Here in Plymouth fall is a common time to hurt your back and your spine and visit the chiropractor. How? Think of all the tasks we do as we put the boats to bed, clean up the yard and winterize our cabins. Here are some tips to keep your fall tasks from causing back pain.
The biggest tip that I can give you and certainly the easiest….simply get help. It is tempting to try to muscle a canoe into the garage yourself thinking that you are saving time, however lifting something big and awkward is a much more spine friendly activity when done with a helper. Slowing down and working as a team is always a good idea to protect your back and cause yourself less pain.
Here in Plymouth with so much water, I commonly see people who have injured themself taking their dock out. When you are taking in your dock for the winter and with all lifting of awkward objects, make sure to lift with your knees and not with your back. Considering lifting heavy objects, make sure you move your feet when you turn because flexion and rotation is the weakest point for the discs in your back. Also, try to avoid a heavy wind day when the pieces of the dock are able to catch wind and take off like a sail. All the extra torque on your back when that happens can easily throw you off balance and cause you pain. Anything you can do to lessen the distance that you have to carry those big heavy pieces will also help such as floating them or using a two wheel cart.
One task we all have the pleasure of doing in Plymouth with so many trees and the most frequent cause of chiropractic visits in October is when you are doing a lot of lawn cleanup and leaf removal, make sure to switch sides with the rake or shovel. Raking on the same side for hours on end will cause pain and also a lot of stress to your rotator cuff. Some of my chiropractic patients choose to alternate between rakes and leaf blowers and they definitely have less back pain as a result of it.
If you manage to hurt your back, at Active Family Chiropractic we are here to help. If you need to speak with me on the phone or schedule an appointment, I am available at 763-553-0387. Please check out our website www.activefamilychiropractic.com for more details.
Comments