Back pain and muscle strain is almost inevitable this time of year with all the yard work. From raking and lifting to riding the lawn mower your back and neck are under stress and strain. If you have been sedentary all winter long you are even more susceptible to injuries with the increased activity. Of course the typical recommendations of start slow, take your time, take breaks, get help with heavy lifting etc. are always good. But a few chiropractic specific ideas.
1. When raking try to switch hands back and forth, so you don’t keep twisting in one direction.
2. When riding your lawn mower make sure you have good posture, don’t slouch, because this puts more strain on your discs and could cause nasty herniations.
3. If you push mow your lawn don’t over reach with your mower under a tree. This reaching and pushing or pulling motion is very dangerous to your spine. Remember the 10 times rule from my previous blog?
4. When in doubt ice is best. This is a very common question, “do I use ice or heat?” Ice helps decrease swelling and pain. Heat is good in the form of a hot bath or shower, but not a heating pad, it often aggravates overexertion conditions.
Of course chiropractic adjustments can correct the subluxations (misalignments) of your spine that are caused by yard work. This subluxation is what is actually causing your pain. The bone turns, pinches the nerve and causes pain and muscle spasm. It is easier to fix these conditions right after they happen. Dr. Myers and Elements Chiropractic can always get you in the same day for those emergency visits or Monday morning aches. See you soon!!
Back hurt from yard work? Elements Chiropractic can help.