Are you moving? Follow these tips to protect your back!
Back injuries are the most common injuries people experience when moving. Proper preparation can make your moving experience a happy and safe one.
Moving? Follow these tips to protect your back:
- Wear proper footwear – Wear shoes that are not open toed and provide good grip on various surfaces
- Wear gloves – Proper gloves can improve grip and protect your hands when lifting objects
- Proper packing – Do not overload, everyone is different but load to a weight that you can handle for multiple repetitions.
- Use assistive devices – Use a dolly or hand truck to move heavier objects.
- Recruit help – Enlist friends and family when possible to help reduce the lifting load you are taking on.
- Keep it close – Avoid reaching and twisting, this is a sure fire way to hurt your back
- Use the legs – Warm the legs up by going into full squats to stretch out your hips and low back. Keep your back flat when you lift.
- Go Light-Heavy-Light– Warming your muscles up is one of the most important things you can do to protect your back. Start by lifting and moving a few light items first and then, while you are still fresh, move the heavy items. Finish your move by bringing in the rest of the light items.
- Stretch – Taking time to stretch at the end of your move will help loosen the tightening muscles and help reduce discomfort the next day. Check out these stretches.