You know, water, life's most important resource, has a hundred ways to kill you if you're not careful. When it's not trying to drown you in its pools and coastlines in the summer, it turns to snow in the winter, prompting emergency room visits for those forced to clear it away.
During the last period of the study 11,500 Americans per year went to the hospital with a snow shovel emergency. Although climate change may reduce these statistics, the risk of injury and even acute cardiovascular disease remains high, especially for 25 percent of us who are physically inactive.
“Studies have shown that clearing snow requires the same amount of effort as the intense physical activity in which you use 80 to 90 percent from your maximum heart rate,” says Dr. Neville Crick, PT, DPT, MPA, GCS, director of physical therapy at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. “The people who are most at risk are people who typically lead sedentary lifestyles.”
But those excuses won't reassure your boss when you need to get to work after a storm, so we asked Dr. Crick for tips on how to clear snow safely and effectively.
What are the most common snow removal injuries?
Creek says there are basically two categories of hospital visits due to snow removal.
Musculoskeletal injuries
“The lower back usually comes first. [due to] bad technique,” Crick says. “People tend to say, ‘There’s a ton of snow here, I don’t have time, I need to do this ASAP,’ and then you start digging and turning.”
A couple of days later you are already lying on the couch.
“This will be followed by problems with the shoulders and upper back, and then with the core muscles,” Crick continues. “For example, the obliques (the muscles that surround the abdomen) can also be injured during twisting movements.” (More on this in a moment.)
Next come the lower extremities, such as the hips, quads, hamstrings and knees, “and then the calves and calves,” Crick adds.
“The thing about snow removal that people often don’t realize is that it’s a full-body workout.”
Cardiovascular load
This brings us to the heart of an under-appreciated problem area where snow removal can create excessive demand. In fact, cases related to cardiovascular disease accounted for almost 7 percent of emergency department visits recorded in the aforementioned study.
“We're talking about people with heart disease, people with different forms of heart disease,” Crick says. “Could this happen to someone who goes to the gym all the time? Absolutely. But they're at less risk than people who are just trying to get work done to get started.”
10 tips for clearing snow without injury
Following Dr. Crick's recommendations will make snow removal easier and safer. And you can take it with you to the snowdrift!
1. Warm up first
Crick suggests looking at shoveling as a form of exercise. As with any exercise, you need to prepare your body for the activity.
“If you're going to run a mile, you don't just get on the track and start running; most people do a warm-up. It doesn't have to be long; it can be five or 10 minutes.”
Dr. Crick's complete list of warm-up moves designed to meet your snow removal needs.
Safe and efficient shoveling starts with a stable base, and to do that, it's important to keep your feet where they're meant to be. So, in addition to waterproof and insulated shoes, you'll want shoes with deep lugs for traction and ankle support to further prevent slipping.
3. Take the correct stance
Ensuring proper body mechanics is key to preventing injury, so proper posture when shoveling snow is your top priority. Be aware of these three signs:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart to maintain balance.
- Keep your back straight during all movements.
- When lifting, use your knees and hips, not your back.
This last point is critical if you want to prevent back pain and injury.
“We tend to think that if we bend over backwards, it will somehow make [shoveling] it's easier for us,” says Crick. That's not true. Your biggest muscles are located in your hips and legs, so use them!
Also, when bending your legs, make sure that your knees do not extend forward beyond your toes.
“This is a common mistake that people tend to make, not just while shoveling, but in general,” Crick notes. “If you bend over, the minute your knees are in front of your toes, it greatly increases the compressive force on them. So, in physical therapy, we usually say, don't be afraid to stick your butt out. What you really want to do is squat down.”
4. Push snow whenever possible.
The best way to avoid the strain of lifting weights is to not lift weights at all. So use your shovel as a plow as often as possible.
“If the snow is light enough, just pushing it will make it a lot easier,” says Crick.
5. Lift more, smaller loads.
If you do need to lift, consider scooping in small increments more often rather than trying to scoop your entire driveway in one bound.
