing things properly. But also, when it feels like you’ve had an injury, as difficult as it may be to rest, you could benefit from icing the affected area and incorporating deep tissue massages where you can, for example, by using a foam roller.

It’s important that when our children are at such a young age that we are spending time with our children as much as possible, but when we are not built to carry them constantly or run after them 24/7, it’s important to get into the mindset of minimizing these potential parental pains.