Moving house: what all that lifting does to your body

Boxes up the stairs, wrestling the sofa through a doorway, another load for the van. A move looks mostly like a matter of organising, but physically it is one of the hardest things you can ask your body to do in a short space of time.

Why a move hits you so hard

It is not one heavy lift that causes the problem, it is the accumulation. Hours of bending, lifting, carrying and twisting in a row, often around corners and up stairs where you would never normally carry anything heavy. Your body keeps compensating along the way, and that compensation costs energy you only feel afterwards.

The lower back usually takes the biggest hit, followed by shoulders and neck from carrying boxes that weigh just a bit differently than you are used to. Even people who pace themselves and lift with someone else often notice tension the next day that was not there before.

What your body needs after a move

The first few days after a move are usually spent unpacking, more lifting and settling into the new place. That is exactly when your body needs recovery most, while in practice it rarely gets any.

A relaxation massage helps release the tension that has built up in your back and shoulders before it turns into something more persistent. For a sensitive lower back, a more targeted cupping treatment can give that bit of extra relief.

At Masseur Joost in Hoofddorp there is room for evening and weekend appointments, even when your schedule is full of boxes to unpack.