5 Ways to Keep Your Back Safe While Moving
As a professional mover, a strong back is your greatest asset, so keeping it safe and injury free should be your main priority. Most people know to lift with their knees and not their back and also to wear a back support; but knowing how you are most likely to hurt your back during the day is the best way to keep your back safe on or off the job. That being said, here are five ways to keep your back safe while working in removals:
1. Condition yourself to keep your core muscles engaged. Did you know that most back injuries happen at the end of the day? And it’s not because your body is tired, it’s because your mind is running on autopilot and you become absent-minded about what you are doing. You could do something as simple as pick up a paperclip off the floor and bend your spine the wrong way, causing an injury. You can prevent this by periodically pulling your belly button toward your spine as if you are always wearing a lifting belt. This reminds your core muscles to always be engaged – even when you aren’t thinking about it.
2. Stretch your back thoroughly after sitting for long periods of time. The best way to throw your back out is to ride in a truck for a few hours and then immediately start lifting heavy boxes. When you sit for a long time, the fluids stop moving through the discs in your spine. Any sudden movements like lifting heavy objects can damage them. Stretching before you lift gets the fluids moving again and prevents injuries.
3. Exercise when you aren’t working. If you aren’t in great shape, any kind of exercise while you aren’t working – like running, sports, resistance training, or even working in the yard – will make you stronger and will help prevent injury.
4. Know the industry guidelines for safe lifting. For example, besides keeping your back straight and lifting with your knees, you should also-
– Never keep an object you are lifting close to you
– Never hold and item lower than your knees or higher than your armpit
– Never lift an item that is 20% heavier than your body weight
– Never twist, turn or pivot while you are lifting.
5. Do Back Stretches at home: Think of this as part of your job. Remember, if you injure your back, there goes your income. Here is a great stretch for the back and also good for your core balance-
– Get on your hands and knees.
– Reaching your left arm straight ahead, at the same time, straighten your right leg up behind you.
– Hold this position for 5-10 seconds, using your stomach muscles to stabilize you.
– Slowly return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Repeat this movement for 10-20 reps on each side.
If you can’t do this move without falling over, just raise your arm and opposite leg as high as you can.
Working in out in the moving field can be a tough job and is especially hard on your back. The above 5 tips will help you to keep your back stronger for longer ensuring you can keep on working. What tips do you have for keeping a safe and strong back while moving?
Author Bio-
Jake Martin is the owner of Removalists Sydney -a specialist moving company in Sydney Australia. Being a veteran in the business means he has several insights into running a successful removal
business.
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