How to help your loved one shovel snow safely
All physical activities require a balance of strength, flexibility, and coordination. Together they make up our movement patterns. Shoveling snow is one of those activities that require strength and coordination or it can lead to problems! Indeed, what inspired me to write this blog was my husband's improved snow shoveling posture - following his focus on movement quality with strength training.
We have previously discussed how a hip hinge is an important movement to master for cleaning the counter, lifting the groceries out of your trunk and washing your face at night. We have not yet discussed how it relates to difficult manual skills like shoveling snow.
When shoveling snow, we are generally bent at the hip with one foot slightly forward of the other and a relatively flat back. If you look outside and see your loved one is shoveling with a rounded back, you may be outsourcing snow shovel in the near future. The ability to bend at the hip (or hip hinge) is of vital importance for safe snow removal.
If your snow shoveling looks like the rounded back photo, there are some things you can work on to try to fix it.
Hip range of motion: If the hip does not bend, the motion must come from another joint to reach the snow. Therefore the motion comes from the back.
Gluteal recruitment: If the glutes are hard to engage, they do not control the hip motion and we are more likely to bend in our backs. This uses the muscle around our spines and can lead to back spasms.
Hamstring length: If our hamstrings lack flexibility, it can limit our ability to bend the hip when standing, creating a cycle of dysfunction.
You may find difficulty in one or multiple of these areas. When you have the ability to complete a normal hip hinge you can translate it into a myriad of strengthening activities.
Once it is easy for you to move this way during strength training, it will become easy to move this way while shoveling snow. It takes additional mental focus to incorporate new movements into challenging dynamic activities like shoveling. Don’t get frustrated, get focused! Below are examples of strengthening exercises you may already be practicing, in these activities you can master a hip hinge.
Upper Body Strengthening Hip Hinge
Single Leg Hip Hinging
If you or a loved one are struggling with shoveling snow this year, we can help you sort out where to focus your effort to improve your hip hinge!
To your movement health,
Ann & Jesse
Precision Physical Therapy is currently accepting new patients.
This blog is not intended as medical or professional advice. The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to serve as medical or physical therapy advice to any individual. Any exercise has potential to cause injury or pain if it is incorrectly done or is not the right exercise for an individual’s medical or physical problems. You should consult with a physical therapist or medical provider for individualized advice.
