Moving house is an extremely stressful and physically demanding task. Whether you’re lifting heavy boxes, hauling furniture up stairs, or packing away fragile items, home movers will find they get involved in lots of lifting and carrying, regardless of whether they use professional movers. And this can lead to injury if you’re not careful. In fact, consumer research carried out by the British Chiropractic Association in 2015 found that 50% of those suffering with back or neck pain said that lifting and carrying had been a trigger for their pain.
Top tips from the British Chiropractic Association for a pain free move
So whether you’re just clearing your belongings ahead of professional packers and movers coming in, or packing and moving all your home contents yourself, here’s some advice on ways to prevent the injuries that commonly can occur during a move.
- Warm up – A move is hard physical exercise and should be approached as such! Warm up and stretch, particularly your legs and arms, before you undertake any lifting and carrying.
- Dress comfortably – Wear comfortable clothing and supportive footwear.
- Lighten the load – It is not just the weight, but the size and shape of an object that can make it hard to carry so, where possible, break loads into smaller and more manageable chunks. It makes sense to pack more, smaller boxes rather than fewer larger ones if possible; small boxes are safer and easier to carry. In addition, try to reduce the weight of items of furniture where possible. Take out drawers, remove cushions or dismantle into pieces; smaller and lighter items are better.
- Watch your posture – Face the direction in which you want to carry the weight. Always lift using a relaxed, straight back. Make sure your legs are at least your hips’ width apart with the knees bent. Keep your head and shoulders directly above your waist and keep the weight you are carrying as close to you as possible – avoid twisting.
- Bend at the knees – Avoid only bending from the waist (keeping your knees straight), which focuses the load on your lower back. Bend your knees, hips, and back to distribute the load across many muscles, this makes lifting so much easier.
- Twist through the hips – Ideally you should avoid twisting whilst lifting but if you need to move an item to one side – make sure you pivot and twist through your hips and ankles. This is just as important when taking bags or boxes out of a vehicle. If you need to turn or twist, again twist through your hips so that you can use your larger leg muscles to help lift the item.
- Create a stable base – Try and lift with a ‘broad base’ when in a squat position or lunge position i.e., your feet about shoulder width apart or more (a squat) or front foot and back knee 1.5 feet apart or more (a lunge). This will make you more stable.
- Bend your elbows – Don’t lift with your arms straight out, keep the elbows bent and to your side to minimise the stress on your back. This keeps the load close to your body and reduces the load.
- Secure the weight – Securing anything loose and balancing the weight to minimise anything unexpected happening whilst you are moving the item is a must. (It is easier to carry a bowling ball in a bowling ball bag than in large cardboard box where it can roll around.)
- Slowly does it – Putting the weight down can often cause just as many injuries as lifting it up. If possible, put the weight on something waist height rather than the floor. If you do have to put it on the floor, try and keep your shoulders hips and knees pointing in the same direction, have a ‘wide base’ and bend your knees and hips rather than your back. Place the item down slowly so that the movement is more controlled.
- Loading into vehicles – Loading a weight into a car or van is difficult at the best of times, so it is even more important to use the best technique possible. If you have been sitting in the car/van for a while, go for a short walk to loosen your muscles and joints before lifting. Having lifted the weight, rest it on the bumper where possible and then push it into the vehicle, keeping your back straight and your knees bent. Always put lighter objects in first, pushing towards the back, so that it is not too strenuous to push them in or to pull them out when you reach your destination. Use your leg muscles to generate power when pushing and pulling items.
- Take breaks – Don’t rush – if you have to lift an item over a long distance or over an awkward terrain such as going upstairs, take short breaks to rest your muscles by placing the items back down.
- Spread the load – Whilst how we lift can be important, how much we lift is also important. Lifting injuries tend to occur because we are lifting heavier items that we are not used to lifting. If you can, share the load with a friend, family member, or colleague. If you can’t, it’s good to make your back more ready for the unexpected times where you will have to lift heavy items. You can do this by doing muscle-strengthening activities for all your muscle groups 2 or more times per week. This allows your body to acclimatise to heavier loads and more easily tolerate loads in a variety different body and joint positions.
We hope that these tips help you avoid injury while moving but if you are in pain post move, and need an appointment to help get you back on track, then don’t hesitate to get in touch.