Your closet may be riddled with "anatomical bombs," says Kirschner
In my past two posts, we looked at ways to make your kitchen and your desk back friendly. Today let’s focus a little on your closet. There are all kinds of products to organize and arrange your closet, but while most will help it to look neat, few if any focus on making your closet back friendly.
Here are some tips for eliminating the anatomic bombs in your closet:
1) Set up a ‘seasonal’ closet. Only leave those clothing items you will need to access for that given season. Do you really need to be sorting through sundresses in December or sweaters in July? Put the other items in another closet, in storage boxes under your bed, or in your attic if you have one, replacing them when appropriate.
2) Get your shoes off the floor!!! So many people keep their shoes on the floor of their closet, either in boxes, or even loose underneath their hanging garments. This is just asking for trouble, as you are being forced to go into extreme flexion first thing in the morning to pick out footwear. For under 10 dollars, you can purchase a shoe hanger that goes over the back of the closet door, elevating your shoes closer to eye level, reducing your risk.
3) Move the more accessed items, such as underwear and socks, up to a higher drawer. I was having dinner with some friends, and on a lark, asked them in which drawer they keep their underwear and socks (Yes, I got some odd looks.) Interestingly, about 2/3 of the dozen or so people we were with related they kept them in the bottom drawers. Presumably, you wear underwear and socks most days. Move them to the top!
4) Unstuff your hanging garments. Even I am guilty of this one: having your closets’ hanging racks so packed with shirts, etc., that you need to push hard against the contents just to get to the shirts/pants/dress you are trying to take out. Thin out the herd, getting rid of clothing you have not worn for a while (swap, sell, or donate!), and putting other things into storage until you really think you may wear them again.
5) Lastly, try selecting your outfits for the next day the evening before. As I mentioned, your spine has had little time to warm up when you first climb out of bed in the morning. You would not believe how many people ‘throw their back out’ first thing in the morning- more so than any other time of the day. By pulling the items you will need out of your closet the night before, and laying them out for easy access, you will reduce your risk.
These all seem like small changes, but cumulatively, they all make a difference! Let’s keep working on making your home back-pain free!
Andrew Kirschner, D.O., is a board-certified physician with a private practice in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, and a consultancy in Miami, Florida. He specializes in treating individuals and couples with musculoskeletal and back pain. To learn more about his practice, please visit BackTogether.org.
