Lift with your Legs

back in May, i was in a car accident where i was rear-ended by a vehicle much larger than my own. since then, i have had back pain and had to go to physical therapy in order to rehabilitate. if you've ever had a back injury, you know what it means - you pick things up off the floor with your toes so you don't have to bend over and even brushing your teeth hurts like heck.

now that i am almost 100%, the whole ordeal got me thinking about how i have coped over the past few months and how i am going to be better to my body in the future. here are my findings:

1) lift with your legs. we all know this one. don't bend at the waist to lift, rather squat down, grasp, lift. this includes but is not limited to: boxes, children, pets, bolts of fabric, etc.

2) ergonomics are your silent friend. i had a ergonomic evaluation of my workspace at my day job. it resulted in a switch-er-oo of my traditional computer desk to a "sit-n-stand" air-touch table that can elevate or lower with minimal (and i mean minimal) pressure. standing relieves the pressure in my back, plus it has been shown that alternating between sitting and standing causes less fatigue that just sitting alone or standing alone:
(note: these are stock images, i cannot take a picture of the actual desk because i cannot bring a camera to work with me. and the woman in the first photo is sitting ergonomically wrong, but that is besides the point.)

3) level it out. in my sewing workspace at home, i put my cutting table on bed risers so it would be at a better level for standing at. since i sometimes work there for prolonged periods, i also put a bar stool beside it so that i can perch on it if i feel the need.

this is how i've been coping, and it's been a great help in my recovery process since my injury!

♥Elisa