3. Incorrect Movement
The easiest way to ‘put your back out is to bend over to pick something up, only to move slightly incorrectly. This can then cause sudden shooting pain in the spine, as the vertebrae move and you end up trapping or damaging the nerves.
There are a lot of scenarios where this can happen. One is when moving house, which in many ways creates a perfect storm for this kind of injury (more on that in a moment). Another is lifting weights at the gym, which involves using very heavy loads and thus greatly increases the risk of injury.
A common mistake during any kind of lifting is bending at the spine. When picking up a heavy object, it is important to bend the legs and to keep the back entirely straight. This means you squat down to the ground, get a hold of whatever you want to lift, then push through the heels. Try to imagine that there is a meter stick down your back and that you’re trying to keep it perfectly straight.