Pella Regional Health Center sees an increase in muscle injuries over winter, associated with heavy lifting while shoveling snow. Shawna Fopma, Physical Therapist at Pella Regional says that the best way to avoid back injury is to lift with your legs. She also says to make sure that you aren’t getting more snow than you can handle in each shovel. Fopma says if you do strain your back, you should rest it to see if the pain goes away. If it persistent you should seek medical attention.