Every year, right around the time the big-leaf maples on the Northshore drop everything at once, our phones start ringing. After more than 25 years caring for neighbors in Bothell, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park and Woodinville, I can almost predict the week: the first dry Saturday after a few days of rain.

Here’s why. Our leaves don’t fall into crisp, dry piles like they do back East. They land on wet lawns, soak up rain, and turn into dense, matted layers. A single tarp full of wet maple leaves can weigh far more than people expect, and it’s usually lifted with a twist, from the ground, after an hour of repetitive reaching.

Warm up like it’s a workout — because it is

You wouldn’t run the Burke-Gilman cold, so don’t rake cold. Spend five minutes walking the block, swinging your arms, and doing a few gentle hip hinges and trunk rotations before you pick up a tool.

Use your legs, not your lower back

• Stagger your stance. Stand with one foot forward, like a lunge, and shift your weight from front foot to back foot as you pull the rake toward you.
• Switch sides every few minutes. Most of us rake with the same hand on top the entire time. Alternate to keep one side of your back from doing all the work.
• Keep the rake close. Long, overreaching strokes load your spine. Shorter strokes, closer to your body, are safer and just as fast.
• Pick a rake with the right handle length. If you’re hunching, the handle is too short. An ergonomic, bent-handle rake can help.

Respect the wet-leaf weight

• Fill bags or yard-waste carts halfway, not to the top.
• Bend at the hips and knees, keep the load close to your belly button, and turn with your feet — never twist while holding weight.
• Drag a tarp rather than carry it. Better yet, make it a two-person job.

Gutters, ladders and leaf blowers

Many of our homes in Kenmore and Lake Forest Park sit under tall firs and cedars, and those gutters fill fast. Keep your ladder on firm, level ground (our soggy lawns are anything but), keep your belt buckle between the rails, and move the ladder rather than leaning out. With a leaf blower, use a shoulder strap and keep the machine close to your body instead of holding it out at arm’s length.

Pace yourself

You don’t have to finish the whole yard on one dry afternoon. Work in 20–30 minute stretches, take a break, hydrate, and stop before you’re exhausted. Fatigue is when form breaks down and injuries happen.

When to get checked

Some stiffness the next day is normal. But if you have back pain that lasts more than a few days, pain that wakes you up at night, or pain, numbness or tingling traveling into a leg, it’s time to have it looked at. At Corner on Wellness, Dr. Suzie Shay and I combine chiropractic adjustments, massage and therapeutic exercise to get you moving again, and to help you rake next fall without a setback.

Hurt your back during fall cleanup? Call us at (425) 485-7507 or schedule online. We’re at 16923 96th Ave NE in Bothell, just minutes from Kenmore, Lake Forest Park and Woodinville.

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