Imagine, for a moment, if you will:
You’ve had a long day at work already, and you have to help Dad get ready for bed, but he’s a little sluggish today and not as cooperative, so you have to do most of the heavy lifting, literally.
As you are helping to lift Dad out of his chair, you feel a “POP!” and pain rushes to your lower back.
Now What??
Caregiving can be a very physically demanding job and can take a serious toll on your body, but there are some things you can do to prevent or avoid injuring your back. Back injuries and back pain are the leading cause of missed work in the U.S., and according to the CDC accounts for roughly $225.8 billion in lost revenue per year!
It’s one thing to miss work with an injury, but when your job is caring for another person, that becomes an even more important problem. One of my favorite sayings is that you can’t take care of someone else – if you don’t take care of yourself first!
1. Use A Gait Belt
What is a gait belt you ask?
Well it is a thick, generally canvas-like belt that goes around someone’s waist that allows for a safe grip to allow for proper transfers.
Translated: It helps you safely move your loved one from one place to another.
By using one of these, you cut down on the risk of having your grip slip while holding onto a shirt or pants and causing a fall for them and most likely YOU. Gait belts protect both you AND your loved one.
As illustrated by this picture, the caregiver has firm control with the gait belt and is able to safely stand their loved one up. As a side note, you should never, ever, ever, EVER try pulling someone up by their hands or arms. This is one of the most common mistakes I see made by family caregivers in particular. It is not stable or safe and you run the risk of dislocating or hurting your loved one’s shoulder joint – just don’t do it!
The nice thing about gait belts is that they are relatively cheap (under 10 dollars) and come in a variety of colors and styles. I personally prefer this gait belt because it allows me to adjust the size easily between different patients, but if you are just caring for one person it might be easier to use the clip on one .
2. Body Mechanics
This should come as no surprise at all. If you put your body in an awkward position while lifting or moving your loved one…
you’re not going to have a good time.
This comes from personal experience for me as well because as a brand new Physical Therapist coming out of school, I managed to seriously injure my own back during my 2nd week on the job by not following proper form. It was a very painful and costly learning experience.
If you are doing cares in bed like rolling, changing or cleaning up your loved one, try to have it on a surface that is raised up so that you do not put undue stress on your back. Bending over to try and lift, move or clean up your loved one will most certainly put your back in a dangerous position – and it will let you know about it!
This illustration is a basic example of a proper lifting technique. You want to keep whatever you are lifting/working on close to you as well as keeping your back straight. Bend at the knees and not at the waist is another of my mantras to help protect caregivers backs. If you follow these two things – keep it close to you & at proper height and bend at the knees you will be able to protect yourself from a possible injury!
3. Taking Care Of Your Back
Sometimes, even if you follow all your precautions and do things safely, your back will be a little bit sore. There are still some things you can do about this to make sure this little issue doesn’t turn into a more serious one.
Stretching – I cannot say enough just how important stretching can be in preventing back injuries. Of utmost importance is that each of these stretches be held for a MINIMUM of 30 seconds. Holding for longer will be even more beneficial but if you don’t do it for at least 30 the benefits will be limited.
Knee to chest – Lay on your back and bring one knee up to your chest. Hold for ~1 minute and do this 2-3 times. Switch and then complete with other leg. Be sure to make sure that the leg laying flat does not come off the ground. After doing that bring both knees up to your chest and hold again for approximately 1 minute.
Hamstring stretch – I’ve had a lot of success with this one as well in controlling back issues. Since your hamstrings attach to your pelvis and often are pretty tight in people, this can result in increased pelvic rotation which puts pressure on our low backs. Lay on your back and use a shirt, gait belt, or whatever you have available to wrap around your ankle and pull your leg towards your torso as illustrated. Keep your knee straight and the other leg flat on the ground. Hold for 1-2 minutes and repeat 2-3 times.
Piriformis stretch – This one is my favorite of all. Cross one leg over the opposite knee and pull knee towards your chest. You will feel a nice pull in your hip/buttocks area. Hold for ~1 minute and do 2-3 times then repeat for opposite side.
There are a couple more things you can do in conjunction with the stretching as well. Use Heat!-using heat prior to stretching will allow your muscles to loosen up before you stretch. Ideally a moist hot pack should be used, but if you don’t have one a heating pad or hot bath/shower can also be helpful.
Ibuprofen– Ibuprofen can be a great way to help bring down any swelling or inflammation if it is present. Consult you doctor for the best dose for you, and make sure that it won’t counteract any other medications that you’re taking.
Protecting your back is an essential part of being a successful caregiver. By taking care of yourself you are able to better care for your loved one! By following these 3 tips you can give yourself some tools to make sure your body remains up to the task!
