Moving day injuries are more common than you think. They happen all the time when people are moving on their own without movers. And these injuries can be pretty serious. A lot of people injure their back and their knees during relocation because of lifting heavy items. As that is something your body probably isn’t used to, you need to do your best to keep yourself safe and to prevent moving day injuries. If you want to find out how you can do that, you came to the right place. As we are moving professionals, we know all about how you can prevent moving day injuries.
Which are the most common moving day injuries?
There are certain injuries that are more common than others. And before we tell you how you can prevent them, you need to know which ones can happen to you. This is going to make you take this whole thing a lot more seriously than you do now.
The number one most common injury that happens during relocation is a strained back. Your back is going to go through a lot while lifting the furniture and the heavy boxes and it is exactly why it occurs so often. You can also have sore muscles and herniated disks. And these aren’t the injuries you should take lightly. People also often break fingers or toes while moving. This usually happens is you drop something. Cuts and scrapes are also very common and you will have a few of them for sure. That is if you don’t follow the tips we have for you. Knees are also very vulnerable during moving because you have to bend your knees to lift. You are also surely going to hit your knee somewhere but that can only be prevented by being careful. A sprained ankle is another very common moving day injury.
How to avoid back injuries?
Now that you know about the most common moving day injuries it is time for us to tell you how you can prevent them from happening and we are going to start by talking about back injuries. Back injuries are very serious. They can leave you lying in bed for days. And this is definitely a situation you don’t want to get yourself in because you also need to unpack after your relocation is done. What can you do to prevent back injuries? the first thing you need to do is warm up before you start lifting anything. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to start exercising a few weeks before your moving process if possible. Even if you do this, you have to remember to stretch and warm-up before you start lifting anything.
Your lifting technique also plays an important role when you want to prevent any injuries. You have already probably heard people say “lift with your knees, not your back”. This is a technique you definitely need to use while moving. It not only protects your back but it also makes lifting much easier. How do you do it? You need to bend your knees and keep your back straight. There shouldn’t be any bending at the waist. If you aren’t sure about how this is exactly done, maybe practice a few times with something not so heavy. But one thing is definitely for certain, you shouldn’t lift anything too heavy on your own. You need help from someone if you have to move heavy furniture. This can be a friend or a family member.
How to avoid breaking fingers and toes?
It is less likely that you are going to break one of your fingers during moving but broken toes are very common. Only one drop of a box can cause serious damage. This is going to have a lot of impact on your moving process. It is going to last much shorter and you will be under a lot of stress. You are also going to have a long recovering process which is going to make unpacking an even harder and longer process.
You can prevent these injuries by wearing gloves and sturdy shoes. Gloves are going to make your hands less vulnerable. To prevent these injuries, you need to watch your steps. You should take your time while carrying things. There is no need to hurry even though finishing in a short amount of time is what we all want when we are moving. Always have someone helping you if you are carrying things up and down the stairs.
Avoiding cuts and scrapes
Gloves are also going to prevent your hands from getting scratched. But you also need to wear pants and a shirt with long sleeves. You will be much safer this way and you won’t have as many cuts and scrapes as you would if you were to wear short sleeves and shorts. Jeans are a great option because they are made from thick material but lifting in jeans is very hard.
Keeping knees and ankles safe
When it comes to keeping your knees and ankles safe from injuries, you have to do the same as when you are protecting your back. You need to warm up and stretch first and you always have to remember to keep the pressure on your legs but also keep your back straight. You can also use some moving tools such as furniture lifters and sliders. These are going to come in handy and also keep you away from injuries, which is very important.
Hire movers
But we can tell you one thing when it comes to staying away from moving day injuries, the best way to avoid them is to hire professionals who know how to do their job. These people are trained and they have been moving people’s homes for a long time. And if you feel like you don’t have enough trust in movers, make sure you have moving insurance. Avoiding moving insurance isn’t a good way of saving money when moving. Moving insurance comes in handy if your movers drop and break something.