Keep your back healthy this winter with these simple ideas.

The winter months are upon us and that means all of those fun winter activities: snow shoveling, sledding with the kids, and negotiating those icy paths.  Along with these activities can come the propensity for winter injury and back pain.  That could mean falling or that tweak in your low back when you lift that lovely ice that has accumulated upon the driveway.  One of the best methods to assist in these injuries is proper warm up and cool down exercises.  By warming up just a little bit before beginning your winter outdoor activity and cooling down properly afterwards, you can effectively assist your body.

Simple Warm Ups

Some very simple warm activities are a spinal rotation exercise, and lunges or squats for your legs.  To perform the spinal twist exercise sit on the edge of a level surface, put your arms out in front of you like a chief and twist to the right and to the left.  Please sit up tall during this exercise to avoid damage and if you feel sharp pain please stop.  You can do approximately 25 side to side rotations to get the blood flowing into the low back musculature.

Before heading out on your walk, some simple lunges or basic squats off of the side of your bed should be sufficient to get the tushy and legs warmed up so that your balance will be at its best.  Remember to continue to look up while performing these activities and focus on contracting your glute musculature.

Lay Down To Rest

One of the biggest mistakes people make after they have been outside in the winter is coming in, shedding their winter garmets and plopping themselves down onto the couch for some rest.  Did you know that simply by laying on your back for ten minutes on your floor or in a reasonably firm bed will allow the ligaments and discs of your back to cool off in a more appropriate position? Please do yourself a favor and avoid sitting in slouched position after your body has been warmed up.  Remember that your core temp is up after you have been working outside, and allowing your musculature, ligaments, and discs, to cool off in a proper posture pattern is an easy way to avoid bad posture and future pain.

Push Snow, Don’t Shovel

As another note of interest for all of my snow shoveling fanatics out there, remember that pushing snow is easier than lifting it.  If you have got to lift the snow, please don’t twist at the same time, instead, approximate yourself to the shovel, looking ahead lift the snow through your legs and glutes and then toss it.  If you want to cause some serious injury to yourself, the traditional lift and twist over your shoulder is the way to do it, please remember that one sided activities like constantly throwing or pushing the snow on the right side all of the time isn’t that great.  Instead do your brain and body a favor and push or throw the snow with your right hand on top of the shovel and then the left, this will work both sides of your body and reduce the incident of injury.

The winter time can be tricky so please stick with these simple tips and save yourself some pain!