Winter is just a few weeks away, and you know what that means: snow!
No matter where you live in Southern Ontario, snow is virtually guaranteed. And while that means more chaos on the road for drivers, it also means more homeowners suffering from sore backs because of improper snow shovelling.
“Shovelling out after a storm doesn’t have to leave you stiff and sore,” says Ajax chiropractor Dr. John Noble.
In this video shot a few years ago during one of our bigger snowstorms, Dr. Noble offers a few common-sense tips on shovelly safely.
Just because we are Canadians, it doesn’t mean we are experts when it comes to shovelling snow!
Follow these guidelines from the Ontario Chiropractic Association and with a little know-how, you can clear your driveway without any back, neck and shoulder pain ruining your day.
Before You Head Outside to Shovel
Drink plenty of water. Dehydration is just as big an issue in the winter months as it is in the summer.
Dress in several layers so you can remove a layer as you get warm.
Wear proper footwear. Shoes and boots with solid treads on the soles can help to minimize the risk of slips and falls.
Pick the right shovel. Use a lightweight, non-stick, push-style shovel. A smaller blade will require you to lift less snow, putting less strain on your body. An ergonomically correct model (curved handle) will help prevent injury and fatigue. Also, if you spray the blade with a silicone-based lubricant, the snow will slide off more easily.
Before beginning any snow removal, warm up for five to 10 minutes to get your joints moving and increase blood circulation. A brisk walk will do it.
Follow These Tips To Avoid Injury While Shovelling
1. Push, Don’t Throw
Push the snow to one side and avoid throwing it. If you must throw it, avoid twisting and turning — position yourself to throw straight at the snow pile.
2. Bend Your Knees
Use your knees, leg and arm muscles to do the pushing and lifting while keeping your back straight.
3. Watch for Ice
Be careful on icy walkways and slippery surfaces. Intermittent thaws and subsequent freezing can lead to ice building up underfoot, resulting in nasty slips and falls. Throw down some salt or sand to ensure you have a good footing.
If you’re experiencing back pain, consider visiting the chiropractic and massage therapy team at Pickering Village Chiropractic & Massage. We help our patients build better pathways to overall wellness, as well as relief from back pain and muscle aches. Contact our clinic today at 905-427-3202.
With content from the Ontario Chiropractic Association.
Even with the high price of gas, summer road trips with your friends and family are likely high on your to-do list. After all, who doesn’t love to roll the windows down, crank up the music and enjoy the inviting summer breezes after a long winter spent indoors?
Unfortunately, more cars on the road mean more fender-benders and serious car accidents. For our chiropractic and massage therapy team, it means an influx of patients seeking care at our clinic for accident-related injuries.
Our Pickering chiropractic and massage therapy team has decades of experience helping patients move on from their injuries.
People injured in a motor vehicle accident sometimes experience a strain of their neck muscles and the surrounding soft tissue, commonly referred to as whiplash. Anyone who has had such an injury knows neck muscles can be very tender, and neck movement can be quite limited.
Whiplash is a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip. Although whiplash most often occurs during a rear-end auto accident, the injury can also result from a sports accident, physical abuse or other trauma. Research shows that successful whiplash treatment requires patient cooperation and active efforts to resume daily activity.
Common signs and symptoms of whiplash usually — but not always — develop within 24 hours of the injury and may include:
Neck pain and stiffness
Worsening of pain with neck movement
Loss of range of motion in the neck
Headaches, most often starting at the base of the skull
Tenderness or pain in the shoulder, upper back or arms
Tingling or numbness in the arms
Fatigue
Dizziness
Most people with whiplash get better within a few weeks by following a treatment plan that includes pain medication and exercise. However, some experience chronic neck pain and other long-lasting complications.
Whiplash may be called a neck sprain or strain, but these terms also include other types of neck injuries.
Some people also suffer from:
Blurred vision
Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
Sleep disturbances
Irritability
Difficulty concentrating
Memory problems
Depression
Get help for your whiplash injury
Do not ignore whiplash-type injuries. If you experience any of the symptoms listed above, seek a medical examination. Health care professionals are alert for the signs of more serious neck trauma.
Good news
The good news is that most whiplash injuries are not serious and will heal fully. Many people experience little disruption in their activities and are able to get on with their daily lives.
Did you know?
Whiplash can occur from many causes, not just car accidents. For example, it can happen from falling downstairs or having something fall on your head. It can also happen when tackled or bodychecked while taking part in contact sports.
Whiplash can also occur at a relatively low impact. For example, a hit in a car accident at less than 10km/hour can cause whiplash. Pain, stiffness and other symptoms of Grade 1 (tender muscles) or Grade 2 (limited neck movement) whiplash typically start within the first two days after an accident.
Avoid whiplash in the future: Adjust your car’s headrest
Properly adjusting the height of your car headrest will help prevent whiplash injury in an accident. In an ideal adjustment, the top of your head should be in line with the top of the headrest and there should be no more than 2 to 5 cm between the back of your head and the headrest.
How chiropractic care and massage therapy helps treat whiplash
Even if you seek chiropractic care complaining of neck pain following a trauma, your chiropractor will evaluate your entire spine because other regions of the spine may be affected (not just your neck). Your chiropractor will identify any areas of restricted joint motion, intervertebral disc injury, muscle spasm, and ligament injury and will also feel for tenderness, tightness, and how well your spinal joints move. In addition to performing a series of spinal adjustments to correct vertebral subluxations, your chiropractor may also prescribe therapeutic exercises to help restore normal motion in your spine and reduce whiplash symptoms.
