Snow removal without injury
With the large amounts of snow falling on the city, it is important to remove snow safely to avoid injury.
Remove snow from your car
The Montreal Regional Department of Public Health (DRSP) reminds you that the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning is greater during snowstorms.
It is recommended not to leave your car running during snow removal and to ensure that the snow accumulated around the exhaust pipe and around the automobile is removed. This prevents exhaust gases from accumulating under the vehicle and entering it in concentrations that can be fatal.
Good gestures to avoid injury
According to the Canadian Chiropractic Association, shoveling causes muscle and joint pain in 31% of the population.
“The patients we see in the clinic after a snowstorm mainly present with pain in the lower back, neck and shoulders,” explained in a press release the vice-president of the Association des chiropraticiens du Québec, Dr. Guillaume Corbin.
However, there are a few tips to prevent shoveling from going wrong. It is therefore recommended to use a light shovel adapted to its size. It is better to push the snow instead of lifting it and to clear the snow in height before tackling that on the ground.
A good body position should be adopted by keeping your back straight and bending your knees to bend down. It is advisable to rotate your whole body by depositing a shovelful to avoid twisting the trunk. Before shoveling, a small stretching session is also recommended.
Instead of waiting for the end of the storm, it is better to go out several times to shovel and take several small shovelfuls than larger shovelfuls. heavy.
Beware of power outages
The DRSP recommends against the use of fuel-powered back-up appliances. It also reminds you to have your heating system checked every year when it is powered by gas, oil or wood.
It is therefore advisable to install a carbon monoxide alarm in dwellings where the heating is at risk of emitting nitric oxide and in dwellings adjoining a closed garage or above an indoor parking lot.
In Montreal, two-thirds of homes have at least one source of carbon monoxide emissions. The DRSP reports that only a third of them have a carbon monoxide alarm.
Pelleter can kill
In an article published on the prevention observatory website from the Montreal Heart Institute, Dr. Martin Juneau explains the consequences of shoveling on the body.
Indeed, shoveling would cause an increase of more than 75% in the maximum heart rate as well as blood pressure and muscle oxygen demand. He cites a study carried out in 2017 which showed that the day after a snowfall, the risk of myocardial infarction increases significantly for men.
The study showed that when the snowfall snow was heavy, the risk of being hospitalized for a myocardial infarction was 16%. The risk of dying from this heart attack the day after a snowfall was 34%.
Dr. Juneau therefore recommends in his article that people in poor health should refrain from shoveling.< /p>
