Why is lifting items “with your back” dangerous? Why can’t back muscles be strengthened?
In: 17
The biggest issue with lifting with your back is causing damage to the spine. It’s less of an issue with strength more of an issue with how bodies fit together.
Think of a spine like a bunch of independent things stacked on each other with some string running through it. It’s strong in the vertical axis, but when it starts bending there is only so far it can bend before something slips out.
An easy example is a bunch of books stacked from waist to chin. You can pretty easily press down on it with a lot of force. But try keeping them together while the top ones are bent over 30 degrees and then apply the same force.
Sure you can kind of keep the stack together with stabilizing it, but it’s much easier to have a book slip out than if the force was just vertical.
This gif also [illustrates it. ](https://imgur.io/gallery/cRtqM)
More stable is better since unstable is how back injuries happen.
Back muscles can be strengthened, but your leg muscles are already the strongest on your body and lifting with those keeps the back in a more stable position.
Latest Answers