Massage therapy helps rid the pain caused by whiplash and increases the amount of oxygen the body gives to the tissues, thus speeding up the recovery process. And by stimulating circulation and increasing the flow of oxygen, massage therapy may rid you of the headaches associated with whiplash.
Need help recovering from a whiplash injury? At Pickering Village Chiropractic & Massage, chiropractors Dr. John Noble and Dr. Mark Fera can evaluate and treat your injuries, and registered massage therapists Jessica Raedisch or Rolf Castanheiro will employ a variety of hands-on techniques to assess and treat the soft tissues and joints of the body. If you’re looking for chiropractic care and massage therapy in Ajax or Pickering, call our clinic at 905-427-3202 to make an appointment.
After a few days of reprieve from ice and snow, winter weather is back in the forecast for Southern Ontario. The upcoming rain-snow mix is likely to cause havoc because once the temperature drops, what starts off as a wet sidewalk or driveway can quickly turn into a sheet of ice.
Whether you’re going outside for some exercise, running an errand, or simply getting to and from your car, winter walking can be hazardous.
“Each year around this time, we start seeing an increasing number of patients who have suffered a fall on the ice,” says Durham Region chiropractor Dr. John Noble. “Our chiropractic and massage therapy team are able to offer guidance and provide care, but ideally it would be best if the fall could be avoided!”
There are some precautions you can take to make sure you get to your destination safely. Here are eight ways to avoid a slip and fall on snow or ice:
1. Choose the right footwear
There are some great options for winter boots that provide slip resistance.
Look for these features: rubber soles with a non-slip tread.
2. Plan ahead
Give yourself extra travel time so you can walk without being rushed.
3. Don’t be distracted
Avoid walking and using your phone at the same time.
4. Be on the lookout for ice
Avoid icy patches when possible. When in doubt, assume that all dark and wet pavement surfaces are slippery.
5. Be prepared
If you don’t have salt for your stairs, driveway, or walkway, use sand or non-clumping cat litter to sprinkle on icy surfaces outdoors. If possible, only walk on paths that receive maintenance. Don’t take shortcuts where snow isn’t regularly removed
6. Use support
Use handrails when available and steady yourself on the door frame of your car when getting in and out of a vehicle.
7. Don’t compromise your balance
Avoid carrying items in your arms as that may cause you to be unbalanced. Walking with your arms swinging at your sides is the best way to maintain balance. Make sure to keep your hands out of your pockets to help with balance and walking posture (don’t forget your gloves).
8. Walk like a penguin
When the terrain is super slippery, try practising these “penguin-like” techniques for stability:
Keep your feet “flat-footed” (place your whole foot down at once—this also slows your walking speed)
Take short strides or shuffle your feet forward
Keep your knees slightly bent and feet pointed out. Lean forward slightly
Make sure to check for weather updates before you head out! If you have experienced a slip or fall, our Pickering massage therapy and chiropractic team can help.
Walking boosts blood flow to your brain, decreasing your stress hormones and releasing endorphins. This helps improve your mood, lower your chance of depression and reduce your risk of cognitive decline.
Two hours of walking a week can reduce your risk of stroke by 30%.
A 40-minute walk three times a week protects the brain region associated with planning and memory.
A 30-minute walk a day can reduce symptoms of depression by 36%.
2. Walking is good for your bones, muscles and joints.
Like other weight-bearing activities, walking helps maintain bone health. Four hours of walking per week can reduce the risk of hip fractures by up to 43%.
Walking up and down hills increases the activation of the hip, knee and ankle muscles. The steeper the grade, the bigger the benefit.
Walking increases the circulation of synovial fluid around your joints, providing essential lubrication and nutrients to cartilage, the tissues that act as a cushion between your bones.
3. Walking can help you maintain a healthy weight.
Walking at least 30 minutes per day is linked to lower body weight, body fat and waist circumference. A daily one-hour walk can cut your risk of obesity in half.
4. Walking is good for your digestive tract.
By taking a walk after a meal, you help your food move your digestive system, reducing the incidence of bloating and digestive problems.
5. Walking can help manage diabetes.
Diabetes affects approximately 2.5 million Canadians, with over 200,000 cases being diagnosed every year. Researchers around the globe have all found that regular exercise, along with dietary changes, can help manage diabetes. Walking can help reduce insulin resistance, keeping blood sugar levels balanced and energy levels even.
6. Walking is good for your heart.
Studies have shown that exercise lessens your risk of developing heart disease because it helps reduce the amount of fats and cholesterol in the body (both play a role in damaging your arteries). A daily 30 to 60-minute walk increases your heart rate, improves blood flow and helps your heart pump more efficiently, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
7. Walking can help you live longer.
With all these health benefits, it only makes sense that walking increases longevity. A mere 75 minutes a week of brisk walking can add almost two years to your life!
Enjoy the warmer weather and improve your overall health by making walking a part of your daily routine.
At Pickering Village Chiropractic and Massage, we provide our patients with more than just chiropractic and massage therapy services, but also the know-how to build better personal wellness habits so you can be at your best for work or play, every day.
To book an appointment or learn more about the chiropractic and therapeutic massage therapy services available at our clinic, call 905-427-3202.
Image courtesy of Canada Walks. Inspired by content from the Canadian Chiropractic Association, MyFitnessPal and Canada Walks.
The Village Chiropractic Clinic consists of a group of knowledgeable, and friendly professionals that have worked as a team to help me obtain and maintain my optimal health goal through chiropractic and massage therapy.
