Shovel like a canadian!

With the recurrent snowstorm in Canada, there has been a bunch of Canadian warriors working overtime in the morning and at night to shovel snow.

snow shovelling

Some have shoulder pain, others have wrist pain, back pain, neck pain etc.

Unfortunately, shoveling stimulates almost every joint of the body!

So... what can we do, when we are alone and have to face snow?

Rule #1:

Take MANY breaks. You should never shovel continuously unless you are an experienced shoveller! Especially, if it is your first shovel of the year, you are merely asking for trouble if you complete the job without breaks! I normally rest a few minutes every 10-15 mins.

Rule #2:

Hold the shovel close to your body. It is much more advantageous for you to hold it near your body as pushing is much easier when the handle is closer to you. And try to push more than you lift!

Rule #3:

There is actually no evidence for this, but it seems logical to tighten your core muscles and abdominals while you lift!

Rule #4

Don't throw the snow! (unless you are dumping it on a bad neighbor... kidding!)

Walk to get rid of the snow!

Rule #5

It is OK to bend your back. Bending is NOT bad for you, that's a myth. Just make sure you do some back extensions every now and then.

You can bend from your knees or squat too. It might make it easier and will challenge different muscles. But, you won't hurt your back simply by bending it. But you will get hurt, if you don't follow rule #1!

Last Rule

Have fun! Be creative and be nice!

Good luck Canadians!

Physio Summum Brossard