The holidays are almost here — and with them come joy, family, celebrations… and a whole lot of STRESS.
Between shopping, cooking, traveling, hosting, and trying to make everything “perfect,” your body takes a beating. Most people don’t realize how much holiday stress shows up physically:
- Tight shoulders from carrying bags and kids
- Low back pain from hours of cooking and cleaning
- Tension headaches and neck stiffness from sleeping on unfamiliar beds
- Old injuries flaring up because you “pushed through” one too many tasks
The good news? Chiropractic care is one of the fastest, drug-free ways to keep your nervous system calm and your spine moving well — so you can actually ENJOY the season instead of just surviving it.
How Chiropractic Helps You Thrive This Holiday Season: ✓ Reduces physical tension and muscle spasms ✓ Calms an overactive stress response (yes, your spine talks to your brain!) ✓ Improves sleep quality — critical when your schedule is packed ✓ Boosts energy so you’re not running on caffeine and sugar ✓ Prevents minor aches from turning into major problems
3 Quick Shoulder Tension Relievers You Can Do Anywhere (Takes Less Than 3 Minutes!)
- Doorway Chest Opener Stand in a doorway, place forearms on the door frame (elbows at shoulder height), and gently lean forward until you feel a stretch across your chest and front of shoulders. Hold 20–30 seconds. Repeat 2–3 times. → Perfect after wrapping gifts or carrying shopping bags all day.
- Neck & Upper Trap Release Sit or stand tall. Drop your right ear toward your right shoulder. With your right hand, gently pull your head a little farther (very light pressure). Hold 20–30 seconds each side. → Melts the tension that builds from stress and looking down at your phone.
- Shoulder Blade Squeeze Sit or stand with arms relaxed at your sides. Squeeze your shoulder blades together as if pinching a pencil between them. Hold 5 seconds, release. Do 10–15 reps. → Counteracts the forward-slump posture we all get while cooking or driving.
Do these a few times a day — especially when you start feeling that familiar tightness creeping in.
Many of our patients tell us their adjustments + these simple stretches are the combo that keeps them sane (and pain-free) from Thanksgiving through New Year’s.
Spots fill up fast this time of year — call us at (360) 573-5500 to grab yours.
From all of us at Forgey Chiropractic, we wish you a happy, healthy, and truly relaxed holiday season.
Here’s to celebrating without the aches,
Dr. Bryan Gehm & The Forgey Chiropractic Team Vancouver, WA | (360) 573-5500 www.forgeychiropractic.com
P.S. If you’ve been “waiting until after the holidays” to get that nagging pain checked… don’t. Start the new year feeling better than you do right now. We’ve got your back (literally).
