Spring Back Pain in Kenosha: How to Protect Your Spine This Season

Every spring in Kenosha, Dr. Murphy’s schedule fills up with patients who overdid it in the yard. Gardening, raking, mulching, cleaning gutters, moving furniture back onto the patio — these activities feel great after a long Wisconsin winter, but they put real stress on a body that’s been relatively sedentary for months. Here’s what you need to know to protect your spine this spring and what to do if you’ve already felt the consequences.

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Why Spring Is Peak Season for Back Injuries

There’s a perfect storm of factors that makes spring especially risky for your back:

1. Winter Deconditioning
After months of reduced outdoor activity, your core muscles — the deep stabilizers that protect your spine — are weaker and less responsive than in warmer months. When you suddenly demand a lot from them, they’re not ready.

2. Cold-to-Warm Transition
Early spring mornings in Kenosha are still cool. Cold muscles and tendons are less pliable and more prone to strains. Many people skip warming up because it doesn’t “feel” like summer yet.

3. Repetitive, Unfamiliar Motions
Raking involves repetitive forward bending and twisting. Gardening requires prolonged kneeling, squatting, and reaching. These are movements your body hasn’t done in months — and they add up fast.

4. Overenthusiasm
After a long winter, the first warm weekend tempts everyone to do everything at once. That ambition — spending 8 hours doing yardwork on the first nice Saturday — is one of the most common causes of back injuries Dr. Murphy sees every April and May.

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Common Spring Back Injuries

Muscle Strains
The most common. Usually felt as a dull ache or sharp pain in the lower back, especially after bending, lifting, or twisting. Often resolves in a few days with rest and ice — but if it doesn’t improve within 3–4 days, or if pain is severe, see a chiropractor.

SI Joint Sprains
The sacroiliac joints (where the spine meets the pelvis) are particularly vulnerable to the uneven forces of raking, shoveling, and carrying heavy bags of mulch. SI joint pain presents as a dull ache on one side of the lower back or in one buttock.

Disc Irritation
People with pre-existing disc issues — even ones they didn’t know about — can have them flare up dramatically with spring activity. If you develop shooting pain down your leg, numbness, or tingling in addition to back pain, this could indicate a disc problem and should be evaluated promptly.

Neck Strain
Overhead work like cleaning gutters, trimming branches, or painting can cause neck strain, especially if you’re holding your head in an awkward position for extended periods.

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7 Tips for a Spine-Safe Spring

1. Warm Up Before You Go Outside
Spend 5–10 minutes doing light movement before you start yard work — a short walk, gentle torso rotations, and hip circles. It makes a real difference.

2. Lift with Your Legs, Not Your Back
When picking up bags of mulch, potted plants, or heavy equipment, squat down and use your leg muscles to power the lift. Keep the load close to your body and avoid twisting while carrying.

3. Switch Tasks Frequently
Instead of raking for two hours straight, alternate between raking, planting, and other tasks every 20–30 minutes. This prevents any one muscle group from reaching the point of fatigue and failure.

4. Use Ergonomic Tools
Long-handled tools, kneeling pads, and garden stools reduce the extreme postures that stress your spine. A D-grip rake handle reduces wrist and back strain significantly.

5. Break Up Long Sessions
Work for 45–60 minutes, then take a 10–15 minute break. Stand up, walk around, and stretch. Don’t try to finish everything in one day.

6. Ice, Not Heat, for Acute Injuries
If you feel a pull or strain, apply ice (15–20 minutes, a few times a day) for the first 48–72 hours. Ice reduces inflammation. Heat can actually make acute injuries worse by increasing blood flow and swelling.

7. Don’t Wait to Get Evaluated
The number one mistake people make is waiting too long. Back pain that’s addressed within the first few days often resolves in a fraction of the time it would take if left alone for weeks.

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When to See Dr. Murphy

You should schedule an appointment at Murphy Chiropractic if:

• Your pain hasn’t improved after 3–4 days of rest and home care
• You have sharp or severe pain, especially with movement
• You’re experiencing pain, numbness, or tingling in your legs
• You’ve had back pain before and it’s flared up again

Dr. Murphy sees same-week appointments for new and existing patients in Kenosha, WI. A chiropractic evaluation can determine exactly what’s going on and get you started on the right path to recovery — so you can get back to enjoying the season.

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Spring Into Action — Spine First

Spring in Kenosha is short and beautiful. Don’t spend it on the couch with a heating pad. A little prevention goes a long way, and when prevention isn’t enough, Dr. Murphy and the team at Murphy Chiropractic are here to help.

Schedule your appointment today →

Murphy Chiropractic, S.C. | 3535 30th Ave, Suite 201, Kenosha, WI 53144 | (262) 697-7463