The Low Back Low Down: Pain Prevention

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Lifting

Another critical area for student/client education is in proper lifting. Ideally, whenever we bend over to lift an object, we keep our spines in neutral. However, as we will see, that is extremely difficult for most people. Since it is unrealistic to expect everyone to maintain a neutral spine every time they lift something, I recommend teaching your students/clients to use a one-handed lift whenever possible. A one-handed lift can be used for picking up all objects except the heaviest or most unwieldy items. The key point about a one-handed lift is that the hand that is not lifting is free to provide support. It can be placed on the thigh or on a nearby object such as a chair, table or desk. Once the spine is supported, it is not as essential to keep it in neutral, nor is it as important to keep the abdominals contracted. In other words, a one-handed lift is ideal whenever your students/clients quickly and mindlessly pick up the dozens of everyday objects that seem to relocate themselves to the floor. For example, a parent with small children is constantly bending over to pick up Legos, Tinker Toys, bits of paper, etc. Try counting how many times per day you pick things up from the floor! Do you always have your spine in perfect alignment and your abdominals contracted? Train your clients to face the object with feet at least shoulder width apart and place one hand on a thigh, using the other to pick up (and put down) objects. (See photo #3). This can be accomplished in class or during a training session by having students/clients practice picking up their dumbbells. (The first dumbbell is placed into the support hand on the thigh while the second dumbbell is picked up). In fact, the one-handed concept applies to practically any time a person bends over. When brushing your teeth or getting a drink of water from a drinking fountain, for instance, one hand should be placed upon the sink or upon the water fountain for support while the other hand is working.

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This is how back pain prevention is practiced! However, what if the object to be lifted is heavy, bulky or wiggly (as in the case of picking up a child)? In such a situation, a one-handed lift obviously won't work. A two-handed lift is necessary, but two-handed lifts are much more difficult for most people to perform correctly. The proper method, with the least amount of stress to the back and knee joints, is to use a weight room-style squat. Is a proper squat easy to do? Have you found it difficult initially to get your students/clients to perform a squat with proper alignment? Most individuals have problems executing this exercise, at least at first, with a minimum of stress to the back and knees. Why? To perform a squat with ideal alignment, one needs to have flexible hamstrings, gluteals and calf muscles, strong quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteals, as well as strong, stable abdominals and erector spinae muscles. Coordination, balance and body awareness also help. No wonder so many people lift incorrectly! The good news, however, is that almost everyone can acquire the appropriate flexibility, strength, stability and body awareness to perform a proper two-handed lift. You can teach them!