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Before parents of university-bound children move their offspring into dormitories, they probably prepare in many ways: packing up clothes and bedding, perhaps, or putting the final touches on plans to turn Junior's bedroom into a study.
Chances are that limbering up, stretching their deltoids or practising dead lifts at the gym are not on their list.
But maybe they should be, says physiotherapist Jennifer Howey.
Every fall, parents limp into Ms. Howey's Toronto office, victims of move-in day at university, with aching backs, sore shoulders and worse.
"I had one case, a lady of baby-boomer age, and she helped her daughter move all day. Then she went to lift that last box of dishes out of the trunk and - nope, stuck. She couldn't straighten up," Ms. Howey says. "She came to me high on anti-inflammatories."
Move-in day is a rite of passage, for parents as well as for their nearly grown children. Nothing says "end of summer" quite like the sight of middle-aged men and women huffing and puffing as they carry desks and bags of clothes up flights of stairs.
"I can see it around Queen's now; it's kind of actually hilarious," says Dean Tripp, a pain expert and associate professor at Queen's University.
The other day he watched from his car with trepidation as an obese man who looked to be in his mid-50s struggled to carry a couch with his university-aged daughter.
"He was about 6 foot 3, and she was about 5-2," he recalls.
"They've got her on one end just straining to lift this thing, and him on the other end sweating all down his spine."
Ah, double hernias, the ultimate father-daughter bonding experience.
The problem is that most people don't understand the basic mechanics of lifting, Dr. Tripp says.
"It's all about a straight back and using your thighs. ... And don't go past your capacity," he says. "[Move-in day] is painful enough psychologically; you don't need to come home with a broken back."
Ms. Howey's advice is simple: "Stretch, stretch, stretch, stretch."
Moving into university is more complicated than simply relocating some furniture, of course. It's fraught with emotion for parents and children alike. University freshmen are crossing the threshold, literally and figuratively, between childhood and the start of their life as (their parents hope) independent adults. That's a heavy load to carry, even if you lift with your legs.
The emotional weight of move-in day is one reason why parents insist on helping, despite protests from their aching backs.
"They want to parent their kids; they want to share that experience," says Dr. Tripp, who teaches in the departments of psychology, anesthesiology and urology. "This is a chance to show their love, and perhaps their authority."
Rosa Moskowitz of Thornhill plans to be by her youngest son's side when he moves into residence at the University of Toronto on Sunday.
"I'm looking forward to it," she says. "It's a milestone."
After all, she attended open houses with him and helped him get his application in on time.
"I've always been involved 100 per cent," she says, taking a break from shopping at the University of Toronto's book store.
But don't look for her in a physiotherapist's office on Monday morning. Her moving-day support will be logistical, not physical.
"We've got two other sons who live in Toronto," her husband, Willie, explains. "My lugging days are over."
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Limber up
How can you help move your kids into university without ending up in traction? Physiotherapist Jennifer Howey, director of InsideOut Physiotherapy and Wellness Group in Toronto, offers the following tips:
Know your limits. If you carry a 10-kilogram box upstairs, remember that it's 10 kilograms plus your body weight balancing on one leg at a time.
Hold items close to your body. A box held at arm's length can put as much as six times the force on your lower back.
Don't twist and lift. Many lower back injuries happen as we reach for something and turn our body at the same time. Twist with the feet, not the back.
Squat and lift from the knees. Squeeze leg and buttock muscles to take pressure off the back as you lift.
Breathe out upon exertion and tighten lower abdominals to protect your lower back. Pretend to whistle for a cab to feel those muscles working.
When carrying bags, engage your shoulder muscles and back, do not simply lift from the arms or let the bags hang.
If you overdo it, take a bath with Epsom salts, treat yourself to a massage, see your doctor or physiotherapist if pain persists and, Ms. Howey advises, "Send your kids the bill."
Rebecca Dube
