The leaves are so beautiful this time of year. Until you start raking them all up and putting them in bags before the snows covers them all up. This can be a very daunting task and I see a lot of patients every year that hurt themselves from all the raking, bending, lifting and pulling that is involved.
A few helpful tips can help you prevent some of the aches and pains. For starters you should try to switch hands when raking. Meaning rake left and right handed. This will break up the wear and tear on the same muscles and joints over and over. Always bend at the knees and not at the waist when lifting. Even leaves that are light can cause damage with the receptive motions. Using a back pack blower can help, but this still causes strain on the shoulders and lower neck. Take frequent breaks. Use ice after to help decrease the inflammation and pain from overworked muscles and joints. Using a riding mower is a good idea too, but you have to be careful with the compression and bouncing and then lifting the bagger bags can also cause pain in the back and neck. And of course its always a great idea to get adjusted by your chiropractor to correct the subluxations you have caused by this activity. It is always better to fix things sooner than later. This helps prevent muscle spasm accommodation, joint tightness and eventual degeneration.
I have same day appointments available for patients that hurt themselves doing activities like this. Just give me a call and I would be more than happy to fix you back up and get ready for shoveling snow next!!