How many of you have back pain that just keeps hanging around and nothing you do seems to help it!? This is a common trend we hear among the parents of the kids we see here at Breakthrough. “My backs been killing me for weeks,” “I tweaked my back last week.” Performing transfers and lifting your children is NO JOKE. Not only do you have to have the strength and endurance but more importantly you need the proper technique on HOW to lift. And I have two words for you all…BODY MECHANICS!
For those of you not familiar with this term, body mechanics is a term used to describe the way our body moves as we go about our daily lives; during lifting, carrying, bending, standing etc. Having proper body mechanics is SO important to prevent future injury and pain from occurring. We should always be aware of the positioning of our bodies throughout our days because prolonged positioning such as sitting in a funky posture can cause issues, but it becomes even more crucial when we are talking about an added weight force being placed on our body while in a funky position! Get out of this FUNK people!
When we experience poor body mechanics this places excessive stress on the joints in our spine, that over time can break down and cause us pain and discomfort. DING DING- this is where your back pain is coming from!
So stop wondering why your backs hurting you and start doing something about it!
Lucky for you we have a few easy quick fixes you can start incorporating when performing your lifting and transferring of your loved ones.
Number one; ALWAYS make sure you get as close as humanly possible to who you are lifting, making sure you do not have out stretched arms-this will decrease the amount of force you are placing through the joints in your back and force you to keep your back in a better alignment in a neutral (straight) position.
Number two: Bend at the KNEES not the waist!! (Always keep your hips below your shoulders) This is a big mistake so many people make and such as easy thing to change. Use those leg muscles people that’s what those quads are designed for (and SO much stronger than those poor back muscles!)
And lastly number three: before lifting tighten your belly muscles- as if you were about to get hit in the stomach. Activating your core muscles will help to stabilize your back and prevent your spine from moving more than it should be. It might also help you get that 6-pack you’ve been dying for! These are just a few tips you can use to help relieve some of that strain you keep putting on your back. Make it a point to take a closer look at not only how you are lifting but how your body is positioned while you’re sitting down watching TV or when you’re standing in line at the grocery story buying that ice cream you told yourself you wouldn’t get! Posture and body mechanics could be the straw that broke the camels back! I think its about time we work smarter not harder!
Stay tuned for our next FREE workshop: Safe For You, Safe For Them – A workshop for body mechanics for parents of special needs kids for lifting and transfers to prevent injuries and maintain safety for your child.
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She discovered her passion for the neurologic pediatric and adult population during her clinical affiliation at a special services school in Cape May, New Jersey. She is an active member of the APTA and continues to take post-graduate course work related to treatment methods for neurological diagnoses.
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