Back pain in the workplace. What you lift or how you lift matters far less than whether you lift or when
PainSci summary of Hadler 1997?This page is one of thousands in the PainScience.com bibliography. It is not a general article: it is focused on a single scientific paper, and it may provide only just enough context for the summary to make sense. Links to other papers and more general information are provided at the bottom of the page, as often as possible. ★★★☆☆?3-star ratings are for typical studies with no more (or less) than the usual common problems. Ratings are a highly subjective opinion, and subject to revision at any time. If you think this paper has been incorrectly rated, please let me know.
In spite of more than 50 years of concerted effort to diminish task demand, the incidence of compensable back injuries has not wavered. Before we persist for another 50 years in the quest for the "right way to lift," we should consider recent multivariate clinical investigations that suggest alternative approaches. Because task context is at least as important as task content in this regard, it follows that including regional backache under the rubric of "compensable injury" demands reconsideration. Likewise, rather than pursuing the "right way to lift," the more reasonable and humane quest might be for workplaces that are comfortable when we are well and accommodating when we are ill.
original abstract†Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
In spite of more than 50 years of concerted effort to diminish task demand, the incidence of compensable back injuries has not wavered. Before we persist for another 50 years in the quest for the "right way to lift," we should consider recent multivariate clinical investigations that suggest alternative approaches. Because task context is at least as important as task content in this regard, it follows that including regional backache under the rubric of "compensable injury" demands reconsideration. Likewise, rather than pursuing the "right way to lift," the more reasonable and humane quest might be for workplaces that are comfortable when we are well and accommodating when we are ill.
related content
These two articles on PainScience.com cite Hadler 1997 as a source:
- PS Save Yourself from Low Back Pain! — Low back pain myths debunked and all your treatment options reviewed
- PS Don’t Worry About Lifting Technique — The importance of “lift with your legs, not your back” to prevent back pain has been exaggerated
