10 Keys to Saving your Back...and Your Performing Career

This is the second article in a series examining low back pain and injury in the performing arts.

Nearly all people, active or otherwise, will experience back pain at some point in their lives. Most often, back pain is caused by a combination of poor posture and bad mechanics, specifically lifting technique. Adhering to the rules of lifting can save you a great deal of pain and disability – and may even keep you from missing rehearsals and performances due to back pain.

Rules of Lifting

Regardless of what you’re lifting or where you are, always follow these rules for lifting technique to protect your back and avoid injury and disability:

1. DO NOT TWIST WHILE YOU LIFT!

Twisting while bending and lifting a heavy object is the primary way that serious, long-lasting back injuries occur. Don’t do it. Ever. Make certain that your hips and shoulders are always square to the object you are lifting and that you do not twist to set the object down.

2. Be in a stable position before you start lifting.

This is especially important when you’re lifting something from the ground. Keep your feet flat on the floor and underneath your body. If you must kneel to pick something up off the ground, place only one knee on the ground while placing the other foot flat on the ground near the object and close to your hip on that side of your body. Be sure you can stand up without shifting your weight too much to the side or to the back.

3. Hold the lifted object’s center of mass as close to your center of mass as possible.

One way to do this is to lift with your legs (see rule #4). Another way is to hold the object against your body, instead of holding something at arm’s length in front of you (or to the side). When you must lift an object overhead, keep the object as close to your body as you can while you’re raising it to your eye-level. When the object is overhead, try to keep it directly overhead, instead of holding it to the side or behind your head.

4. “Lift with your legs, not your back.”

Most of us have heard this saying, what does it actually mean? “Lift with your legs” is a reminder to squat (like a catcher in baseball) near an object before picking it up instead of standing and bending forward at the hips or waist. Squatting down to pick up something resting on a surface below your natural waistline improves your leverage in lifting the object and actually reduces the amount of physical work and effort you’ll have to expend. Additionally, “lifting with your back” places a high levels of physical stress on your back’s muscles, ligaments, and spinal discs. These stresses can lead to degenerative changes and serious long-term consequences like herniated or prolapsed spinal discs.

5. Use your leg muscles more than your arms.

Think about it this way – which muscles are bigger: your hip, butt, and leg muscles or your arm muscles? When you are preparing to lift an object, make sure your arms are exactly where you want them before you attempt to lift the object. Once you’ve started lifting, try to use your arms to hold the object in place in relationship to your body while your leg muscles actually lift it relative to the floor – You want to elevate the object by standing rather than by doing an arm curl.

6. Lift in stages.

When you need to move something from the floor to a shelf or table, find a sturdy chair, shelf or table that is about halfway between the floor and the object’s new home. Place this lower surface next to the object. Squat next to the object and lift it onto the lower-height surface. Then, stand up and (following all of the lifting rules) lift the object from this surface to its new home. This way, you don’t run the risk of losing your balance while standing up from the floor while holding the object.

7. Do not arch your back.

This is key when you are lifting something (or someone) overhead. Arching your back indicates that the object’s weight may be too far behind your head (a dangerous position to begin with). Consistently arching your back while lifting may indicate a lack of core muscle activation during lifting. Repeated lifts with an arched back often leads to low back spinal stress fractures, disc problems, and radiating nerve pain.

8. Activate your core muscles.

Using your core muscles (not just abs) provides muscular support throughout the abdominal and lower back regions, taking stress off of the spine and associated structures. Activating the core functionally stiffens the spine, allowing your body to handle higher loads and stresses without injury. 

9. Don't lift more weight than you can handle.

This is a no-brainer, but sometimes it needs to be said anyway: if you know that something is too heavy for you to handle on your own, don't try to lift it.  Lifting an object that is too heavy leads to poor mechanics and can cause serious injury.

10. Ask for help when you need it.

If the object you need to lift is too heavy or too bulky for you to be able to lift safely on your own, recruit as much help as you can - and make sure that everyone involved is following the rules of lifting.



The first article in this series explored the most common causes of low back pain, especially among performing artists. The remaining articles of this series will examine proper lifting techniques specific to the performing arts world, debate theories on using a weight belt (recreationally and occupationally), and discuss special considerations for avoiding injuries while carrying objects (or people) in the performing arts.