Baton Rouge Back Pain-Preventing Lifting Techniques
Lifting something off the ground seems like a simple task for most people. It’s a task we do every day typically without a second thought. Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers hears stories daily about how difficult it is to pick something up off the ground or how reaching for a simple pencil up off the ground triggered the worst back pain. Our Baton Rouge chiropractic patients share common stories like this! Strengthening the quads with exercise as part of our chiropractic services, and lifting slowly and with a few tips in mind can potentially limit stress on the low back.
LIFTING TECHNIQUES
When it comes to posture, lifting is a notorious risk factor for low back pain. Lifting techniques like the stoop/lifting with the back, squat/lifting with the legs, and semi-squat/a mix of the other two are well-documented. Squat lifting seems to be the one most report is optimal. One set of researchers presented some odd findings though: squat lift training didn’t prevent low back pain and stoop lifting is not a risk factor for low back pain. How do these two findings figure into suitable lifting for back pain prevention and management? They suggested that the lifting posture right for each person must be personalized as each lifting posture has its own biomechanical and kinematic patterns for muscle activation which make certain lifting postures better for certain patients. Researchers described that stoop lifting was more metabolically efficient and less challenging to the cardiopulmonary system. This set of researchers further recommended working with each individual client on the proper lifting technique suitable for his/her body and lifting situation using the “calm tissue down, build tissue up, improve work capacity” system. (1) Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers usually looks at each of our Baton Rouge chiropractic patients and presents ideas on managing and preventing back pain with exercise and other approaches.
A COUPLE TIPS ON LIFTING
There are a few tips-and-tricks that may help us all when lifting. A special lifting trick known as BATT (a braced arm to thigh, one-handed lifting method to pick up objects with the dominant hand) substantially decreased low back loading during lifting items of 2 to 10 kg. Trunk flexion angles were significantly reduced. Compressive and anterior-posterior shear forces were significantly lower too compared with unsupported lifting techniques. (2) That is an easy lifting tip we know our Baton Rouge chiropractic clients|we can all do! Lifting slowly is another idea that reportedly lowered loads on the lumbar spinal elements. Stoop lifting had a larger lumbar spine lordosis range of motion and created lower total and compressive lumbar loads than squat lifting (except at L5S1 where anterior shear loads were greater) and freestyle lifting. (3) So slow down when lifting. Use your quads to squat lift. (If they are not very strong, Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers has some exercises to strength them!)
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Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Tyler Lomnicki on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he discusses treatment of a man with a disc herniation among other conditions for which The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management of spinal manipulation contributed to his relief.
Schedule your Baton Rouge chiropractic appointment with Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers today. When effortless tasks like lifting objects off the floor become problematic, know that Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers is available to help find a way to make them better and easier for you and your spine!
