Rake Those Leaves With Care Or You’ll Be Paying Me a Visit Soon!
The trees are beginning to turn into majestic colors and pumpkin spice lattes beckon. Fall is officially here, and Halloween and Thanksgiving are just around the corner. With the seasonal festivities, come the seasonal chores – hanging skeletons and orange lights, and the leaves - they’re everywhere! Before you grab the rake and try to find the grass beneath the piles, remember to keep your back protected.
Photo: Lynda Grasso
Raking leaves is just one seasonal household task that consistently sends patients my way! Unfortunately, if raking isn’t done correctly, this activity may strain a lot of different muscles and make people hobble into my office.
Here’s Three Chiropractic Tips for “Safe Leaf Raking”:
Always warm-up before physical activity
Before you start, exercising warm-ups are essential in injury prevention and this also applies to manual labor and household chores. Try taking a brisk walk for 10 minutes, performing some type of dynamic squat or hamstring stretches.
Stay hydrated
With the cooler temperatures we often forget to stay hydrated. Did you know that dehydrated muscles are prone to cramps and spasms? Dehydration can also lead to fatigue and dizzy spells. Here’s an idea, instead of drinking ice water in cooler temperatures to stay hydrated try either room temperature water with electrolyte packets such as LMNT or herbal teas.
Practice back safe lifting when raking
Avoid stooping over to lift the leaves. Bend at the knees and maintain a straight back. Avoid twisting and turning while lifting the leaves. When raking, move all the leaves onto a tarp on the ground so when you finish you can pull the tarp to the street and wrap it up for pick up. Make sure you take frequent breaks to hydrate and prevent repetitive strain.
Remember these tips, and let’s raise our apple cider glasses and tap our pumpkin spice coffee mugs to celebrate one of the best seasons of the year! Here’s my crew, and happy fall to yours.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at Back to Health Center, we offer chiropractic care for all ages.
