Proper Lifting Techniques

Quick answer

The 6 steps for proper lifting

Proper lifting technique means keeping the load close, bending at your knees and hips instead of your waist, keeping your back straight, and letting your legs do the work.

1. 1Plan the lift. Check the weight and clear your path.
2. 2Get close. Stand near the object with your feet shoulder-width apart.
3. 3Bend your knees and hips. Squat down and keep your back straight.
4. 4Brace. Grip with both hands and tighten your stomach muscles.
5. 5Lift with your legs. Rise slowly, breathe out, and keep the load close to your body.
6. 6Turn with your feet. Never twist your back. Squat to set the object down.

Why it matters

Why proper lifting techniques matter

Many people injure their backs while bending or lifting objects in the wrong way. A survey by the American Physical Therapy Association reports that nearly two-thirds of Americans experience low back pain, and nearly half of the cases are due to improper bending and lifting techniques.

As we get older, we are more likely to hurt our back while bending or lifting to put something up or down. The reason is that as we age our muscles and ligaments become less flexible. Past injuries of the muscles, ligaments or spinal disks also make us more prone to a back injury. Along with back pain, improper lifting technique can lead to arm pain and leg pain, and can cause acute injury with serious long-term effects.

The good thing is that these injuries are avoidable. All you need to do is learn and practice proper lifting and bending techniques.

The sad thing is that most people are aware of this, but rarely perform these techniques. They are ready to risk injury instead of taking the time to perform lifting activities properly.

The importance of safe lifting techniques cannot be understated, so here you will find essential tips to help you protect your spine from painful and unnecessary injuries.

The basics

What Is Safe Lifting and Bending?

Often, safe lifting emphasizes protecting the back. But the approach is more comprehensive and includes several main focuses.

Your limit

How Heavy Is Too Heavy?

It is important to know how much you can safely lift. No one can give you a precise weight, but think about how much you have lifted in the past and how easy or hard that was and you’ll have your answer.

Weight has a big impact on the risk of a back injury, but on its own it is not the whole story. Even if you don’t lift heavy objects, you can still get an injury. If you are not careful, you can strain your back lifting something as light as a pen.

According to the Center for Construction Research and Training, other factors that determine the risk include:

• How often you’re lifting something
• Bending and twisting while lifting
• Whether you hold an object away from you while lifting
• How high you’re lifting an object
• How long you lift or hold the object

Quick reference

DOs and DON’Ts – Tips For Proper Lifting and Bending Techniques

DOs

• Keep your feet apart to give your body a wide base of support
• Stand as close as possible to the object you are lifting
• Hold the object as close as possible to your body
• Bend at your knees, not at your waist or back
• Lift slowly, using the muscles in your hips and knees
• Keep your shoulders in line with your hips
• To change direction, move your hips and shoulders in unison
• Tighten your stomach muscles as you lift the object up or lower it down
• Squat as you set the object down, using the muscles in your knees and hips and keeping your back straight
• Always use both hands

DON’Ts

• Do not bend at your waist. Squat instead, using the muscles in your knees and hips
• Do not bend forward as you stand up with the object
• Do not twist your back while you bend to reach the object, lift the object, or carry the object
• Avoid rapid twisting of the spine
• Do not hold your breath while you lift an object. Exhaling is the proper technique to use
• Do not use a partial grip on an object
• Do not obstruct your vision with the object you are carrying

Step by step

Correct Lifting Position and Technique

To properly perform lifting and bending techniques, try following these steps:

1. 1Plan ahead before lifting. Knowing what you’re doing and where you’re going will prevent awkward movements while holding something heavy.
2. 2Lift close to your body. You will be a more stable lifter if you hold the object as close to your body as possible.
3. 3Keep your feet shoulder-width apart. This, along with taking short steps, gives you a solid base of support, which is very important while lifting.
4. 4Bend your knees and hips and keep your back straight. Raise and lower yourself to the ground by bending your knees rather than bending at the waist.
5. 5Tighten your stomach muscles. This helps you hold your back straight and prevents excessive force on the spine.
6. 6Lift with your legs. This is one of the most important points. Don’t forget it.
7. 7Look slightly upward. This helps you maintain a better position of the spine and keep your back straight.
8. 8Don’t twist or bend. Turn your body as a whole. If you need to change direction, stop, turn in small steps, and then continue walking.
9. 9If the object is too heavy, get help.

To find out if you are a victim of improper lifting and bending and get to the root cause of pain and discomfort, schedule an initial consultation, including a comprehensive evaluation and first treatment.

What goes wrong

Improper lifting: the three mistakes behind most injuries

Poor lifting posture usually comes down to one of three habits, and they often happen together.

1. 1Bending at the waist. Rounding forward with straight legs puts the load on your low back instead of your hips and thighs.
2. 2Twisting while holding the load. Bending and twisting at the same time is especially hard on the discs in your low back. Move your feet instead.
3. 3Holding the load away from your body. The farther an object is from your spine, the more force your low back has to resist. A light box at arm’s length can strain your back more than a heavier one held close.

What improper lifting can lead to

• Muscle strains and ligament sprains in the low back, the most common lifting injuries
• Bulging or herniated discs, especially with repeated bending and twisting
• Sciatica, pain that travels from the low back into the leg
• Neck, shoulder and arm strain from carrying loads away from the body

Match the lift to the load

Types of lifts and when to use them

Basic lifting techniques are not one size fits all. The right choice depends on the size, weight and position of the object.

Beyond the lift

How to bend and carry properly

Proper bending techniques

Back strain does not only come from heavy lifts. Small, repeated bends add up too. For everyday tasks like loading the dishwasher, gardening or tying your shoes:

• Hinge at your hips with soft knees and keep your back long
• Drop to one knee for low tasks instead of bending over
• Put one foot up on a step to tie your shoes
• Rest one hand on a counter or your thigh for support

Proper carrying techniques

• Hold the load between your waist and chest with your elbows close to your sides
• Take short steps and keep a clear view ahead
• Split heavy loads into two even loads, such as a bag in each hand
• Set the load down and rest before you get tired
• Use a cart or dolly whenever you can
• Use a step stool for anything above your shoulders instead of reaching

Lifting at home and at work

Prevention

Build the strength to lift safely

Good technique is easier when your legs, hips and core are strong. A few simple exercises, two or three times a week, can help you hold a safer position:

• Bodyweight squats to train your knees and hips to do the work
• Hip hinges to learn to bend without rounding your back
• Glute bridges to strengthen your hips
• Side planks and bird dogs to help your core support your spine

If any of these cause pain, stop and have it checked before you continue.

Already hurting?

Hurt Yourself Lifting in San Francisco?

Lifting injuries cluster in a few groups, and we see all of them: movers and warehouse staff, nurses and care workers lifting patients, parents of toddlers, and people who sit at a desk all week and then move apartments on a Saturday. The pattern is almost always the same. A back that has not been loaded in months gets asked to do something heavy in a single afternoon.

If you have already felt something go, do not wait it out. A strain treated in the first week is usually a far shorter problem than one you have spent a month compensating around, because the compensating is what turns a local injury into a pattern. Our back pain guide covers what is likely going on.

What to do if you felt something go

1. 1Stop lifting for the day.
2. 2Stay gently active. Short walks are usually better than bed rest.
3. 3Use ice or heat, whichever feels better.
4. 4Avoid the movement that hurt you until you have been checked.

FAQs

Common questions about proper lifting