5 Spring Cleaning Must-Dos

For all you go-getters and do-it-yourselfers gearing up to grind out spring clean-up, I want to remind you about the importance of good body mechanics!

Sounds boring right? Well guess what, it is! But, it’s also important. The amount of times people come in to see me for shoveling, raking, snow blowing, lifting, carrying, and cleaning accidents is absurd, and more importantly, avoidable. So, here are a few easy tips to keep you injury free and out of our office.

• Take breaks-

  Sounds like a no brainer, eh? People who get tired get lazy; good posture starts to falter, the “lift with the legs” voice inside your head gets quieter, and the strength to maintain good balance just isn’t there anymore. So take 5 and go visit your local lemonade stand, kick your feet up, and hydrate. 5-10 minutes of break time is better than weeks, or even months, of PT because you ruptured a disc lifting one last shovel full of sand or rock salt.

• Use good body mechanics-

  No, really. Just use proper form when lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling. The amount of videos, pictures, and blogs on proper body mechanics available online for free is sickening. That being said, here’s one more blog with pictures on good body mechanics!

• Lift with your legs-

  At the end of the day it should be your legs and butt that are tired, not your back. If you find that your low back is on fire and tighter than something really tight, you probably used your back too much. So get close, get low, and use your legs.

• Push and pull with your legs-

  Again, your legs should be feeling it. They’ll be stronger than something strong by the time you’re done with your chores. If you’re going to do pulling chores (like raking) make sure your core is held tight and the force comes through your feet. Pushing chores (like shoveling or mowing) are the same idea, core tight and your force is gathered through your feet.

• Neutral back with overhead activities-

  Okay that one doesn’t roll off the tongue, but is equally important and easy to do. This one goes out to all the drywall hangers, the overhead painters, and the box-on-high-shelf-put-er-away-ers. Using your six-pack abs to make sure you don’t over extend your low back while reaching overhead takes a world of pressure off your vertebrae.

If you have any questions on form, your specific chore body mechanics and needs, or exercises to improve the muscles to keep you stable, reach out and we can set up an appointment to run through it with you. An hour of prevention to save weeks of therapy will keep us all happy and injury free this spring.

By Dan Clark, DPT

Back in Motion® Physical Therapy – Portland, Maine