In everyone’s life, there will likely come a time when you have to do some heavy lifting. Whether you’re bringing in a lot of groceries from the car, helping someone move, unloading inventory from freight truck, or doing actual weight lifting, if you don’t know the proper way to lift heavy loads, you could easily wind up hurting yourself.
To help keep this from happening to you, here are three tips for staying safe when doing heavy lifting.
Don’t Bend At Your Waist
When you’re holding something heavy in your hands, the last thing you want to do is bend at the waist to almost any degree. This rule should be followed both when you’re picking something up that’s heavy and when you’re moving something that is heavy.
Ideally, you should try to keep your spine in a neutral alignment when carrying something heavy. This means that you’re not bending too far forward or bending too far back. And as you’re picking it up or setting it down, make sure you use your legs to lower you down rather than your back, as your legs are likely much stronger. Additionally, when you’re carrying this heavy item, try to keep it between your shoulders and your knees as you hold it so that you won’t have to bend or reach too much.
Keep The Item Close To Your Body
As you go to pick up something heavy, the best way to approach this item is to have it as close to your body as you can. If you’re having to reach away from you, either horizontally or vertically, you’re increasing your chance of getting hurt.
When lifting a heavy item from a still position, you should also do your best to keep the item as close to your body as possible. This way, you won’t be straining your back or arms as much as if you were trying to keep this item further away from your body.
Know When Something Is Too Heavy
Before you make any moves to pick up or maneuver something that’s heavy, you first need to determine if this is something that you can even move on your own.
If you try to pick up something that is just too heavy for you, you can experience a lot of strain on your body. This can harm all kinds of muscles and joints, not just your back. So if you quickly realize that you can’t safely and comfortably carry whatever it is you’re trying to move on your own, make sure you ask for help or find another way to make this happen.
If you’re going to be doing some heavy lifting, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you protect your body during this process.
Leave a Reply