Snow Shoveling: Smart Shoveling vs Dumb Shoveling

With low back rounded, it can cause back pain

An appropriate post with snow coming down over over the west coast!  (I know the anyone East of the Rockies has already been shoveling for a while.)  Shoveling is one of many ways that people end up hurting their backs over the holidays.  The reason for this has to do with poor mechanics and/or poor tools (shovels).  Things that are done poorly and repetitively cause a toll on our backs.  Most people when they begin to shovel snow do so without a warm up (strike number 1).  When they do start shoveling snow, they do so while bending at the back and not at the hips (strike number 2).  With the back bent, it puts tremendous stress on ligaments and discs.  Doing a number of repetitions of this will eventually "wear" on those structures (strike number 3).  If it does not cause back pain during shoveling, it may cause back pain by doing a simple task such as putting on your socks, or picking up a pen or childs toy off the ground. 

Here is a great 1 minute clip by one of the worlds leading back pain experts that explains how snow shoveling can be done while sparing your back:

Stu McGill Smart Shovel

Shovel Smart!