Holiday Heavy Lifting: Follow These Special Tips to Avoid Injury

The heavy lifting that comes with Thanksgiving cooking, Black Friday Shopping and decking the halls can put a real strain on your body. Lifting heavy items such as a turkey, a new flat screen TV and box full of holiday decorations with the wrong mechanics can cause strain and injury to the neck, shoulders and lower back.  

The estimated direct costs associated with chronic lower back pain each year are a staggering $96 million.   Furthermore, 8 out of 10 individuals will experience some sort of back pain during their life.  

With the average size of the American Thanksgiving turkey dressed & in a pan weighing in at 30 pounds and the hot ticket Black Friday flat screen TV that you’re shopping for around 45 pounds, we are more and more susceptible to suffering a back strain while partaking in holiday preparations and festivities.

And if you celebrate the holidays with a live evergreen tree, you can expect to haul around about 70 pounds of pine on your posterior.

And if you celebrate the holidays with a live evergreen tree, you can expect to haul around about 70 pounds of pine on your posterior.

Being laid out with a back injury during the holidays is no fun.  Utilizing proper lifting techniques and body mechanics can prevent lifting injuries that might otherwise come from something as simple as lifting a turkey out of the oven, loading the latest flat screen into your trunk, or hauling frosty the snowman onto your rooftop.

To keep your holidays merry and prevent lifting injuries, follow these tips from the American Physical Therapy Association:

• Plan ahead before lifting heavy objects. Make sure you have a clear path. This will help you avoid any awkward or sudden movements that can strain your muscles.

• Test an object’s weight before lifting by pushing it with your foot. If it seems too heavy, ask for help.

• Lift with your legs, not with your back. Don’t lean over an object to lift it. Face the object you intend to lift and avoid twisting. Instead, stand close to the object, bend your legs and keep your back straight, then lift.

• Keep feet shoulder-width apart and maintain your balance by distributing the object’s weight equally on both sides of your body.

• If you count yourself among those who like to marathon shop on Black Friday (or any day for that matter) wear comfortable shoes, preferably walking shoes.    Wearing shoes that provide the proper heel and ankle support will prevent foot & back pain while walking on the hard surfaces found at many shopping malls

• If a back injury does occur, seek help from a physical therapist. What starts as a minor back injury can progress to a chronic condition without early intervention.   Seek a physical therapists care within 14 days of experiencing lower back pain for the best outcome.

We can instruct on proper lifting techniques and provide a treatment plan to assist with pain.  We will work to make you feel better and keep you happy during the holidays.   

This post was written by Advantage Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, LLC. Their team works with individuals to restore & improve movement of the body to achieve long term quality of life.