Protecting Your Back While Raking and Shoveling

Raking and shoveling combine just about everything your back doesn't love: repetitive bending and twisting, reaching out away from your body, and lifting loads that are heavier than they look — wet leaves and snow especially. Pile on cold muscles that haven't warmed up, and the fact that most of us tackle it in one long push after months of sitting, and it's easy to see why that twinge shows up.

None of this means you should avoid it. It just means a little technique goes a long way.

Treat yard work and shoveling like what they are: a workout. Cold, stiff muscles strain far more easily than warm, loose ones, so take five minutes before you head out. Walk around the house a couple of times, roll your shoulders, and do a few gentle trunk twists and toe-touches to wake everything up.

Dress in layers you can shed as you warm up, too — staying loose and comfortable keeps you from tensing against the cold.

The biggest culprit with raking is twisting — planting your feet and swinging the leaves off to one side over and over. A few tweaks take the load off your lower back:

• Stagger your stance — one foot forward, one back — and shift your weight between them instead of twisting at the waist.
• Keep the rake close to your body rather than reaching way out in front of you.
• Switch which hand leads every few minutes so one side doesn't take all the strain.
• Bend at your hips and knees — not your lower back — when you reach down.
• When you scoop piles into bags, squat down and use your legs instead of hinging over at the waist.

Snow shoveling is raking's heavier cousin, and it's worth extra care — this is the one that lands people in our office each winter. A few rules make it much safer:

• Push the snow rather than lift it whenever you can — plowing it to the side beats hoisting it.
• When you do lift, squat with your knees, keep the load close, and let your legs do the work — not your back.
• Take smaller scoops. A lighter load more often is far kinder to your spine than a few heavy heaves.
• Never twist and throw. Turn your whole body to face where the snow's going, then set it down.
• Go early and often in a big snowfall — a few inches at a time is much easier than a foot all at once.
• Pick a shovel that fits you — a lighter blade and a handle long enough that you're not hunched over.

Take breaks, drink water even when it's cold out, and don't try to finish the whole job in one marathon push. If you feel a sharp pain — or anything in your chest — stop right away. A little muscle fatigue is normal; sharp or shooting pain is your body telling you something's off, and that's worth listening to.