Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre Shares Tips for Lifting Safely to Prevent Back Pain

Have you heard how lifting can be hard on a low back? If you are a Toronto chiropractic patient with low back pain, you have! You’ve likely even experienced it personally. Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre explains proper lifting techniques with our back pain patients in the beginning of treatment. It’s important to protect the spine while it heals! New studies report that back supports and even hand support techniques while lifting can help.

MECHANICAL LOADING DURING LIFTING

Mechanical loading is a key risk factor for low back pain. The loading may be due to lifting a heavy or light object that prompts Toronto back pain. Much of how the pain comes on is due to how the back muscles act during the lift. Newly designed “exoskeletons” are being tried. They go beyond a back brace but show some promise in decreasing lumbar flexion and decreasing the compressive force on the back by 13-21% while bending. Peak compressive force during lifting was decreased by 14%. The researchers are hopeful that such devices could reduce the risk of compression-related tissue failure during lifting. (1) For now, Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre focuses on what is accessible today to help our Toronto back pain patients control their back pain once the pain is lessened by controlling their spine-related motions.

CHIROPRACTIC LIFTING TIPS

It would seem that there would be a huge difference in spine action between picking up a pencil and lifting a crate, but there is not much difference when discussing how the low back responds during lifting. Interesting! Researchers explored how most people pick things up off the floor – with a hand on a thigh for support – made a difference. They proposed that it would result in reduced load on the back. The volunteers lifted two types of things - a pencil and a crate - off the floor with researchers recording every move and muscle response. Getting the pencil with a hand on a thigh for support while bending over reduced the average peak total stresses by 17 to 25% (depending on the lifting method). Hand support while lifting the crate reduced the peak total stresses by 13-19% for one-handed lifting and 14-26% for two-handed lifting. (2) Hand support while lifting may help the low back. Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre has some other ways to limit lifting stresses on the spine to control Toronto back pain and its recurrence: support belts to exercise to spinal manipulation to back school. It is a comprehensive treatment plan you will want to embrace!

CONTACT Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre

Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. Matthew Alexander on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes the effective, gentle treatment with the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for his patient with spinal stenosis and low back pain.                                       

Make your next Toronto chiropractic appointment with Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre. Lifting can put stress on the the low back. Chiropractic care alleviates the stress on the lumbar spine for back pain relief.  Contact us today!