[Maria]

The first thing I want to say I'm sorry Mom has gotten injured in this manner and suffering all this pain!

Eddie,
Here's my take on it as my mother was 83 when she passed away from a massive stroke and up until that day she bent over from the waist never bending her knees to pick anything up. I always thought she would fall on her head and injure herself but nope,nothing like that.

I personally think it depends on one's injuries and if there are herniations the degree and whether they bulge posteriorly or anteriorly as to whether one can bend at the waist or not with discomfort/problems.

I still bend over from the waist all the time and I've got disc bulges remaining at L4 and L5S1 (have had previous discectomies) and have an annular tear at L3. Of couse I am on pain medication and do get ESIs and I can tell when one has worn off as I cannot bend from the waist hardly without suffering the consequences of appearing like I'm 80 plus and need a cane myself!

If I happen to bend over too much and/or get caught during a bad time I can either end up with spasms and my back may actually go out hence needing a few days of bedrest which used to be weeks of bedrest and usually brought on by a bending at the waist motion (one too many times).

I've also had 2 right knee surgeries and there are times I cannot bend my knees without feeling the arthritic bother that's going on there or weakness in my knees.

So I think whatever your mother can best handle is Ok and if she doesn't already have a "grabber" she or you should purchase one of those to alleviate so much bending/reaching for things otherwise retrievable with this piece of equipment.

Again I do what is comfortable for me and when it hurts with that movement I stop and use "proper body mechanics" to retrieve things but again I am medicated and feeling OK when I bend from the waist and when I start getting achey cranky back stuff going on I usually have to resort to proper body mechanics.