Shovel Snow Better

Hockey is Canada’s official national pastime but the unofficial pastime must be shovelling snow. We sure shovel a lot so it is essential to do it ergonomically to avoid potentially injuring ourselves.

In this blog, we will go over 4 technique tips to shovel snow better along with strategies to make it easier.

The 4 Technique Tips:

Tip #1: Square up your Shoulders and Hips
This position places your spine in a straight/neutral position which is optimal for lifting and pushing. Rotating through the body places a lot of stress on the low back.

Tip #2: Use a Wide Stance
This will minimize the risk of falls when shovelling in icy conditions by providing you with a wide base of support and a lower center of gravity. It also allows you to do tip #3.

Tip #3: Lift with Hips and Knees, not Back
Although lifting with your low back feel easier, doing so is incredibly inefficient and it increases the risk of injury to the area. In contrast, the muscles in your legs are designed to lift weights as they are anatomically larger and can exert more force in comparison to the muscles in your back. Try to keep the back straight and lift the snow using the power from your legs.

Tip #4: Engage the Deep Core
The core is the midsection of your body. It helps protect your back. Engaging the core, in particular, the deep core helps keep the stress of shovelling off the back and spread out to more muscles. If you do not know how to engage the deep core, you can learn how to do it here. It’s also important for many other activities!

The Best Shovelling Strategies:

To add to the technique tips, here are some shoveling strategies.

Strategy #1: Warm up
Shovelling can be a strenuous activity. It’s not only important to shovel with correct technique but also important to warm up and prepare your body for shovelling. It’s a sad fact but shovelling can lead to heart attacks. Here’s a quick warm up to minimize that risk and risk of other injuries:

- Knee Hugs for 30 secs
- Butt Kicks for 30 secs
- Squat for 30 secs
- Lunge for 30 secs

Strategy #2: Split it in Half
Start at the midpoint of the width of your driveway and shovel towards the sides. Doing this splits the driveway into two smaller half compartments. Then, continue to shovel addressing one half of the driveway at a time. Ultimately, this strategy reduces the demand on your body by reducing the amount of snow you have to push and lift with each repetition.

Still have Questions?

Please call us at (647) 313-8996 or email us at info@readyroomhealth.com if you have any questions! Happy shovelling!

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Physio,
Manni