‘Tis the season for shovelling snow, but how can you avoid those common back-related ailments? We asked fitness expert Kathleen Trotter to share a tip from her newsletter to explain how you can activate your core and take the pressure off your back.
Shoveling Snow and Low Back Problems
Many people hurt their backs shoveling snow if their core is not strong, the flexion and rotation required in snow shoveling can put unwanted pressure on the spine. Many people do crunches to get a strong core. Unfortunately, what causes low back pain it is not simply a muscle strength issue; it is a muscle recruitment issue. Often people have a hard time turning on the neural connection to their deep core muscles. What this means is to help eliminate low back pain, the brain connection to the deep core muscles needs to be “woken up”. Try the exercise bellow to “wake up” your deep abdominals. Hopefully, once your stabilizing core muscles are working, you will not hurt your back shoveling this winter.
More tips for saving your back, after the jump…
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