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As a driver, you are often required to lift heavy luggage, wheelchairs and other items into your vehicle, all of which can put a strain on your body.
Back and spinal injuries are the most common form of work-related ill health. You only have one back, which you use most of the time and most people do not notice how important it is until it hurts them. With a back injury, even a simple movement can be painful.
The spine itself supports the whole body and allows for movement along with also protecting the body's major organs. There are different areas of your spine and each of the bones are called vertebrae. At the top, there are seven cervical vertebrae, in the middle, there are 12 thoracic vertebrae and the lower back has five lumbar vertebrae. At the bottom of your spine is the coccyx. The vertebrae are separated by 23 spinal discs and inside the spine is the spinal cord that actually controls all of the body's functions and movements.
Different problems can occur as a result of injury to your back. Some are instantly noticeable, such as sudden trauma, while others appear over a period of time. Injuries include damage to the disc and can lead to prolapsed disc, lesions or slipped discs. The injury itself can lead on to other injuries, like sciatica or lumbago. Trapped nerves can also be aggravated by poor manual handling, although the initial injury could be due to another activity.
It must be remembered that lifting a load, which is too heavy, is not the only cause of back or spinal injuries. Twisting, poor posture, poor lifting technique, certain repetitive actions and stretches, together with leaning, can do this damage. Again, some damage is instant, but some damage can build up over a number of years doing the same thing.
Back injuries can last for a few days or a lifetime so it is your duty to protect yourself from harm. Muscular injuries can be painful and make movement difficult and restrict sitting, standing and finding a comfortable position. The muscle injuries can be caused by a variety of moving and handling activities.
