Posture and Body Mechanics

Did you know that 80% of people will experience back pain at some point in their life? This is largely due to improper posture and body mechanics. This is just one reason why it is crucial that we teach proper posture and body mechanics! Another reason to teach proper body mechanics is in regards to lifting heavy objects. It can be very dangerous and cause severe injury if a person is unaware of proper lifting techniques. If you already experience back pain, there is still hope for you! Not only can proper posture and body mechanics prevent back pain but they can also correct or relieve some back pain as well. These proper techniques are also important for one to maintain their independence and good quality of life.
For teaching proper body mechanics in an intervention with my client, I would of course start with finding out their ADLs and other occupations they participate in regularly. By doing this I could figure out what type of heavier objects my client might be lifting during the day. This would make it more engaging when I teach him/her proper lifting techniques: widen the base of support, bend knees, tighten stomach muscles, lift with leg muscles NOT the back muscles, keep load close, keep back straight, etc. Since everyone could benefit from learning proper sitting posture, this is another intervention I would use with my client. The easiest way to understand good posture is to see what good posture looks like and also what bad posture looks like. So, I would demonstrate examples of these to my client and get them to show me good and bad posture as well to ensure their understanding.