Worried about moving house with back pain?

After moving house multiple times over the years I (Karen the Cranbrook Chiropractor) have a few do’s and don’t, on how to protect your back. If you have back pain or a history of musculoskeletal injury and don’t usually do manual work, we strongly recommend you avoid a task like moving house and delegate to a removal company or others.

Here are my top tips:

  • Use proper lifting protocols

  • Give yourself enough time to prepare for your move

  • Don’t overpack your boxes

  • Delegate the heavy lifting to someone else

  • Consult with your doctor or healthcare professional before undertaking this task if you are nervous about your ability to tolerate repetitive lifting and carrying.

We ambitiously decided to move ourselves, packing, carrying, lifting the full works!  Planning and starting early can’t be underestimated, as you’ll always find you have way more stuff than you thought. 

If you are going into this with a current or previous injury, think twice if this task is right for you. Although a removal company can be pricy you have to balance the risk v’s reward and the financial implications. What would happen if you became injured and couldn’t go to work, play with your kids or carry out those daily physical tasks we take for granted. Not to mention how this could set you back on your recovery or even exacerbate your complaint. Moving house is not a daily occurrence, therefore we don’t necessarily have the correct muscles built up to manage this sudden increase in lifting and carrying. If you imagine starting weightlifting at the gym, you would never be advised to start heavy or high repetitions. Instead, a low weight, with low repetitions would be the best starting point, increasing gradually over many months.

Use proper lifting protocols

  • Lifting heavy items – Try to minimise the demand on your back. There are a number of ways you can do this, with the correct lifting position and getting help from someone else to lighten the load (particularly with heavy or bulky items).

  • Turn with your legs – Do not twist through your spine. Twisting puts extra pressure through your spinal structures such as joints, ligaments and discs, increasing the chance of injury. Instead move your legs and feet.

  • Use your legs – If lifting from the floor always bend your knees. Feet should be wide apart to create more stability. When propelling upwards keep a straight back, abdominal muscles tight, and drive through your heels while squeezing your gluteal muscles to power up.

  • Use equipment to assist you – wheeled suitcases, trollies, sac trollies, forklifts etc can be great at assisting you. They reduce the work and minimise the chance of injury.

Give yourself enough time to prepare for your move 

  • Whenever you think you’ve got enough boxes you are sure to need another 10! Packing your non-essential items and out of season items is a good place to start.

  • Take this time to sort through belongings and donate no longer needed items to charity or sell them to save moving things you don’t need.

  • If your furniture not going to fit through the door or up the stairs it may be time to sell it before you move? 

Don’t overpack your boxes

  • Not only will they be more prone to split and break but they will also be harder to lift and stack.

  • If transporting heavy items like books you could consider adding lighter items and soft furnishings to help pad out the box and maximise the boxes capacity. We used clothing to cushion some boxes and often put the odd pillow in with heavier boxes. 

Delegate the heavy lifting to someone else 

  • If you have plenty of people to help or perhaps people more used to lifting and carrying why not delegate the larger, bulkier items to them. 

Consult your healthcare professional 

  • If you are concerned about pain, or have a history of back pain, it’s a good idea to speak to a healthcare professional to make sure It’s appropriate for you to lift and carry. 

Check out our youtube video below which shows you how to squat well which is just as important in everyday life as it is in the gym.

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Our Cranbrook Chiropractor frequently blogs about real life scenarios where your back may cause you pain. Keep an eye on Instagram and Facebook for regular blogs and back pain prevention tips.

If you’d like to book an appointment with a Chiropractor click here, call 01392 984959 or email info@khchiropractic.com