The Hidden Cost of Daily Lifting

As a McTimoney chiropractor and yoga teacher, I see the same patterns in the clinic : parents and caregivers with persistent lower back pain, shoulder tension, and neck pain. When we trace back to the root cause, it's rarely a dramatic injury or accident. Instead, it's the accumulation of hundreds of small, seemingly innocent movements we perform every single day and one of these innocent movements becomes the last straw.

Let me paint a familiar picture: you're rushing through the supermarket car park, arms laden with shopping bags and a child on your hip. You twist to open the car door while holding everything. Or perhaps you're leaning into the back seat at an awkward angle, wrestling with a car seat that seems to weigh as much as the toddler strapped into it. Maybe you're scooping up your little one for the twentieth time that day, using your back instead of your legs because you're simply too exhausted to think about proper technique.

Every time you twist and lift, lean forward, or carry weight unevenly, you're placing stress on your body. Your body is remarkably resilient, but it wasn't designed for the demands of modern parenting.

Car seats can be an issue. They're bulky, an awkward shape, and require you to reach into confined spaces at some strange angles. The average infant car seat weighs between 4-6 kilograms empty, but once you add your baby, you're lifting anywhere from 8-12 kilograms in a forward-leaning, rotated position. This combination of weight, distance from your center of gravity, and rotation is a perfect storm for lower back strain.

Shopping is another challenge. We tend to carry bags in our hands rather than distributing weight evenly (think like old fashioned scales), creating lateral imbalances that force one side of our body to compensate. Over time, this can lead to muscular imbalances, with one side becoming overdeveloped while the other weakens.

And then there are our toddlers themselves—beautiful, wriggly, unpredictable bundles of energy who want "up" at the most inconvenient moments. Unlike lifting a static weight, lifting a moving child requires constant adjustment and stabilization, often while we're already off-balance or distracted.

When we repeatedly lift poorly, several things happen simultaneously. The facet joints in your spine—the small joints that allow your vertebrae to glide smoothly become restricted or irritated. The muscles surrounding your spine go into a protective spasm, creating that familiar tight, achy sensation. Your spinal discs, which act as shock absorbers between your vertebrae, experience uneven pressure that can lead to degeneration over time.

From a yoga perspective, we're also creating patterns of tension that extend far beyond the point of injury. Your body is interconnected. When you consistently hold tension in your lower back, it doesn't stay isolated there and can affect different areas of the body.

I often see parents who've developed what I call a "protective posture"—rounded shoulders, forward head position, compressed through the front body. This happens because chronic pain causes us to guard and protect, but this protective pattern itself becomes another source of dysfunction.

The good news is that awareness is the first step toward change. Here are some principles I share with every parent who comes through my door:

Get close to what you're lifting. Whether it's a car seat, shopping, or your child, minimize the distance between the object and your body. The further away something is from your center of gravity, the more strain on your spine.

Use your legs, not your back. This advice is so common it's become a cliché, but it's physiologically sound. The quadriceps and glutes are designed for powerful lifting. Your spinal muscles are designed for stabilization. Bend at your hips and knees, keep your spine neutral, and drive through your legs.

Avoid twisting while lifting. If you need to turn, pivot with your feet rather than rotating through your spine. Think of your body as one unified piece, turning as a whole rather than wringing out through your middle.

Distribute weight evenly. Use a backpack for shopping when possible, or divide bags equally between both hands. If you're carrying your child, alternate which hip you use rather than always favoring one side.

Beyond technique, building a body that can handle the demands of daily life requires regular maintenance. This doesn't mean spending hours in the gym, it means incorporating small, sustainable practices into your routine.

Simple yoga poses like cat-cow helps maintain spinal mobility. Child's pose releases tension through your lower back. Gentle twists can restore movement to restricted areas. Even five minutes of mindful movement each day can make a significant difference.

Strengthening your posterior chain—the muscles along the back of your body including your glutes, hamstrings, and back muscles—provides better support for all that lifting. Exercises like bridges, squats, and bird-dogs are particularly effective and can be done at home without any equipment.

Regular chiropractic care also plays a vital role. McTimoney adjustments help restore proper alignment and movement to restricted joints, allowing your nervous system to function optimally and your muscles to relax. Many of my patients notice that when their spine is well-aligned, they naturally move more efficiently and experience less pain.

Parenting is physically demanding, and some degree of tiredness and achiness is normal. But chronic, persistent pain is not something you need to accept as inevitable. Your body is sending you messages through discomfort, asking you to pay attention and make changes.

The habits you develop now—how you lift, carry, and move—will serve you not just through the toddler years but for decades to come. Investing in proper movement patterns and regular body maintenance isn't indulgent self-care; it's essential maintenance that allows you to show up fully for the people who depend on you.

So the next time you reach for that car seat or bend to pick up your little one, pause for just a moment. Take a breath, engage your center, get close, and lift with intention. Your future self will thank you.