Has anybody out there ever had a back spasm and back pain and wrenched their back like I did last week digging out clay dirt in my back yard? I’m feeling a lot better after doing my therapy, and I have a whole new appreciation for good body mechanics.
I just had a patient named Isaac from El Dorado, KS who came in last week who bent over to pick up a hammer, and his back went out, causing severe back spasms. I did some manual therapy techniques on his back and he felt a lot better afterwards. The next time he was in, I asked how he was feeling, and he said “Well, I don’t have that little Leprechaun stabbing me in the back anymore.” Oh my gosh, I started laughing and I had to write it down to add to my patient quote wall!
So today, we want to cover how to lift correctly so you don’t end up wrenching your back like Isaac with “a little Leprechaun stabbing YOU in your back!”
How to Lift Correctly, So You Don’t Hurt Your Back or Cause Back Spasms
When you lift, your back should be straight like in the illustration below. Once you start leaning over, you have an increased lever arm and the load on your lower back increases, putting it at higher risk for injury.
Lift, using the big muscles in the legs and hips rather than the smaller muscles of the lower spine. That’s when people get hurt. When they bend over to pick something up the wrong way, the muscles can’t hold it. They try to lift, and then they go “Owww!” Next they go: “Where’s the Tylenol???” “Give me the heating pad!”
I hope you find this helpful, and keeps you from throwing your back out the next time you find yourself working in the yard. We want you to avoid back spasms!
Want to learn more? Download our free Back Pain Report titled “9 Simple Things You Can Do To Have A Healthy, Pain-free Back” here.
If you have any questions about this, or you’re experiencing back spasms or neck pain and need some help, feel free to contact us, or you’re certainly welcome to call us at 316-558-8808. We’d be happy to chat about your unique situation and see if we’d be a good fit for each other.
Lastly, our goal is to always keep people mobile, active and off pain pills, so if you have other questions on how to return to doing the activities you love, just contact us here.
