Back Injury’s In Bellevue.

There comes that time of year, every single year, where we have to do physical activities that we may not necessarily want to do, but really have no choice. Even as I speak right now the snow was falling in Bellevue, and with snow comes shoveling of that snow. This is a seasonal activity that I categorize as “have to” activities as opposed to “want to” activities. Being that the snow is falling now let’s talk about the seasonal activity of shoveling snow. The neat thing about this talk is that even if snow is not an issue where you live, this information can also be used in your gardening, digging, or any other yard related activities.

First, a few facts that help us appreciate why back pain is so common when we shovel:

1. When we bend at the waist, two thirds of our body weight is being held up and lifted and that’s not to mention what your arty lifting. Now this means that 180 pound man has to lift 120 pounds of body weight every time he bends over.

2. a 5 pound weight equals 50 pounds if you hold it out in front of you, now think about the 10 or 20 pound weight on the end of your shovel.

3. Your legs will always be much stronger than your back or your arms. The problem comes in that most people use their arms, not the legs, when the shovel.

4) Most of us bend over using poor technique, lift the shovel with the arms and back (not the legs), and rapidly extend and twist the back when we throw the substance from the shovel – 3 bad things!

5) Then, this faulty action is repeated many, many times, and on top of that, it is not something we’re used to doing and hence, we’re not physically adapted or “in shape” for shoveling. With all of these “truths,” it’s no wonder why we often can barely move after an hour of shoveling! So what can we do about it?

I suppose hiring the neighborhood kid to do our shoveling makes the most sense but we’re not that smart! We can’t change the fact that most of our body’s weight lies above our waist so that one we’re stuck with and, we’re not going to lose weight in time for shoveling. But, we can certainly put less material on the shovel so the load on our back is less. It’s important to squat down using our strong leg muscles while keeping our back as vertical/straight as possible- DO NOT BEND OVER. Try sticking out your fanny (to keep an inward curve in your back), lift the shovel / load of material straight up with your legs, maintaining that arched back / butt out position. Keep your arms / elbows straight and walk the shovel load over to the dumping location – DON’T try and throw the load a distance by twisting your body. Take multiple breaks and switch sides so you don’t “beat up” the same muscle groups repeatedly.

If you do hurt your back – using an analogy of a cut on your skin -avoid picking at the cut so it can heal. If your back starts to hurt after shoveling, take a break, rest, ice, and then do some gentle stretches- DO NOT go back out and start shoveling again! Some wise considerations for shoveling include warming up before starting, staying “in shape” by regular exercise throughout the year, maintaining a good nutritional diet and getting enough sleep.

Have you been looking for a bellevue chiropractor for your low back pain? Call us today at425-635-0495 to set up an appointment today.