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Proper Lifting Without Hurting Your Back

When lifting, maneuver the object close to your body so you can use the power of your LEGS to get the object off the ground, rather than your low back.

Start with one knee on the floor, use the strength of your arms to raise the object up onto your mid-thigh, then simply use the power of your legs to stand up. An alternate method is to bend both knees to a squatting position, grasp the object with fingers underneath, keep your back erect, and stand. In both examples, you are using your leg muscles, not your back, to generate the lifting force.

When have you ever heard of someone straining a thigh muscle while lifting? Rarely. That's because the muscles in the legs are longer, stronger, in better shape, and resistant to strain. The muscles and ligaments in the back are shorter and prone to muscle spasm.

When you can't reach the object close to your body

Wrestling a squirming baby out of a car seat, or lifting golf clubs, luggage and grocery bags from a car trunk are tricky because you can't get close to the object.

In these cases, your back and arms have to do more. To lift something from the back seat of the car, brace yourself by placing one knee on the seat. To lift something from the trunk, brace your thighs or knees against the bumper for leverage.

Avoid jerking the object. Instead, try to use the strength of your arms to hoist the object up to the lip of the trunk. From there, you can move the object close to your body.