Avoiding pain in housework
Back care when performing domestic work
Many of the domestic tasks place a great strain
on your back. There are several ways to protect it while sweeping,
vacuuming, cleaning windows, ironing, dish washing, working in the
kitchen, making beds or shopping.
a) Sweeping and mopping Floors
When sweeping and mopping floors, make sure that the length of
the broom or mop is enough to avoid leaning forward. If not, change
these objects because it will be impossible to use them without
overloading your spinal column. Hands should hold the broom or mop
between the level of your chest and hips. When sweeping or mopping,
move the broom or mop as close as possible to your feet, and do
it only by moving your arms, do not follow movements with your waist,
ensuring that your spinal column is kept vertical and not bent.
While vacuuming, adopt the same posture as when mopping floors,
while slightly flexing the knee of the leg placed forward. If you
should have to vacuum underneath a piece of furniture, do it by
kneeling on the floor on one of your knees. Make sure your spine
is straight and, if you should have to bend it, place your free
hand on your knee or on the floor.
When cleaning windows or tiles, if right handed, place your right
foot forward and the left one further back, rest your left hand
on the window frame at shoulder level and use the right hand to
wipe.
After a while, change sides and use your left hand. Make sure
that the arm used for wiping keeps the elbow flexed with a movement
range from the level of your chest to your eyes. To clean above
this level, climb on a ladder or a stool, always leaning on one
of your hands as explained. Make sure that your column is straight
and that your body weight is distributed between your feet and the
leaning hand.
When ironing, the ironing board must be relatively high, reaching
the navel or slightly above it. If you are standing up, keep a foot
on an object or footrest and change from one foot to the other frequently.
If you need to exert force on the ironing surface, lower your foot
from the footrest, place it behind the other foot and rest the hand
that is not holding the iron on the board. This way, the resting
hand and your feet will support your weight, not your spine. In
this posture, use your arm, not your weight, to press the iron against
the board.
e) Washing
dishes:
When dish-washing, make sure that the sink is approximately at
the level of your navel, in such a way that you may hold plates
with your spine straight and your elbows forming a 90º angle. Keep
one foot on a footrest or on any similar object, and change feet
frequently, always watching that your spine is straight. When passing
dishes from one sink to the other, do it with your arms, without
moving your waist.
If you must frequently reach for goods in cabinets at floor level,
think about changing the distribution. The heavier utensils should
be placed at a level between your chest and hip to avoid overloading
your spine. There is no reason why heavier items should be organized
on the lower shelves. If you must look for something on the lower
cabinets or shelves, you may do so in several ways. The first way
is to squat facing the cabinet, if you have no problems with your
knees and provided that it will be for a short period of time. If
you choose this squatting posture, keep your feet apart to improve
stability and, eventually, rest one hand on the countertop.
The second posture consists of leaning correctly: Place yourself
perpendicularly or at an oblique angle to the cabinet, in such a
way that (for example) the cabinet is on your left. Place your left
hand on the countertop and bend down while your right leg supports
your weight; raise your left leg backward, lifting the utensil in
a tilted fashion. This method is useful when
you do not have to remain in a leaning position during a long time
and if the utensil is not heavy. If you should remain for a certain
time looking for something in the cabinet, put both hands on the
countertop, kneel facing the cabinet, resting your buttocks on your
heels while maintaining one hand on the countertop. If what you
wish to lift is heavy, place it on the floor and lift it with the
diagonal
lifting technique.
g) Making beds
While making beds, place the sheet on the bed and
fix its corners below the mattress in the following way: Place yourself
at the corner of the bed, with the tip of the toe facing the edge
of the bed and the other parallel to the corner rim. In this posture,
flex your knees, raise the corner of the mattress with the hand
at the side of the foot placed at the edge of the bed -if necessary,
stretching your knees to assist yourself- and with the other hand
place the sheet below. If your back hurts, then kneel down facing
the corner of the bed and fix the sheet corners underneath the mattress.
In this latter case, rest your arms on the bed while kneeling and
getting up. If any side of the bed is placed against the wall, pull
it out so that you can go completely around it.
h) Shopping:
 When
you go shopping, try to avoid carrying your purchases. It is best
to shop twice a week, and to have goods delivered at home rather
than loading and transporting weights yourself. If you must transport
the purchase, use a trolley. If you have no other way than transporting
goods without a trolley, use a backpack or divide the weight equally
on both arms, keeping it as close as possible to your body, and
avoid carrying more than two kilograms in each arm.
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Back Pain Research Network 
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