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MARQUETTE -- While fall foliage looks beautiful up in the trees, it's a little less appealing covering up your yard.
    
Unless you want to be raking in back pain, you should follow a few pointers before tackling the yard work.
   
Fall is well underway in Upper Michigan, and you know what that means.  Leaves, leaves everywhere and your rake in hand to tidy them up.  That bending and stretching in your back, though, can take its toll.
    
Chiropractor Dr. Randy Byma says he sees more people in pain from raking leaves than he does from from shoveling snow.

"A lot more patients come in with back problems caused by raking leaves than I even see in the winter from shoveling.   You get a lot of people that try to spend too much time trying to get it all done in one day or two days, versus when you shovel snow; we're out there for an hour just clearing up the driveway," said Dr. Byma.
    
The first step to avoid a sore back should be taken before you even touch your rake.

"Stretching the hamstrings.  Not too many people think that back problems are going to be related to their legs getting tight, but hamstrings can pull your pelvis down and out of place and tighten up your lower back," Byma added.
    
And there actually is a proper technique for raking leaves.

"You want to try to probably squat more.  If you're putting the strain on your leg muscles, they're going to be tired, but it's not going to give you back pain because of it.  The less you can bend forward at waist trying to rake and then trying to turn your whole body, turning your feet to get that motion that you need," Dr. Byma explained.
    
Leaf blowers can also present their own problems.  Handheld ones should be switched from hand to hand to avoid overworking one side, and the weight of backpack-style blowers can strain your back.

Now, two easy ways to avoid injuring yourself are to get a bagger extension for your ride-on-top mower or a sweeper that you can pull behind it.  The easiest way to avoid injuring yourself?

Pay someone else to do it.