Hi, I’m your chiropractor, and your back called me the other day complaining about all those household chores you are doing. I know you wish I could tell you just to hire a housekeeper and bill it to your insurance company, but I guess it won’t work that way. Instead I have some helpful tips for ways to work around the house and protect your back.
At the counter: Washing dishes, chopping vegetables, even brushing your teeth– all hazardous! Scared? It’s just the counter height, it is likely not the perfect fit for your body. It should be belt level. Bend your elbows and shrug, it should reach the bottom. So either re-do your kitchen, buy some platform shoes, OR you can relieve some of that pressure by raising one leg. Not like a dog, but propped up, knee bent, on a stool. Or open a cabinet door and use the ledge to prop your leg.
Vacuuming: The upright vacuum, it’s the enemy to your back. Most people push and pull violently. This rotates your spine with your arm outstretched. This position exposes you lower back to an acute flareup. Instead focus on your arms doing the moving, and your back NOT twisting. Slow down if you have to.
Tub scrubbing: You kneel down, maybe with a cushion to protect your knees, but your back is screaming for protection. Do not lean over the tub and again reach inside. Outstretched arms = strain on the back. Get inside the tub instead.
Ceiling work: When painting or cleaning a ceiling fan, you are reaching above your head with your arms outstretched. This arches your back causing increased pressure. Use a tall enough ladder to minimize arm raising and stretching and arching.
Laundry basket: Don’t carry it down the stairs, you cannot see around it and you could fall! I sound like an overprotective grandmother, but you would not believe how many people fall down this way. Further, you are reaching out again around the basket, and by now I think I have your convinced that outstretched arms are a strain to the spine. Put your clothes in a laundry bag and roll them down the stairs.
How to lift: Nope, I’m not going to say squat. That moves your center of gravity forward, stretching out, straining the back. The healthy way to lift is to actually kneel down, with one knee on the floor and one bent, then raise up strongly.
Just a few adjustments to avoid those chiropractic adjustments.
