Proper Body Mechanics for caregivers

Body mechanics is the way the parts of the body work together whenever you move. It involves the coordinated effort of muscles, bones, and the nervous system to maintain balance, posture, and alignment during moving, transferring, and positioning patients. Body mechanics also involves standing and moving one’s body to prevent injury, avoid fatigue, and make the best use of strength. When you learn how to control and balance your own body, you can safely control and move another person. Good body mechanics are based on good posture and good posture is when the spine is in a “neutral” or sloppy “S” position, so it is not too rounded forward and not arched back too far in what is termed as a critical “C” position (Wanless, 2018). Good posture is usually regarded as the most comfortable position and is the natural position of the spine in a normal, healthy person. Being in a standing position puts the spine in to a neutral healthy position rather than that in a sitting position where the spine is regarded as comfortably straight. Proper body mechanics allows individuals to carry out activities without excessive use of energy and helps prevent injuries for patients and health care providers (Perry, Potter, & Ostendorf, 2014).