Do You Have a Bad Back from Nursing?

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i had a back injury in july 2006. i didn't realize at the time that it was a back injury -- i'd felt something "pop" while helping to move a 300 kg. patient into a bari-kair bed, but my back didn't hurt and i' was busy, so i forgot about it. the next morning, my leg hurt. dh said "you don't stretch enough", so i went to work anyway. by the end of the day i was hurting so bad i could barely get into the car and drive home, and the next day i was in agony. but it was my leg, not my back. i didn't realize it was my back until i went to the er because after two days of extreme agony, i sat in a chair and my leg immediately went numb. that scared me. after rest, steroids, steriod injections and pt, i wasn't getting any better and could barely walk because my knee didn't work. i had surgery in october, 2006 and i'm back at work in the icu for a year now. i'm about ready to leave the bedside now, though, because my knees are killing me! if it's not one damned thing, it's another!

[nyapa, RN]

I wonder if with the advent of proper lifting devices that younger nurses do not suffer the same problems? It was always expected that if you were a nurse that you would get a bad back, even though they supposedly taught us the 'right' lifting techniques.

Or do the newer generation still suffer the same problems. If so why?

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i wonder if with the advent of proper lifting devices that younger nurses do not suffer the same problems? it was always expected that if you were a nurse that you would get a bad back, even though they supposedly taught us the 'right' lifting techniques.

or do the newer generation still suffer the same problems. if so why?

hospitals don't want to pay to buy the proper lifting devices. lift teams would save a lot of nurses' backs as well -- another thing hospitals don't want to pay for!

[delta32]

I required a laminectomy by the age of 25 from herniating L4-S1, sadly enough when it herniated with caused pressure on my spinal cord that had left me numb from my knee down but with a burning pain...kinda like when your leg falls asleep but think of it as never waking up. This caused me to have multiple falls and horrible pain. I had my laminectomy and the pain is resolved and i have motor control with my right foot again. I still however do not feel the side of my right leg if I touch its. its just numb.

This injury has left me out of bedside nursing d/t any lifting causes me extreme pain and numbness in both my legs now. I have been trying to get into the insurance industry because i can not do bedside again.

Jamie