Protect Your BackProtect Your BackYou only have one spineYou only have one spine

Greg Hendricks, R.N., District Occupational Health SupervisorGreg Hendricks, R.N., District Occupational Health Supervisor

What are we going to cover?What are we going to cover?

• Physiology of the spinePhysiology of the spine

• Types of back injuriesTypes of back injuries

• Factors that increase the risk of back Factors that increase the risk of back injuryinjury

• The stress on our backThe stress on our back

• How force relates to back injuriesHow force relates to back injuries

• How can we prevent these injuriesHow can we prevent these injuries

Physiology of the SpinePhysiology of the Spine

• Flexible column of bones – vertebrae

• 33 vertebrae – cervical (7), thoracic (12), lumbar (5), sacral (5), and coccygeal (4)

• There are many nerves that branch out from our spine to the body

• Between each vertebrae is a soft cushion, called a disc

ThoracicThoracic

CervicalCervical

LumbarLumbar

SacralSacral

Distribution of the Distribution of the Spinal NervesSpinal Nerves

Types of Back InjuriesTypes of Back Injuries

• Sprain/strains of the lumbar, thoracic, and cervical spine

• DDD – degenerative disc disease

• Intervertebral disc bulge

• Fractured vertebrae

• HNP – herniated nucleus pulposus

Factors that Increase the Risk Factors that Increase the Risk of Back Injuriesof Back Injuries

• Age

• Physical condition

• Posture

• Body weight

• Stress

• Trying to lift too much

• Using improper lifting techniques

The Stress on our Low BackThe Stress on our Low Back

• Lying flat = 25lbs

• Laying on your side = 75lbs

• Standing = 100lbs

Source: To Sciatica and Back: A Potter’s Journey, John P. Glick

How Force Relates to Back How Force Relates to Back InjuriesInjuries

• Anytime we bend or lean over to pick something up, we put a tremendous amount of pressure on the low back

• You should think of your back as a lever and your waist as the fulcrum

• Our waist is not in the center like the fulcrum of a teeter-totter

How Force Relates to Back How Force Relates to Back InjuriesInjuries

• The fulcrum of our waist operates on a 10:1 ratio

• Lifting a 10lb object puts 100lbs of pressure on our lumbar spine

• Average weight of human head=10lbs• Average weight of human torso=100lbs• A weight gain of 25lbs would add another

250lbs of pressure

• Let’s do some math:

Head 10 X 10 = 100100

Torso 100 X 10 = 10001000

Object 10 X 10 = 100100

12001200 lbs of pressure on the lumbar spine as we

are bending over to get an object

How Force Relates to Back How Force Relates to Back InjuriesInjuries

How Force Relates to Back How Force Relates to Back InjuriesInjuries

• Let’s do a little more math: Head 10 X 10 = 100100 Torso 100 X 10 = 10001000 Object 10 X 10 = 100100 Standing 1200/2 = 600600

1800 1800 pounds of pressure exerted just to stand back

up again with the same object

How can we Prevent These Injuries?How can we Prevent These Injuries?

• Promote proper Lifting and LoweringPromote proper Lifting and Lowering• StretchingStretching• DemonstrationsDemonstrations• ObservationsObservations• Make sure that packages >70lbs are properly Make sure that packages >70lbs are properly

markedmarked• Don’t let people keep making the same mistakesDon’t let people keep making the same mistakes

Questions????Questions????

Sources: National Safety Council, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Gray’s Anatomy