Clear Snow With Less Body Strain

When it comes to shoveling snow: kick, don’t toss; push, don’t scoop; and carry, don’t swivel.

That is the advice from an occupational therapist at the Ohio State University Spine Center. But her approach is not the one used by most people who clear walks and driveways.

Instead, many of us bend our backs, scoop as much snow as the shovel will hold and then quickly swivel at the waist to toss a shovelful as far as we can. We repeat these steps as fast as possible to finish the odious job.

In the process, we put a lot of stress on the back.

Ergonomic shovels that help ease the burden have appeared on the market in recent years, but not everyone wants to spend about $20 on a shovel with a bent handle.

Anna Wallschlaeger, an occupational therapist at the center, shared some of the techniques she uses with patients. She teaches people to do a better job handling snow even if all they have is a blue-light special shovel or a push broom.

First, don’t stoop to the task of shoveling.

“Keep the handle at your belly button level. Bend with the knees - not back - and keep the spine as straight as possible,” Wallschlaeger said.

Push the snow to the edge of the pavement and then kick the shovel to clear it of snow.

But what about those heavy, wet snows of late fall and early spring?

Push the snow along.

When the shovel is full, assume a wide stance with your legs, squat and then lift the load. Keep the back as straight as possible. Rely on the leg muscles to do most of the lifting, not the arms or back.

Carry the shovelful of snow and let it fall from the shovel rather than flinging it off.

Sometimes, however, a shovel isn’t needed at all. In light or dry snow, a push broom works well.

Wallschlaeger has several other suggestions for reducing the load:

Clear snow frequently. Try not to let it pile up.

If the snow has piled up, take frequent breaks in the removal effort.

Clear small amounts of pavement. Remove a strip only half as wide as the shovel blade.

Move horizontally across the driveway, not down the whole length.