Spring Cleanup
It’s that time of year again!
Time to get out in the yard and do some spring cleanup.
Let us give you some tips on injury prevention.
The snow is finally done in Cleveland and it’s time to get outside and do that spring cleanup! We want to give you some advice to help prevent any injuries from occurring, so we’re taking you through how to perform a couple common yardwork activities WITHOUT hurting your back!
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So if you’ve done spring cleanup before you know that you are going to be bending over and picking something up many times in a row at some point!! From loading/unloading a wheelbarrow, to weeding, to bagging leaves - we are moving our bodies repetitively for hours on end.
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All of these movements require us to hinge at the hips. So we are going to go over a refresher on how to PROPERLY hinge at the hips to prevent injury. In the video, we use a PVC pipe held in place on the back side of the body. The PVC pipe should be hitting 3 places: back of the head, mid back, and pelvis. It is important when hinging at the hips to NEVER break that line. If we do, that means our neck or back is rounding forward, and injury is more likely to occur. We highly encourage taking any household object like a broom or rake to practice what this feels like so when you’re out in the yard, you know what to do!
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It goes without saying, but we’re going to say it anyway - always always always belly breathe while doing any type of squatting, hinging, or twisting that yardwork often makes you do! Breathing low into your abdomen instead of shallow through your chest creates a solid 360 degree barrel of stabilization. This makes it so that our arms and legs can function off of a well-stabilized trunk, preventing injury!
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So when you’re stooped down for long periods of time gardening or weeding, the same rules apply. Try to keep that back and neck as neutral as possible. TAKE BREAKS! Your body will thank you later. Additionally, a rolling stool to sit on while performing these type of tasks will definitely help prevent knee injuries that can happen from kneeling for long periods of time.
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The next yardwork activity we have some advice on: raking. Raking is a very repetitive task. The fundamental movements of raking are twisting, reaching, and pulling. Many people tend to use the upper body way too much. They stand in one spot, overreach, and pull leaves towards them. This will tear up the shoulder/back when performed at length, so we’re going to give you a word of advice!
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We want you to “dance” with your rake. In the video we show you what this looks like! Essentially, we put the lower body into it and it’s more of a fluid dynamic movement. You step towards what you’re raking instead of keeping the feet planted and twisting over and over. “Facing what you’re raking is key!” Additionally, switching sides to give your dominant arm a break will also help, not hurt!
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So get excited to get your yard looking beautiful and ready for the summer! And get even more excited that it’s possible to do so without compromising your body or hurting your back!!
