The first snow fall has arrived. With the first snow fall comes shoveling and snow blowing. There are some tricks to shoveling the proper way so you do not injure your back in the process. The link that follows is a video with these tips for shoveling.

Video Transcript

Hello, this is Dr. Bryan Royer and I’m here to give you some healthy hints for harmony. This episode is about snow shoveling. There are always a lot of sore backs after the first few snowfalls. And I’m gonna give you some dos and don’ts about how to avoid some problems.

First of all, you wanna be sure that you warm-up and stretch a bit before you go out to shovel. And be extra careful, if you’re not in good shape. Obviously, you want to stay warm so be sure to dress in layers.

“I can’t put my arms down.”

When you do shovel, try to push the snow straight ahead. Make sure you let the muscles of your arms and legs do the work, not your back as shown right there. Ideally, you want to bend your knees and lift when shoveling, as shown there. Ergonomic shovels make a difference. The one on the left is an ergonomic shovel and the one on the right is a normal shovel. As you can see, the ergonomic shovel takes away the need to bend forward. Since you can lift the snow from a standing position.

Take frequent rest breaks to take the strain off your muscles. A fatigued body asks for injury. You start using your back more as your legs get tired. If need be stop for a while and go get some hot chocolate, the snow isn’t going anywhere. One thing you do not want to do is throw the snow with a sudden twisting or turning motion. Motions such as this are horrible for the low back and known to cause herniated discs.

One exception to the throwing snow rules is if your dog asks you to. Notice, even in throwing if there’s an ergonomic shovel and bend of the knees. So no other rules were broken.

Thanks for listening to Healthy Hints. Please take a look at my blog at www.harmonychiro.com for information on staying safe during other winter activities. Thanks a lot for watching.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DR. ROYER

Dr. Bryan D. Royer has been practicing chiropractic medicine in the Toledo area since 2005. He graduated summa cum laude as the class salutatorian from the National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) in 2004. Dr. Royer’s earned a Bachelor of Science with a major in biology from the University of Dayton in 1999 and another Bachelor of Science with a major in human biology in 2002 from NUHS. He is the only Board Certified Chiropractic Neurologist practicing in the Toledo area and is also a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician^® (CCSP^®). Dr. Royer is the only healthcare provider in the Toledo Area to be certified in Graston Technique^® and he is also a Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner^™ (CKTP^™). He is a member of the American Chiropractic Association, the Ohio State Chiropractic Association, the International Association of Functional Neurology and Rehabilitation, the ACA Council on Neurology and the Kinesio Taping Association.