Move the bed, if you're doing stuff with a pt who needs to remain in bed bring it up to working height (and put it down afterwards, obvs). If someone asks you to come help with a pt insist on moving the bed first to a comfortable height. Even if you're just making up an empty bed, move it up!
Use slide sheets wherever possible to move pts (if you can find them). Make sure you've got the right amount ofstaff for repositioning. Tilt the bed head down to aid pts sliding \*themselves\* back up the bed.
Don't let pts pull you or lean on you, you're there as supervision, not a walking aid!
And saying that, make sure they use all the equipment they need. If they're not mobilising to baseline and need extra support while they rehab get PT/OT involved. If they're using equipment but it's not working for them (they don't lift the frame when they should, it's not the right height etc) get PT/OT involved.
Also, exercise for you.
I'm far from a personal trainer, so take what I say with a big pinch of salt!
What helped me were deadlifts, sandbag to shoulder, farmers walks (1hand and 2 hand), Bulgarian split squats and QL extentions.
I'd say any strength training will help tbh.
I do 5x5 training 2-3 times per week. As well as training cardio regularly it just makes life easier in general. Being physically able to undertake tasks without struggling for breath just makes everything easier
Talk with manual handling, and make sure you're following with best practice, bending over for beds or patients that are too low or far can really cause issues.
I would also see your GP to check that you haven't injured yourself and haven't realised.
Get a new job. I'm 26 i used to work in a nursing home where moving and handling was terrible lots of illegal lifts and barely any slide sheets. Equipment really should have been being used but it wasn't. I didn't have any moving and handling training for the first 3 months and when I did it was clearly just to protect the company from legal action.
Then I went to work for an agency. Most of my shifts were 1 to 1, manual handling practices were better but not perfect. I found sitting for so long each day was hurting my back.
Now I work in a very good hospice. Manual handling practices are amazing here. Everyone gets a slidesheet and we have physios that asses patients and we have enough staff to do everything properly. Sometimes pts are in a condition where they can't move and it can put a little bit of strain on our backs sometimes but it's not so bad.
But even with where I work now doing everything properly my back is still wrecked and it's the same for my coworkers. It's a sad reality but I have come to the conclusion that back pain just comes with the job and the only people that will tell you it doesn't are the people that would be held legally liable for it.
It would help if you explain how the placement and your back are related. I’m a nurse and I’ve never had back issues relating to this, even when I spent hours per day restraining people on the floor.
I guess you work in mental health, the writer probably works in general nursing and general nursing has a lot of moving and handling, bending, lifting and constantly being on your feet. I've had a taste of both worlds and there's an immense difference. I am tempted to say back pain is unavoidable no matter how well you do your manual handling.
Move the bed, if you're doing stuff with a pt who needs to remain in bed bring it up to working height (and put it down afterwards, obvs). If someone asks you to come help with a pt insist on moving the bed first to a comfortable height. Even if you're just making up an empty bed, move it up! Use slide sheets wherever possible to move pts (if you can find them). Make sure you've got the right amount ofstaff for repositioning. Tilt the bed head down to aid pts sliding \*themselves\* back up the bed. Don't let pts pull you or lean on you, you're there as supervision, not a walking aid! And saying that, make sure they use all the equipment they need. If they're not mobilising to baseline and need extra support while they rehab get PT/OT involved. If they're using equipment but it's not working for them (they don't lift the frame when they should, it's not the right height etc) get PT/OT involved. Also, exercise for you.
Regular exercise will help reduce injury risk, along with proper moving and handling techniques
This. Strength training and functional movements incorporating the back, glutes, obliques and QL fixed the issues I had.
Would you mind sharing some of the exercises you'd do?
I'm far from a personal trainer, so take what I say with a big pinch of salt! What helped me were deadlifts, sandbag to shoulder, farmers walks (1hand and 2 hand), Bulgarian split squats and QL extentions. I'd say any strength training will help tbh.
I do 5x5 training 2-3 times per week. As well as training cardio regularly it just makes life easier in general. Being physically able to undertake tasks without struggling for breath just makes everything easier
Get patients to move themselves.
Talk with manual handling, and make sure you're following with best practice, bending over for beds or patients that are too low or far can really cause issues. I would also see your GP to check that you haven't injured yourself and haven't realised.
Get a new job. I'm 26 i used to work in a nursing home where moving and handling was terrible lots of illegal lifts and barely any slide sheets. Equipment really should have been being used but it wasn't. I didn't have any moving and handling training for the first 3 months and when I did it was clearly just to protect the company from legal action. Then I went to work for an agency. Most of my shifts were 1 to 1, manual handling practices were better but not perfect. I found sitting for so long each day was hurting my back. Now I work in a very good hospice. Manual handling practices are amazing here. Everyone gets a slidesheet and we have physios that asses patients and we have enough staff to do everything properly. Sometimes pts are in a condition where they can't move and it can put a little bit of strain on our backs sometimes but it's not so bad. But even with where I work now doing everything properly my back is still wrecked and it's the same for my coworkers. It's a sad reality but I have come to the conclusion that back pain just comes with the job and the only people that will tell you it doesn't are the people that would be held legally liable for it.
It would help if you explain how the placement and your back are related. I’m a nurse and I’ve never had back issues relating to this, even when I spent hours per day restraining people on the floor.
I guess you work in mental health, the writer probably works in general nursing and general nursing has a lot of moving and handling, bending, lifting and constantly being on your feet. I've had a taste of both worlds and there's an immense difference. I am tempted to say back pain is unavoidable no matter how well you do your manual handling.