• What is Good Posture
• Driving Posture
• Mounting and Dismounting a Tractor and Other Large Farm Equipment
• Shovelling

• Tire Changes
• Engine & Machinery Repair
• Reaching

Lifting

• Using a Mechanical Lift When Possible
• Auger Lift (single man and two man lifts)
• Floor to Overhead
• Floor to Waist

Push/Pull Posture

Carry

• Unilateral Carry
• Bilateral Carry

a. What is Good Posture
Posture is defined as the general position of the arms, legs, and torso relative to the position required to carry out a certain task.

Good posture is when there is a balance between the various segments of the body which allows for a minimum level of effort to maintain the particular position or transition into another balanced position. This allows you to perform your regular activities with minimal strain on your lower, middle or upper back. Generally you want the majority of your body mass passing through the centre of your base of support. You also want to maintain the 4 spinal curves as much as possible.

b. Driving Posture

Good driving posture is also one that requires the least amount of energy to maintain.

You want to sit with your full back against the seat so that it is well supported. Also it is important to sit close enough to the steering wheel so that your knees are bent and are even with or slightly higher than your hips. You also need to be able to have your hands on the steering wheel with elbows slightly bent and shoulders back in a normal postural position. Avoid having to squeeze you shoulders back or roll them forward. They should be in a nice comfortable position.

It is also important to shift your position frequently to prevent the muscles from getting tight or over tense. This can lead to an overload that will cause the muscles to become hyper-active or locked in a semi-contracted state. This can lead to a chronic alteration in your posture that over time may pre-dispose you to injury.

c. Mounting and Dismounting a Tractor or Other Large Farm Equipment

It is important to have a suitable environmental set up when mounting and dismounting a tractor.

Factors that need to be considered include the size and height of any steps. The surface on the top of each step. The type, size or even availability of any handrails. Whether handrails are available on both sides of the steps or only on one side. And the angle at which the steps and handrails are situated.

While properly mounting or dismounting a tractor, it is important to maintain three points of contact with the handrails and steps (ex: one foot and two hands remain in contact with the machinery as you climb). You should also pull with your hands and step with your feet at the same time while keeping your weight over your feet so that each step elevates you straight upward or lowers you straight downward. Leaning backward or forward increases the risk if a slip which can jar or twist the lower back. Try to maintain a neutral spine as much as possible.

d. Shovelling

Shoveling can be a very physically demanding activity. Prepare yourself by limbering up and stretching the back and shoulders before you begin and after the job is complete.

Make sure that the shovel is appropriate for the job. If grain is wet it is advisable to use a smaller shovel or take smaller scoops, especially if you have a history of back pain or are predisposed to getting back pain from activities such as shovelling (i.e. you are tall requiring more bending, or you are overweight placing more strain on your back during bending activities).

When shovelling, keep your feet at approximately shoulder width or slightly wider with your knees slightly bent and back slightly arched (to try and maintain the normal lumbar spine curvature) to give you a good wide base of support to work from. Then remember to lift with your legs, not with your back. Bend your legs more if you have a heavier load, so that you can lift with the legs and stabilize with your back.

Avoid twisting while shovelling, and keep the load close to your body. This should be done by keeping your hands in near your hips and trying not to reach with the shovel, especially if it is loaded. Move your feet in the direction you are shovelling rather than twisting your spine.  Try to use smooth controlled motions and not jerk the loaded shovel. Also try to change your position so that you do not shovel continuously to one side.

Remember to inhale while scooping and exhale while lifting and don't hold your breath.

Try to perform more lighter loads instead of fewer heavier loads — it will decrease the stress on the lower back.

And finally, pace yourself. Take frequent short breaks to alleviate early fatigue. Avoid sustaining a forward bent posture for long periods of time.  Every 5-10 minutes take the stress off your spine and back muscles by standing tall, or even performing some easy backward bending.

