This time of year, it's important to take care of yourself outdoors. For those of us who live where it gets ridiculously cold, you need to make sure you dress in layers outside!
When the temperature drops and the wind factors make the temps seem much colder, it's imperative to make sure you dress in layers to avoid hypothermia and other cold-related health issues.
Shoveling creates a myriad of issues: it can lead to bad backs, broken bones, head injuries, and even deadly heart problems.
According to WebMD,
The research team looked at snow shoveling injuries and medical emergencies in the U.S. from 1990 to 2006 using information from a national database. During that time, about 195,000 people in the U.S. were treated in a hospital emergency room for a snow shoveling injury.
Among the study findings:
- Overworking your muscles, falling, and being hit with the shovel were the most common reasons for getting hurt.
- Muscle, ligament, tendon, and other soft tissue injuries topped the list of snow shoveling mishaps. Among these, lower back injuries were common.
- Other common snow shoveling injuries included cuts and broken bones. The arms and hands were the most likely body regions to sustain a bone fracture.
- Heart-related problems made up only 7% of snow shoveling injuries. However, all deaths due to snow shoveling were caused by heart problems.
To avoid injuries, it's best to:
- Wear boots that are slip-resistent.
- Warm up first with light exercise or stretching.
- Pace yourself. If you get out of breath, take it easy for a little while.
- Instead of lifting the snow, try to push it out of the way.
- Avoid throwing snow over your shoulder or to the side. The twisting motion may strain your lower back.
The most common issues relating from snow shoveling can be made to feel better by resting, taking a hot shower or Epsom salt bath, or by getting a massage. One should wait at least 72 hours after an injury to see a licensed massage therapist, however.
With the pain resulting from shoveling, the "no pain, no gain" frame of mind is not a helpful one. In fact, although you may normally receive deep tissue massage such as Ashiatsu barefoot massage, your therapist may hold off on delivering such deep work.
Other types of massage may be appropriate, such as myofascial or craniosacral.And it’s important to make sure that you don’t get a deep tissue massage such as Ashiastu before you shovel because you’re actually MORE likely to injure yourself. The deep tissue barefoot work loosens up tight muscles so well that it’s easy to over rotate when shoveling.
So when the cold wind starts to howl and the snow starts to fall, sit inside and sip some hot chocolate. Then bribe a kid to do the shoveling for you!
