Lifting technique for preventing back injury
Follow these guidelines for lifting to avoid injuring the discs of your lower back:
- Lift with your legs, not your back, by squatting and bending your knees. Rise slowly. See an illustration of how to lift with your legs
rather than your back.
- Try to avoid situations in which you must lift by bending forward at the waist.
- Keep your upper back straight while maintaining a slight arch in your lower back.
- Keep the load as close to your body as possible, at the level of your navel.
- Never lift a heavy object above shoulder level.
- Avoid turning or twisting your body while holding a heavy object.
| Author: | Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH | Last Updated: July 21, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine Robert B. Keller, MD - Orthopedics | |
 | ||
| |