Moving House? Essential Tips to Avoid Injuries and Stay Comfortable
Moving house can be extremely stressful, both during the run up to moving day and on the day itself. On top of this, home movers will find they get involved in lots of lifting and carrying, regardless of whether they use professional movers. Consumer research carried out by the BCA in 2015 found that 50% of those suffering with back or neck pain said that lifting and carrying had been a trigger for their pain. Whether just clearing your belongings ahead of professional packers and movers coming in, or packing and moving all your home contents yourself, the British Chiropractic Association has advice on ways to prevent the injuries that commonly can occur during a move.
Top Ten Tips for an Injury-free move from the BCA:
- A move is hard physical exercise and should be approached as such! Warm up and stretch, particularly your legs and arms, before you undertake any lifting and carrying.
- Wear comfortable clothing and supportive footwear.
- It is not just the weight, but the size and shape of an object that can make it hard to carry so, where possible, break loads into smaller and more manageable chunks. It makes sense to pack more, smaller boxes rather than fewer larger ones if possible; small boxes are safer and easier to carry.
- Reduce the weight of items of furniture where possible. Take out drawers, remove cushions or dismantle into pieces; smaller and lighter items are better.
- Secure anything loose to minimise anything unexpected happening whilst you are moving the item.
- Face the direction in which you want to carry the weight. Always lift using a relaxed, straight back. Make sure your legs are at least your hips’ width apart with the knees bent. Keep your head and shoulders directly above your waist and keep the weight you are carrying as close to you as possible – avoid twisting.
- Avoid only bending from the waist (keeping your knees straight), which focuses the load on your lower back. Bend your knees, hips, and back to distribute the load across many muscles, this makes lifting so much easier.
- If you need to turn or twist, it is better to twist through your hips so that you can use your larger leg muscles to help lift the item.
- Try and lift with a ‘broad base’ when in a squat position or lunge position i.e., your feet about shoulder width apart or more (a squat) or front foot and back knee 1.5 feet apart or more (a lunge). This will make you more stable.
- Don’t lift with your arms straight out, keep the elbows bent and to your side to minimise the stress on your back. This keeps the load close to your body and reduces the load.
- Make sure you balance or secure the weight before you start moving. (It is easier to carry a bowling ball in a bowling ball bag than in large cardboard box where it can roll around.)
- Putting the weight down can often cause just as many injuries as lifting it up. If possible, put the weight on something waist height rather than the floor. If you do have to put it on the floor, try and keep your shoulders hips and knees pointing in the same direction, have a ‘wide base’ and bend your knees and hips rather than your back. Place the item down slowly so that the movement is more controlled.
- Loading a weight into a car or van is difficult at the best of times, so it is even more important to use the best technique possible. If you have been sitting in the car/van for a while, go for a short walk to loosen your muscles and joints before lifting. Having lifted the weight, rest it on the bumper where possible and then push it into the vehicle, keeping your back straight and your knees bent. Always put lighter objects in first, pushing towards the back, so that it is not too strenuous to push them in or to pull them out when you reach your destination. Use your leg muscles to generate power when pushing and pulling items.
- Don’t rush; if you have to lift an item over a long distance or over an awkward terrain such as going upstairs, take short breaks to rest your muscles by placing the items back down.
- Avoid twisting whilst lifting and avoid the temptation to straighten your legs. If you need to move an item to one side – instead pivot and twist through your hips and ankles. This is just as important when taking bags or boxes out of the vehicle.
- Whilst how we lift can be important, how much we lift is also important. Lifting injuries tend to occur because we are lifting heavier items that we are not used to lifting. If you can, share the load with a friend, family member, or colleague. If you can’t, it’s good to make your back more ready for the unexpected times where you will have to lift heavy items. You can do this by doing muscle-strengthening activities for all your muscle groups 2 or more times per week. This allows your body to acclimatise to heavier loads and more easily tolerating loads in a variety different body and joint positions. If your back isn’t prepared for the heavier loads or repetitive lifts medium loads, try to split the loads into smaller items, your back and joints will thank you for it!
Pain is a warning sign, usually it is telling us that we have done “too much too soon” – don’t ignore it! Pain can be due to damage but more often than not we have simply irritated a joint or muscle by overloading it. If you are suffering seek advice from a health care professional such as a chiropractor.