The Pros Have Got Your Back
Posted On June 1, 2009
Follow the pros. They know what they’re doing.
The next time you move your household, or even just clean out the basement — as silly as it may seem for those guys who think they’re invincible and no harm will ever come to them — take the advice of people who lift boxes for a living.
In
fact, a new study included 20 men who carried a load on a treadmill. The researchers measured the strain on their shoulders, neck, back, abdomen and forearms.1)
Carrying loads on your back rather than against the abdomen seems to reduce effort and lower the risk of injury.2) Using assistive load carriage devices (like a dolly) can improve grip and lessen the strain on the back and forearms.
“We found that professional movers often carry loads against their backs, mainly because they found it to be more practical and less painful. However, more research is needed with professional movers or warehouse workers to see if the back carry technique reduces the risk of back injury without increasing the risks of other injuries,” study co-author Joan M. Stevenson, said in an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) news release.
She and her colleagues found that movers who use the back carry technique feel
they lift more safely, reduce their risk of tripping, and are less likely to suffer back pain.“
This technique may be very important when it comes to injury prevention, whether it is on a professional mover or just a college student moving to an apartment. We know that some people do not have the shoulder flexibility or grip strength to perform this technique, so an assistive lifting device can be valuable,” Stevenson said.Just remember:
Once you have messed up your back … you have messed up your back. And the easiest thing in the world is to believe that a strain will never happen to you … right before it happens to you!! So, don’t be silly, lift with your legs. Plus, take it from the pros and, if you can, carry your loads against your back rather than your belly.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health have more about avoiding back pain.
(SOURCE: American College of Sports Medicine, news release, May 27, 2009)
(SOURCE: American College of Sports Medicine, news release, May 27, 2009)
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