What?! Do The Opposite?
While I am dreaming of hot summer days by the pool, it is, alas, winter. Winter with its cold and dark dreary days. Until it snows. Then the landscape is transformed and even I, a cold-weather-hater, love to see the trees covered in snow. Along with snow though, comes the dreaded task of shoveling. Shoveling which often leads to back pain. But does it have to?
Lift with your legs, not with your back
I am sure you have had someone in your life tell you to “lift with your legs and not your back.”
Ask any health care professional or personal trainer. They will most likely give you that exact phrase as their answer.
It is widely believed that lifting in a stooped position (knees straighter and bending from the back) will result in damage to your back. Common perception is that this damage then leads to lower back pain.
Therefore, you should ALWAYS lift with a squat technique, right?
But wait…
Research does NOT back this up. Training on squat-lifting does not prevent low back pain and stooping (using more lower back bending) is not a risk factor for low back pain according to a recent study (Washmuth, et al 2022).
But what are you to do when shoveling snow?
Well, studies confirm that people who ALREADY have lower back pain do, in fact, prefer a squat lifting technique (Nolan et al, 2019). So are you to simply do that as well?
Well, not exactly.
For instance, what if you have knee issues? Increased knee bending by squatting can be painful. You might be forced to use more of the stooped/bent lower back position to protect your knee from being painful.
Also, I am sure you’ve seen reports of increased incidences of heart attacks related to snow-shoveling in the days following a snow storm. Those individuals with a history of cardiac issues might benefit from more of the bent lower back lifting technique. Amazingly, this is less of a challenge to the heart and lungs (Washmuth et al, 2022).
But you might be trading the stresses on your heart for stresses at your lower back.
How can you prevent hurting after shoveling?
Good news!
There are some things that you CAN do to prevent lower back pain regardless of your lifting technique.
1. Lighten your load. Shovel smaller amounts at a time.
2. Take breaks! You may not be able to do the entire walkway or driveway at one time. That’s OK. Do some, take a break, and come back later. Unfortunately, the snow will still be there.
3. Once you get a shovel full, don’t fling the snow a long distance. Walk to where you want the snow, simply dump it. This will avoid more twisting forces on your lower back.
4. Change your shovel. A study by Lewinson et all in 2014 showed that a bent-shaft snow shovel reduced loads on the lower back compared to a straight-shaft snow shovel. But be aware of the length of that handle. A longer handle makes the snow feel much heavier.
So what if your back still hurts after you shovel?
You did everything right. You followed all “the suggested rules,” but you still ended up with a sore lower back.
What gives?
Well, it may have to do with shear stresses and twisting stresses more than compressive stresses. Along with that, your overall LOAD and the TIME you spent shoveling the snow can have a cumulative effect.
There is one way you can guarantee that your back will not hurt when you need to shovel snow, but it requires a little math.
First, take the dollar amount of your insurance copay. Second, multiply this by 2 (since you’ll likely need at least 2-visits to have your lower back pain treated). Third, use an inconvenience factor as a multiplier. We suggest multiplying by 5. Remember, feeling pain, putting up with it for a time, and then needing to see a doctor or PT to treat your pain all cost you something!
Once you have figured out the dollar amount that having lower back pain would cost you…
Pay that to a kid from your neighborhood to do the shoveling for you! It costs the same, without all the pain.
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