One of the worst things that can happen to you when you’re moving home is that you end up putting your back out. This is all too easy to do when you’re lifting lots of heavy boxes around and moving furniture, but should it happen it will leave you completely unable to do any more work yourself in the home and thus completely reliant on others to help.
How do you prevent injuring your back when lifting heavy boxes? With smart decisions and with the right technique. Here are some tips to help.
Keep Your Back Straight
The single most important thing to do is to keep your back straight. Of course you will have to bend at the waist, but your actual spine should still be in a straight line – meaning that if you had a ruler down your shirt, it wouldn’t bend or snap. Imagine this ruler when lifting.
Learn to Squat
So if you can’t arch your back, how do you reach the floor? Simple: by squatting down. Squat down as though you were around a campfire (with your heels flat on the floor ideally), slip your feet under the box and then push through the ground with your heels to raise yourself and the box.
Warm Up
Just as though you were going to do a gym workout, warming up can help you to get more limber and flexible and thus to avoid injury.
Get Help
Don’t be a hero! If you have lots of boxes to lift and they’re heavy, then ask a friend to help you with them or leave it to your moving company.
Don’t Rush
Give yourself plenty of time when moving so that you can take it slow. This always prevents injuries!
