by Veronica Bergschneider

Created on: July 03, 2010   Last Updated: July 19, 2010

Lifting heavy objects in the wrong way can cause a person to suffer injury. Most commonly, these ailments affect the back and can plague the sufferer for many years after the injury has healed. To prevent such injury and the recurrent pain it can cause, the medical community has set forth guidelines for how to lift things safely.

1. When a truly heavy or awkward item must be lifted, first try to find assistance. Getting another person to lift one end of an object while you lift the other balances its weight among the two sides, making for a smoother lift.

2. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart to maintain balance. If the object is awkward, this will help in lifting it by giving a firmer foundation from which to begin.

3. Whether help is available or not, always bend at the knees, not the hips in getting to the object to be lifted. This ensures the lifter’s center of gravity will be at the same level as the object’s, providing more smoothness to the activity of lifting.

4. Use mainly the strength of your arms and legs in actually lifting the object to avoid straining the muscles of the back. Do not bend or arch your back while in the process of lifting the object. This becomes especially important in carrying things up flights of stairs, where many people arch the back under the weight of what they carry, causing more tension and possible injury to the back muscles.

5. Do not hold the object aloft too long or attempt to lift something heavier than you are generally comfortable lifting. If what you need to lift or carry exceeds your limits, wait or call someone for help. This is perhaps the most commonly broken rule of lifting objects, as some people find a short surge of adrenaline flowing through them creates more energy to try to do something they really should not.

6. Use the chest, abdomen, or other bodily parts as leverage for only short amounts of time. Holding an object against these areas for too long can cause fatigue and pain to spread into the back since the muscles all connect to one another in the end.

7. Never try to carry a stack of objects that is too tall. If one item from a stack drops, return later or squat down, placing the stack next to you as you pick it up, then begin again in lifting from the legs until the destination is reached.

By following these 7 steps, the back will be protected as a person lifts and carries different items. The steps can be practiced around the home, in the workplace, and anywhere else one wants to take care of his or her back. Protecting the back muscles in these ways will reduce the chance of injury leading to prolonged recovery times, thus allowing longer, greater enjoyment of life.

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