Better Bending

Bending and lifting is a big part of our daily activities: picking stuff up off of the floor, making the bed, getting pots/pans out of the cabinets, loading/unloading the dishwasher, laundry, yard work, etc. 
How we move and use our body throughout the day affects the health of our muscles, bones and joints.  Load your body better with these simple tips:

• Don't  bend and twist. This places a lot of stress at your back. Use this rule of thumb: “wherever your nose goes, your toes go.” This means move or pivot your feet in the direction you are moving toward. 
• Donʼt bend and round your back. This puts you in a position to use mostly your back muscles and can put a lot of stress to your discs as well as overusing the small muscles of your back.
  
• DO bend your hips and knees to pick something off of the floor. We want to utilize our gluts and thigh muscles. Keep the object close to you (this will minimize the stress to your back).
  
• DO hinge from your hips as you bend your knees, let your butt go back. This gets the gluts in a better position to generate force. 

Better Bending Video Demonstration: Hip Hinge and Lifting Mechanics

Susan McLaughlin is a physical therapist who specializes in the management of pelvic floor and orthopedic dysfunctions. She is the owner of ALIGN integration|movement in Salt Lake City, UT.  Helpful tips and other self care strategies can be found at www.alignforhealth.com.