I have been a nurse for 3 years now and I lift people 5 days out of the week. Some are sorta heavy but I try to avoid overdoing it. Haven`t had this problem before but my spine is aching and when I take a real deep breath, it hurts. Is this normal for my body getting used to lifting this much or should I see a doctor?
I have also seen 2 other nurses quit as a result of back problems. Is there any way for me to become better at lifting people without hurting myself?
Answer:
Diana hit it on the head...you probably have a thoracic vertebrae out of alignment. I would recommend you see a chiropractor to assess your spine and put it back in place. Normally I am not a big fan of chiro's but they do a good job of putting mis-aligned vertebrae back in place. If things dont get in order after a few visits to the chiro then you should then move on to seeing a manual physical therapist, b/c there may be more to it then just a vertebrae out of alignment.
The respiratory distress could be muscular from straining the intercostals while pulling and lifting. And if you pull hard enough, you could displace a rib or vertebrae which could also cause discomfort.
To prevent problems, always have assistance when moving a tough patient, use the draw sheet, hoyer lift, gait belt, or whatever else it takes. Sometimes it takes a bit more time, but it's better than getting hurt.
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