Injury Prevention Tips for Moving Day

Moving day is finally here! Whether you are moving apartments, bought a new home, are moving cities or to a new state, moving is exciting and nerve-racking but it does not have to be injury inducing. Many injuries that occur during moving happen quickly without warning. Here are some tips to protect your body from injury while you are moving into a new home:

• Plan Ahead: When you are moving, make sure you have the supplies you might need handy so you are not improvising. This includes, but is not limited to boxes, tape, ladders, work gloves, dollys or carts, and extra people to help.

• Ask for Help: One of the best things you can do to protect yourself when moving is to ask for help, either from friends and family or professionals. Heavy items should be lifted and carried with the right amount of people to prevent strain or overwork on any one person. The repetitive nature of moving – bending, lifting and carrying boxes – can lead to overuse injuries, injuries from fatigue and a breakdown of good body mechanics. Having help can decrease the number of lifts that each person has to perform, thus decreasing the risk of injury.

• Use Proper Body Mechanics: We’ve all heard it – “lift with your legs, not with your back” – but what does this mean?
  • When lifting anything, you should bend your knees and try to get your chest as close to the object as possible prior to standing up. When you do this, your back remains in a relatively straight line.
  • When carrying objects, turn your feet instead of twisting your back.
  • When carrying objects, take small steps to ensure smoother movements.
  • It is better to push heavy objects than to pull them.
  • Try to avoid lifting heavy objects over your head.

• Don’t Over Pack Boxes: It may be easy to throw all similar items, such as books, into the same box. Although these objects may not weigh a lot individually, a full box of books quickly becomes very heavy. Try to pack small quantities of heavy objects with lighter weight objects, such as pillows, to distribute the weight into various boxes. When you lift the box, it should not be a strain and you should feel steady on your feet.

• Clear all walkways: Make sure walkways, sidewalks and hallways are clear of clutter. It is easy to trip over things when carrying objects as you cannot see your feet as well. Try to ensure the ground is even where people will be walking and carrying objects. If you think it may become slippery, a traction mat can help.

• Wear proper clothing and shoes: Wear loose fitting clothing that allows you to bend and squat for proper lifting mechanics. Also ensure no part of your clothing can become snagged or hooked onto something else. Shoes with closed toes and good traction will prevent slips and any mishaps with potential things being dropped. Shoes or boots with ankle support can also be worn for extra protection.

Moving is an exciting time. Use these tips to prevent any injuries from putting a damper on your day!

Should an injury occur while moving, schedule an appointment at your closest Athletico clinic so our team can help you heal.

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The Athletico blog is an educational resource written by Athletico employees. Athletico bloggers are licensed professionals who abide by the code of ethics outlined by their respective professional associations. The content published in blog posts represents the opinion of the individual author based on their expertise and experience. The content provided in this blog is for informational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied on for making personal health decisions.