Advice to improve your movement, fitness, and overall health from the world's #1 in orthopedics.
4 Back-Friendly Tips for Shoveling Snow
Body mechanics expert Jon Cinkay shares four tips to help you dig out – without throwing out your back.
Advice to improve your movement, fitness, and overall health from the world's #1 in orthopedics.
Snow can be beautiful and fun, but with it also comes shoveling – and the back aches and pains it can cause. HSS body mechanics expert Jon Cinkay provides these four suggestions to help you protect your back if you find yourself shoveling out this winter.
1. Warm Up Before You Shovel
Take five to 10 minutes to warm up your body and get the blood flowing. You can start with static stretches (in which you stand and hold the stretch rather than move in it). These can include things like standing quad stretches, side bending stretches, hamstring stretches and even a gentle back bend. Perform each stretch two to three times for about 30 seconds each time. Then move on to some basic core exercises, such as crunches, bridges, planks or side planks to get your muscles engaged and fired up. Perform a set of 10 reps of the core exercises of your choice.
Published 12/17/2020
