prevent back injuriesSpring is a time for sprucing up your home and bringing your yard out of hibernation. You long to live in a tidy house with a trim flower garden, but you don’t want to hurt your back getting there. Follow these tips to prevent back injuries while spring cleaning.

Loosen Up

You may think of stretching before a formal workout, but it’s important to loosen up no matter what physical activity you’re engaging in—even spring cleaning. Stretching helps your muscles and tissues lengthen so they’re less likely to become strained or torn when you exert yourself.

To loosen up before doing chores, start with side-to-side head rotations to stretch your neck. Then, warm up your shoulders with arm swings, and do knee-to-chest stretches to loosen your back muscles. Hamstring and quad stretches get your legs warmed up. Spine-Health offers some stretching ideas for back pain relief that you might find useful.

Use Proper Lifting Techniques

Sometimes, spring cleaning means a lot of lifting. To prevent back injuries while hefting bags of soil, relocating heavy equipment, or putting items in storage, use the proper lifting techniques:

  • Lower yourself to the level of the object you want to lift. Bend at the knees, not the hips, and keep your back and neck straight.
  • Once the item is in your grasp, stand up using your leg muscles.
  • As you transport the object, hold it close to your body. When you turn, lead with your feet rather than twisting your hips.
  • Set the item down in the same manner as you picked it up. If you’re lifting it onto a high shelf, use a ladder or get help from another person.

Pace Yourself

You may be in a hurry to plant the garden, organize the shed, and deep-clean the house, but it doesn’t all have to happen in one weekend. If you feel your body starting to grow tired, take a 30-minute break. If your back still hurts when you resume working, stop right away to prevent back injuries.

Get Help from Family Members and Friends

If you live with other people, recruit them to help you with spring cleaning tasks. Not only will the work go faster, but having two or more people is helpful for certain tasks, such as working on a ladder or moving hefty objects.

If you live alone, consider asking a neighbor or friend to lend a hand so you can prevent back injuries while still completing your tasks. You can make spring cleaning fun by playing music or rewarding yourself with an outing together afterward.

Listen to Your Body

It’s normal to feel a bit of soreness after working hard for a while, but if you feel significant pain or suffer an acute injury, stop what you’re doing. Rest, ice your back, and take anti-inflammatory medication as necessary. If your pain doesn’t subside over the next few days, set up a consultation with a spinal care expert. The right treatment could help you get to the root of the problem rather than merely masking it with medicine.

Get Regular Chiropractic Adjustments

Most people think of chiropractic care as a method for treating back pain. While this is certainly the case, you can also receive routine chiropractic adjustments as a way to prevent back injuries. It’s especially effective if you have a chronic spinal condition and you want to avoid acute injuries that could occur as a result of your ailment.

Treat and Prevent Back Injuries at Spine Correction Center of the Rockies

If you hurt your spine despite your best efforts to prevent back injuries while spring cleaning, come to Spine Correction Center for a chiropractic adjustment or other non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical treatment. We can help you heal from acute injuries or chronic conditions that get in the way of the active lifestyle you want to live. To learn more about our services, or to schedule a free consultation, please contact our Fort Collins office at (970) 658-5115.