Don’t Let Halloween Haunt Your Health: PT Tips for a Spooktacular, Pain-Free Night!

Halloween is a fang-tastic time of year! Costumes, candy, haunted houses, and plenty of laughs. Between all the decorating, trick-or-treating, and party hopping, your body might start to feel more like a zombie than a human! Thankfully, a few simple physical therapy inspired habits can keep you moving like a well-oiled skeleton (get it?).

Warm Up Before You Creep Out

Before you head out to collect your candy bounty, give your muscles a little attention. Try some light stretches or a brisk walk to get your blood flowing. Think of it as a “boo-t camp” for your body. Your future self will thank you when you’re not groaning like Frankenstein the next morning.

PT Tip: Focus on dynamic stretches like leg swings, shoulder rolls, and gentle torso twists. Static stretching before activity can actually reduce performance, so save the long holds for your cool-down.

Carry Candy with Care

Those trick-or-treat bags can get real heavy after a few houses (especially if you’re “helping” the kids with their candy). Remember proper lifting form: bend your knees, not your back, and keep the bag close to your body. You don’t want to wake up with a backache that’s scarier than a haunted house!

Posture Potions and Spellbinding Stretches

If you’re working on Halloween crafts or carving pumpkins, don’t hunch over like a witch stirring her cauldron! Sit or stand tall, keep your shoulders back, and take breaks every 20–30 minutes to stretch. Your spine deserves a treat too, not just your sweet tooth.

PT Tip: Try the “pumpkin roll” stretch, gently roll your shoulders back and down 10 times. It’s the perfect potion for preventing neck tension.

Don’t Be a Candy Vampire

Enjoy the sweets! Halloween only comes once a year, but moderation is key. Too much sugar can lead to inflammation, fatigue, and sluggish recovery if you’re healing from an injury. So maybe trade a few candy bars for some fruit or protein snacks. Your muscles will be un-boo-lievably grateful.

Cool Down Before You Coffin (Call It a Night)

When the fun’s over, do a few gentle stretches before bed to help your body unwind. Try calf stretches, hamstring reaches, or child’s pose to keep your joints loose. You’ll sleep better and avoid waking up feeling like a mummy that forgot to stretch.

Final Frighteningly Good Reminder

Physical therapy isn’t just for when you’re hurt, it’s about keeping your body strong, flexible, and ready for anything, even a night of spooks and sweets. So treat yourself (not trick yourself) to a little self-care this Halloween.

Because the only thing that should be stiff this season… is your candy corn.

Discomfort and soreness are a part of life. What is not normal is living with pain. If you are still experiencing that pain, it's time to talk to your physical therapist or primary care physician.

Try to stay away from narcotics, injections and knife happy surgeons as a primary option for your treatment. There are no magic bullets, but majority of pain symptoms can be resolved with conservative measures like exercises, manual therapy and pain management.

• Irfan Ibrahim is an Owner/Physical Therapist at Rehabon Physical Therapy, Downers Grove IL 60515. He enjoys sunshine and rainbows with his three children. Loves hiking, biking and golfing but he has accepted to live with his mediocre skills. Questions??!! Email him: Irfan@rehabon.com  follow him on Facebook

  
  

• Aimee Cervantes, Rehab Tech at Rehabon Physical Therapy. Aimee is a PTA graduate and has experience at different settings of Physical Therapy. She is currently studying for her licensure exam! Aimee's hobbies are crafting and graphic design. She enjoys seeing her ideas come to life!