Where should your feet be positioned when lifting a patient?

When lifting a patient, positioning your feet shoulder-width apart is essential for maintaining balance and stability. This stance allows for an effective center of gravity and supports a strong base of support, which is crucial when engaging your core muscles to lift safely. Having your feet apart helps distribute the weight more evenly across your body, reducing the risk of injury to your back and ensuring that you can use your leg muscles effectively during the lift.

In contrast, standing with feet together can compromise stability and increases the risk of losing balance while lifting. Close together positioning does not provide enough support, and spreading your feet excessively wide might hinder your ability to maintain proper alignment and control during the lift. Therefore, shoulder-width apart is the recommended position for optimizing safety and efficiency when lifting a patient.