You don’t have to be in some dramatically physical occupation like professional athlete or ironworker for your back to be at risk for injury. Ironing, vacuuming, tending to a child, all these seemingly mundane household activities can put you at risk for back strain. Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind as you go about the potentially perilous practice of running your home:

•  When you’re washing dishes, open the cupboard under the sink and put one foot in the cabinet to take some pressure off your back.

•  Do something similar when ironing. Put a stool at your feet so you can periodically shift your weight and, once again, take some pressure off your back.

•  When using a vacuum cleaner, adopt a fencer’s stance and shift your weight back and forth between the feet.

•  When talking on the phone, whether it’s your cell or a land line, don’t pinch the phone itself or the handset between your ear and shoulder. This is an unnatural position for the joints of the neck and upper back. Either use a speaker phone or stop what you’re doing and hold the phone comfortably.

•  When picking up a baby or toddler, bend at the knees, not at the waist, and let your legs, not your back, do the lifting.

Talk with a chiropractor about other good practices around the house.     

 Presented as a service to the community by Dr. Jeff