Motion Performance Group, Ltd

The end of the year brings holidays, and the joy of beautiful winter.  But with it comes cautions and new challenges for both our minds as well as our bodies.  The weather forces many of us to change our habits and migrate indoors.  But still we must rake our leaves, shovel our driveways and sidewalks, walk through the snow and ice, and scrape our cars covered in ice.  These exercises can be taxing on your spine and lead to injuries.  Here are some strategies to help prevent injuries during fall/winter activities.

Raking and shoveling is important for the aesthetics of our properties and also helps clear a path from our car/garage to our home.  But these exercises – and they are exercises- are tough on our low backs, especially when using poor postures.  Often times we find ourselves bent at the waist, twisting, with a heavy object at the end of a long stick.  It’s the perfect storm for disc herniations.  So what can you do to prevent low back injury when raking and shoveling?

• Rake and shovel towards or away from your body, not across your body
• Get a shovel with a ‘kink’ to limit bending at the waist
• Bend through your hips
• Don’t reach too far, keep weight close to your core
• Use your abdominal brace when lifting from the hips

Scraping your car is a necessity.  With the amount of SUV’s we own it can get hard to scrape all of the windshield without putting your shoulder at risk.  For many of us, we don’t have the luxury, or time, to wait for the defroster to heat through all that ice.  Here are a few tips to help you safely remove the ice and snow from your car.

• Warm up your car, and your shoulder
• A few circles in both directions will make a world of difference
• Reach with your arm and not your shoulder blade or neck
• Use two hands directly in front of you when breaking up ice
• Support yourself with the opposite arm with using one arm
• Use gloves when supporting on a cold and wet car

These simple techniques can help you stay well through the winter.  And whether you enjoy cross country skiing, snowshoeing, or even the indoor sauna, you’ll be able to enjoy it more often when healthy and pain free.  Let us know if there is any way we can help you get the most out of your end of the year.