An ergonomic snow shovel is designed to reduce the strain by using the principles of biomechanical stress. It shifts lower back pushing tasks above the hip level. Traditional snow shovels exert push force from the hands vertically to the position of the hips.
If you have rheumatoid arthritis, then most likely you also have a back problem. Shoveling snow is probably something you shouldn’t even be doing, but you may not have a choice. Even if you have your driveway plowed, you probably need to still do the walks to the front door, sidewalks and such. So…. let’s be smart about it.
Here are some products I’ve found that will help reduce the stress on your back and also reduce fatigue.
This Sno Joe snow shovel greatly reduces the effort, strain and potential injury that is involved in shoveling snow. It uses the muscles of your upper body to do the lifting and throwing. Then it sends lifting leverage to the lower hand. This ends up reducing back strain by 30%.
The spring-loaded, ergonomic shovel grip captures the expended energy from the act of throwing the snow, to quickly return and reset the shovel making it ready for the next load.
See the Snow Joe Shovelution Snow Shovel in Action
The Ivation heavy duty rolling snow pusher replaces all that physical bending, lifting, turning and throwing that is involved with using a normal snow shovel. All that is replaced with a single simple forward pushing motion. Enables you to stand upright without bending or straining.
The blade on this rolling snow pusher is 26 inches wide and will efficiently clear away up to about 5” of snow. A padded handle easily adjusts to your height, anywhere from 45″ – 50″. And the 6″ grippy pivot wheels provide improved traction even in slippery conditions.
My research found that it works really well in light fluffy new snow, but maybe not quite as well in ice and wet compacted snow. But my question is – is there anything that makes shoveling wet and compacted snow easy????
This Manplow Pro snow pusher offers an efficient snow removal that will not damage surfaces the way that an ordinary snow shovel might.
It has a special patented EZ Glide edge that allows you to skim deep snow in manageable horizontal layers. The EZ Glide edge will not scratch or gouge wood or composite decking like a steel edge will. Yet, it is durable enough to clear snow from aggregate, broken concrete or gravel surfaces. The edge is also replaceable so your snow pusher will stay like new. It should last several years because you can expect about 300 – 350 shoveling hours before it needs to be replaced.
This model has an extra wide 32″ width. But if you are looking for something even wider there is also a 42″ model available.
Think of an electric snow shovel as a cross between a manual snow shovel and a snow blower. They are not self propelled, so you will still have to do some pushing, but it will make the job easier. An electric snow shovel is designed for fresh light snow. They are not going to work well if the snow is deep or if the snow is wet and heavy. Hopefully, you have someone lined up to help when you get large amounts of snow.
What you might want to consider is using one of the snow pushers we talked about to move the snow in your driveway and then use the Snow Joe electric snow shovel to blow the collected snow farther away from the edge.
Here are some of the best electric snow shovels that I found:
The Snow Joe electric snow shovel is ideal for decks, steps and walkways. It is engineered with a patented back saving curve to the handle to help minimize back strain and fatigue.
It has a powerful 10 amp electric motor that can toss snow up to 20 feet and move up to 400 pounds of snow per minute. However, keep in mind that this is not a snow blower. It is not designed for large projects like a driveway.
The Earthwise SN70016 electric corded 12 amp snow shovel has a 16″ width so you can move more snow in each swath. It also has 6″ wheels making it easy to use and transport. The 12 amp corded motor gives it more power giving it a 30″ throwing distance.
This Earthwise electric snow shovel has a special feature that is very helpful for people with arthritis or bad backs. There is a support handle that makes it easy to maneuver. It adjusts based on your handle height preference. You won’t even need any tools because the adjustment screw on the side can be easily adjusted by hand.
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