Door 23 – Myth: Lifting the wrong way – is a round back really dangerous?

The question of whether lifting with a rounded back is harmful to the lumbar spine is one that concerns many people. Traditionally, it is recommended to always lift “with a straight back”. But what does the research say?

What does the current evidence show?

A study from 2021 examined 26 healthy participants in three different lifting positions:

• Maximum extension of the lumbar spine
• neutral position
• Maximum flexion (round back)

Movement analyses, strength measurements and EMG measurements of the back extensor muscles were carried out.

Result:
Maximum flexion scored best in terms of strength and efficiency of the back muscles. This means that a round back is not automatically worse.

Is lifting with a rounded back more dangerous?

A meta-analysis from 2020 found no clear evidence that greater flexion of the spine is a risk factor for back pain. Although the quality of evidence was low, there is no clear indication of increased risk.

Another study from 2022 examined workers with and without a history of back pain.
Result: People with back pain showed less bending when lifting than those without pain.

This means:
➡️ More flexion (= round back) is not associated with back pain.
➡️ Less flexion (= excessively stiff back) can also be problematic.

Conclusion

There is no scientific reason to demonize lifting with a rounded back in principle.
What is important is this:

• customized technology
• Sufficient strength
• Regular training
• Everyday movement

A generalized “lifting with a rounded back is dangerous” is not tenable.