It has long been assumed and taught that if you lift properly, you will avoid hurting yourself. This fact just stands to reason. However, it can't easily be proven by scientific studies. It seems that no one can teach you how to lift heavy objects or lift repetitively in a way that will cover every circumstance or situation in which you may find your self.
This concept of teaching proper lifting techniques has been studied in industry six ways to Sunday, and yet still, back problems happen just as often. There seems to be no relationship between the teaching of ergonomic or prophylactic lifting procedures and the prevention of industrial or workplace back injuries.
The latest study, as reported in August 2003 edition of The Back Letter, involved almost 2000 workers and an equal control group working at 14 separate material-handling facilities in the US. The control group was shown a video on lifting techniques only, while the study group was intensively educated, instructed and coached one-on-one for 3 instructional sessions. The outcome measure that the scientists were looking for to determine if all this training was worth it was to see if the incidence of back problems was less for the study group. It wasn't.
So now what? Do we just stop telling our patients how to lift properly? Is all that stuff about "bending your knees" and "keeping the load close to your body" just a bunch of hogwash? Of course not! These facts are simply common sense. And what is "common sense"? Common sense is sense that's common to your experience. Experience tells us that if we have to lift something heavy, we should keep it close and use our legs. To do otherwise feels like a strain. So if it feels like a strain, best we not do that. Following a few simple rules feels less like a strain.
Why is it that this study and so many before it failed to find a causal connection between teaching proper lifting and the prevention of low back pain? Perhaps there is more to it than just instructing. To instruct one needs examples. Can you possibly instruct someone adequately to cover every single circumstance to which that individual will be exposed? Can you cover every object s/he will be expected to lift in the course of a shift? What happens when the person is tired, has a cold, is distracted while lifting, or is lifting the same box over and over when, suddenly, one box sticks to another or catches a nail or snags on some tape while being lifted. The variations are endless.
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