Properly lifting objects can save you a lot of distress in the form of low back pain. Many cases Tulsa Spine and Rehab see are minor but without proper healthy lifting techniques and some common sense ideas, you could wind up with serious disc trouble.
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Practice healthy lifting techniques
First, figure out what you are lifting. Check out the object before hand and try to test every load before you try to pick it up. Can you push the box with your foot to determine its weight? And don’t let the size of the box fool you. A small box can be packed with heavy objects. Many people get injured when they presume a box is light due to it being small. Also, check to see if the box is packed correctly. Loose pieces can cause injury as well as a sudden shift in the weight of the box.
Healthy lifting techniques include determining how to best grip the box or object and working on good ergonomics. Maintain a good position while lifting. And use your large muscles and keep a neutral spine in our low back. Use your legs and the glute muscles to bring it straight up. Use slow and smooth movements. Do not hurry or jerk. That’s typically when people get hurt. Also, keep your body facing the object. Do not under any circumstance, twist and bend. That is recipe for a disc herniation or potentially a bulging disc. Make sure you are facing the object when you lift and always lift with your legs.
Before lifting anything, warm up. Stretch your legs and your back just like you would do at the gym before you exercise. And remember to pace yourself. Take some small breaks between lifts. If you’re going to be lifting quite a few things, then slow down, take your time, don’t over do it.
Make sure you have enough room around you so you can lift it safely. Avoid walking on a slippery surface, so check your flooring. Back support braces are a great idea but they are not an excuse to lift something very heavy. There are studies that show that these back braces haven’t been proven to protect your low back from injury. I’m not saying that they don’t work, they do provide some support. But just don’t let that be a false sense of security.
Buy a pizza and invite some friends over to help. Its important that we get with someone if we have the capacity to have a buddy over, someone to help us out.
If you forget to practice healthy lifting techniques and do injure yourself, with an acute sprain/strain type of injury, you will likely feel something. You can develop disc bulges and herniation and sometimes you will feel a little click or a pop. There may be some acute quick shooting pains into one of your legs. That is more serious. With just a little mild strain or sprain type injury, use some ice and maybe an anti-inflammatory and take it easy. And if it lasts a couple of days, you need to get in and see someone to get it checked – if you’re in Tulsa, we can help you with your back injury.
If you’ve tweaked something and want to get it checked out, see Dr. Riley and his team at Tulsa Spine and Rehab, (918) 743-3737.
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