Bend Or Snap? How To lift Without Injury.
Have you noticed low back pain after you’ve bent over to pick something up off the floor?
Well, today I’m going to show you the proper lifting technique and how to save your back from that pain. I’m Dr. Kara Penson, and I’m a chiropractor at Health Works, a family wellness center here in Plano, Texas.
When you bend over improperly and try to pick something up off the ground and you’re not doing it with the correct form, then you’re causing an increase of strain in that low back and causing more tension to be back there, therefore increasing the pain that you’re feeling. Whenever you bend over to pick up something like a piece of paper off the ground, and you don’t do it with the correct form, it can compress those disc in your back, causing that increase in pain, as well as even straining those muscles that are back there, due to the improper form that you’ve been using.
Advice from a Chiropractor on how to lift without hurting yourself.
Today I’m going to show you the proper form when lifting heavy objects versus even just picking up a piece of paper off of the ground. The proper form for doing your squat is going to be to squat all the way down to the ground, just like this. You want your feet to be about shoulder-width apart as well as your hips and shoulders square to the floor and to one another. However, if this squat is too hard for you to do, there is an adaptation where you come down and put one knee on the ground and keep your other knee bent. When you go to pick up your item, you’re just going to pull straight up from this position, with your knee out. Now, when you do the squat, you’re going to do the same thing, again making sure everything is squared toward another as well as your back’s staying straight. So again, just keeping your back as straight as possible.
Now, if you have kids or have been around kids, you may notice when they go to grab something off the ground, this is their natural inclination to doing this. That’s because they haven’t formed the bad-habit yet of trying to bend over and pick something up. Whenever you do it that way, it can cause that increased strain on your back, which we don’t want.
To see Dr. Kara demonstrate this technique, click here.
Please share this information with someone you think may help.
HealthWorks: A Family Wellness Center is a chiropractic and wellness center located in Plano, Texas. Our chiropractors, Dr. Christy Flick and Dr. Jennifer Taylor have been helping patients function better since starting a private practice in 2005. For information about this article or other chiropractic questions, please contact our office at 972-612-1800, visit our website at https://healthworkstx.com/, or stop by our office at 2317 Coit Rd., Ste B, Plano, TX 75075
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the safest way to lift heavy objects?
Bend your knees keeping back straight, hold objects close to your body, and lift with leg muscles. Pivot feet instead of twisting spine. Test weight before lifting and get help for awkward or heavy items.
Regular chiropractic care maintains spinal flexibility and strength, reducing injury risk during daily lifting activities.
Why does my back hurt even with proper lifting?
Pre-existing spinal misalignments make you vulnerable despite good technique. Weak core muscles fail to protect your spine. Accumulated micro-injuries from repetitive lifting create chronic vulnerability to acute pain.
Our comprehensive exam identifies hidden weaknesses, while gentle adjustments restore proper spinal function for safer lifting.
How can I strengthen my back for lifting?
Focus on planks, bird-dogs, and dead bugs for core stability. Strengthen glutes with bridges and squats. Practice hip hinge movements daily. Start with body weight, progressing gradually to resistance.
Combining strengthening exercises with our Orthospinology adjustments creates optimal spinal stability for injury prevention.