It’s been a long winter with plenty of fresh snow and I am excited that we have more snow in the forecast, Whistler winter continues!
It also means the risk of back injuries continues, and not just from mountain sports. One of the most common causes of back pain is shovelling snow. The action of flexing forward, lifting a load of snow, and rotating to unload is quite a lot for the spine to handle. A few safety tips for minimizing the risk of injury:
- Warm up before getting out the snow shovel. A few simple stretches can help wake up the nervous system and prepare the body for the upcoming workout. Especially if you plan on shovelling first thing in the morning, your spinal disks are the most hydrated and the risk of disk injury is higher.
- Core engagement. Drawing the belly button towards the spine to engage the abdominal muscles will help stabilize the back. During my massage sessions I can teach core engagement techniques for better back health.
- Switch sides. Everyone has a favourite side they like to shovel, however too much repetition with rotation under load is not good. Try challenging yourself with alternating sides often, and adding in back extension stretches as quick breaks.
- if you do feel sore and stiff afterwards, try heat and gentle pain free movements. Applying a heating pad to your back may help, or try a hip flexor and glutes stretches.
Injuries do happen, however to speed up the healing process massage therapy treatments will help!
