In this lesson, you’ll learn: - How to handle everyday activities while being kind to your back. - How small changes in chore-handling can make a big difference in your daily life.

1. How to make housework
work for you
Written by: Joanne Zeis
Reviewed by: Synne Wing, MSW, September 2015

2. Learning Goals
➢It’s no surprise that household chores and yard work can be tough on your back. But
consider this: If you already have problems with your lower back, it might be hard to get
those chores done at all. Just ask anyone with back pain who happens to be looking at a
sea of laundry, or at heavy bags of groceries in the car. How are you supposed to handle
the daily chores that everyone else seems to take for granted?
For most of us, there are tasks that have to be done no matter how we feel. But if
household tasks aren’t handled in a back-friendly way, there’s a risk of making your back
pain worse. You might even face the ultimate insult -- re-injuring a back that took months
to heal.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help if a job seems too big right now. As you start to feel better,
you’ll slowly be able to increase your activity level.
In this lesson, you’ll learn:
❖How to handle everyday activities while being kind to your back.
❖How small changes in chore-handling can make a big difference in your daily life.

3. Kitchen Aids – Part 1
➢If you’re in the middle of a “back attack” it’s possible to ignore the laundry for a few
days, or let the grass grow a little higher. But we all have to eat: It’s hard to stay out of
the kitchen unless you’re totally bedridden. So how can the kitchen experience be a little
easier for someone with back pain?
Try these tips:
❖Don’t buy heavy items in bulk at the “big box” stores: Your food may cost less there, but the
packaging might be too hard to lift. For example, a gallon of milk is cheaper than two half-gallons,
but the single gallon jug weighs more at the start, and can be awkward to pour.
❖Try to store food at waist level as much as possible, both on cupboard shelves and in the
refrigerator. Reaching up too high or bending down too low can put extra stress on your back.
❖If you need to get an object from a lower shelf, drop to one knee to find it, put it on the counter,
and then use the counter, or a table or chair, for support as you stand up again.

4. Kitchen Aids – Part 2
➢Here are some back-friendly ideas for cooking:
❖Use lightweight pots and pans.
❖If you must use a heavy cooking pan, make sure that it has two handles for lifting.
❖If you need to slide an oven rack in or out, don’t bend over to do it. Try a heat-
resistant “push-pull stick” to extend your reach, or use a long barbecue fork to move
the rack.
❖When preparing food, gather together all of the cooking tools and ingredients that
are needed and put them in front of you. The goal is not to twist your body while
reaching for any items that you need.
❖Cook on the front burners of the stove instead of the rear, to keep from reaching.
❖Kitchen counters are your friends. Use the surfaces to slide heavy objects, instead of
lifting.
❖If you’ll be standing for a while in front of the stove or a counter, rest one foot on a
low stepstool or book.
❖If possible, prepare food while sitting down.
❖Take frequent breaks to stretch and move around.

5. Doing the Dishes
➢Whether you have a dishwasher or have to do the dishes by hand, it’s important
to be careful. Lifting a big pile of dishes can hurt your back just as badly as picking
up heavy furniture. Is there any way to make this chore easier?
➢Try these suggestions:
❖Ask able-bodied family members to help – either by taking turns doing the dishes each night,
or by clearing the table, handling recyclables, or putting food away.
❖If you have little or no help, first clear the table by moving dishes onto a cart with wheels,
and then roll the cart to the kitchen sink.
❖For any dishes being done by hand, stand in front of the sink and prop one foot up on a low
footstool, or on the edge of a low cabinet shelf below the sink. Lean against the counter for
extra support.
❖Let hand-washed dishes air dry in a rack instead of hand-drying them.
❖If using a dishwasher, sit on a rolling chair as you load or unload the racks. Use the top rack
more often, so that you won’t have to bend over.
❖Store dishes on shelves in a way that doesn’t require bending over or stretching.

6. Cleaning the House
➢Cleaning is hard work, but with a little planning, it doesn’t have to be a back-breaking grind, too.
➢Ask family members to pitch in. Even small children can help.
➢Lightweight tools are best:
❖ It’s not always necessary to haul out a vacuum. Try using a lightweight, long-handled broom or rechargeable
device to clean linoleum and hardwood floors.
❖ Light, long-handled dusters can easily reach ceiling corners and overhead lights and fans.
❖ Try out different vacuum cleaners before buying one: Some vacuums are much lighter and easier to move
than others.
➢When sweeping, bend your knees, keep your elbows by your side, and use your wrists and
forearms to move the broom. Go to the dirt – don’t stretch your arms to reach it.
➢Move with the vacuum, keeping it in front of you. With one foot in front of you and one behind,
put all your weight on the front foot and step forward and back while moving the vacuum. Your
legs and core muscles should do the work. Bend your knees, not your waist.
➢Keep sets of cleaning tools on different floors of the house, so you’re not carrying them up and
down stairs.

