Nursing Practice and Musculoskeletal Disorders

Nursing Practice and Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) Fact List

• Patient handling tasks are recognized as the primary cause for musculoskeletal disorders among the nursing workforce. Of primary concern are back injuries and shoulder strains which can both be severely debilitating.
• A variety of patient handling tasks exist within the context of nursing care, such as lifting, transferring, and repositioning patients, and, are typically performed manually.
• Patient handling tasks most frequently associated with low back pain: lifting and forceful movements.
• Continuous, repeated performance of these activities throughout one's working lifetime results in the development of musculoskeletal disorders.
• The physical environment of the health care setting also contributes to work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Configurations of and area within patient rooms and the placement of furniture and treatment equipment (e.g., critical care unit monitors, ventilator machines) can limit the space needed for patient handling situations.
• Proper body mechanics is a "myth." Traditionally taught to student nurses to counteract the physical stress of patient handling, such as lifting, so-called "proper" body mechanics do not translate well to nursing practice. Early findings of body mechanics studies were based on static loads (i.e., boxes with handles) and primarily focused on men. Further, body mechanic methods primarily concentrate on the lower back for lifting and do not account for other vulnerable body parts involved in other types of patient handling tasks, such as lateral transfers from gurney to bed along a horizontal plane