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Back health

C

callofcthulhu

Oct 16, 2012
3,656
5,654
#1
So I'm hoping someone can link to a guide similar to the CTS stickies all about taking care of your back on the road.

Specifically I'm talking about techniques for lifting ~100 pound square 412s consistently and safely. I'm in a band with two full stack 412s and I'm the only one in the band strong enough to lift them on my own (obviously the others help, but they have to do it 2 to a cab). I'm young enough to not feel it, but smart enough to realize that I will if I don't learn some proper lifting technique, especially getting one cab on top of the other.
 
#4
fearceol said:
"Google" is your friend ! ;)

https://www.google.ie/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGNI_enIE560&q=how to lift safely


Just because you are strong enough to lift on your own, does not mean you should. Get someone to assist you. It might take a little longer that way, but worth it.
Click to expand...

Right, thanks, obviously I searched google and youtube before posting here. If you notice, all of those guides illustrate lifting boxes small enough that you can actually get your arms around and under so you can lift with your legs. I know how to lift an amp head correctly.

I don't know if you've ever humped a Marshall style cab before, but with heavy duty casters on it it comes up to about the start of my rib cage, it's about as wide as 2/3 of my wingspan, there's not enough depth to get a secure grip on, and the handles are almost all the way at the top. And you've basically gotta be able to lift it over your head to mount it on top of another one.

So, yeah, it's a very specific and very awkward proportion that falls outside of most "you should lift with your legs" health guides, but one that I figured would be ubiquitous enough that a musician's community would be able to give insight on.

And just to keep some variety in the answers, let's just assume that team lift is not an option.
 
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#8
Agree with fearceol, just because you can lift doesn't mean you should. I've had major back surgery and so I'm most careful about lifting. Two people with proper support equipment is a wise solution. Dollies and handtrucks are fine if stairs are not involved, but when they are, other support means are needed. Although I go light anymore and don't need them, here's a site that has some equipment I found helpful. Hopefully you can find something that will work for you.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Lloyd Howard
 
#9
I worked for a moving company as a teen for a few years and used all the proper tools and techniques at the time - the damage I did to my back did not show up until 20+ years later - Bottom line no matter what, if you're humping anything over 40lbs damage can occur. You'll trip, fall, mis-step, turn to fast or in the wrong direction or something while carrying and it happens. GET HELP while lifting.
 
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#13
guy n. cognito said:
Even very strong individuals can hurt themselves with an improper lift.
Click to expand...

True, you can hurt yourself doing a wide variety of things. Most folks don't know how to lift and are not structurally strong enough to be lifting and this is usually how they wind up getting hurt. And then there's that extra flab in the belly that doesn't help your back.
 
#14
Phil Smith said:
True, you can hurt yourself doing a wide variety of things. Most folks don't know how to lift and are not structurally strong enough to be lifting and this is usually how they wind up getting hurt. And then there's that extra flab in the belly that doesn't help your back.
Click to expand...

Hence my posting here - can you describe the logistics of properly lifting something with these awkward dimensions? I've done weight training before and know the theory of correct lifting, I'm just at a loss of how to appropriately apply that theory to this specific task.

Maybe I should post a video of myself doing the lift so I can point out the frames where I know I'm going wrong?
 
#15
You really need help if you're going to lift from the ground and place on top of another of the same type. If you had a hand truck that was tall enough, you could stack them on it with the truck laying down(horizontal) with them secured with a wide nylon strap and then lift that to the upright(vertical) position with help from the hand truck.
 
#17
Since this is sort of turning into a general back thing and not just lifting...

Something most might not even consider about their back is the muscles in the legs. I had a disc bulge on me (compounded by a birth defect in my lower spine that's been unnoticed) because I was so out of shape, the spine was taking most of the impacts and not the body's natural suspension. Before opting for surgery there was physical therapy, and the woman told me I had the tightest hamstrings she had ever seen. Tight + weak muscles = garbage suspension and it's brutal on the discs of the lumbar spine.

I've maintained a regimen of stretches to keep all the muscles in my legs nice and limber, as well as strengthening muscles in the legs and lower back. I've been pain-free for four years, now.

You do not want to spend 4-5 months with sciatic nerve pain 24/7, trust me :)
 

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