The Fall season is such a beautiful time in New England. The leaves turn color, the air is dry and crisp and the landscape never looks better. Yet its also a time when the leaves begin to fall in preparation for another winter. And that means raking, and typically lots of it. A chiropractors nightmare. I have noticed that more people get hurt while raking even more than the dreaded snow shoveling. Yet much of that type of injury can be prevented with a little bit of forethought and "Three Easy Rules" to avoid back injury.
Like any repetitive activity that involves the lower back and bending, its important to consider warming up the muscles by stretching, if only for a few moments before raking. While lying on one’s back, pull both knees to the chest while simultaneously flexing the head forward until a comfortable stretch is felt in a balled-up position. Such knee-chess positions help to stretch the lumbar muscles so that they are better prepared to bend.
More importantly, The Three Easy rules to avoid back injury are: Keep the chest forward and bend at the knees as a squat vs. bending at the waist. Avoid twisting at the waist which also causes injury. Finally, keep the weight close to the body, in this case the leaves and take your time when lifting. Or even better, enlist the help of a neighbor or young adult-they're much more flexible than adults and might enjoy the extra income.
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Be safe and avoid injuries this fall!
