Back pain and punches to the face

[hippocratical]

Fortunately I have suffered neither so far, but I get the impression that every EMS worker has at some point:

A) screwed up their back
B) taken a good smack in the face from a Pt.

Now the punch thing I mainly added for hilarity, and I'll deal with the threat of abusive pt.s as best I can by taking some defense classes, and more importantly, making my partner take the more feisty pt.s ^_^

What I'm more concerned about is the back issue. I'm a healthy active guy and really don't want to break myself, as back pain is a seriously debilitating life-long condition that I really want to avoid.

What can be done to mitigate it? Clearly being fit and using correct lifting techniques seem like no-brainers, but is that it?

Are back problems just an inherent cost of being in EMS?

 

[Chimpie]

What can be done to mitigate it? Clearly being fit and using correct lifting techniques seem like no-brainers, but is that it?

Are back problems just an inherent cost of being in EMS?

Being healthy and stretching before and while on shift. Also be sure not to twist while lifting.

I hurt my back for the first time moving a traffic cone less than three feet. I was limping for two weeks.

I hurt it again lifting a toaster from a bottom shelf. I was on light duty for six weeks.

 

[akflightmedic]

Being healthy and stretching before and while on shift. Also be sure not to twist while lifting.

I hurt my back for the first time moving a traffic cone less than three feet. I was limping for two weeks.

I hurt it again lifting a toaster from a bottom shelf. I was on light duty for six weeks.

Chimpie brings up great examples...as one who has worked in Occ Med for a long time....it is very rarely ever the heavy lifting that "injures" you. It is a buildup over time, daily conditions which contribute to the back finally giving out when you are doing the most simplest task.

Many people have been injured after picking up a pencil from the floor.

It was not the toaster or the cone that did it, it was all the lifts prior which set the condition.

 

[hippocratical]

That's funny!

My previous job was as a Rock Climbing Instructor. In the industry (plus my friends who get their kicks from extreme sports) EVERYONE had hurt themselves, but always in stupid ways. Very rarely from their jobs/sports.

Examples include:
* breaking a vertebrae helping a friend move a cupboard
* stepping off a curb funny and breaking their ankle
* more drinking 'accidents' than you could shake a stick at

I personally shattered my ankle bungy jumping ^_^

Anyway, aside from avoiding EoTH issues, maybe Yoga is a good move. I'm not convinced that me in tight Lululemon pants would be good for anyone though...

 

[Tigger]

That's funny!

My previous job was as a Rock Climbing Instructor. In the industry (plus my friends who get their kicks from extreme sports) EVERYONE had hurt themselves, but always in stupid ways. Very rarely from their jobs/sports.

Examples include:
* breaking a vertebrae helping a friend move a cupboard
* stepping off a curb funny and breaking their ankle
* more drinking 'accidents' than you could shake a stick at

I personally shattered my ankle bungy jumping ^_^

Anyway, aside from avoiding EoTH issues, maybe Yoga is a good move. I'm not convinced that me in tight Lululemon pants would be good for anyone though...

Isn't that the truth, I broke my back and ribs on the ski out from the sketchy 15 foot cliff we'd been hitting all day. It was flat....

 

[systemet]

Anyway, aside from avoiding EoTH issues, maybe Yoga is a good move. I'm not convinced that me in tight Lululemon pants would be good for anyone though...

The scenery can be quite spectacular and there's a good carry over to climbing.

I've had some success with just downloading yoga videos and doing them in my home with a yoga mat. I'm sure my form is far from perfect, but it seems to help my back.

One of the things I like about yoga, is it tends to be fairly forgiving if you're a little overtrained from other activities. There's days when I realise my back probably can't handle playing around with kettlebells, or running sprint intervals -- but there's relatively few days where I can't do a little yoga.

 

[hippocratical]

Ski out - I forgot that I cracked a rib on a flat ski out too! Some gnarly dude! guy a couple of meters in front of me decided to randomly do a kick spin or something in front of me, botched it, and I ploughed into the f'er, and his board was introduced to my rib cage. Good times.

Yoga - "The scenery can be quite spectacular" - that's certainly true... although my wife goes to a class stocked with middle ages women. Maybe the University has a class?

 

[rob85635]

In public safety there are two kinds of people, those who have back problems and if you are around long enough those who will.

 

[Handsome Robb]

I have previous spinal injuries but I haven't run into a problem with it working in EMS. My partner and I are pretty good about double lifting and recruiting fire to help us lift, hopefully it's a habit I can keep up.

I have been punched in the face by a patient though. I was just going to let it go but she cut the side of my face and there was a LEO at the hospital that we transported to. He heard the me tell the nurse what happened when she asked me about the cut, saw the cut, saw the blood on the patient's ring and promptly dropped a charge on the patient. We will see if the felony sticks. Bummer for her but she wasn't intoxicated, but was on a 72 hour hold and wasn't happy about it.

 

[DrParasite]

have hurt my back on the job three times. sucks. twice I ended up in the ER (because it was not during business hours), and once i went straight to occupational health.

I have been spit on by an overdose/EDP, which resulted in charges being filed, and once tackled a fleeing EDP (who slapped my *** before he started to run). never punched, but I have heard of coworkers who were hit by EDPs usually because PD isn't always on scene at our EDP calls.

outside of the occasional restraining of an EDP when no PD is with us, I try to avoid wrestling with anyone at work. let the LEOs use their training and silver bracelets to mitigate most of that stuff.

 

[Aidey]

I think we've had more serious foot/ankle injuries than anything else. In the last few years several people have seriously messed up a foot or ankle stepping out of the ambulance. A couple even had to have surgery.

I've pulled the occasional muscle in my back, but nothing serious. The last time I did have to go to the ED, but that was because I knew I was done for the night and my employer required I get checked out if I went home early. I pulled my lat shrugging my shoulders to get a little more lift on a like 150lb pt, so not even someone big. The biggest thing is to know your limits and do strength training.

I've been hit and kicked several times too, again, nothing serious. I wanted to press charges on one, but the cop never showed at the hospital. Well, actually he showed a few hours later when the hospital called because she had assaulted staff.