BackFix Tips from Dr. Jeff Keysar, DC

Rehab Lesson #4:  Work Ergonomics

How To Bend And Lift

Bending has likely caused more back injuries than any other common daily movement, with lifting a close second. Our back is designed to bend forward and backward within a reasonable range of motion, but in the current age of long commutes, desk jobs, and TV show binge watching, our weakened backs may not always be ready to offer full bending range of motion at a moment’s notice. Thus, “protected bending” is the best way to prevent unnecessary back injuries.

• When bending forward to pick up an object off the floor or ground, place one hand on your knee as you bend at the knees and then use your other hand to pick up the object.

• To lift something heavy, get someone to help and place your hands under the object and move your chest and hips as close as possible to the object.

• Straighten your back up and breathe out continuously as you engage your legs to lift yourself and the object off the ground. Continue breathing out until your legs are fully extended and you are standing upright.

• Walk carefully until you’re ready to set the object down, and then straighten your back and breathe out continuously as you bend your knees and lower yourself and the object to the ground.

In instances where your back is already injured and you need to pick up something off the floor, place one foot in front of the other and use the forward leg to support your body weight as you bend forward carefully. Obviously, do not lift more than small amounts of weight when your back is injured.

How To Carry

When carrying objects that run the risk of causing injury to your back, it’s important to keep the objects as close to the mid-line of your body as possible. Suitcases, buckets, baby carriers — we often carry objects like these to the side of our body, which can pull our back posture off to one side and cause potential back strain. When you have no choice but to carry items like these, switch the carrying side every few minutes so that the muscles and joints on both sides of your back can share the load.

The side-switching tactic can even be used when doing simple housework or yard work. When I sweep my driveway or even my kitchen floor, I sweep about a half dozen times in one direction before switching the broom to my other hand and sweeping with it another half dozen times or so before switching back. This process works for shovels, rakes, squeegees, pool cleaning tools, or any implement that requires the use of both arms. Switching positions frequently will ease the burden on your joints and muscles and cause your fewer problems for your back

Since your job is the most likely source of your neck and/or back pain, and our jobs are what we spend most of our life doing, then this means that most of our life is spent using our bodies and putting them in positions that wear them down, and we do this for years. Following these tips will minimize the effect of gravity on your neck and back and cause you to have less pain and stiffness as you work and progress through your career.