The Christmas holiday season brings joy, gatherings, and celebrations—but it also brings a surprising rise in lower back pain. Whether you’re lifting heavy boxes of decorations, carrying gifts, hosting family gatherings, or spending long hours sitting while traveling, your lower back can take a hit during this festive time.

While you should absolutely enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, it’s also a surprisingly common time for people to experience flare-ups of low back pain or neck stiffness.