I Got Your Back
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One of the leading causes of doctor’s visits in the US are for lower back pain. Chronic back pain is a serious condition. There are many ways to prevent it, or if you are already suffering, many things to keep in mind to ensure you don’t exacerbate the problem any further.
Your body undergoes a great deal of stress and changes throughout your life. The last thing it needs is additional stress caused by improperly lifting, bending or moving.
Twisting or incorrectly lifting objects can place undue stress on the lower back area, which is already pretty susceptible to injury. To protect yourself, it is important to learn the mechanics of your body so you can use them in your favor to move or lift heavy objects.
In truth, your leg muscles are stronger than your back muscles, so you want to use them to help you lift loads as much as possible, hence the term heard ’round the workplace: lift with your legs.
When lifting, remember to:
- Always use your legs; bend at the knees, never the waist.
- Squat or kneel to pick up objects off the floor
- While holding objects in your arms, never turn at the waist; side step to turn your whole body
- Hold objects close to your body when carrying or holding them
- Avoid carrying anything on one hip: including your kids. This creates poor posture, and muscle imbalanced
- Adjust your computer desks and chairs so that you can sit up straight without having to lean over
These tips may seem like common sense, but if everyone followed them, back pain wouldn’t be our biggest complaint. People seem to only think of these things when lifting boxes, but the truth is, you need to follow these when doing everyday tasks like holding your kids, hefting groceries, or doing the laundry.