Dust off your Frisbee, find the cooler, it's time to head for a backyard cookout or a picnic in the park! This is what you dreamed about all through those cold, crummy winter months! But, anxious as you are to get out there and play some tag football or hit the hammock with a burger clutched in each fist, you need to be warned.

"Really, Doc," you may be thinking, "What could possibly be dangerous about a picnic? Rabid ten-foot squirrels? Birds with good aim?"

No, but I do need to warn you about holes. That's right, holes. We see more people with wrenched backs, leg pain, and neck aches from tripping or stepping in holes in their yard or at a park. Seriously. The jarring that occurs when a person takes a step and meets air, not solid ground, and then hits hard after falling several inches, under strain, can cause a great deal of damage. The shock of falling and then landing hard and off balance sends a wave of trauma up the spine that can lead to a great deal of pain. If you have hurt yourself already, tripping in a hole, over the garden hose, or stepping off a curb, you need to come in right now and get checked for spinal trauma.

Another hidden danger, particularly for low back sufferers is falling asleep on that pretty colored blanket in the shade with a gentle breeze on the HARD GROUND. "Oh Please! You must be making this up!" you say? Sorry, but lying on the hard ground without any support to the curves in your back can be terrible for many of you. Some of our patients have strict warnings against lying on their living room floor for extended periods of time, like when watching T.V.

Lying on a too hard surface can create problems for people with spinal and muscular weakness and make worse any already existing condition. If you experience back soreness and/or stiffness whenever lying on a too hard surface, you probably need some gentle chiropractic care, right now.

Watch out for sacks of charcoal, too. They can be dangerous...even without being on fire! Some bags may weigh ten pounds or more and you need to remember to lift with your legs instead of bending over and straining your back muscles when you pick them up. If you have any questions about correct ways to lift, keeping your back healthy, or need exercises to strengthen and protect your back, we have them for you and anyone else who needs our help. Also, if you do have pain or spasm any time you lift anything, get into this clinic, today. We can find out why you are suffering and maybe correct the cause so it won't get worse and you can regain your health, naturally.

So, you see, it's not just ants in the potato salad and mosquitoes up your shorts that can ruin a picnic. The difference is we can do something about a spinal injury whereas, with bugs, you are on your own.