Avoid Back Pain While Raking Leaves
One of the most thankless jobs there is to do around a home is raking leaves in the fall. It
seems like the leaves just never stop coming down. Raking leaves is actually very hard
work. You need to condition your body in order to not develop aches and pains
associated with this job. Dr. Robert Warsak, a chiropractor in Franklin Lakes with 28
years of experience give some tips on how to do the job and prevent hurting your back.
First you must remember that raking leaves is hard work. It is a form of exercise. So a
good idea is to stretch and warm up your body before beginning the job. Dress in layers
because you can work up quite a sweat as you are working.
Watch you posture while raking. Staying hunched over while raking is simply not good
for your lower back. That posture places extra strain on your lower back and makes it
more likely that you will end up some type of ache or pain. Try to avoid being hunched
over while raking. Dr. Warsak suggests raking and then straightening up. Raking and
then straightening up again. Alternate doing this rather than raking constantly to get the
job done quickly. You are better off going slow and steady rather than trying to get the
job done fast and then having lower back pain.
Now that the leaves are in a pile, they need to be picked up. Here again, if done correctly,
Your lower back will not be strained with doing the job. Bend with the legs and not the
back to pick up the leaves. Your legs are 10 times stronger than your back muscles are.
It is the repetition of bending over numerous times with the back that eventually strains
the lower back muscles, leading to pain. A handy tool to look for is a rake whose end
closes when a handle is pulled up. This allows the user to grab a big handful of leaves
without having to bend over to pick them up.
You do not have to do your whole yard in 30 minutes. You should take frequent breaks to
change your posture. It is also a good idea to switch sides while you are raking. Raking
from one side all the time strains the muscles of the arms and shoulders leading to
tendonitis. Alternating sides while you are raking helps to negate this stress to one side of
the body. The more family members you have helping makes the job go a lot faster and
easier. Make sure that everyone follows these simple suggestions so they don’t regret
helping with this fall time job.
For further information call Dr. Robert Warsak at 201-891-6065.