FARMERS: SAVE YOUR BACK

Whether they’re working with crop production, livestock or the typical daily tasks related to working on the farm, potential for farmers getting hurt when lifting or moving objects is a daily reality.

Andrew Merryweather, University of Utah Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Ergonomics and Safety Program at the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, says the agriculture industry and forestry/fishing industry are often the top occupations with the highest risk and incidence of lifting injuries.

“Injuries in these occupations typically require days away from work to recover or even permanent modification of the type of work individuals can perform after this type of injury,” Merryweather says. “Research studies indicate that as many as 40% to 50% of farmers experience back pain related to lifting heavy objects.”

An added factor in America’s farming industry is the reality that the average age of today’s farmers is 58 (2012 USDA census). As farmers age, risk of lifting injury is greatly increased.

“It’s pretty obvious that farmers do hard physical labor every day,” Merryweather says. “One of the steps they can take to protect themselves from serious and/or permanent injury is to recognize the symptoms of soft tissue injury. Taking time to properly heal that type of injury may reduce the risk of further or permanent damage to the area.”

Soft tissue injury means a muscle or muscles, tendons or ligaments have sustained trauma, which results in pain and swelling. Trauma may include strains, sprains, contusions, tendonitis and bursitis.

In our body, thick bands of connective tissue (ligaments) support different parts of the body. Ligaments are certain joints are prone to excessive stretching and tears, known as a sprain.

In a first degree sprain, a few ligament fibers are damaged. Second degree strains indicate a partial ligament tear and third degree strains mean there’s a complete tear of the ligament.

Strains involve muscles and contusions affect soft tissue. Tendonitis refers to inflammation of the tendon. Bursitis refers to inflammation of the bursae, small fluid-filled pouches separating bones from overlying muscle or tendon. Bursae help reduce friction when muscles and tendons move over bone.

Among the symptoms of soft tissue injury are:

·   Discomfort or pain which is usually worse with movement of the affected area.

·   Swelling to varying degrees over the affected area and surrounding regions.

·   Tenderness with pressure in the affected area.

·   Bruising (discoloration of the skin) over the affected area.

·   Skin redness and heat that may be seen and felt when soft tissue injuries are superficial.

·   Weakness and instability of the injured area.

·   Loss of function in severe injuries, such as a complete tear.

“An important step in protecting yourself from these types of injuries is understanding the proper way to lift or manually handle heavy objects,” Merryweather says. “Modifying behaviors to avoid the risk of lifting hazards is key to preventing both acute and chronic lifting injuries.”

Small farms often don’t have extra hands to help lift or move heavy objects. Farmers may take the approach that they can power through a weight-lifting task with a “can do” attitude.

“This approach to lifting, especially after the age of 55, can lead to significant injury,” Merryweather says. “Farmers need to keep in mind that, like the aging equipment they work with, our bodies tend to wear out as we age. Muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints typically aren’t as resilient as well as they were when we were 20.”

Merryweather notes that a common lifting adage is “lift with your legs and not your back.”

“What that really means is keep the heavy object as close to your body as possible when you’re lifting,” Merryweather says. “Don’t bend the back while lifting the heavy load. Keep the back straight.”

Other important aspects of lifting safety include a thoughtful approach to a lifting task to ensure the individual doesn’t jerk and twist a heavy load. If rotating is required after lifting the object, the feet, and not the back, should rotate.

Farmers can also reduce the likelihood of lifting injuries by identifying tasks that require a heavy lift and seek a safer solution to picking up or moving that heavy object. Two-wheel carts, wheel barrows and small wagons should be used when moving numerous heavy objects.

Merryweather advises making “simple changes.” such as placing feed relative to where livestock are fed to shorten the length of a haul and doing whatever is possible to create a shorter path for hauling materials can help improve safe lifting practices. Assessing work areas where lifting occurs could help identify ways to rearrange the area and make that work safer and easier.

Keeping heavy objects at good body height levels, such as on a platform or table, will make lifts easier. Making sure you’re able to get close to the object before attempting a lift will make the task safer. In areas were lifting commonly occurs, removing potential for trips and slips is key to lifting safety. In areas where lifting commonly occurs, removing potential for trips and slips is key to lifting safety.

“It’s also helpful to organize your work day to avoid lifting heavy objects back-to-back,” Merryweather says. “Whenever possible, give yourself and your body some recovery time between heavy lifting tasks. It’s often difficult to convince people to take regular breaks, but adequate rest and hydration are important lifting safety practices, too.”

Farmers might also consider using stretching exercise or some type of physical warm up to help prepare the body for a heavy lift. This can be especially helpful early in the morning and in cold conditions.

If a lifting injury occurs, setting aside time for recovery can save time in the long run by avoiding further damage or re-injury of the area.

“I like to encourage farmers to think of maintaining their body in the same way they maintain equipment,” Merryweather says. “What would happen to a piece of equipment if broken parts were never repaired or maintained. It wouldn’t be long before that equipment stopped working. Our bodies are much like that. If we don’t give them time to heal after a sprain or strain, they can break down even further.”

Rest is a key component of recovering from a lifting injury. Non-steroidal/anti-inflammatory products, such as Ibuprofen, are a second treatment.

“Physical therapy and manipulation may also be required to heal a soft tissue injury,” Merryweather says. “If the injury symptoms don’t resolve within a few weeks to a month, then it’s time to see a physician. Beware that use of painkillers to mask pain while you suffer through planting or harvest or other tasks, can increase the damage and lengthen the recovery period. High dose pain medications just block the body’s natural pain receptors alerting us to significant injury.”

Preparing a plan for how to respond to potential injury can greatly ease the stress an injury may bring, especially if that occurs during the farm’s busiest seasons.

Merryweather encourages farmers to be aware of back injuries that might occur from long exposure to vibrating equipment. Recent low back pain studies show that vibrating farm equipment can play a significant role in low back injury.

“This type of injury is common when farmers use older tractors,” Merryweather says. “Over time, damage can occur to both the spine and disks in the back. Making sure older equipment is well maintained, especially tractor seats, helps reduce injury potential. Farmers, especially anyone operating heavy equipment for long hours every day, need to be aware of the injury risk.

“In our culture of ‘get it done, do it fast and do it now,’ ambition sometimes overshadows safety,” Merryweather says. “We’re working to initiate a culture shift in lifting safety practices. It will take education and time, but safe lifting practices should be such an important part of our farm industry.”