The Marvel of Reindeers
19/12/2022
As Christmas draws closer the festive feeling has taken over this blog. With a lot of help from my colleague Liz, who is studying veterinary Physiotherapy, I thought we might look at how extraordinary reindeers are! Firstly some interesting facts……
Reindeers have broad feet which allows them to walk over snow. Ideal obviously for take off and landing on snowy rooftops! The hooves and structure of their forelimbs allows them to dig through densely packed snow for food. A very valuable skill for refuelling on busy night flights around the world. Carrots are just not enough! Finally, each hoof has 2 toes and 2 dewclaws…. I’m not sure what this means but I don’t doubt that it assists with aerodynamic flight and the ability to hover over chimneys!
Reindeers are ideal to pull Santa’s sleigh and fly around the world for a number of reasons:
- They use the force created while their hooves strike the ground to develop and store mechanical energy which makes their running more efficient so they have more energy for flying. It’s like charging the battery of an electric car…. I think.
- Their muscles have a high capacity for endurance, which helps them to pull Santa’s sleigh around the whole world in one night.
- In pulling the sleigh, reindeers rely on their very strong shoulder muscles. Don’t be surprised if you see them bench pressing in your local gym then, eh?!
- Reindeers require a very large amount of movement in their hip joint and lower back to reach high speeds. It’s why they are well know to be fond of regular stretching and mobility exercises throughout the year!
Unfortunately, reindeer do suffer some injuries at times. The main areas that they may suffer a problem are their necks, back, shoulders and hooves. It has also been found that harnesses can contribute to injuries, which is why it is important to have an adjustable harness that fits the changing dimensions of a reindeer over time.
So you see there is quite a lot for Santa and his medical team to do every year to ensure that Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and of course Rudolph are all fit and ready for a big adventure on the 24th of December. We wish them well in their final preparations this week!
To everybody out there, from all at the Castletroy Physiotherapy Clinic, we wish you a very happy festive period, and a restful and peaceful start to the New Year
Till the next blog, stay active and stay well!
Lonan Hughes & Elizabeth Sterling
Chartered Physiotherapists