Whether it’s picking up a heavy box, carrying groceries, or simply lifting your kids, improper lifting techniques can lead to back pain, muscle strain and joint pain. In this blog, we share tips to help you lift and carry with ease, minimise strain, and keep your joints healthy and strong. So read on to discover how small adjustments can make a big difference in preventing pain and discomfort and promoting overall well-being.
Lifting tips
Lifting items safely and effectively involves understanding proper techniques and maintaining good body positioning to utilise your strength and prevent strain and discomfort. By following the simple tips below, you can look after your body, and make lifting feel easier and more natural.
- Set your position: Firstly, 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 through your back when moving an item to one side – instead pivot and twist through your hips and ankles.
- Use more of your muscles: 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.
- Maintain a broad 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 (squat) or front foot and back knee 1.5 feet apart or more (lunge). This will make you more stable.
- Keep items close to you: 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.
- Balance the weight: Make sure you balance or secure the weight before you start moving. (It is easier to carry a bowling ball in a bowling ball bag than in large cardboard box where it can roll around.)
- Take your time: 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.
- Lower with care: 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 rather than your back. Place the item down slowly.
- Adjust for your limits: 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 tolerating loads in a variety different body and joint positions.
Loading and unloading tips
Loading and unloading items can be challenging, especially when dealing with heavier or awkwardly shaped objects. By following these tips, you can make the process smoother and reduce strain on your body.
- Prepare before lifting: 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 to make it easier for your muscles and joints. 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.
- Position and push with proper technique: 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.
- Make the loads lighter: 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. Don’t try and lift more than one or two carrier bags out at a time if your back isn’t used to carrying this weight.
- Build strength for everyday lifting: Build your resilience and robustness to lifting by doing strength training two or more times per week, this will make every day lifting and unexpected lifting activities (think heavy suitcases on holiday) much easier for you.
We hope these tips help but if you are in pain after lifting something awkwardly, and need help getting you back to feeling your best, then please use the link at the top of the blog to book an appointment with one of our chiropractors or osteopath.