Proper Posture & Body Mechanics

It is extremely important to teach proper posture and body mechanics to clients with faulty postures and poor body mechanics. On average, we flex our trunk about 3,000 to 5,000 times a day. In order to do this without causing injury, knowing proper positioning and body mechanics can help prevent injury. About 80% of the adult population will have low back pain at some point in their life. The most important reason to teach proper posture and body mechanics is to prevent lower back pain. About 90% of the time, lower back pain is recurrent. If we can teach proper positioning, hopefully we can help prevent it from being recurrent in our clients. Second, this can prevent disc injuries such as bulging disc, herniated disc, ruptured disc, or fragmented disc. Third, this will allow our clients to be more functional when completing every day activities. You twist, flex, and extend your back in almost every activity you do. Having more functional movement will allow you to live more independently as you get older. Final, this can prevent work related back injuries. According the the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2018 2,834,500 workers experienced work related injuries and missed an average of 9 days of work. This is a huge number that can be reduced by educating others on how to properly lift and bend over. We can teach proper positioning and body mechanics by showing workers how to properly lift objects. When bending over, you can use the golfers lift technique. This technique lifts one leg off the ground and brings it back while keeping the other foot planted on the ground. When lifting a heavier object, you keep your body closer to the object to minimize the load and stress on the spine. You hinge at the hips and bend your knees, keeping your back straight. I can also provide handouts that show proper lifting and bending techniques.