Does snow shoveling make you nervous because of your back? Are you pleasantly surprised when snow shoveling doesn’t bother your back? Or do you sometimes wonder what back-friendly snow shoveling looks like?

Snow shoveling can be hard on your back, especially when it is done in ways that place lots of stress on your spine. However, the good news is that there are ways to shovel snow that greatly reduce your risk of hurting your back.

By following a few key principles, you can shovel snow safely and efficiently while remaining pain-free.

The Principles for Spine-Friendly Snow Shoveling

Principle 1: Move with Your Hips, Not Your Spine

Your disc are vulnerable when your spine bends or twists under load. To protect them, you want to minimize ‘spine power.’

Spine power = Force x Velocity

  • Anytime you put force through your spine while moving it, like twisting your back while throwing a shovelful of snow, you increase spine power, which strains your discs.
  • However, when you keep your spine still under load, the spine power is reduced to zero, which is much easier on your discs.

To to apply this, you will want to use the following movement patterns while shoveling:

  • Hip hinge: Bend forward at your hips (see Figure 1), not your lower back (see Figure 2).


Figure 1


Figure 2

  • Hip twist: Rotate using your hips rather than twisting your spine.

By moving with your hips, you protect your spine. Your hips are ball-and-socket joints designed to handle power production safely.

Principle 2: Keep the Force on Your Spine Low

Your spine, like all tissues, has limits. To avoid overloading it while you shovel:

  1. Keep the shovel handle pointing toward your belly button (see Figure 3):
      • This shortens the ‘lever arm’ and reduces the force through your spine compared to holding the shovel off to one side (see Figure 4).


Figure 3

Figure 4

    • Move in the forward-backward plane:
      • Push snow directly in front of you (see Figure 3) rather than a) holding the shovel out to the side (see Figure 4) or b) shoveling snow across the front of your body (see Figure 5).


Figure 5

    • Lift the shovel with your leg:
      • Place the shovel handle against the front of your thigh, and either a) use your leg as a fulcrum (see Figure 6) or b) actively lift the shovel using your leg (see Figure 6).


Figure 6

    • Take regular breaks:
      • Even if you follow all the other tips, your spine has a finite load capacity.
      • Stop and rest before you feel exhausted. Avoid pushing past fatigue.

So the next time your out enjoying winter and shoveling snow:

  • Move with your hips, not your spine.
  • Keep the shovel handle in the midline, pointing at your belly button.
  • Work in the front-to-back plane.
  • Use your legs to lift the shovel.
  • Take breaks before fatigue sets in.

Following these principles will help you to clear snow with a reduced risk of hurting your back.