Northwoods Family Chiropractor gives tips to prevent snow shoveling injuries

With the massive amount of snow covering much of the Upper Peninsula, many people are already feeling the familiar aches and pains that come with shoveling.

Northwoods Family Chiropractic in Crystal Falls, has some helpful tips to prevent injuries this winter.

"One of the biggest things that we see here in our clinic with winter is snow shoveling, so obviously a lot of people coming in, trying to stay safe as they are doing it,” said Dr. Kim Scarlassara, a Chiropractic Physician, at Northwoods Family Chiropractic.

According to the National Institute of Health, back injuries are the #1 winter fall-related injury, a statistic that Scarlassara can attest to.

"A lot of injuries that we see due to those accidents are sprain-strains, so they're lumbar pulls, they're back strains because you just used too much,” she said.

The best way to prevent a back injury from shoveling, Dr. Scarlassara says, is to follow some preventative tips. Warming-up, drinking lots of water and remaining in the correct posture can help you avoid accidents.

"Make sure that your feet point the same direction as your body. We all think that we have to twist and bend and move and that's probably one of the most dangerous concepts,” Said Scarlassara,

She says making sure your body can perform in good motion is always key.

"And that's what Chiropractors do, we make sure those joints stay mobile, by making sure the body is loose, the muscles are moving well, there's nothing that's tight,” said Scarlassara.

If an injury does happen, she says chiropractors are there to help reverse the effects.

"We live up in this neck of the woods, we have to shovel snow, we have to carry fire wood, we have to walk on uneven surfaces, we have to walk on ice and it's so nice to be able to get these people put back together,” said Scarlassara.