Take The Time To Protect The Spine

by Dr. Brett L. Lukert, DC

You may hear the word "biomechanics" used and wonder exactly what it means. Simply put, biomechanics is the study of movement from a mechanical perspective. It relates to how we bend, lift, carry, twist, throw, catch, run, jump, etc. If someone is said to have poor biomechanics when bending or lifting, it just means they do not have good bending and lifting technique.

Learning how to properly bend and lift really isn't that difficult. In fact, it's actually pretty easy. Unfortunately, not many people do this. It is human nature to do things the easiest and quickest way we can. This is especially evident when it comes to bending and lifting. We tend to think that if we're picking up something small, it's not necessary to take the extra second or two to actually bend with our legs rather than our backs. Hopefully, a very good study conducted by the University of Nebraska strength and conditioning program will make you think otherwise.

I have been using this study for years to help illustrate the importance of proper lifting to help prevent back injuries and spinal dysfunction. This study compared and measured the stress on the low backs of two different groups of people while lifting.

In one group, each person squatted 225 pounds of free weights using optimal lifting techniques: bending their knees and using their legs, keeping their feet shoulder width apart, keeping their spine neutral, and using large muscle groups in their legs and abdominals (rather than the small erector spinae muscles in the back).

In the other group, each individual was instructed to pick a penny up off the floor using poor lifting technique: bending at the waist, using the back instead of the legs, and bending and twisting at the same time. In other words, what most of us do on a daily basis.

What they found is that it creates two and a half times the amount of stress on the low back to bend and pick a penny up off the floor the wrong way as it does to lift 225 pounds the right way! This indicates that our spines are very strong and designed to support a lot of weight, provided we take care of them. But when we get sloppy, careless and want to save time, we run the risk of injury.

Healthy habits can be learned but only if we do them consistently. This means bending and lifting correctly every time, no matter how heavy or light the object. Improving our biomechanics while bending and lifting is one more way to help us be healthy, live healthy and stay healthy!