There comes that time of year, every single year, where we have to do physical activities that we may not necessarily want to do, but really have no choice. Even as I speak right now the snow was falling in Bellevue, and with snow comes shoveling of that snow. This is a seasonal activity that I categorize as “have to” activities as opposed to “want to” activities. Being that the snow is falling now let’s talk about the seasonal activity of shoveling snow. The neat thing about this talk is that even if snow is not an issue where you live, this information can also be used in your gardening, digging, or any other yard related activities.
So, why is back pain such a big problem when we shovel?
1. When we bend at the waist, two thirds of our body weight is being held up and lifted and that’s not to mention what your arty lifting. Now this means that 180 pound man has to lift 120 pounds of body weight every time he bends over.
2. A 5# weight equals 50# to our back when it is held out in front of us – consider the 10-20# weight on the end of a shovel!
3. Your legs will always be much stronger than your back or your arms. The problem comes in that most people use their arms, not the legs, when the shovel.
4. Technique is a vital component to understand when shoveling. Most people do the three worst things for the back when they shovel, which are, lifting with their arms and back, bending and twisting, and rapidly extending and twisting the back when throwing the snow from the shovel.
5. To make it all worse we do the same things over and over and over again, with bodies that are not in proper shape to be doing the activity in the first place. So, what do you do about it?
One way to prevent injuries, especially to the low back is to avoid the activities that injure it in the first place. For those of us who can’t hire the neighborhood kid to shovel the driveway here are some basic tips. The first fact is, we can’t change the fact that 2/3rds of our body weight is above our waist. What we can change right now is just how much you load up that shovel with snow or dirt. Secondly, always bend down using your strong leg muscles, not your back. This reduces the strain that is put on the back while lifting. Take multiple breaks and switch sides so you don’t “beat up” the same muscle groups repeatedly.
If you do at any point injure your back it is vitally important to give it plenty of time to heal. If your back starts to hurt after shoveling, take a break, rest, ice, and then do some gentle stretches- DO NOT go back out and start shoveling again! Some other tips for back health while shoveling is to warm up before the activity, stay in “shoveling shape” through out the year to avoid vulnerability, and get plenty of rest after the activity.
Doctor Michael Weir is a local bellevue chiropractor. To contact his chiropractic chiropractic clinic call 425-635-0495.