Back-Saving Tips for Shovelling Snow!

Shovelling snow is such a huge part of Canadian culture, and yet causes many injuries every year! Here are some of my tips to prevent back pain and other injuries while shoveling this winter!

1) Prepare. Before going out to shovel, give yourself some time to warm up your body. Pay particular attention to your shoulders, spine, and hips. Ensuring your tissue is warm, allows you to safely use the extensibility of our muscles and connective tissue without cause micro-tears leading to stiff, scar tissue in our joints.

2) Don’t’ let the snow pile up! It is much better for your body to shovel twice with two light snows, rather than waiting until the snow stops and shoveling a lot of snow all at once.

3) Push instead of throw! Push your snow as far as you can to the edge of the driveway. This minimizes the number of times we go through the throwing action which is more difficult than pushing.

4) Hinge at the hip! Instead of flexing and hunching through your lower back, try to bring your thigh closer to your stomach. This will rely on hip flexion rather than spine flexion, which can cause some irritation to our discs, and the joints in our spine.

5) Take breaks and take it slow! Take your time. Instead of rushing and twisting through your low back while holding a heavy shovel (torque) or moving through fatigue to the point of injury take more breaks. Our passive tissue can also get over stretched with prolonged shoveling, which decreases our stability and response to movement. Breaks allow some of this passive stretching to decrease, which decreases the chances of injuring our low backs!

6) Choose the right shovel! Try choosing a shovel that works for your body height, and find one with a Teflon coating so that you require less physical work to get the snow off your shovel!

7) Dress for success! Yes, this rule applies to shoveling! By wearing non-slip supportive shoes, we prevent any slip and fall injuries to our wrists and hands, as well as any rolling of the ankles leading to sprain or strain.

8) Stretch after shovelling! Try stretching out your back after shovelling! Some gentle extension may feel good after shoveling a long driveway. Try laying on your stomach, slowing curling your spine into gentle extension. As always, if you do experience any back pain, please consult a licensed health professional for appropriate stretches and exercises for your individual needs and concerns.

As always, enjoy the extra exercise shoveling can bring! Put on your favourite podcast or playlist and try to use this time to unwind if you can!

For more information, please hello@madetomove.ca or check out if you are in Toronto, book in for your Chiropractic or Massage appointment at one of our 3 locations downtown!