“Lift With Your Knees!” Life-Saving or Fear-Mongering?
By Calvin Thai PT, DPT
Everyone has heard it: “Don’t hurt your back! Lift with your knees!”
I hear it in the clinic all the time. People come in with low back pain and blame it on lifting something without using their legs, even when the object isn’t that heavy.
So, is this common advice worth taking to heart, or is it a misconception that became gospel? The answer isn’t black and white, but here are some factors to help you decide for yourself.
If your back weren’t meant to bend and round to pick things up, we would have evolved away from that ability. The body is smart, and we aren’t so fragile that rounding your spine to grab something off the floor will wreck it.
Your body’s neuroplasticity is better than people give it credit for. Given the right stimulus, you can adapt to new movements faster than you might think. If you’re used to squatting down to pick things up, your body adapts to that movement. And if you’re used to bending your spine to pick things up, you’ll be fine doing that, too.
Muscles produce force and movement. They atrophy when they go unused, and they become stronger in the specific patterns you train.
So, “What you train is what you get.”
If you never train your back to bend and lift, those muscles may remain weak in that pattern, and your tolerance for that movement may be lower. When you train it with something like a Jefferson curl, for example, your muscles become better equipped to support the movement, and you’ll be able to lift without trouble.
Most people don’t need to fear bending their back to pick things up, or to deadlift or squat. The problem shows up when you load it heavily without building the strength and tolerance for it first.
If you’re dealing with back pain or are unsure how to move and lift safely, let’s chat!
Book an assessment and let’s get you back to feeling good in your body.
No referrals, no waiting, just answers. Did you know that we offer free 1-on-1 injury screens? Wattage Physical Therapy will take an in depth look at your ergonomics, posture, muscle tone, muscle weaknesses, and movement patterns to create a plan for YOU. If this article intrigues you, you can directly email me, Calvin at calvin@wattagept.com. I would be happy to help you start the process of living a life free from pain.