Lifting is one of those things that we generally take for granted and therefore, put little thought into doing it properly. Hence, therein lies the problem. LIKO - The Safe Lifting People (http://www.safeliftingportal.com/) have come out with The Seven Deadly Sins of Unsafe Lifting:
1. Lifting without thinking - do not lift a patient spontaneously - think before you act.
2. Overestimating your capabilities - do not overestimate your personal strength or underestimate your susceptibility to injury.
3. Using poor body mechanics - understand good body mechanics and use sound ergonomics on a daily basis.
4. Failure to consider obstacles - clear a pathway prior to attempting to transfer a patient.
5. Reluctance to impose on co-workers - do not hesitate to ask for help or you may regret it.
6. Inadequate training - do not guess how equipment works - refer to a manual or ask for help.
7. Hurrying - take the time to do it right, with other people or proper equipment. If you don't , you could be paying for it for the rest of your life.
Injuring your back is an injury that takes quite a long time to heal, if it ever will. Once a back is injured, the risk of re-injuring it is very high. Your goal should be to avoid it at all costs. I know of people that have injured their backs years ago and when it either flares up or they re-injure it, it hurts them so bad that they have to crawl to the bathroom. That's an incredibly unfortunate situation that you want to avoid. Following the aforementioned 7 rules is a good start. In addition, you have to exercise properly and strengthen your back to minimize your risk. There are several exercises that you can do to reduce your risk of injury. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons has a list of good exercises you can do to improve your back strength and flexibility http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00302.
Please get on board with lifting properly or you will pay a heavy price.
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