Twisting and Force
Twisting in the middle of a lift amplifies the forces on the lower back. Imagine placing a tomato between the palms of your hands and applying direct pressure.
Back Safety: Lifting
It might take a great deal of force to burst the tomato. However, give the motion a twist while applying the pressure and it will take far less pressure to burst the tomato. (If you perform this exercise in class, you better wear an apron!)
Twisting while lifting, pushing, pulling, lowering, or raising may have the same effect on the back. Consequently, twisting while taking any of these actions exposes the back to much greater risk of injury.
Real-life Scenario
As a safety trainer, you would think I would learn from my own training, but not so.
I injured my back over the winter of 2016 after shoveling deep snow from my long driveway. The high-force action of shoveling, lifting, and twisting as I threw the snow off to the side eventually resulted in a severe injury to my lower back, sciatica, and four months of rehabilitation.
It was a good example of how not using good sense resulted in the natural consequences of my actions. I learned my lesson the hard way after the fact and bought the snow blower!
Steven Geigle
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
3-9. Which of the following movements will most likely expose the lower back to greater risk of injury?
You forgot to answer the question!