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A sore lower back from lifting and bending

A stiff, sore lower back after a day of lifting comes up at every co-op counter. Here is what we would look at first, and the moves we use to train the hips and trunk to carry more of the work. If the pain is sharp, runs down a leg, or comes with numbness, see a doctor before anything else.

Uses
a bucket, a hay bale, a feed sack
Answers
What can I do about a sore lower back from lifting and bending?
A neat stack of square straw bales against a weathered plank wall, a pair of leather gloves resting on the top bale.
Every one of these got lifted twice.

What the research says about farm backs

From the research we read

A review of 24 studies worldwide found about 48% of farmers reported low back pain in the past year, and 75% had it at some point in life.

Source: Osborne et al., 2012

Those numbers are about how common it is, not why. Long days of bending, twisting with a load, and lifting from the ground all play a part, and you know those days better than any study does.

Change how the lift happens

  • Get close. Pull the bucket or sack in against your body before you lift. A load held at arm's length is much harder on the back.
  • Hinge from the hips. Push the hips back, keep the back long, and let the legs and backside do the standing up.
  • Turn with your feet. Twisting at the waist with a bale in your arms is the move to avoid. Step around instead.
  • Split the load. Two half buckets, one in each hand, are kinder than one full one on one side.
  • Break up long bends. Hours over one job? Stand up and lean back gently every so often.

Four moves for the back and hips

  1. Bucket hinge

    Uses: an empty bucket, then a half-full one 3 sets of 8

    Hips back, flat back, eyes on the ground a few feet ahead. Stand up by squeezing your backside.

  2. Bale bridge

    Uses: a hay bale 2 sets of 10

    Lie on your back with your heels on the bale. Press through the heels and lift your hips until you are straight from knee to shoulder.

  3. Bird dog

    Uses: a folded feed sack under the knees 2 sets of 6 a side

    On hands and knees, reach one arm and the opposite leg out long. Keep your back as still as a tabletop.

  4. Suitcase carry

    Uses: one bucket or a feed sack To the gate and back, 3 times a side

    Weight in one hand, stand straight as a post, and do not let it pull you sideways.

Start with the lightest version. If a move makes your back feel worse during or after, leave it out and keep the others.

When to stop and get help

Sore and stiff after hard work is one thing. Pain that is sharp, gets worse week to week, runs down a leg, or comes with numbness or weakness is another. That is a doctor's call, not a workout's.

These moves are general strength training. They are not a treatment, and they do not stand in for medical care or physical therapy. If you are already seeing someone for your back, show them this page and ask which moves fit.

Contents

Back in Shape turns these four moves into a 12-week program: hinges, carries, and pulls in order, with the load going up a little each week so the hips and trunk keep getting stronger. Sessions run about 25 minutes, three days a week.

Back in Shape: $69 one-time, 12 weeks. Or every tier with membership, $12 a month or $99 a year.

See Back in ShapeFind my plan

Caution Check with your doctor before you start. Results vary from person to person.