How to Save Your Back: Preventing Pain and Injury

In today’s world, back injuries are inevitable. Various occupations can put significant stress on your back. No matter if you have a desk job or a physical job, injuries can happen. If you want to save your back, it’s important to recognize and understand the different causes of back pain in your workplace, and learn how to prevent them.

Why does back pain happen? 

There are several reasons why back pain and back-related injuries can happen, such as: 

Prolonged periods of inactivity 

Sitting down at a computer or driving all day can result in back pain. This happens due to a slow deterioration of discs due to pelvic tilt and rounding of the spinal column when sitting down.  

How to fix it: 

Make sure you have a proper chair and adjust its height so that the feet are flat on the floor. The monitor and keyboard should be positioned so that you are not slouching. To add more support to your back, place a 5cm pad at the small of your back. Getting up once in a while to do some back-stretching exercises can help as well. 

Repetitive and improper lifting 

This is the most common cause of lower back injury. It happens due to the regular lifting of heavy loads and carrying them over distances. If the load is too heavy, your spine will naturally bend and twist, causing spasms and tears of the muscles and ligaments, which in turn, lead to severe back pain.

How to fix it: 

If possible, avoid repetitive lifting and use mechanical handling equipment. Decrease the weight of objects being carried. In addition, add grips to objects being handled. Use comfortable shoes and learn proper lifting techniques.

How to lift properly: 

• Plan the lift before lifting. Ask yourself questions, such as: is the load too heavy? Am I able to get other people to help me lift it? How far am I from the load's destination? 

• Clear all other obstacles from the floor around the load. 

• Hinge at the hips and bend your knees when lifting – most of the lifting should be done with your legs! Tighten your core and look straight.  

• Keep the load close to your body. Holding objects away from your body greatly increases the risk of injury. 

• Avoid twisting your body when carrying a heavy object.  

• If an object is too heavy to lift, ask somebody to help.  

Lifestyle factors of back pain 

Various factors such as aging, genetics, physical activity, and obesity can affect susceptibility to a back injury. While some factors can’t be controlled, we can manage our weight and fitness.

There should be no doubt that a healthy diet is important. Calcium and Vitamin D makes our bones strong and are important nutrients to prevent a condition called osteoporosis. Osteoporosis causes brittle bones which are more susceptible to fractures.

Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology recommends at least 2.5 hours of physical activity a week to achieve health benefits. Choose a variety of physical activities that you enjoy – being consistent and having a routine is key! Some ideas are going to the gym, pool, yoga, spin, pilates, running, or joining a sports team. Reduce sedentary activities such as watching TV. Regular physical activity also helps reduce risks of premature death and chronic diseases such as coronary artery disease, stroke, hypertension, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis.  

Fun fact: osteoporosis (brittle bones) is caused by a lack of putting weight on our bones (i.e. walking). That’s why, according to NASA, astronauts have to exercise 2.5 hours a day in order to stimulate weight to build bone density!