Back injuries are the most common work-related incidents in the field of healthcare, especially in the nursing trade. Approximately  9,000 workers suffer a disabling injury while performing their tasks, and around 38% of these injuries affect nurses. While there is a nursing shortage in the United States, 12 percent of nurses that abandon their careers cite their back pain and/or other disabling injuries as the main contributing factor.  Additionally, in a 1998 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics,  they listed the top 10 professions with the highest risk for back injury, and healthcare occupations were featured in 6 of these.

In other words, people who are in healthcare get hurt, a lot. In some cases, there could be more injuries in the nursing staff than in patients who go to the hospital to receive their care. This is partly due to the physical demands that nursing requires, like lifting patients from their beds to a gurney or helping them sit up to apply treatment. Sometimes nurses have to do this several times per day, which contributes towards their ongoing back pain.

That being said, there are several culprits to blame for these injuries. Improper lifting techniques, for starters, is an important factor that leads to back pain, according to Scott Howell, PA-C, of the Florida Back Institute. Howell says that, while unavoidable, there are certain techniques nurses can use to reduce the impact that these tasks have on their body.

Maintain Proper Lifting Technique

In order to lift properly, nurses should bend at their knees, and not at their backs, to avoid injuries. Similarly, when it is time to transfer patients, nurses should always get the help of a second person to avoid doing these tasks alone. Nevertheless, lifting alone can be unavoidable, so always try to lift as close to your midsection as possible, which is also near the center of gravity, in order to ease the strain that the effort will put on your body.

The key here, according to Rick Kassler, MSPT, OCS, supervisor at the Orthopaedic and Sports Therapy Center at the New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases, is to maintain the spine in a neutral, upright position to preserve its natural curves, which is accomplished by bending from the hips and not from the back.

Keep In Good Shape

While not particularly easy for those who barely have free time, working out and strengthening their muscles is a good way to protect the body from spine injuries. If looking for specific exercise routines to strengthen and protect the spine, nurses should consult with a physical therapist or, at the very least, with a licensed trainer at the local gym. These professionals are also trained to teach proper lifting mechanics to avoid injuries, regardless of muscle tone or overall strength.

Use Proper Footwear

While most wouldn’t think so, footwear plays a vital role in posture and in how our body must adjust to perform certain physical activities. In this sense, wearing high-heeled shoes to the workplace is a good way to fish for a back or spine injury (and it’s also not practical in a healthcare setting).  To perform your daily tasks, you should use shock-absorbent, comfortable shoes to the workplace.

Take an Active Role in Proper Technology and Training Advocacy

It’s only logical for nurses to seek better technology and training to avoid these incidents from happening.

A good way to contribute to this cause is by searching for an employer that has the proper technology and training standards to help avoid any back injuries. These technologies include motorized ceiling lifts, portable lifts, transfer technology, and many other tools in place to avoid physical injuries in the healthcare staff.

Take Some Time to Treat the Pain

If you do have a back injury,  there are certain things you can do to avoid worsening your condition, while also performing your daily tasks properly.

In the case of a back injury, you can ask to be transferred to a department where lifting isn’t required. Some of these departments, however, might require specialized training or other preparations in order to accept new professionals within their ranks. It is up to you to decide the best course of action.

Carol McAfee, RN, a nurse who was facing a similar issue, had to choose whether to stay at her current position or make the switch to a new department in order to preserve her personal health.

“The majority of the patients in trauma are unconscious — many are ventilated and unable to assist in turning in the bed and going from bed to stretcher,” McAfee says. “You have to literally lift their entire body weight. At first, my back would feel tired, strained. Then it got to be a chronic issue. I knew it was going to get worse, and I didn’t want to be disabled from it.”

In the end, she made the switch to the cath lab at Delray Medical Center, which is much more back-friendly.

“In the cath lab, when we move patients from the stretcher to the procedure table, they are lying on a sheet, which is on top of a piece of plastic, so you just slide them over,” she says. “In the cath lab, you’re more likely than in trauma to get help when turning or positioning patients.”

Needless to say, the cath lab is, compared to trauma, a less-stressful place, which also works wonders for Carol’s back problems. In this sense, searching for alternatives that will allow you to continue working in your calling is a great way to go about avoiding injuries.