Personal Health-How to Keep Winter From Taking a Toll on Your Back (338 hits)
By JANE E. BRODY
Published: February 7, 2011
This is your back speaking, and now is the winter of my discontent. With all the snow and ice and cold that have descended on much of the country, there are so many ways I can get hurt. So I want you to know what you can and should do to protect me and keep yourself out of debilitating and disabling pain, now and in the future.
This is especially important if you’ve already experienced back pain or, worse, sciatica. But even if your back has been perfectly healthy until now, it’s important to know how to keep it that way. Low back pain, with or without sciatica (leg pain when sciatic nerve roots are pinched), is extremely common, afflicting 70 percent of people at one time or another. Next to headache, it is the most common medical complaint, and next to the common cold, it is the most frequent reason for missed work. ... Personal Health
SHOVELING Cardiologists suggest that men over 50 and women over 60 should leave snow shoveling to younger folks. But yours truly, and many of my neighbors, pay no heed. In fact, despite my rather iffy back, I’ve found that shoveling, properly done, enhances my strength and muscle tone and actually protects my back.
The tricks, according to Dr. Phillips: Bend from your knees, not your back; don’t overload the shovel; remember that wet snow is heavier than the fluffy kind; shovel in short intervals and rest in between; and don’t twist. Instead move your feet, put one foot forward and face the direction you’re going to throw the snow. Above all, as the doctor said in an interview, “don’t be macho — hire the kid down the street or use a snowblower.” ...