There are several activities that no matter what you do, are awkward and put you in a position the compromises your lower back. There are however, some simple guidelines that you can follow to reduce the risk of injuring or aggravating your back.

For every general posture there is a neutral position for the upper and lower body, and spine. Whenever we deviate from the neutral posture, we are using an awkward posture. The neutral posture would be when we are able to maintain the normal spinal curves with our feet under us and arms hanging relaxed at our sides. Here are a few examples of activities that lead to awkward postures and tips to decrease your risk of injury.

a. Tire Changes

Changing a tire may require you to work in an awkward posture. Depending on the type of vehicle and size of the tire, the required posture could put you in a position of increased risk for injury. If you need to reach out away from your body to lift the tire or pull it off of the lugs you are in an increased risk situation. The extended arms position creates a longer lever used to lift the tire which can increase the flexion torque on your spine or overload the arms and shoulders.

If you use a half kneeling (one leg down and one leg up) position, you can shift your entire body forward and backward to remove or replace the tire. This may help prevent you from having to reach out as far.

If the tire is from a tractor or other large farm vehicle it is best to use a mechanical lift to extract the tire from the vehicle.  If a mechanical lift is not available, work smarter not harder – get assistance from family, friends, or neighbors.

b. Engine & Machinery Repair

By nature, repair work may put you in any number of awkward postures or positions in the torso or lower back.

It is important to put yourself in a comfortable position that allows you to work in small confined areas, yet apply proper leverage when needed. Do not stay in an awkward position for extended periods because muscles and joints can begin to spasm as a protective mechanism. If a large or sudden force is applied while a muscle is in slight spasm, it can lead to more significant injury to the muscles or joints. It can also be helpful to use a supported posture when working on engine repair. A supported posture is when you can use your free hand or body to lean and take the load off of your lower back.

It is best to shift positions as frequently as possible to prevent muscle or joint tightness.

c. Reaching

Reaching is a very common requirement on the job. It is important to protect your back whenever reaching is required. To do this you should remember a few key points. The further you reach, the longer the lever you create, the more torque is placed on the lower back. The longer the lever, the more force or strength is required to support that lever length. Along with the length of the lever, comes the load that you may be required to move or manipulate. You should always try to keep heavier loads closer to your body, thus reducing the amount of torque being placed on your lower back. Whenever possible, use a reaching tool or slide an object closer before you attempt to lift it.

a. Using a Mechanical Lift When Possible

Lifting on the farm is one of the most common activities that you may be required to do throughout the day. Lifting once, twice or a few times with incorrect posture or heavier loads is not always a problem in and of itself. However, over time, repeated heavier or incorrect lifting can cause the lower back to reach a breaking point where injury can occur.

Because lifting can cause wear and tear over time, it is helpful to use a mechanical lift whenever possible. Using a mechanical lift will reduce the wear and tear on your back and allow your back recovery time for when mechanical lifts are not available.

If a mechanical lift is not available, another option is to use a partner lifting technique. It is important when using a team lift, to communicate so that the load is distributed equally and lifted at the same time. Make sure each person involved has both a good footing position and a good hand hold of the object being lifted. Make sure that the lifting is done with the legs and not the back and try not to twist while lifting as this can put the back in a compromising position.

Team Lifting
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b. Auger lift (Single Man and Two Man Lifts)

Lifting and manoeuvring an auger is another common task on the farm. Many times it may be done as a one person lift or it may be done as a two person lift. If you are using a one person lifting technique make sure you are in a good balanced position with your feet approximately shoulder width apart. Squat down so that you can lift with your legs and not with your back. Keep the auger as close to you as possible in order to minimize the torque on the lower back. Do not lift with straight legs or from a bent over position as this can put a significant load on the lower back and can easily lead to injury.

