Hi, I'm your chiropractor, and your back called me the other day complaining about all those household chores you are doing. I know you wish I could tell you just to hire a housekeeper and bill it to your insurance company, but I guess it won't work that way. Instead I have some helpful tips for ways to work around the house and protect your back.

At the counter: Washing dishes, chopping vegetables, even brushing your teeth-- all hazardous! Scared? It's just the counter height, it is likely not the perfect fit for your body. It should be belt level. Bend your elbows and shrug, it should reach the bottom. So either re-do your kitchen, buy some platform shoes, OR you can relieve some of that pressure by raising one leg. Not like a dog, but propped up, knee bent, on a stool. Or open a cabinet door and use the ledge to prop your leg.

Vacuuming: The upright vacuum, it's the enemy to your back. Most people push and pull violently. This rotates your spine with your arm outstretched. This position exposes you lower back to an acute flareup. Instead focus on your arms doing the moving, and your back NOT twisting. Slow down if you have to.

Bathtub: Take off your shoes and climb inside the tub instead of leaning over it. Squat some if you can.

Cleaning the fan: or painting the ceiling. Reaching again, up above with outstretched arms. Arching your back increases the pressure. Choose a tall ladder that is the appropriate height for the job you are doing.

Laundry time: Stop carrying the dirty laundry in a basket down a flight of stairs. Many reasons to avoid this: #1 You cannot see your feet and risk falling. Your back will hate you if you do that. #2 Your arms are outstretched increasing your back pressure. #3 You may tend to sway your back, adding undue pressure. Instead, toss them in a bag and let it roll down the stairs. It's ok to bring the laundry back upstairs in a basket if you must, because it is not as painful falling up the stairs facing them as it is facing down the stairs and falling backward or forward and downward.

Lifting: You think I'm going to say to squat... but squatting is not correct because this moves your center of gravity forward away from you, and again here you go with your arms outstretched, straining that back. Better to kneel straight down to the load, one knee on the floor and one bent at 90 degrees.

Just a few adjustments to avoid those chiropractic adjustments.