7. Making the Bed
➢Do you have to wrestle sheets and blankets into submission every morning?
Change the sheets every week or so? The twisting and bending motions that go
into making a bed are tailor-made to cause painful back spasms. If you’re already
struggling with back pain, how will you handle this basic household chore?
Here are some options:
❖If you don’t have easy access to all three sides of the bed, ask someone to help move it to a
better location.
❖While you’re still lying in bed each morning, try to straighten out your sheets and blankets as
much as possible.
❖To change the sheets, move around all sides of the bed first, untucking the sheets and
blankets as you go. Don’t just pull the sheets free from an opposite side of the bed.
❖Putting new sheets on the bed can be hard if you usually bend over and raise the mattress to
tuck the sheets in. Try kneeling next to the bed instead, and tuck the sheets in without
lifting.
❖Don’t reach or lean over the bed – walk around it instead.
❖Don’t flip the mattress yourself! Ask someone else to do it.

8. Doing Laundry
➢Wet laundry weighs more than you might think. And even when clothes are dry, a
full laundry basket can be heavy and awkward to carry – especially when going
around corners or through narrow doorframes. It’s easy to hurt your back with
this common chore. Here are some ways to get through it:
❖If possible, set up your washer and dryer on the same floor as your laundry-generating family
members. Use a wheeled cart to move clothes.
❖Instead of carrying a large load of laundry down a flight of stairs, toss it to the bottom in
small batches. Don’t bend over to pick up the clothes at the other end. Long-handled
reachers or grabbers can help.
❖If you have a front-loading washer or dryer, load them by putting one knee on the floor
instead of bending over. Use the machines as support when standing up.
❖Don’t twist when moving laundry from the washer to the dryer: Move your feet and turn
your whole body.
❖Carry clean laundry up the stairs in small batches. Another option is to rig a pulley system to
move the whole basket to the top at once.
❖Fold laundry while sitting down.

9. Shopping
➢Shoppers generally fall into two categories – those who love to shop, and people who’ll
only shop if there’s no way out of it. No matter which type of person you are, here are
some back-smart ways to get the job done:
❖The Internet is the (almost) pain-free answer to hauling heavy bags and dealing with crowded
stores. Not only can you buy most household items online, you can also order groceries and have
them delivered.
❖If you prefer “regular” shopping:
Use a portable rolling cart to carry your purchases. If you have to hand-carry a bag, separate the
items into two bags instead, and carry one bag in each hand.
➢When shopping for food:
❖Bring someone who can reach all shelves comfortably.
❖Put two handheld baskets upside down in your shopping cart. You’ll bend over much less by
placing your items on top of these baskets.
❖Put shopping bags in the back of your car instead of the trunk, so you’re not bending and lifting at
an awkward angle.
❖Use a wheeled cart to carry items into the house.
❖Ladies: Carry a small, lightweight purse and keep it in front of you. There’ll be less twisting to
reach your wallet.

10. Outdoor Chores
➢There’s nothing like a bright, sunny day to bring out the weekend
yard warriors. People prone to back pain should be careful of yard-
work overkill, though:
❖Keep an eye on the temperature and weather. Wear clothing in layers that
can be removed or added as needed.
❖Drink enough fluids.
❖Do back and leg stretches first. Stop often to stretch and rest.
❖STOP if a new part of your body starts to hurt, or if you feel a lot of
discomfort.

11. ➢Lawn work
❖Use a self-propelled mower, or use a mulching mower so you’re not dealing with bagged
clippings.
❖Stand up straight. Keep your head up while raking or mowing.
➢Gardening
❖Change your body position often.
❖Use a gardening stool, kneepads and ergonomic tools.
❖Carry gardening tools in a child’s wagon, a backpack, or the pockets of an apron.
❖Try container gardening.
➢Snow removal
❖Get someone else to shovel heavy, wet snow, or use a snowblower.
❖Bent-handled shovels reduce back strain and forward bending.
❖Push snow, don’t throw it. If you must lift it, bend your knees and let your leg and arm
muscles do the work.
❖Avoid twisting and turning actions.

12. Additional Resources:
➢American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. [search on “preventing
back pain at work and at home”]. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org
➢Johns Hopkins Medicine. [search on “how to minimize back pain
around the house”]. http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com