The general position with any structure is that for reasons of economy (eastern European tractors excepted) their strength lies in the direction in which they are designed to carry their forces or loads.
In other directions they can be decidedly easy to damage by applying a load for which they were not designed and which the certification (or design approval) permitted.
If an incorrectly applied (or correctly applied but excessive) loading occurs, it is always essential to have an appropriate inspection by a suitably qualified person before further use.
I can recall such things as DC-10 engines removed from the aeroplane in an un-approved way with a fork lift truck.