Why does the carer’s back hurt?
Because caring is physical. Helping a parent out of bed, up from the chair or onto the toilet loads your lower back. You bend, twist and hold your breath while you do it.
Low back pain is widespread. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that it affected 619 million people in 2020, about 1 in 13 [1].
Carers are at risk of it more than most, because the lifting happens daily, at low beds and in small rooms. If this is you, you are not weak. The task is heavy.
How can you help a parent move with less strain?
Seven small changes protect your back.
- Raise the surface. Put her chair on a firm cushion or use a higher seat so she does not start from low.
- Bring her close. Stand with your feet apart and her near you, so you are not reaching.
- Bend your hips and knees, not your waist.
- Use her effort: count “one, two, three” and let her push up with her legs.
- Turn your feet, not your spine. Step around instead of twisting.
- Use a firm rail, a bed rail or a sliding sheet where suitable.
- Do not lift her body weight. If she cannot help at all, stop and ask for advice.
A physiotherapist can show these in your home on your parent’s actual chair and bed. See our glossary entry on transfer training.
What can you change in the room?
Sometimes the room is the problem, not you. A low bed, a soft sofa or a toilet without a rail forces you to lift more.
Raise the bed on blocks or use a higher mattress. Place a sturdy chair with arms where she sits most. Fit a rail by the toilet.
Keep the path clear of mats and clutter, because you walk backwards or sideways while helping. Our lifting safely at home guide covers more.
How can the family share the load?
In Ipoh families, one daughter or the helper does most of the caring while siblings live in KL, Penang or Singapore. That is tiring and lonely.
Share tasks that do not need lifting: managing appointments, ordering equipment, paying for respite, or taking a night. Ask siblings to send photos of the home setup, or to arrange a physiotherapy visit.
A short written plan on WhatsApp, with who does what and when, prevents arguments later.
When does your own pain need attention?
Back pain that settles within days usually needs gentle movement and a pause from heavy tasks. Pain that lingers, returns each week or limits your caring needs checking.
See a doctor urgently if the pain follows a fall or spreads down a leg with numbness or weakness. Do the same if it wakes you at night, or comes with fever or trouble passing urine.
Physiotherapy for the carer includes pain relief, strengthening the hips and trunk, and teaching you the lifts. Read about back pain and back pain after lifting a parent.
How can a home visit help both of you?
We look at how you help and how she moves in the same visit. Small changes to the position, the height and the cues can reduce your strain and help her do more herself.
We teach your helper too. See how home physiotherapy in Ipoh works, and read being there when your parent has physio.
What about the centre in Canning Garden?
Our Canning Garden centre, near Fatimah Hospital, is opening soon, and it will suit a carer who wants strengthening for their own back. Home visits across Ipoh are available now.