Throughout your EMS training, it is repeatedly drilled into your head to look out for you and your partner's safety. You want to remove the possibility of injury/illness to you and your partner and remove the possibility of further injury and illness to your patient. We all do scene safety to make sure there are no hazards and take appropriate action to mitigate the hazards to make it safe for us and the patient. We all put on BSI precautions without even thinking about it. Do you ever think about why?? You're probably thinking "Of course, I do it to protect myself from catching any transmittable diseases from my pt." Absolutely, you do it to protect your some from illness but what else can and should we do to prevent ourselves from injury and illness? EXERCISE!
What?? Are you kidding me?? No, I am serious. Our job requires us to work in all types of conditions, lift a variety of weight, and work while in awkward positions. The #1 injury to EMS professionals is back injuries. Industry studies have found:
- "One in four EMS workers will suffer a career ending back injury with in the first four years of service. The number one physical reason for leaving EMS". (mytactical.com, EMS Back Injury Facts, 2007)
- Back injury from improper lifting is the number one injury suffered by pre-hospital care providers, according to a New Mexico's EMT training manual.
- "Almost one in two workers (47%) have sustained a back injury while performing EMS duties", (National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, 2005)
Back injury is one of the main concerns but we should keep every aspect of our bodies in good shape. A number of things we can do to limit the possibility of injury are fairly simple and can be done at home or outside. Yes, you do NOT need an expensive gym membership.
1) Running: Increases your cardiovascular and your stamina allowing you to have more energy so by the time you are at the end of your busy shift you still have a little left in the tank. Better cardiovascular also reduces the risk for heart disease, stroke, and many other diseases.
2) Stretching: Increases flexibility, muscle control, and range of motion. When you're in an awkward position in that car at an MVC holding C-Spine on your pt, you do not want your muscles to cramp up.
3) Core Exercise: Increases the strength of the "central part of your body: Abs and Lower Back. Exercises that are considered working the core are crunches, leg raises, v-ups, and etc. I would say this is the most important group of exercises due to the fact that back injuries are so prevalent in our industry. Yes, it is important to use proper lift techniques but what happens when you can't because of pt position??
I know I have only scratched the surface but this gives a quick view of what can be done to prevent injuries. There are also lots of home workout programs available on the web as well as other resources. Personally, I have complete the workout program from Beachbody called P90X and it covers all the areas that would physically benefit an EMS provider.
You take precautions against illness but are you taking precautions against injury?? Losing excellent minds due to the "inability" to do the physical part of the job, seems like such a waste especially since it is so preventable. Look out for yourself and your co-workers to stay in shape. Encourage and challenge each other. Do whatever it takes so we don't lose co-workers to injury.
Stay Safe...
References:
EMS World - http://www.emsworld.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=1&id=11115
Exercise for EMS - http://www.livestrong.com/article/300120-exercises-for-ems/
http://www.itecmfg.com/liftinglawsinjurystats.html
