Your Back Doesn’t Know You’re “Just Raking Leaves”

A Few Simple Ways to Get the Yard Clean Without Spending Monday in My Office

Every fall, the same thing happens.

The leaves come down.

You look out the window Saturday morning and think:

“I’ll knock that out before lunch.”

Three hours later, you’ve raked the entire yard, dragged twelve bags to the curb, cleaned the gutters, moved some patio furniture, and decided that since you’re already outside you might as well trim that bush too.

Sunday morning arrives.

And suddenly getting out of bed has become a much bigger project than expected.

Here’s the problem:

Your back doesn’t know you were “just doing yard work.”

As far as your body is concerned, you just spent several hours bending, reaching, pulling, twisting, lifting, and carrying.

That’s exercise.

And if you haven’t done much of that lately, your body may remind you the next morning.

Raking Is More Physical Than It Looks

Raking doesn’t seem particularly strenuous.

You’re not lifting heavy weights.

You’re not running.

You’re not doing anything that looks especially athletic.

But think about the movement.

Reach.

Pull.

Rotate.

Reach.

Pull.

Rotate.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Usually in the same direction.

Then you bend over to scoop up the leaves.

Stuff them into a bag.

Lift the bag.

Carry it across the yard.

Then go back and do it all over again.

The problem usually isn’t one dramatic movement.

It’s hundreds of ordinary movements repeated over several hours.

Start With Five Minutes

I know.

Nobody wants to “warm up” before raking leaves.

You’re not getting ready for the Olympics.

You’re cleaning the yard.

But if you’ve been sitting at the breakfast table drinking coffee and then immediately start aggressively pulling a rake across the yard, you’re asking your body to go from zero to work pretty quickly.

Walk around for a few minutes.

Move your shoulders.

Move your hips.

Bend your knees a few times.

Gently turn from side to side.

You don’t need an elaborate stretching routine.

Just give your body a few minutes to realize:

Apparently we’re doing this today.

Switch Sides

Most of us have a dominant side.

Put a rake in your hands and you’ll probably use it the same way every time without thinking about it.

That means you’re repeatedly rotating and pulling in one direction.

Try switching sides periodically.

It may feel awkward.

That’s okay.

You’re distributing the work instead of asking the same muscles to perform the same movement hundreds of times.

This applies to shoveling snow too, which unfortunately isn’t very far behind.

Move Your Feet

Here’s another common mistake.

Your feet stay planted while your upper body does all the work.

You reach.

Twist.

Pull.

Then reach farther.

And twist farther.

Instead, move your feet.

Step toward the leaves.

Turn your whole body when you can rather than repeatedly twisting through your lower back.

Get closer to what you’re working on.

The farther you reach away from your body, the harder your muscles have to work to control the movement.

Sometimes the easiest ergonomic improvement is simply:

Get closer.

Don’t Make the Leaf Bag a Strength Test

You know what happens.

The bag is almost full.

You could stop.

But there’s still room.

So you push the leaves down.

Add another pile.

Push them down again.

Now you’ve created a 50-pound bag of wet leaves that has no handles and refuses to cooperate.

Then you bend over, grab the top, twist, and try to wrestle it toward the curb.

Don’t.

Use more bags.

Keep them manageable.

When you’re lifting, get reasonably close to the load, use your legs, and avoid combining a heavy lift with a big twisting movement.

Nobody gives out an award for the heaviest leaf bag in Arlington Heights.

Wet Leaves Are Different

A bag of dry leaves is one thing.

A bag filled with wet leaves is something entirely different.

Wet leaves become surprisingly heavy.

If it rained the night before, either let them dry if possible or make your bags considerably smaller.

The same applies when you’re scooping piles into a wheelbarrow or yard container.

Pay attention to the weight before you discover how heavy it is halfway through a lift.

Take a Break Before Your Back Demands One

This is probably the advice people ignore most.

You get into a rhythm.

You can see the progress.

There’s only one section left.

So you keep going.

Instead, stop every 20 or 30 minutes.

Stand up straight.

Walk around.

Get some water.

Let your hands and shoulders relax.

Then decide whether you want to do another round.

A five-minute break doesn’t ruin your productivity.

It may be what allows you to finish without feeling miserable later.

The Yard Doesn’t Have to Be Finished Today

This may be the most important part of the entire article.

The leaves will still be there tomorrow.

They aren’t keeping score.

You don’t get bonus points for finishing the entire property in one afternoon.

As we get older, one of the smarter things we can learn is how to pace ourselves.

That doesn’t mean becoming inactive.

Quite the opposite.

I want people working in their yards.

Walking.

Golfing.

Traveling.

Exercising.

Playing with their grandchildren.

Doing things.

But you don’t have to spend everything you’ve got on the yard and have nothing left for the rest of your weekend.

Rake for an hour.

Do something else.

Come back later.

Finish tomorrow.

That’s not getting old.

That’s getting smarter.

Drink Some Water

It’s October.

It’s cool outside.

You’re not sweating like you would in July, so it’s easy to forget about hydration.

But you’re still physically active.

Have some water before you start.

Keep some nearby.

Take a drink when you take your breaks.

You don’t need a complicated sports drink for an afternoon of yard work.

Water will generally do just fine.

What If Your Back Starts Hurting?

First, stop doing the thing that’s aggravating it.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to go directly to bed for the next three days.

Walk around.

Change positions.

Give things a chance to settle down.

Minor muscle soreness after doing more physical work than usual isn’t surprising.

But there’s a difference between:

“I can tell I worked yesterday.”

and:

“Something is wrong.”

Significant pain, pain traveling down the leg, persistent numbness or tingling, weakness, or symptoms that aren’t improving deserve more attention.

And if every episode of yard work leaves you with the same back problem, it may be worth figuring out why rather than accepting it as the price of owning a rake.

Watch: A Better Way to Rake Leaves

I’ve talked about raking and yard work with patients for years because these are exactly the kinds of ordinary activities that bring people into the office.

Often, a few small changes in technique and pacing make the job much easier on the body.

Watch the video above for a demonstration of some of the ideas we’re talking about here.

If You Do Hurt Yourself

If your back becomes irritated and isn’t settling down, that’s where an examination can help determine what’s actually happening.

At O’Hara Family Chiropractic, we look at how the back is moving, what movements reproduce the symptoms, whether a joint or muscle appears involved, and whether there are signs of disc or nerve irritation.

Sometimes the answer is simply time and appropriate movement.

Sometimes chiropractic treatment may be helpful.

Sometimes exercise or rehabilitation needs to be part of the solution.

And occasionally the problem needs a different kind of evaluation altogether.

The important thing is not to assume every episode of back pain is exactly the same.

Find out what’s causing it.

Enjoy the Fall

There’s something satisfying about working outside on a cool fall day.

So rake the leaves.

Clean up the yard.

Enjoy being outside.

Just remember that yard work counts as physical work—even if you aren’t wearing gym clothes.

Start gradually.

Switch sides.

Move your feet.

Keep the bags manageable.

Take breaks.

Drink some water.

And when you’ve done enough:

Stop.

The rest can wait.

The leaves aren’t going anywhere.

And I’d much rather have you enjoy the rest of your weekend than spend Monday morning telling me:

“Doc, all I did was rake some leaves.”