Heavy, spring snow can present a challenge to your health if you need to shovel your walks and driveway. The strain of shoveling in these conditions can lead to exhaustion or worse.
Take it easy. Don’t try to fill the shovel completely before moving the snow. Use an ergonomic shovel to help move the snow to the edges of the driveway instead of trying to lift and throw the snow. If you feel chest pain or shortness of breath. Stop. If the symptoms continue, call 911.
If you injure your back or if you feel stiff and sore after shoveling, a good neuromuscular massage can have you feeling better quickly.
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About one third of all skiing and snowboarding injuries involve the ligaments in the knee with the ACL being the most common ligament affected. Fortunately, improvements to boots and bindings are cutting down on the number of fractures, but any sudden twist while you’re in a binding can result in a knee ligament injury.
The best thing you can do to prevent knee injuries is to be cautious of sharp turns, to build up your quad muscles to handle the stress, and wear a knee brace while skiing or snowboarding.
Massage can greatly reduce the time to recovery in a knee injury, and can help you regain mobility quickly.
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Cloves can relieve the pain of headaches, arthritis and toothaches. Cloves are a spice commonly used in pies and other foods. The active ingredient is eugenol which is a natural pain reliever found in many over-the-counter pain creams. Cloves come in capsules, powders or in oil form.
Caution: People who are taking blood-thinning medications should use cloves with caution because clove oil can increase the risk of abnormal bleeding.
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Snowboarder’s ankle is fracture of the outside Talus bone in the ankle. Oftentimes, snowboarders consider the ankle pain as merely a sprain and avoid having an x-ray to confirm the fracture. In addition, these fractures are difficult to see on x-ray but can be seen easily on a cat scan.
One way to prevent Snowboarder’s ankle is to wear a brace that goes above the ankle to restrain over-movement while snowboarding. Recovery often involves the use of a wobble board to strengthen the muscles used for balance.
Massage can be beneficial to relieve the pain around the area, as well as to help regain flexibility in the ankle joint. Treatment can begin as early as 2 weeks after a talus fracture, or as soon as the swelling subsides in a sprain.
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If you fall with your ski pole in hand, you may hyperextend your thumb causing a sprain. There are thumb stabilizers available to wear underneath gloves that will help protect the thumb’s ligaments without restricting range of motion.
If you injure your thumb, massage can greatly help to reduce the pain around the area, and to regain flexibility in your thumb joints. If there is a sprain and no complete ligament tear or fracture, massage can begin as soon as any swelling subsides.
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Willow bark eases inflammation which wil also ease aches and pains. The chemical salacin which is similar to the salicylic acid in aspirin is found in the bark of the white willow. White willow comes as a dried herb that can be brewed like tea, or it comes as a capsule or liquid supplement. Because the chemical property in willow bark is so similar to aspirin, you should not take it if you have sensitivity to aspirin or if you are taking a blood thinner. You should use willow bark with caution if you are also taking over the counter anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen.
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If you sustain a wrist fracture, massage can be beneficial in helping you to regain joint flexibility, and can help with the discomfort. Treatment can begin as early as 2 weeks after a fracture, with gentle massage.
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