Lower back pain prevention tips when lifting from your car

Once you suffer from a back injury, you may be subject to back pain for the rest of your life. Therefore, it is important to use good posture when lifting at all times. This includes when you are lifting heavy items from your car.

To understand back safety practices better, it is useful to picture your spine as a pile of blocks that are held together by a couple of rubber bands. When aligned properly, the column is strong. It is able to support huge amounts of weight because the muscles and tendons are not stretched. But the supporting tissues, the “rubber bands” have a limited amount of stretch that they can stand before they rupture. Also, sometimes the pads between the disks can become compressed and unable to function properly. To avoid this, safe lifting practices are always a good idea.

The guidelines for lifting heavy items from a car are generally the same as they are anywhere else. To avoid back injuries, follow these simple steps:

Always use good posture. Center your weight over both feet equally, bend at the knee slightly and center your hips over your feet. If you want to a prevent back injury and the back ache associated with it, the disks that make up your spine must stay properly aligned.

Make sure the item you’re lifting is right in front of you before you pick it up. If the item that you are trying to remove is out of your reach, pull on it gently. Don’t try to overextend your reach. If you stretch too far, you can cause a sprain or strain to the muscles that support your back. Don’t try to lift an item until it is close to you. If necessary, you should use a tool like a pulley, or call someone to help you. It is also important not to twist from one side to the other while lifting even when a package is light. Back injuries can be caused just as easily by stretching in the wrong direction.

Always lift with your arms and legs. Bend at the knee until you can grasp the item firmly at the level between your waist and your chest, and then lift it up with your legs. Keep your back straight. This will give your back the support it needs.

Don’t over exert yourself. If a package is too heavy for you, get help. It is better to wait a few minutes so that you can team lift an item than it is to suffer back pain for weeks after.

Finally, if you want to remove something that is extremely heavy from the back seat of a car it is better to team lift it or to pull it out onto the ground and lift it safely from there. Always remember the basic points of back injury prevention:

• Good posture
• Lift with the arms and legs
• Don’t twist your body
• Don’t lift items on your own
• Keep your back healthy at all times. Try the Dynaspine Car Back Support. It was designed specifically to prevent lower back pain and for back pain relief, often required when driving for long periods of time. Visit the Dynaspine Back Support for Driving page for more information.