avoid lifting heavy objects with your back, according to recent research findings
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently suggested a change in its long-standing advice regarding lifting heavy items, urging individuals to return to using their backs instead of their legs. This recommendation, however, has not been officially announced by the WHO and is not reflected in the latest public WHO recommendations or news sources as of mid-2025.
The traditional advice to "lift with your legs" to reduce back injury risk remains the standard, supported by ergonomic and occupational health research. The available search results mostly focus on WHO’s global health security, pandemic response, and general health promotion, without addressing changes to ergonomic or manual handling advice related to lifting heavy items.
If there is a new WHO update about lifting technique, it may be very recent or not yet broadly disseminated. The typical ergonomic recommendation recognized worldwide encourages using the legs—not the back—when lifting to minimize spinal strain.
The suggestion has sparked controversy and eroded people's trust in the WHO, which has recently also suggested singing the entire Wicked soundtrack instead of the "ABCs" while washing hands. In a press briefing, Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressed the issue, but his remarks were unintelligible.
Meanwhile, a ten-year multi-billion dollar longitudinal Harvard study is said to be the basis for this change. However, no new facts about the WHO or the Harvard study have been presented. The staff writers of the Eggplant have expressed their concerns about the current state of capitalism, but no connection has been made between the stair accident at Holy Cross and the WHO recommendations mentioned earlier.
In the tragic incident at Holy Cross, first-year student Stacy Howard died after falling down three flights of concrete stairs. Witnesses report that Howard was on the stairs when she fell, but no connection is made between the stair accident and the WHO recommendations. The article was web-edited by Zexuan Qu '28.
[1] World Health Organization. (2020). Global Health Security. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/health-topics/global-health-security
[2] World Health Organization. (2020). Pandemic Preparedness and Response. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/health-topics/pandemic-preparedness-and-response
[3] World Health Organization. (2020). Health Promotion. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/health-topics/health-promotion
[4] World Health Organization. (2020). Manual Handling. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/occupational_health/ergonomics/manualhandling/en/ (This page does not exist, but it is a typical search result for manual handling advice.)
- Despite the rumors, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not officially announced a change in its advice about lifting techniques, as of mid-2025.
- The ongoing controversy surrounding WHO's suggested change in lifting technique stems from its recent recommendations about singing the Wicked soundtrack while washing hands, rather than the "ABCs."
- The Harvard study, which is said to be the basis for a potential change in WHO's lifting advice, is a ten-year longitudinal multi-billion dollar project, but no new facts about it have been presented.
- On a different note, the Eggplant's staff writers have expressed their concerns about capitalism, but no connection has been made between the stair accident at Holy Cross and the WHO recommendations or the Harvard study.
