The Six-Pack Test

How much can you lift?

Don’t know? Neither does your doctor until you help her figure it out. First, figure out how much some common things weigh:

- A six-pack of regular cans of soda or beer, with the plastic, 5 pounds.

- A gallon of milk or juice in plastic: about 8 and ¼ pounds.

- A 12-pack of soda (or beer) with the cardboard container: 10 pounds.

- A 24 pack: 20 pounds

Don’t believe me? Put them on the produce scale at your grocery, if you can lift them.

Then ask yourself: Which one(s) can I lift repetitively? If you don’t know, try them.

Together, you and your doctor can now answer the question of how much you can lift. You know the weights you can and cannot lift repetitively; she know the medical evidence. What diagnosis(es) and expected symptoms explain this lifting limitation.

If you have a limitation in the amount of weight you can lift repetitively, Social Security calls this an "exertional limitation."