With November being upon us the time is coming for everyone’s least favourite season of the year – wintertime! With that comes shoveling snow – an activity associated with sore backs, sore shoulders and unfortunately even heart attacks.
In this brief blog I share three tips that, while not perfect and more based on the author’s opinion than on hard scientific research, may help reduce the likelihood of issues occurring when shoveling snow.
1 – Keep yourself in good shape
To quote scientist Tim Gabbett “it’s not the load that breaks you down. It’s the load that you’re not prepared for that breaks you down.”
I see people get hurt or have trouble shoveling snow because the demand for shoveling snow is higher than the fitness of the people doing those activities.
This is where working with a well trained Kinesiologist and Physiotherapist, like the ones we have at Carespace Health+Wellness, can be helpful with getting you on a proper routine to improve your fitness – especially if you’re dealing with any injuries or health issues.
2 – When moving snow – keep the weight close to you
The one piece of advice I give just about everyone with lifting, and this applies with shoveling snow, is to keep the weight close to you.
In basic physics torque equals force X distance. By keeping the load close to you, and reducing the distance, you put less torque on your body and make the lifting process easier.
3 – Pace yourself
The last big mistake I see people make with shoveling snow is going too hard and doing too much at once. Sometimes it’s not even the activity that is the issue – but just doing too much of it.
If you are having increases in pain or are very fatigued or sore afterwards that likely means you need to decrease the amount of snow shoveling you do in one session and/or take breaks as you go.
That said – if you are dealing with injuries or have specific questions I can help provide more specific advice with how to pace yourself with shoveling snow.
*BONUS: another concern that many have with snow shoveling is falling on ice. I plan to discuss fall prevention in a separate blog.
I hope these tips are helpful. Stay safe this winter!
If you have any questions or would like to explore further, please book a free, no-charge online appointment. Eric Bowman is a physiotherapist in Waterloo.
