Saturday, 4 August 2007
sore back!
Hi guys, I am still on my neuro prac at the moment and whilst I am really enjoying it I am finding it to be very exhausting! I am working in the neuro out-pt department and a lot of my pts require quite a bit of assistance in terms of transfers etc. I have a few pts in particular who are suffering from MS and have little to know active mvt of their legs. They also have increased tone and decreased muscle length particularly in their lower limbs. As you can imagine these impairments contribute to the fact that they have quite extensive functional limitations. Two of the pts that I see twice a week are males and are both quite heavy and I find it very difficult to transfer them. I know that by using the correct technique and good body mechanics etc that it shouldn’t be that hard to move them, however I am finding that I am not being very successful in doing so. I have found it very difficult to move them even on the bed without using a lot of lifting and manual force. As you can imagine after using techniques that are not the most effective to move these pts over the last 2 weeks I have developed a very sore lower back. I usually suffer from a sore back anyway but this is making it ten times worse L. I have been to see a physio for treatment and I know that I should make sure that I brace with my TA’s and pelvic floor etc but its just really hard to actually put all these things into practice at the time as generally I am more concerned for the pts safety and getting and achieving what I want to with the pt and therefore end up using bad techniques. The other problem is that there are only two hi-low plinths in the gym and thus a lot of the time I end up with a non-adjustable plinth that is way too low for me, causing me to bend over my pts…not good for my back! Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions to help me out, because my worst fear is that I am going to develop a serious injury which really wouldn’t be fun! Thanks guys
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2 comments:
HI Kayla
Having always had short stature, i can understand where you are coming from with the LBP and all.
I guess my only suggestion would be to seek out your supervisor and get an opinion on how you could be performing manual transfers that are safe fr you as well as for your patient. Make sure that you make use all available equipment including slide sheets, slide boards etc. Also if you think that 2 people are needed to transfer, then do ask for help. I know this can somtimes be difficult given that a second pair of hands may not always be available but do try anyway? maybe reschedule your heaviest patients to when there is an extra pair of hands to help.
You are quite right that hurting your back is not such a good idea, especially when we have not even started working yet. So do make an extra effort tolook out for yourself first. And when you do i think you will find that you will be in a better position to help your patient.
Hope this helps
cheers
hey,
I definitely agree with mel with the idea of 2nd pair of hands or even 3rd if necessary. In my ward, Physios and nurses work together very often for patient transfer especially with the very dependent patients. It might be troublesome but I believe 2nd pair of hands would be safer for the pt as well.
And yep, you are definitely right to not want to hurt your back any further just to keep your career life longer. Good luck with the rest of transfers!
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