You’re a new parent, you’re sleep deprived and now for the first time you’re suffering with back pain as well! Maybe you’ve had back problems on and off for years but since having kids it’s now become a constant problem.
“Incorrect carrying techniques can lead needless hours of suffering”
When we think of back pain many of us think of poor lifting techniques, disc injuries and perhaps even our mattress, but have you ever thought that carrying your kids might be causing it?
As a parent I understand sometimes you just need to carry them, even when they get older! But most kids have this inherent need to clog up our personal space, yep, they just want to be close to your face.
Our natural inherent response to this is to lean our face away to give us this space and create a little bit of security.
You see just like everyone else; your brain has a vested interest in protecting the health of your face. So, when this space is invaded our natural instinct is to protect ourselves and move away.
The issue with this is when standing, this means arching your back and extending. This can create pressure in the lower spine leading to irritation of ligaments, especially the iliolumbar ligament.
This ligament is responsible for guiding motion in the lower spine. I recurrently see, when irritated, this ligament become a major cause of lower back pain in many people.
Whilst correcting the ligament is generally quite simple in most circumstances, prevention is always a better option.
Here are some key steps to take that we have found have helped prevent lower back issues when carrying your children:
- Stay upright – Sounds pretty straight forward, but if you’re like most, you’ll probably lean back to get that space potentially irritating the lower back.
- Place 1 leg back – Simply standing with 1 leg back in a walking-like position often helps improve awareness of posture encouraging you to stay upright and not lean back
- Be mindful of your strength – When kids get older the get heavier. As they get bigger and longer, they get more awkward to hold. Understand what your limits are so that you are less likely to obtain a position that threatens to create more damage to your back.
We love our kids and they love it when we carry them, but always be aware that there’s a possibility for injury if we don’t take care when doing so.
But if you need any help, just reach out. My team is always here to help.
