Snow Shoveling
Another winter is here upon us and often we are not ready for it. Many people dread winters because the cold brings extra work added to our normal daily work. When I was on the dairy farm we needed to prepare for winter cold before the cold came. Water pipes, tractors, manure spreaders, cow feed, bedding, fire wood, and our farm clothes all had to be prepared for the cold. It was not much fun unless we had a cheerful attitude and could laugh at our mistakes and the Murphy Laws as they set in upon us. We also found that often the chores were more pleasant if there were others working with us.
The same rules apply to around the house winter work as we did on the farm. Have the right tools, dress for the weather, good attitude, have a helper, take your time and enjoy what you are doing.
When outside in the cold weather some people get muscle stiffness from the cold that goes through their jacket and chills the back muscles. When the muscles get some stiffness they frequently pull the ribs slightly out of place. A few days later the pain will start and the person will wonder why there is pain. To fix it, the rib will need to be skillfully repositioned in alignment with the other structures in the area. It looks simple to do when a person is watching one of the Chiropractors in our clinic make the correction, but it is not easy. Many factors need to be considered such as the current muscle condition, how many ribs are out of alignment, the relationship of the positions of the ribs on the other side of the body. Then we check for muscle contractions to related muscles in the area.
It is of course better to wear a coat that is warm enough to keep your back warm. If you come in for an adjustment you can bring someone with you and we will instruct them how to help you at home as much as we can.
Also, when a person is raking leaves, shoveling soil, pushing snow, or anything similar, it helps to switch hands every few minutes to keep the muscles balanced, and to not over work one side of your body. Even with swimming it is good to switch sides when doing the side stroke.
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Dr. Carl Glaettli and the staff at Healthy Family Chiropractic 208-466-2536