So far this winter, Dallas County residents haven’t had to do much snow removal from their driveways and sidewalks. However, as most people know, that could change at a moment’s notice, so it’s important to remember proper safety and technique when shoveling.
Clint Lutterman, Rehabilitation Director for 21st Century Rehab at Dallas County Hospital, says many shovelling injuries can be avoided by simply making yourself physically ready for the chore. “The big thing really that people don’t think about is, it’s exercise. So maybe do a little warm-up, stretch a little bit before you go out and do something like that. We see a lot of people that end up with back injuries because they tried to shovel a whole bunch at once, or weren’t warmed up, or didn’t loosen up properly. Most of us get up in the morning, look out and go, ‘Oh no, we got to go shovel,’ so you just throw on your clothes and run out and do it. So just maybe warming up, loosening up a little bit before.”
Another tip Lutterman offers is to keep everything in front of you. He says our backs are well equipped to move forward and backward, but they don’t do as well when rotating. As such, he says to push and toss forward, as opposed to twisting and throwing to the side. If twisting is unavoidable when shovelling, Lutterman recommends you rotate the side you’re working on as much as you can to keep your back balanced. For more winter health and safety tips, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.