By Dr. Dipan Patel
Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26. For a lot of New Jersey families, the week before looks the same every year. A run to Costco or ShopRite for a 22-pound bird and three cases of water. A drive down the Turnpike or up the Garden State Parkway that should take an hour and takes three. Two days of standing at the counter chopping, basting, and lifting a roasting pan that weighs more than your carry-on. Then a night on an air mattress in your sister’s basement.
None of that sounds like an injury. But the patients I see after Thanksgiving are not athletes. They are hosts, drivers, and the people who did all the dishes.
The Injury People Underestimate
It is not the dramatic lift. It is the long, slow load.
Most people expect to hurt their back picking up something heavy. What actually gets them is six hours of standing bent forward over a counter, followed by a heavy lift at the end of the day when the muscles around the spine are already fatigued. A disc that has been under steady pressure all afternoon is far less forgiving at 6 p.m. than it was at 9 a.m.
The same is true for your neck. Hours looking down at a cutting board, then at a phone in the passenger seat, add up. Patients swear they “slept wrong.” Usually the pillow was just the last straw.
If you already have a history of a herniated disc, sciatica, or neck arthritis, holiday week is when those conditions like to remind you they exist.
Three Patterns I See Every Thanksgiving
1. The Roasting Pan Lift
A fully loaded turkey in a roasting pan, often 20 pounds or more, held at arm’s length, coming out of a low oven, while you twist to set it on the counter. That is close to the worst possible lifting position for your lower back: weight far from the body, spine bent forward, and a rotation added on top.
- The risk: Acute low back strain or a disc flare, sometimes with pain shooting into the buttock or leg.
- The fix: Pull the oven rack out first so the pan comes toward you. Squat, keep the pan close to your belly, and turn with your feet, not your waist. Better yet, have a second person and two sets of oven mitts.
2. The Counter Marathon
Prep, cook, serve, clean. Many hosts are on their feet on a hard kitchen floor for most of two days, leaning slightly forward the entire time because the counter is a few inches too low.
- The risk: Lower back fatigue and facet joint pain that builds through the day, plus heel and foot pain in people who do not normally stand that long.
- The fix: Put one foot up on a low step or an open cabinet ledge and switch every so often. Stand on a cushioned mat. Wear supportive shoes in the kitchen instead of socks or slippers. Set a timer and sit down for five minutes every hour.
3. The Traffic Jam Spine
Anyone who has crawled down the Turnpike or toward the George Washington Bridge the Wednesday before Thanksgiving knows this one. Long stretches in the car, then hauling luggage, coolers, and folding chairs out of the trunk.
- The risk: Stiff, irritated lower back and sciatic symptoms after prolonged sitting, then a strain when you lift bags out of a deep trunk with a cold, stiff spine.
- The fix: Use a small lumbar roll or a rolled towel behind your lower back. Stop every 60 to 90 minutes if you can and walk for a few minutes. When you arrive, take a short walk before you unload. Lift bags out of the trunk by bringing them to the edge first, then lift close to your body.
What Actually Protects You
You do not need a new workout program before Thanksgiving. You need a plan for the week.
Spread out the heavy work. Shop over two trips. Prep earlier in the week so Thursday is not a 12-hour standing shift. Delegate the lifting and the dishes.
Keep moving between tasks. A two-minute walk after a long stretch at the counter helps more than you would think, and so do gentle hip and hamstring stretches in the morning.
If you already manage back or neck pain, bring your routine with you: the heating pad, the pillow that works, and whatever medication your doctor has you on.
When to Come In
Most holiday back strains settle down within a few days with rest, gentle movement, and heat. Do not wait it out if you notice:
- Pain shooting down one leg below the knee, especially with numbness or tingling
- Weakness in the foot or leg, or trouble lifting the front of your foot
- Neck pain with tingling or weakness in the arm or hand
- Pain that is getting worse, not better, after a week
- Back pain that wakes you up at night or comes with fever
Seek emergency care right away for new loss of bladder or bowel control or numbness in the groin or inner thighs. Those are not “wait and see” symptoms.
Get Ahead of It Before the Holidays Pile Up
Thanksgiving kicks off five weeks of travel, shopping, and lifting. If your back or neck is already talking to you, get it evaluated now, not in mid-December.
At our offices in Clifton, Jersey City, West Orange, Edison, Morris County, and Hazlet, we focus on finding the actual pain generator and treating it without surgery whenever possible. That can mean targeted physical therapy, image-guided injections, and minimally invasive, non-surgical procedures designed to get you moving again.
Host the dinner. Make the drive. Just do not let the leftovers outlast your back pain.
Dipan Patel, MD
Double Board-Certified Spine & Joint Specialist