Falling while carrying my 50-pound dog…pushing heavy furniture across the room…doing a cartwheel without warming up. I confess that I’ve hurt my back in more careless ways than I care to remember—and perhaps you have, too. But did you know that lots of folks strain their backs and necks simply by getting up from their chairs the wrong way?
I got the scoop from Terry Roach, MEd, a registered kinesiotherapist (a medical professional specializing in therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises) and president of Body Stabilization Training in Phoenix. She explained that often a person rises from a chair by cranking her neck back to look up and out or hunching forward at the shoulders, then lurching upward. But those motions throw the spinal column out of alignment, putting excess stress on the back and neck and increasing the risk for injury and pain. Safer: Let your legs and pelvis do the work by staggering your feet the way a runner does when coming out of the blocks at the beginning of a race, Roach suggested.
Get ready: Sit with your hips at the front of the chair seat and both feet flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart, with your knees at a 90° angle. Keeping your spine straight, tilt your trunk forward from the hips (imagine a rod running through your body from your head to your hips). With your upper arms at your sides, rest your forearms on your thighs, thumbs up. Look toward the ground where your chest is facing—don’t crease your neck by looking up and out. Your shoulders should be in line with your knees. Next, draw your right foot under your chair until it is below your right mid-thigh, with the ball of the right foot on the floor and the right heel up. (If you prefer to move the left foot back instead of the right, simply follow the instructions below using the opposite side.)
Rise up: Now, start the action by pushing against the floor with the right foot. Using the thigh muscles of both legs and keeping your trunk angled forward, begin to rise as you transfer some weight to the left leg to achieve an even 50/50 weight distribution. Continue rising, transferring your weight to the flat left foot…then, as your trunk straightens up, swing the right leg forward and place the right foot next to the left, hip-width apart (think of the trunk and right leg moving in concert, like a pendulum). Throughout the movement, continue to look wherever your chest is facing to prevent strain on the neck and back.
Make it a habit: This technique may feel awkward at first, Roach acknowledged, but with practice the movement will become natural…and any neck and back pain you’ve been experiencing upon standing up should abate.
