Abundant Life Chiropractic is here to help you avoid winter back pain!
Too commonly people suffer from bouts of back pain after winter storms. Most of which can be avoided by proper biomechanics and simple postural changes when shoveling snow.
Common Snow Shoveling Mistakes
There are three common shoveling mistakes that will lead to back pain, or what chiropractors call lumbar pain.
Common Mistake #1 is lifting a weighted shovel with the low back. When you bend at the low back first, this will lead to strain of the lumbar muscles and in worst case scenarios misalignment to the vertebra of the lumbar spine. To avoid back pain, do not lift the shovel with your low back, instead bend at the knees to absorb the weight through your hips, pelvis and lumbar spine together.
Common Mistake #2 happens most often when we are trying to get the job done real quick. When rushing to shovel the snow, we commonly will twist and throw the snow fast. This can cause sprain and strain of the low back muscles and ligaments. To avoid sprain and strain injuries pivot with your hips, then turn your low back and toss the snow safely.
Common Mistake #3 is what the doctors at Abundant Life Chiropractic call hurly burly injuries. This generally happens to the guy who tries to bite off more than he can chew. Meaning, this individual gets as much snow onto the shovel as possible before tossing the snow off to the side. When we do this, we force our bodies to rapidly bear loads much greater than they should. You can do this for a while, and avoid injury but sooner rather than later, a snow storm will catch up to you.
Man having Acute Back Pain
Professional Advice
When cleaning up the winter mess on your driveway or sidewalk, take some time to think about your lifting biomechanics, as well your body motions. If you have already suffered an injury, call a chiropractor and treat the issue before it develops into something more serious. The staff at Abundant Life Chiropractic, in Chanhassen MN, are waiting to take your call. Call now at 952.300.8338 and get the best of your back pain before it gets the best of you.
