Shoveling Snow
There's nothing prettier than a new-fallen snow - nothing more
dangerous either.
Each year, we hear about the numerous heart attacks and strokes
that occur as the result of overexertion. The tragedy of the fatal
or near-fatal result of an apparently healthy person succumbing to
shoveling snow tends to overshadow a hazard that is even more
common.
The same snow which causes heart stress also causes dangerous
spinal disc stress to the shoveler. When you consider that a shovel
of snow weighs 5 or 7 pounds, you realize the tremendous
accumulative weight one has to lift to clear an area. The average
driveway or walk will hold hundreds of pounds of snow.
Snow seems to present a challenge to most
shovelers; the cold air invigorates them to action; and, the same
cold air numbs their sense of pain and fatigue, thereby masking the
severity of sprain and strain. The result: too much exertion and too
much work without rest breaks.
Doctors of chiropractic, who are specialists in helping patients
with back problems, recommend the following rules to guard against
the snow-shoveler syndrome:
warmly, but don't bundle up so as to make it
difficult and awkward for you to move naturally.
Use a lightweight pusher-type shovels spray it with Teflon so
snow will not cling to it.
Try not to lift the snow or pitch it. Merely push it into a
pile.
Avoid sudden twists of the torso. Move the entire body.
Keep your back straight when you lift. Use your legs rather
than your back.
Work slowly.
If you feel tired or short of breath, stop and
take a rest. Stand up straight and breathe deeply.
If you feel a twinge of back pain, stop completely and go
inside the house, sit down and rest. If pain persists, see a
doctor of chiropractic immediately. With snow, it's wiser to use
the head, instead of the back!
Under chiropractic care, a patient is either treated or referred
after a comprehensive differential diagnosis. |
