Safe Lifting

Proper Lifting Techniques

I am trying to locate the actual weight your lower back lifts when you bend straight over to lift instead of kneeling down, pulling object into you and then lifting with your legs. Is it double the weight or ten times?

I am the office Wellness Advocate and am trying to get the corporate office to do some training in ergonomics and stretching exercises for those who sit at a desk all day.

I myself also have lower back pain, and recently through Physical Therapy have learned how to manage the pain on my own.



Answer:

Hi,
I haven't been able to find any exact figures about actual weights during safe lifting, but I have found the following info on the pressure inside the disc during different activities:

Lying:25
Standing: 100
sitting:140
Lifting with knees straight: 220

It may also be useful when explaining proper lifting techniques to think about a crane.

When you bend over, the pivot or fulcrum of that movement is about the last lumbar vertebrae and the first sacral (L5/S1). The force going through this area is a combination of the weight of the load to be lifted and its distance from the trunk.
The further away the load is from the fulcrum the harder the back muscles have to work. This means you are more likely to get a back muscle strain.

Bending the knees further reduces this strain as the back is not used as a lever.

This is why lifting a lighter weight at arms length from the body ie a few books can be a bigger problem than lifting a heavier weight held closer to the body.

If you have to lift something heavy try and get help, if not try and get the object up off the floor first ie onto a stool or chair, then it is much easier to lift from the knees and reduce the risks.

Find more information on this proper lifting techniques page.


Well done for trying to get your team more active and aware of good back care. Well done too for your back pain management, I am really pleased that physical therapy has helped you.

Best wishes
Paula

Lower Back Pain Toolkit Home Page