Most Common HCA Injury: Overexertion
Overexertion is a type of injury usually caused by repetitive motion, lifting heavy objects, or working in an awkward position—all tasks that can be common in your work.
Through overexertion, caregivers might suffer a strain or a sprain.
Sometimes this kind of injury can be felt immediately and other times it starts as a small problem and slowly gets worse.
Both overexertion and slips and falls might impact your ability to do your job and cause you pain or discomfort. No one wants that!
Of course accidents can happen, the good news is that these types of injuries can often be prevented.
Tips for Preventing Overexertion
1. Use safety devices available to you and your Consumer.
We know t’s not always a perfect world. Not all consumers want to use their safety devices. Not all consumers may have all of the devices you think they needs. And not every safety device in the home might be the perfect choice or fit for all consumers.
But, research shows that you and your consumer will be safer if you use the available safety devices. Check out these caregiver top 4 safety tools in Home Care InSight magazine.
If you need support with safety devices, contact your consumer’s case manager or your Agency Supervisor
2. As much as possible, do not lift objects too heavy for you.
Proper body mechanics ARE important. But no matter how careful you are about how you lift something, you are at risk for injury if you lift something too heavy for you.
This also includes manually lifting your consumer by yourself without an assistive device. Know how much you can safely lift.
If an object seems too heavy or awkward, get help with it if you can. If your work requires you to do lifting that may not be safe, talk to your consumer’s case manager or your Agency Supervisor.
3. When lifting an object that is of reasonable weight for you, it’s still important to use proper body mechanics.
Things to remember when lifting:
- Spread your feet apart to give your body a wide base of support
- Stand as close as possible to the object you are lifting
- Bend at your knees, not at your waist or back
- Tighten your stomach muscles as you lift the object up or lower it down
- Hold the object as close to your body as you can
- Slowly lift, using your muscles in your hips and knees
- As you stand up with the object, DO NOT bend forward
- DO NOT twist your back while you bend to reach the object, lift the object, or carry the object
- Squat as you set the object down, using the muscles in your knees and hips. Keep your back straight when you squat down.