With all the extra holiday shopping, social gatherings and general hubbub of the season, the last thing anyone needs is to suffer a back injury. Whether you're carrying heavy gift packages or bringing boxes of decorations up from the basement, a few back care reminders may make the difference between a painful or comfortable holiday.

Here are a few tips:

Make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart or slightly wider when you lift.

Pull your abdominal muscles in, and keep them contracted to support your torso throughout the movement.

Always bend your knees and allow your hips to release behind you. This causes you to bend from the hip joint, rather than from the waist, and allows you to lift with your legs, not your back.

Try to keep your weight back toward your heels and your chest lifted. Your knees should be aligned over your toes and should not extend past them.

Press your feet down as you come up, bringing your hips back underneath you as you rise.

Avoid any tendency to bend forward from the waist, which causes your spine to round, shoulders to hunch and head to bend back. Instead, look forward and down so your head remains in line with the rest of your spine.

Keep your abdominal muscles strong! Weak abdominal muscles can predispose a person to lifelong problems with lower back pain that often surface when you lift heavy items.

If you do strain your back, be advised that the old prescription of complete rest may not be the best approach. It's very important to follow your physician's recommendations; however recent research suggests that mild activity can speed recovery and prevent future injury by strengthening your back.

Surprisingly, aerobic fitness appears to influence back pain. A study of firefighters in Los Angeles found that those with the greatest level of fitness had the least amount of back pain. Perhaps the best way to avoid back pain or injury is to maintain a strong body by exercising regularly.

Proper body mechanics are important in avoiding back strain when lifting heavy objects. Always bend the knees and lower the body without bending at the waist when picking up items on the floor. Use the strong muscles in the legs to do the work as the object is lifted. Keep the heavy objects as close to the center of the body as possible.