If you are performing a two-man lift, again make sure that both partners have a good footing position and can safely grab on to the auger. Lifting should still  be done with the legs and not the back. Make sure that both partners know which one will be in charge of steering or directing the auger, while the other partner helps lift and move it in the desired direction. In this case, improper communication can increase the risk of injury to the lower back. Make sure both partners lift at the same time to prevent one partner from having to carry more of the load.

If you need to turn or twist to position the auger, make sure that you lift first and then pivot your feet to help turn or rotate the auger. This is much safer, and puts much less strain on the lower back.

Improper One-man Auger Lift	Correct One-man Auger Lift		Team Auger Lift
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c. Floor to Overhead

Ground or floor to overhead lifting is another activity that is quite common, yet can put the lower back in a compromised position. Lifting and throwing bales is a good example of this type of lifting.

Once again, make sure that you have a good foot position and a good hand hold on the bale which puts you in a positive leverage position. This means that you keep the bale as close to your body as possible to limit the torque on the spine. Squat down as much as possible so that the initial lift is performed with the legs and then pull up with the arms. Again, keep the bale close to you.

Do not lift with your legs straight. Keep soft knees (slightly bent to cushion the load), as this takes a significant amount of the pressure off of the lower back. Also, do not lift from a forward bent position as this also puts the lower back in a compromised position. Contract the muscles throughout the entire length of your torso when lifting so that the work is being done by your entire body and not by your lower back alone. This technique is called bracing.

Correct Overhead Lift
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d. Floor to Waist

Floor to waist height lifting is important because this can also be the initial stage of carrying. There are a couple of different options that can be considered when lifting off of the floor.

• Wide stance
  Lifting with a wide stance is helpful when the object to be lifted has a wide base or if it must be lifted from the bottom. The wide stance allows you to get lower while still being in a balanced position and a good leverage position.
• Stagger stance
  A stagger stance is another method of getting lower to the ground while lifting a larger or odd shaped object or when it must be lifted from the bottom. A stagger stance puts one leg beside the object, while the other is behind the object. This allows you to position the object more under you where your base of support is most balanced.

Both the wide stance and the staggered stance allow you to be in a better position to lift without compromising your lower back. Lifting is still done with the legs which means minimal forward bend and no straight leg lifting.

Wide Stance		Stagger Stance
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Pushing and pulling larger or heavy objects can also put you at risk. Here it is important to achieve a balanced leverage position. Make sure you have good footing with one foot in front of the other and with a wide base of support. While pushing, try to keep the arms, legs and torso all reasonably in line to prevent torque on the lower back. The legs and torso in particular need to be aligned so that the force being generated by the legs is transmitted through the torso and arms to the object of the push (eg. round bale). Remember to allow the majority of the work to be done by the legs.

Carrying is a very common farm task that can put additional strain on the lower back. There are two main types of carrying that can be utilized, unilateral (single arm) or bilateral (two arms). Activities such as carrying pails of water or feed are good examples of carrying. Both can be done as a unilateral or bilateral carry.

a. Unilateral Carry

Unilateral carrying is more stressful on the lower back as it loads only one side of the body, which in turn, requires increased muscular work to be performed by the opposite side. You want to try to balance out the work to each side if you only have one pail. To do this switch sides regularly. Doing too much repetitive unilateral carrying can lead to overuse of the muscles on the opposite side or too much torque on the spine. When carrying an object on one side keep the knees slightly bent, this can help to control how much torque is being applied to the spine or loading the muscles of the lower back.  Raising one arm away from your side is also an effective way to reduce the load on your back as it counterbalances the weight you are carrying.

b. Bilateral Carry

A safer way to carry is to use a bilateral carrying technique. Even when a single pail full is enough to get the job done, using two half full pails can help balance the load and minimize the torque and loading on the spine and musculature of the lower back. This allows for near equal work being done on both sides and prevents an overload to one side that can predispose you to injuring your back. Again use slightly bent knees as you walk with the load as this can help dissipate some of the force and protect your lower back. Try to keep the load fairly close to the body, but not so close that it interferes with your walking.