Johnston, RI  401-702-0293
Dynamic Performance & Rehab
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Help
    • Our Staff
  • Services
    • Back Pain
    • Sciatica Pain
    • Knee Pain
    • Hip Pain
    • Shoulder Pain
    • Virtual PT
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Contact Information
    • Ask About Availability & Cost
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Help
    • Our Staff
  • Services
    • Back Pain
    • Sciatica Pain
    • Knee Pain
    • Hip Pain
    • Shoulder Pain
    • Virtual PT
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Contact Information
    • Ask About Availability & Cost

Can Lifting Heavy Objects Cause Lower Back Pain?

2/19/2020

0 Comments

 
"I hurt my back lifting something heavy" - That's a phrase I hear often when people come in for low back pain
Picture
Is lifting something heavy going to be the reason why people get back pain?

The real answer......
Yes and no. 

It really depends. For some it may not, and others, it always does. 

I know, not what you want to hear, but let's dive in and explain how it can hurt you, as well as how you can put strategies in place to reduce the potential injury. 

First off, "heavy" is a quite relative term when lifting an object up. I would say picking up 100lbs from the floor in a deadlift is not heavy at all, but for some, it's damn near impossible. Let's keep this in mind as we move forward. 

Most back injuries when lifting something heavy occur while someone lifts with a rounded spine. It may seem fine when getting a piece of paper off the floor, but in this position, the muscles get lengthened and have less leverage to pull. This is especially important when lifting heavy objects from the ground as you will strain and run into the same problem over and over again. 

Some circles may tell you to squat down to pick up objects, but even in a squat, if it gets too heavy for your body's capabilities, you will position yourself into a rounded spine position, placing in the same scenario again. 

So what do we do?

One way is to learn how to hip hinge. 

This is essentially the prerequisite move to a deadlift. (You don;t have to be deadlifitng to do this). A hip hinge will help load the hips and dissociate the low back from the hips to redistribute the load and provide the right leverage to lift from the ground. 

Here's a quick video on how to learn a hip hinge.
Just remember, the goal is to keep the hips moving back, loading the butt and hamstrings. The spine stays stable with the torso folding as a result of the hips moving backwards. Your arms are just meat hooks that grab onto whatever you are picking up.

You DON'T want to pull up with the arms as it will change the mechanics around the spine.

Having the obliques engage will also assist taking pressure off the low back, It is important you feel these muscle engage with the hip hinge as well. I attached one of my favorite exercises to teach with a few variations.
(Notice when breathing out, the ribs come down and in, flattening the low back. Rib position is crucial in regards to spinal position and stability). 

In summary, you want to be able to dissociate your hips from your low back in order to leverage joints and muscles built for bearing weight and creating force. Some individuals have a greater capacity to handle lifting an object the same way you do and may not get injured. However, their compensations may show up somewhere else. 

Having more than one way to do something will always be the best way to keep you out of pain. 


Now start hinging.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Dr. Peter Dionisopoulos is the owner and founder of Dynamic Performance & Rehab. He has worked with many high-level athletes and military personnel, but his true passion is to help active adults maintain their lifestyle by providing  information and potential solutions to their aches and pains so they can continue with the activities they love.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020

    Categories

    All
    Back Pain

    RSS Feed

OUR SCHEDULE
MONDAY 7:00am - 7:00pm
TUESDAY 6am-12pm (East Greenwich 3pm-6pm)
WEDNESDAY 9:30am - 7:00pm
THURSDAY -6:00am - 5:00pm
FRIDAY - 7:00am - 5:00pm
SATURDAY - 8:00am - 12:00pm
SUNDAY - Closed



​CONTACT INFO

12 Industrial Ln Johnston, RI 02919

401-702-0293

staff@dynamicprri.com


Satellite Site
3399 S County Trail, East Greenwich, RI 02818 
​(Inside Jtab Training) 

**TUESDAYS 3-6pm**

Privacy Policy (click here) 

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER:
All information on this website  is intended for instruction and informational purposes only. The authors are not responsible for any harm or injury that may result. Significant injury risk is possible if you do not follow due diligence and seek suitable professional advice about your injury. No guarantees of specific results are expressly made or implied on this website. 
Photos used under Creative Commons from danperry.com, TravelBakerCounty