By Chris Byers, PT
Dean Martin was familiar with Midwest winters when he famously crooned, “Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, and since we’ve no place to go, Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” The problem is that most people do have places to go and we need to move that snow off our sidewalks and driveways. But shoveling snow can be hazardous to your health if you aren’t careful. Each year, people suffer heart attacks, broken bones from falls, and back injuries due to shoveling. So as our weather is again frightful and the snow falls, let’s remember a few easy ways to stay healthy this winter while shoveling.
Tips to Avoid a Heart Attack
- Warm up and stay warm. Start out by stretching your back and legs before going outside, so you are flexible and your heart rate is in exercise mode. Wear warm clothing, especially gloves. Cardiologist Randy Zusman, from Massachusetts General Heart Center, explains that when our hands get cold the blood vessels of the heart can constrict, reducing the blood supply of our heart. This is dangerous when we are exerting ourselves.
- Don’t try and do it all at once. Pay attention to your breathing and when you start breathing hard or become out of breath, take a break. Allow your heart rate and breathing to settle down before returning to the shoveling. Give yourself 3-5 minutes to recover. Also, slow your pace. We rarely exert as hard as when shoveling snow and even less often in cold weather.
- Stay hydrated! Drink water before you begin and take frequent breaks during the shoveling to drink water.
Tips to Avoid Back Injury
Strained muscles, herniated discs, and exacerbated arthritic issues are all common injuries associated with shoveling snow. In addition to abiding by the previous tips for avoiding heart attacks, follow these tips to avoid back injury.
- Warm up first!
Standing back twists or rotations x 10
Reaching for your toes x 10
Back bends with hands on hips x 10
Side bends reaching for knee x 10
Squats x 10 - Reverse the curve! Shoveling snow is a bent over or flexion activity, which is hard on the back muscles and discs. Every 3-5 minutes stand up straight and do 5-10 backbends, an extension activity, with hands on hips to relax muscles and take pressure off the discs. Just give them a break from the hard work they are doing.
- Lactic acid buildup. Lactic acidosis happens when the muscles are worked at high intensity without rest. You typically feel a burn in the muscles with lactic acid buildup. However, lactic acid buildup in the back muscles is not as easily sensed and people often don’t recognize the need to stop and rest. So use the above rule of thumb and take at least a minute break while doing backbends to allow the lactic acid to be washed out of the muscles.
- Bend your knees! The common posture that is used is doing all the lifting with the back in bent over position. By bending the knees and using the legs with the back, the load is easier to handle.
- Don’t twist. Instead of throwing the snow in a twisting motion, move your feet, while turning toward the direction you are throwing. Twisting motions with the weight of the snow on the shovel are very hard on the back muscles and spine.
Shoveling snow is a fact of life here in the Midwest. It is going to snow and even if we have a snow blower, there are times when we will still need to shovel. So let’s do it safely and take steps to stay healthy and we might even enjoy the winter instead of merely surviving it.
For more information on any sort of pain or injury, you may contact Advanced Rehab & Sports Medicine at 309-664-9104 or www.advrehab.com. Their office is located at 135 N. Williamsburg Dr. in Bloomington. Free assessments are offered within 24 hours of contact for patients of all ages.
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