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Don't Strain Your Back Doing This Everyday Activity!

By Stepy Kamei

Whether you work in a manual labor-intensive workplace, or you're moving to a new house, plenty of people find they have to do some heavy lifting on at least an occasional basis. Even if you don't work in a warehouse lifting heavy boxes all day, there will inevitably come a time when you will need to lift and carry a heavy item or two. Even activities such as storing Christmas decorations after the holidays are over, or moving your child's backpack from one room to another, are classic examples of times many of us will need to practice safe lifting and carrying skills. Lack of proper lifting technique can create back strains and pain as a result of improper lifting techniques. This is such a common problem that many chiropractors see it affecting their patients on a daily basis; fortunately, there are ways you can prevent this problem from negatively impacting the health of your back and spine.

Lifting the Right and Wrong Way

Before you even dive in to lifting a heavy object, you'll want to make sure you can gauge the situation at all angles -- literally. Assess what level the object is on. You'll want to do what you can to place the object where it is easy to reach, such as at eye-level. You don't want to reach for it, nor do you want to bend down to grab it.

If this isn't possible, you'll have to put in a little more effort. If the object is on the ground, remember to let your knees do the majority of the work, and engage your back as little as possible. Squat down to the object and lift yourself up by the balls of your feet. Keep your back as straight as possible throughout this process. If the object is resting above you, get as close to it as you can using a ladder or other safe elevating device, and make sure you have some sort of platform to rest it on should you need a break.

Chiropractors can Help

An important rule to remember is to keep the object as close to your body as possible to prevent straining your back. The farther away the object is from the spine, the harder your spine must work in order to support the body and keep it in balance. Chiropractors see the damaging results of improper lifting all too frequently. Getting chiropractic adjustments on a regular basis can strengthen the body against strains, while providing pain relief for people who are experiencing discomfort as a result of poor lifting habits. Come on in to The Joint Chiropractic clinics today to see how an adjustment can benefit you.

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