“When it comes to basic body mechanics, high-load repetitive stress will equate to overuse or musculoskeletal injury. So if we have low loads and do something repetitively, it will reduce the likelihood of something breaking,” says Crick.
“Although it may take a little longer, it will save your back and shoulders in the long run. My wife still complains that her shoulder hurts from shoveling snow the last couple of years.”
6. Avoid twisting
The image that most often conjures up of snow removal involves digging and lifting on alternating shoulders, but this is an example of bunions. Instead of rotating your torso, rotate your entire body for any lateral movements.
“Rotation of the obliques and core muscles sometimes strains them when we're pushing the snow onto both shoulders,” Crick says. “If you move like a mechanical unit, it greatly reduces the likelihood of musculoskeletal injuries.”
7. Eat early and often.
You will feel the need to buy the biggest shovel possible to move the maximum amount of snow allowed by law. Stop right here.
“Instead of waiting for five feet of snow to fall, go out when two or three inches fall and just go back out there again. [later]”, advises Crick. “Two inches every four hours is better than eight inches at the end and spending two or three hours. [shoveling] it’s with repetitive, intense stress.”
8. Drink plenty of water.
“Muscles perform better when they are hydrated,” advises Crick. “And, believe it or not, more people suffer from dehydration in the winter than in the summer.”
This is because when we are cold, the body reduces blood flow to the extremities to centralize heat in the core. This may disrupt hormonal commands retain water and cause thirst, reducing the desire to drink by up to 40 percent and depleting our reserves by half.
9. Listen to music
If you have a playlist that will get you in the mood during a workout, Crick says, go for it. Just put on your headphones and treat the workout like any other workout.
“Of course, you shouldn’t go too deep into the fact that you are again throwing snow on your shoulders and doing all sorts of bullshit. [ill-advised] things, but make it enjoyable,” Crick adds.
10. Outsource your workload
Now is not the time to be a hero. However, it's time for your 5 and 7 year olds to start earning their own living. Encourage them and everyone in your family to help – as long as they follow the previous nine tips.
“Children for the most part love snow, so if you have family members, invite them to help you. It shouldn't be a one-person job.”
5 warm-ups before snow removal
Perform each of the following movements before you even think about picking up a snow shovel.
Easy March
This simple activity will ensure blood flow to the working muscles.
- Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and your arms at your sides.
- Lift your right leg off the ground while bending your left elbow as if walking.
- Switch arms and legs and continue vigorously walking in place for one to two minutes.
Circles with hands
By engaging the shoulder joints through a wide range of motion, this movement helps prepare them for work.
- Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and your arms straight out to the sides at shoulder level.
- Keeping your elbows straight, rotate your arms forward, drawing large circles with your hands.
- Perform 10 circles, then reverse direction by rotating your arms back 10 more times.
Torso rotation
This warm-up will prepare the core and oblique muscles, which can become tense during rotational movements.
- Stand with your feet hip-distance apart, arms at your sides, elbows and knees slightly bent.
- Keeping your back straight, rotate your torso to the right, pivoting on the ball of your left foot.
- Switch directions by turning your torso to the left and pivoting on your right leg, continuing for 30 to 60 seconds.
Single leg hamstring stretch
Part of keeping your back flexible is keeping your hamstrings flexible.
- Stand with your feet staggered, with your right foot about a foot in front of your left.
- Keeping your right heel in place, straighten your right knee and lift your right toes off the ground.
- Maintaining a slight bend in your left leg, push your butt back and lean forward at the hips, bringing your hands as far down the shin of your right leg as possible.
- Hold the position for 15 to 30 seconds, switch sides and repeat.
Calf raises
The muscles closest to the snow will be subjected to the longest work. This warm-up will help them acclimatize.
- Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and your toes pointing forward.
- Rise as high as possible onto the balls of your feet, squeezing your calf muscles at the top of the movement.
- Pause, then slowly lower your heels to the ground.
- Repeat for 30 to 60 seconds.
