We are on the move and a guide to heavy lifitng...

We have some exciting news at Chart Clinic this month, we have moved! At last we are now in brand new premises in the heart of Reigate town centre. After nearly 5 years in Chart Lane we have now relocated to a more spacious clinic in Church Street, Reigate.

Our new address is: 1^st Floor, 40-44 Church Street, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 0AJ

After literally finishing my last patient in Chart Lane Clinic last Saturday, myself and a cohort of helpers began the task of moving. Patients had joked with me that I would need someone to look at my back after moving the heavy treatment couches. No joke at all, moving a large therapy table out of one clinic, into a van and up a flight of stairs to the next was not an easy task.

Luckily my back survived and that’s thanks to following a few simple guidelines from my manual handling training. This brings me on nicely to a topic for this month’s blog, heavy lifting.

Much of the back pain and injuries we see started with some form of heavy lifting and this is usually linked to lifting too much weight alone or lifting with a bad posture.

If you are going to undertake some heavy lifting be it moving house, in the garden or even picking up children, take time to link about how you do it, what strain could you potentially be causing your back and how is your posture?

A lot of the time these problems can occur at work. The Health and Safety executive (HSE) offers the following guidelines for good handling techniques when lifting:

Think before lifting/handling. Plan the lift. Where will you put the load, will you need help? Make sure nothing is obstructing your path. For a long lift, consider resting the load midway on a table or bench to change grip.

Keep the load close to the waist. Keep what you are lifting close to the body for as long as possible while lifting. Keep the heaviest side of the load next to the body. If a close approach to the load is not possible, try to slide it towards the body before attempting to lift it.

Adopt a stable position. The feet should be apart with one leg slightly forward to maintain balance (alongside the load, if it is on the ground). You should be prepared to move your feet during the lift to maintain stability. Avoid tight clothing or unsuitable footwear, which may make this difficult.

Get a good hold. Where possible the load should be hugged as close as possible to the body. This may be better than gripping it tightly with hands only.

Start in a good posture. At the start of the lift, slight bending of the back, hips and knees is preferable to fully flexing the back (stooping) or fully flexing the hips and knees (squatting).

Don’t flex the back any further while lifting. This can happen if the legs begin to straighten before starting to raise the load.

Avoid twisting the back or leaning sideways, especially while the back is bent. Shoulders should be kept level and facing in the same direction as the hips. Turning by moving the feet is better than twisting and lifting at the same time.

Keep the head up when handling. Look ahead, not down at the load, once it has been held securely.

Move smoothly. The load should not be jerked or snatched as this can make it harder to keep control and can increase the risk of injury.

Don’t lift or handle more than can be easily managed. There is a difference between what people can lift and what they can safely lift. If in doubt, seek advice or get some help.

Put down, and then adjust. If precise positioning of the load is necessary, put it down first, and then slide it into the desired position.

Source: Getting to grips with manual handling, a short guide. (hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg143.pdf)