Preventing Injuries Caused By Shovelling Snow (Printer Friendly Version)
Winter is on its way here in Canada. With winter comes snow, and with snow
comes snow shoveling. Shoveling snow is the cause of many muscle and ligament
injuries and most commonly a cause of back pain. Did you know that shoveling
snow is also a common cause of heart attacks?
In order to avoid injuries, snow shoveling should be treated the same as weight
lifting. Therefore, you need to warm up before shoveling, cool down after shoveling,
and most importantly you should not shovel snow if you have any pre-existing
heart or other medical problems. Just as with exercising, you should check with
you doctor or physical therapist before shoveling snow, to make sure that you
are in appropriate physical shape for the job.
Following is a generic warm-up to be performed before shoveling snow. This
warm-up can also be used as a cool-down after shoveling snow. If you visit your
physical therapist they can assess your physical abilities and design a warm-up
that is individually suited to you and your body.
Warm-up
| 1. Gently rock your head backward, hold for 2
seconds
 
then rock you head forward and hold for 2 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
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2. Turn your head to the right, hold for 2 seconds. Then turn your head
to the left and hold for 2 seconds. Repeat 10 times
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3. Gently lower your right ear towards your right shoulder, hold for
2 seconds then lower your left ear towards your left shoulder and hold
for 2 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
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4. Stand 1 meter away for a wall with your hands resting on it. Bend
your elbows to bring your body closer to the wall and hold for 2 seconds.
Straighten your elbows to push yourself away from the wall. Repeat 10
times.
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5. With your arm straight, reach behind your and towards your opposite
hip. Hold for 2 seconds. Repeat 10 times then repeat 10 times on your
other arm.
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6. With you hands on your hips, lean your upper body backwards while
keeping your balance. Hold for 2 seconds and repeat 10 times.
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7. Put your right leg forward and lunge your weight forward onto it.
Hold for 2 seconds and repeat 10 times. Repeat 10 times on your left leg
as well.
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8. March on the spot for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
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9. Using a chair for support, go up onto your tippie-toes and hold for
2 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
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To avoid injuries it is also important to:
Use a good shovel
Shovel at the recommended speed
Shovel no more than the recommended amount of snow in each load
Throw your load no more than the recommended distance
Use proper body mechanics
Your Shovel
The weight and length of the shovel are two important considerations.
A light shovel (3lb or 1.5kg) is suitable for shoveling snow. You should not
use a heavy-duty shovel when shoveling snow.
Longer shovels (up to chest height) ease the strain on back muscles by reducing
the amount of bending required. The long handles allow for more leverage and
therefore less work is required to shovel. Therefore, your snow shovel should
be long which means that it should come up to chest height when the blade is
placed on the ground.
Shoveling Speed
The recommended rate for shoveling snow is usually considered to be around 15
scoops per minute. This speed will help you get the job done as quickly as possible
without tiring too quickly.
However, when you shovel snow at this rate, you should take a rest break every
15 minutes. The best situation would be a 15-minute shovel time followed by
a 15-minute rest indoors.
Weight of the Load
For a high rate of shoveling (about 15 scoops per minute) the total weight (weight
of a shovel plus a shovel load) should not exceed about 10 to 15 lb. In addition,
if you have to place the snow in a precise spot, the load needs to be even less
than that. This is because it requires more effort to aim a load of snow than
it does to throw it without aiming.
Throw Distance
An optimal throw distance is slightly over 1 metre. If you have to throw the
snow further than 1 metre, the load should be reduced in weight (less than 10
to 15 lbs).
Proper Body Mechanics
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Keep you feet wide apart and place your front foot close to the shovel.
Put your weight on your front foot and use your leg to push the shovel.
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Shift your weight to your rear foot and keep the load close to your body.
Turn your feet in the direction of the throw.
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