How to avoid injury during shoveling!


First of all this is based on my personal experience as well as that of our clients. If you are over 40 with a sedentary life style, history of heart disease, low back pain, high blood pressure, lumbar or cervical disc herniation without resolution then, please, just pay someone to remove your snow!

First warm up! Get those hamstrings, glutes, quads, hip flexors, shoulders, and neck.
Warm up:
squats
jumping jacks
arm circles
neck stretches front to back

Wear proper gear! If it is a blizzard put vaseline (or something similar) on your exposed areas of your face to prevent wind burn.


YOU SHOULD FEEL THE FRONT OF YOUR BODY, SQUADS, CORE, FRONT OF SHOULDERS WHEN SHOVELING. IF YOU FEEL IT IS YOUR BACK OR NECK YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG!

Do:
use your legs - push snow when at all possible
keep your head facing the same way as your toes to keep from twisting your back left to right
when picking up snow bend your knees, scoop the snow, then power back up with legs
also while picking up the snow keep your neck in neutral, move your eyes instead
walk the snow where you want it put it and throw it forward off of your shovel
IF YOU START TO USE YOUR BACK STOP AND TAKE A BREAK




Don't:
do not keep going when you are tired
do not use your back
do not twist your body
do not twist you head

After you are done shoveling take some time to cool down and stretch those sore muscles!


MOST IMPORTANTLY: IF YOU DO HURT YOURSELF GET IN TO SEE US AS FAST AS YOU CAN, AND GENTLY STRETCH, DO NOT LAY ON YOUR BACK COMPLETELY STILL HOURS AT A TIME. THE LONGER YOU WAIT THE HARDER IT IS FOR US TO RESOLVE.


BE SAFE!

MpowerD can help alleviate the pain from poor postures used during your daily commute or sitting at your desk and correct it! #massage #poorposture #dailycommute #officework  http://www.ncbtmb.org/blog/daily-grind-driving-posture-and-massage-therapy

Do you have bad knees?Come in and we can make them feel better! We can also show you corrections to your squat, programs, etc.  If so here are some great tips for exercising your problematic knees. #badknees #exercise #tips https://breakingmuscle.com/mobility-recovery/4-safe-and-effective-ways-to-work-out-with-a-cranky-knee

CAUTION! Before you let ANYONE give you a cortisone shot please read this article. We meet people regularly who have been offered shots on their first visits to an ortho doc and have been told it is "conservative treatment." Putting this shot in your body is NOT conservative and can prolong healing. Massage and exercise therapy are conservative! That's what we do!
http://www.caringmedical.com/…/alternative-cortisone-shots…/

I WILL CONTINUE TO SHOUT IT FROM THE MOUNTAIN TOPS (or atleast my computer)... STOP ICING THE CRAP OUT OF EVERYTHING AND STOP OTC DRUGS TO REDUCE SWELLING! I cannot tell you how many of my assessments are undoing RICE, PRICE, etc. I am so tired of coaches, PTs, doctors, parents, athletes, etc icing and ruining every chance we have of fixing injuries SUPER FAST! 
A few of you who have been clients for a while know how against icing I am. I am finding more and more proof that my understating of soft tissues is correct. Believe it or not this kind of "thinking" keeps me up at night. In fact at night, in my dreams, I think of the most amazing concepts about soft tissue. 
So, here is yet another article. If you are an athlete, MT, PT, Ortho Doc, mom, dad, whatever, it is worth reading BOTH parts! 
http://physicaltherapyweb.com/paradigm-shifts-use-ice-nsa…/…

On the real tip, even the guy who coined RICE has since said he was wrong: http://drmirkin.com/fitness/why-ice-delays-recovery.html

OK I am down off my soap box...