Dr. Sandra Hunter, a professor of exercise science and director of the Athletic and Human Performance Research Center at Marquette University in Milwaukee, has been looking at exercise injuries for 20 years.
She says a back injury is one of the biggest problems that can occur with shoveling — that and a concussion. It can be insidious because it’s usually not until the next day that you realize you’ve strained your back or irritated one of your vertebrae.
Here are her tips to help prevent that and other winter injuries:
Prepare for the weather
When inclement weather is forecasted, salt your driveway and walkways before the snow arrives so you won’t have to shovel as much.
Pick the proper clothing
Dress as you would for exercising and for the cold — think layers.
Warm up first
Shoveling is exercise, and you should warm up for it just as you should before exercising.
“Warming up in some way, shape or form,” even just doing some jumping jacks or going up and down some stairs will help prevent straining yourself, Hunter says.
Push, don’t lift
When shoveling, “push the snow rather than trying to lift it,” Hunter says. If you have to lift, bend your knees and lift with your legs, not your back.
It’s twisting, throwing the snow and using your back rather than your legs that are really going to do damage. “So tighten your abdominal muscles before you lift. If you do that, it’s really hard to twist, and you really protect your vertebrae.”
Hunter adds that ergonomic shovels make a big difference. They are much lighter and have contoured handles, reducing the bending you have to do.
Take breaks and hydrate
“It’s amazing how quickly you overheat and become dehydrated,” Hunter says.
Pay attention to pain
Having a heart attack while shoveling is not uncommon, Hunter says.
“If you have shortness of breath, chest discomfort or discomfort down your left arm, definitely do something about that.”
Take the right steps
When it comes to navigating icy conditions, Hunter says concussions are probably the most common injury she’s seen.
Black ice is especially tricky. “You’ve got to keep flat feet, take small steps, and ... keep your feet wide apart, so you have a big base of support,” she says.
“And footwear is huge in terms of having some sort of grip. Any type of movement on ice is going to predispose people to injury.”
