Guest Post: Three Tips for Avoiding Caretaker Injuries by Christine Lasich, M.D.

I just finished reading a wonderful little book called High Heels to Hormones (A Woman’s Guide to Spine Care) by Christina Lasich, M.D.  Short and easy to read with plenty of cartoons to get the points across, I’d recommend it to any woman who suffers from back pain, and especially to anyone who is the role of caregiver.

Caregivers, after all, are at great risk of back injury and would find this book useful for learning more about how to prevent and manage back pain.

Christine has been kind enough to write a guest post for Alzheimer’s Notes looking at ‘Three Tips for Avoidng Caretaker Injuries’.

The upcoming Olympic Games should inspire everyone to exercise and use proper body mechanics. These athletes compete at a high level and that requires them to take care of their bodies. Taking care of someone else requires you, as a caretaker, to tend to your own body. If you start to experience aches and pains, then tasks become difficult or impossible to complete. Preventing injuries can be as simple as remembering some basic rules of body mechanics: bend your knees, move your feet, and keep the elbows close. This simple strategy not only helps athletes perform at a higher level, but can also help caretakers avoid being sidelined.

• Bend Your Knees: Physically assisting a person out a low position and picking up something below the level of the waist are both scenarios which are best done with bent knees. Bending the knees allows the powerful muscles in the legs to support you; otherwise, the vulnerable back muscles bear the brunt of the work. The optimal position for these tasks is a squat position with the feet shoulder width apart, the knees bent, and the butt out. Weight lifters are the best ones to watch for learning this technique for squatting. Get into the habit of bending your knees and you will be able the assist people for many happy years.
• Move Your Feet: The body is naturally programmed to conserve energy which means that bending, twisting and reaching come naturally while moving the feet requires some thought. The feet transport the body. By placing your body closer to the objective like a glass of water on the other side of the bed, your shoulders and back are less likely to become injured than if you were to reach over that bed. Moving your feet uses more energy, but also gives you a mechanical advantage. Tennis players are always moving their feet because reaching for the ball just does not allow them to strike it with power. Unleash your feet and you will unleash your power.
• Keep Your Elbows Close: The shoulders are in a powerful, protected position when the elbows are close to the body. If the elbows are flapping in the breeze like chicken wings, the shoulder tendons (collectively called the rotator cuff) are at high risk for injury. Swimmers are commonly afflicted with shoulder pain which is why they are trained to keep their elbows close to their body. This technique allows for a more powerful stroke and protects the shoulders. Next time you make someone’s bed or do some laundry, try keeping your elbows by your side because that minimizes the risk of shoulder injuries.

Physical fitness does not win medals; body mechanics are the key to the podium. Understanding how to put your body in a powerful, protected position is the best way to control how you physically perform. Both caretakers and athletes need physical conditioning and proper body mechanics. Knees, feet, and elbows all play a critical role in preventing disabling injuries. Physical capability is a matter of strategically using these parts of the body. By remembering some simple rules and nurturing yourself, you will be able to continue nurturing others.

(Christina Lasich, M.D, is a concerned physician who suffers from spine pain herself. She has practiced in the area of spine rehabilitation for more than 10 years and is an award-winning graduate from the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. Although she focuses on back, neck and other musculoskeletal injuries, she also meets the rehabilitative needs of people with spinal cord injuries, strokes, traumatic brain injuries, muscular dystrophies, ALS, multiple sclerosis, amputations and other painful conditions. Dr. Lasich is the author of High Heels to Hormones: A Woman’s Guide to Spine Care.)