Tips to avoid injuries while moving

The moving process is a stressful activity which can cause you a lot of anxiety. But your mind is not the only thing susceptible to stress. Your physical body may sustain many injuries during the move, if you are not properly prepared, and do not know the basics of carrying heavy things. In this text, we will give you some tips and tricks about preventing injuries while moving. Read this carefully, because you probably know someone who hurt themselves during their move, and how much does this pose a problem to their daily lives. And here are some tips on how to avoid injuries while moving:

Types of injuries

You have probably heard someone complaining that they hurt their back while carrying a washing machine. Back injuries are one of the most common moving injuries. Other types of injuries include muscle injuries, injuries to hands and fingers, and in some more extreme cases, inguinal hernia. All of these are preventable and you should pay attention to every small detail when you decide to carry heavy stuff.

Back injuries

Back injuries usually happen because of bad stance or overestimating your carrying capabilities. Most common back injuries are muscle strains, but there are some more extreme versions of fractures or twisting of your vertebrae. All of this will lead to extended recovery and also more difficulties during the moving process. The chief idea to avoiding back injuries is acquiring a proper stance. This is done by not carrying with your back or your arms, but with your legs.

How to lift heavy weights?

Use your legs as the lifting mechanism, and your arms and back only as stabilizers. Although this is the proper stance, you cannot use this technique to move things that are beyond your capabilities. So, do not even try to move something that is too heavy for one person. Your friends can help you with stuff like this. If your furniture has wheels or sliders, use them to their fullest. This will ease your moving process by a huge margin. Or – hire a professional and reliable moving company that can take care of this task for you.

Muscle injuries

Muscles are very prone to injuries during activities that are physically stressful. Muscle tears can happen when you least expect them and feel comfortable about moving a certain item. Not having proper stance while lifting, and trying to carry an item too heavy for you can cause this. Muscle tears are actually a way of building muscles because when the tissue tears, new tissue is created to fill those gaps, thus making the muscles stronger. But that is all on a microscopic level. Big muscle tears can be serious injuries which can take a long time to recover from. There are three types of muscle injuries:

• Strains: this is when your muscles get torn because of a huge amount of mechanical stress you create while lifting. And even if it is not too bad, the best thing you can do is to avoid injuries while moving and save yourself the trouble.
• Contusions: this is when your blood vessels overload due to physical stress, and cause bruising.
• Cramps: this is when your muscles get cramped in certain spots and cause a lot of pain, usually making you unable to use that muscle. This usually happens on leg muscles.

How to avoid injuries while moving?

In order to avoid muscle injuries, you should do a lot of stretching and warming up before the move. There are great many videos and tutorials on the internet that explain how this is done. You can also try to remember your gym class, and do some stretching like you did while in school. You can also call your friends to help you with heavier stuff. The best idea is to hire local or long distance movers because they are specialized in this line of work and know what needs to be done.

An inguinal hernia

An inguinal hernia is when there are tears in your abdominal muscles which cause your intestines to bust out of your abdomen. This can be mild or extreme, all related to the size of the muscle tear. Best ways to avoid this is to get a weightlifter belt. This will create pressure on the abdomen and widen the point of weight concentration, and ease the lifting process. This injury is one of those that will make you call for professional help. This is the best way out, without risking injuries that may require a lot of recoveries or even surgery.

Hand and finger injuries – avoid injuries while moving by staying cautious

Hand and finger injuries range from cuts and bruises, to finger displacement, or even breaking your fingers. These usually happen because there is no proper coordination between yourself and your helpers. You need to coordinate in a way so that your helpers can always anticipate your next move and prepare accordingly. This will prevent dropping the objects on your fingers or toes, and slipping of the items from your grip. When you drop an object there is a high probability it will land on your toe or foot. In addition to this it can cut your fingers if it the edges are sharp. The best way to avoid this is to wear work gloves. They can also improve your grip and make moving a lot easier. You should also wear appropriate footwear. There are many work boot models that have metal plates that prevent these types of injuries.

You also have to make a clear way for you and your helpers to carry stuff. There should never be random things laying on the floor when you are carrying items through the rooms. A good idea is to always have a first aid kit at your disposal, in order to treat smaller injuries. Be ready to call the ambulance, should the need arise, and do not hesitate to do so. They are specially equipped to handle these types of injuries and will do a much better job than you. Unless you are a doctor, they can have a pass.

Be careful and avoid injuries while moving with ease!

Because prevention beats the cure! And the best thing you can do is to find some residential movers that can help you every step of the way.