5 Moving Strategies to Help Prevent Injuries

Moving days often require us to use our bodies in awkward and unfamiliar ways. Frequent bending, lifting, pulling and twisting can wear your body down pretty quickly. Due to this sudden and obscure physical exertion, your body is more likely to suffer from an injury. This moving safety guide below goes over the five main ways you can help keep your body in proper working order while having to carry your belongings to and from.

#1 Lift with your legs, and not your back. You have likely heard this statement an endless amount of times before. But, actually putting it to use can be tricky. Many people naturally use their back when moving or carrying objects. So it may take some true awareness in order to utilize this method effectively. Bend at your knees, keep your back pin straight the entire time, and then use only the strength of your limbs to hoisten. You may want to practice doing this a few times before picking up the object in front of you.

#2 It is better to push a heavy object than pull. When pushing, there is generally less stress being imposed onto your body by using your weight as force. When pulling, your body can easily get twisted. When one hand is used to pull the object, muscles can be stretched in a odd and painful way.

#3 Turn with feet, not hips. If you are holding a hefty box or item when moving, you may eventually have to turn or twist your body to get past a door frame or through a hallway. If you must do this, turning with your feet and not your hips is recommended. By turning your hips, it can put additional strain on your back, neck or shoulders. Using your feet to turn, it can help keep your spine in a straight line and reduce the chances of tweaking a muscle.

#4 Keep heavy items close to your body center. To help avoid injuries when moving weighty items, hold the object closer to your center in relation to body height. If you keep the item too low, it can add unneeded strain to your lower back. If you raise the item up too high, it may not only fall on top of you but can also result in a back injury.

#5 Hire a Moving Company. The best way to keep yourself safe is to hire professionals, to take on the task for you! Not only can they take care of all of the heavy lifting, but most often their experience and know-how can get the job done in a timely fashion; and their expertise may actually be a safer solution for your valuables as well.

There are many good tips for keeping you and your family injury free on moving day, but hiring a moving team may be the efficient and effective solution.