Old Mill Chiropractic 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 St Peters chiropractic patient with low back pain, you have! You’ve likely even experienced it personally. Old Mill Chiropractic explains proper lifting techniques to 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 during lifting can help.
MECHANICAL LOADING DURING LIFTING
Mechanical loading is a key risk factor for low back pain. The loading may be from a heavy or light object that prompts St Peters back pain. Much of how the pain comes on is via the response of back muscles during the lift. Newly designed “exoskeletons” are being explored. They go beyond a back brace but demonstrate some promise in reducing lumbar flexion and decreasing the compressive force on the back by 13-21% while bending. Peak compressive force during lifting was lowered by 14%. The researchers are optimistic that such devices could lower the risk of compression-related tissue failure while lifting. (1) For now, Old Mill Chiropractic focuses on what’s available widely today to help our St Peters 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 big difference in spine action between picking up a pencil and lifting a crate, but there is not much difference when it comes to how the low back responds during lifting. Crazy! 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 lead to reduced load on the back. The volunteers lifted two kinds of things - a pencil and a crate - off the floor with researchers recording every move and muscle response. Using a hand on the thigh for support while bending for the pencil on the floor reduced the average peak total stresses by 17 to 25% (depending on the lifting method). Hand support while lifting the crate dropped the peak total stresses by 13-19% for one-handed lifting and 14-26% for two-handed lifting. (2) Hand support during lifting may help the low back. Old Mill Chiropractic has some other ways to limit lifting stresses on the spine to control St Peters 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 Old Mill Chiropractic
Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. Matthew Alexander on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he explains the effective, gentle treatment with the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for his patient with spinal stenosis and low back pain.
Schedule your next St Peters chiropractic appointment with Old Mill Chiropractic. Lifting can stress the low back. Chiropractic care alleviates the stress on the lumbar spine for back pain relief. Contact us today!
