OXYGEN UPTAKE IN SNOW SHOVELING WITH MODIFIED SHOVEL

INTRODUCTION Snow shoveling in the winter is hard manual labor in cold, northern regions, in most of which society is aging. For the elderly people the task is considered a physically intensive activity, associated with local muscle pain of the lower back. It was confirmed that the amount of stooping and squatting were reduced when using a modified shovel with a second handle. Additionally, less oxygen uptake was observed when using the modified shovel [1]. This study compared oxygen uptake during the shoveling of snow between a regular shovel and a modified shovel to determine how the second handle on the shovel shaft affects the oxygen demand during the shoveling in elderly subjects.