Lifting causes injuries

Lifting, especially when it involves heavy objects, causes injury because it increases the amount of compression on your spine. To begin with, your back muscles are not designed to bear heavy burdens on their own; the legs are much more capable of this action, hence the slogan: lift with your legs and not your back. If you are already suffering from back pain, lifting is only likely to aggravate your injury; it is a motion best avoided. With all this in mind, so many of us persist in bending at the waist and lifting with our backs. Without further ado, here are two strategies for lifting that won’t cost your back in the long run. 

Avoiding injuries with advanced lifting techniques

• Half kneeling: this approach requires the most effort- literally kneeling down on the floor behind an object. From here, you can leverage the object onto your bent knee then propel yourself in your intended direction using either knee. 
• Golf lift: useful for lighter objects, this movement requires no bending of the knees. Instead, one leg comes off the floor as you bend at the waist; this leg acts to maintain straightness of the spine and balance you. Ideally, you will use one hand to retrieve the object while the other supports you by gripping a supportive object. 

We suppose that the real idea here is to be slow and thoughtful with lifting, even though our instinct is to do the opposite. You could be saving yourself a world full of pain or a debilitating spinal injury by doing so. 

Smart lifting is smart living

Smart lifting is an example of being more mindful about your spinal health. At Hayes Family Chiropractic, we are chalk full of ways to help you live a healthier life in support of your spine. If you want to learn more, don’t hesitate to give our office in Dunedin a call to schedule an appointment today.