How to avoid “tweaking” your back

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard “Help Dr Paula - I have tweaked my back!” over my 25+ years in practice. Often followed by them saying “ I just bent over to the side to pick up (insert random item)….”

If you have had a job that involves lifting people or things, you may have done manual handling and were probably taught to set yourself up properly to do a lift.

It’s funny though, if you’re outside of the context of your workplace, you often don’t follow that advice. It’s as if that ‘safe lifting wisdom’ we have learned previously is temporarily lost in our brain and we just bend over and twist without giving it much thought!

In terms of biomechanics for the nerds out there who like to understand this stuff, it is that our lumbar vertebrae are well designed for flexion/extension (bending forward and backwards) but not so much for rotation (twisting)

However, it’s even worse if you bend forward and rotate at the same time….and then add a bit of load. For many people, it’s just asking for trouble, particularly if they have lost of bit of flexibility and maybe have to sit all day for work!

So, how do you avoid this? well simply …take a STEP to the side and FACE the item, then SQUAT down towards it & pick it up!

Yes, I know I am repeating myself from last month….the humble squat strikes again! I really do notice that as people get older many forget to include squatting in their life!

It’s really so simple to avoid tweaking your back if you just give yourself a moment longer to position yourself the right way! (In addition to regular Chiropractic adjustments, exercise and stretching of course!)

However, if you do get into trouble- you know you can always make an appointment to see me and I will help you recover and rehabilitate!

Take care & remember Step the then & Squat!

-Dr Paula