5 Tips for Shoveling
One of our favorite past times in the winter is moving snow. Shoveling tends to be a cause of lower or mid back pain. Depending upon the weather conditions for a winter, we may be shoveling more than we would like. Here are 5 important tips to remember this winter to avoid unnecessary back pain.
Warm up - shoveling is a resistance based activity and we should treat it as such. Before we move any snow we should get our muscles of our back warm, loose, and ready to push and pull. Warming up has shown to limit the amount of injuries in resistance based activities.
Push the snow - Pushing is a much safer way to move snow compared to lifting. We are able to maintain a more neutral/strong back when we push compared to lifting, twisting, and throwing.
Take breaks as needed - If you feel the muscles in your back start to ache, burn, or get tired, it is okay to take a 10 minute break. Our muscles take time to restore the energy systems that power them.
Lift properly - when lifting with the shovel grab the very end as close to the shovel/head as possible and keep your other hand on the handle. Try to use your legs as much as possible while maintaining a strong back position to limit stress. If lifting repetitiously try to switch how you grab the shovel and ways you twist to dump the shovel. This will help us use all areas of back compared to the same side over and over again.
Limit the weight on the shovel - choose more loads of snow over heavier loads. Heavier loads will fatigue our muscles faster compared to lighter more frequent loads.
Lastly if you experience pain call your Chiropractor to get you back to feel well as soon as possible.
