Bending Properly - Are You Doing It Right?

Do you know if you are bending properly, in a way that protects your back from injury and pain? Try this simple experiment to find out.

Stand up and put your hands on your waist.
Now imagine a feather has been dropped in front of your feet and you are asked to pick it up.
If you immediately moved your head to look down, your spine bends and triggers your stomach to do a little crunch. You have already started to bend incorrectly - at your waist. Almost everyone in the U.S. bends at the stomach.

It’s likely you, like so many others, are doing it wrong. You want to hip hinge, which is "Table" Bending vs. "C" Bending. Check out this article, Lost Art of Bending Over: How Other Cultures Spare Their Spines, and learn how to bend properly.

Here is the proper way to 'Table' Bend

To hip hinge:

Place your feet about 12 inches apart.

Keep your back straight.

As you bend your knees, allow your pubic bone to move backward.

Fold over by allowing your pubic bone to slide through your legs, down and back.

In our business, we are constantly bending to pick up packages, move packages and stack them in a warehouse. One small, wrong movement can make a big difference in how you feel and if you hurt yourself. These tips can help any of us, whether at work or in every day life.

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