There are two rules you need to pay attention to in order to avoid back problems. Just because they seem like "no-brainers" don't ignore them as they are the key to staying out of trouble. 1. Whatever your age you must work at being physically fit. A reasonable diet to control your weight coupled with daily cardiovascular and mild to moderate weight training exercises will keep you trim, improve your balance and provide the muscle tone needed to support your skeleton, especially the bones in your spinal column, which are called vertebrae. It is the discs or cushions between these vertebrae that can "slip" and cause serious injury if you lift something beyond your physical ability and readiness to do so. I want to emphasize that you can never stop paying attention to these fitness principles as excessive body weight and poor balance contribute mightily to skeletal stress and your risk of sustaining a skeletal injury. 2. How you lift, to include the posture with which you approach the item to be lifted, is crucial to preventing a back injury. Before you attempt to lift anything make sure you follow these steps:
Is the item to be lifted too much to handle without the assistance of a loading or lifting tool or another person?If you think you can handle the weight of the item without assistance, face the item squarely.Move close to the item to get the right leverage and once again make sure it is an item you believe you can handle without injuryYour knees should be fully bent and your back should be rigid and your arm and leg muscles in a "ready to lift" mode before you actually begin to lift the item.LIFT WITH YOU LEGS, NOT YOUR BACK AND KEEP YOUR BACK RIGID - failure to adhere to this crucial lifting posture is where most of the injuries occur.Finally, using the proper lifting procedure, make a split second and final determination as to whether you can handle the item. If you can't, do not play the hero - let it go and get some help.
I have practiced these basics ever since my surgery (38 years) and so far so good. Anyone who has had serious and chronic back pain and/or surgery and wants to substantially reduce the risk of a back injury should follow my advice. If you are in doubt or want additional information there are plenty of additional resources out there that will provide additional and more granular information on back care. And of course if you are under the care of a physician that you trust you can seek their feedback as well.
Jack Ross has 41 years of executive level experience with the medical technology industry. His specific area of expertise are in health economics, health policy, public and commercial health insurance and health improvement and fitness. His goal is to educate the public on all things related to American health care while encouraging us to develop and implement personalized preventive disease strategies to insure that state of the art health care is available to all. Look for other health care related articles from Jack at http://www.healthandfitness.bloggorious.com
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