Course Overview

Back Injury Prevention - According to the National Safety Council and medical research, 20% of backaches are attributed to inflammation such as arthritis. 10% are due to actual back injuries and other miscellaneous causes. 70% result from degeneration of spinal discs. That's right; aging of the spinal disc material causes the most trouble and can cause extreme pain even from routine body motions. You've all heard the routine warnings about bending your knees and lifting with your legs. We see people lifting boxes to demonstrate the proper technique. Those techniques are still correct, but we don't always pick up a box or the item we want to lift is sitting under a storage rack or other difficult position. Today, we want to explain how the back works so you'll have enough information to make the right choices on how to lift anything safely. Topics covered in this safety video include: how strains and muscles work, the mechanics of the back, spinal cord, normal range of spinal movement, nerve roots, muscle strains, the lever principle, palm grip, and the 10 to 1 ratio.