Preparing for Fall Injuries: A Word of Caution
Greg Stemkowski MS, PT, CSCS, PES
Procore Physical Therapy P.C.
When October rolls in and the weather is changing, you know fall is hear. For those of us who don't have landscapers to cut the grass or power blowers to move the leaves, it means lots of raking, pulling leaves on a blanket, or the most dreaded of all fall chores, bagging leaves. And lets not forget cleaning the gutters and putting the lawn furniture away. After a summer of work and leisure, these demanding tasks are upon us. My word of caution during the fall time is this; be aware of what you are getting yourself into and know your limitations. The tasks that you are about to encounter are actually disguised strength endurance events and will take a toll on your body if you are not prepared. I am not saying you have to physically train for fall chores as if you are training for competition, but you should be mentally aware of the physical demands you are about to place on your body and the possible injuries that could result.
Most fall chores could be classified as strength endurance events because strength is required over a long period of time. Raking leaves for instance. If you want to get the job done by the end of the day you are going to have to work fast, consistently, and over a long period of time. This requires you to maintain a relatively fixed posture, while repetitively moving your shoulders, elbows, and wrists. By the end of the day, you can add fatigue into the scenario, giving you the ingredients for an injury.
The most common injuries that result from raking and bending motions are tendonitis, muscle strains, and disc herniations. Classic tendonitis usually occurs after repetitive motions. Pain is found near the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints and will be felt with movement or muscle contraction. My best advice is to apply ice for 48 to 72 hours, rest, and complete gentle pain free movements. If it does not get better do not try to work through the pain because you will only regret it. Make an appointment to see your orthopedist.
Muscle strains occur when a muscle is elongated, fatigued and placed under tension. Typically sharp pain or soreness can be felt in the large muscle masses of the neck and shoulders and the low back and hips. My best advice is to get off your feet and rest. Ice can be used for the first 48-72 hours than use moist heat. Also use slow conservative movements that are as pain free as possible. This will help to loosen tight muscles. If your condition is severe or becomes chronic, go see a doctor.
A herniation is the worst scenario, because it can involve nerve root compression of the neck or low back. This could come on quickly or gradually and will be accompanied by pain, numbness, or tingling into the upper extremity for cervical herniations or lower extremity for lumbar herniations. It usually occurs with high levels of muscle strain while using poor lifting mechanics. My best advice is to go see your doctor as soon as possible.
When completing fall chores, avoid injury by being smart. Know the demands of your task, recognize when you are fatigued, use proper body mechanics when bending, squatting or lifting objects, and don't work through the pain. You can use small demand tasks as a warm-up to the larger demand tasks. Like walking your property to get an idea of the scope of the job. This will help prepare your body for the task at hand and will help avoid under estimating the time it may take to complete your job.