GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Shoveling snow can be a dangerous workout that has been known to cause injuries and even heart attacks.
FOX 17 talked with Joel Vander Wall, a physical therapist at Mary Free Bed in Grand Rapids, to learn how you can remove snow safely.
Vander Wall says to remember “the four P’s”— prepare, plan, pace and post.
Prepare
“Don’t just grab your shovel when we get that heavy snow like we had earlier this week. If you’re going to go at it, you need to exercise through the year, get your heart rate going with different exercises,” Vander Wall said.
He also suggests some simple stretches to help warm up your body before shoveling snow, including back bends.
“Everyone can do that. It’s easy,” Vander Wall said. “You get tired during shoveling, stand up, do some back bends.”
Another thing you can do is putting your foot up on a stool or bench, put your knee out, reach down and touch your hand to the bench. This is supposed to stretch out your hip.
You can also stretch out your hamstrings by putting your leg up on the stool or bench, straightening out your knee and stretching the muscles behind your legs. This is to help you bend a little bit lower, so you use your legs, rather than your back, while shoveling.
Plan
Make sure you have the right equipment.
“Having some good equipment and get a good shovel – nice, wide shovel…to push the snow to a pile,” Vander Wall said.
He added that it’s best to start with the easy stuff first to give yourself a little warmup.
“Keep it in front of you. Kind of put it into your body and push it forward with your legs and get it to the pile,” Vander Wall explained. “If you’re going to throw [the snow] up, bend at your knees and hips, get down low, pick that up and throw it forward. If you’re taking that snow and twisting and trying to throw it a long ways, you’re opening yourself up for an injury.”
Pace
Vander Wall says you shouldn’t try to shovel all the snow at once.
Instead, he suggests taking plenty of breaks.
Post
“If I’m sore and stiff, go back to those basic stretches, you know, loosen yourself up. Just don’t sit on the couch for the rest of the day. Walk around the house, do something active to stay loose, to keep some of that back pain away so you can stay healthy and happy and then you can shovel for the next storm,” Vander Wall suggested.
