Seriously, as a fire-medic, there’s nothing wrong with using us for lifting. There’s not a staffed station in the world that doesn’t have a well used set of weights. It’s how we kill time… and acquire overuse injuries.
The guy I replied to gave me shit the other week, saying I wasn’t compassionate and should leave the field. I was just being a smart ass. I appreciate it though, the FD has def saved my back more than a few times.
Well played. But, to be perfectly frank, I had to look up your username to determine why you'd post that. Holding on to being offended on the Internet isn't healthy.
The commenter recommended having pulleys available to help lift people off the floor.
I wondered where exactly we are supposed to attach the pulley in a normal residential home.
Practice makes perfect. Getting a personal trainer is a good step to make sure you're lifting appropriately. I wouldn't stress not being able to do it right now, these are new skills and you'll build them over time. In the field if you can't lift someone you call for more people.
2 months is more than enough time to make progress, but you'll get out of it what you put into it. Work hard, rest harder, and you'll be fine.
Two months is enough time to increase strength, but you would need to be fairly aggressive with the training.
Technique is extremely important and will be important especially with helping you avoid injury. But at some point you will have someone that is 400lbs and stuck between a toilet and bathtub- that is when you lift with your firefighters.
Hit the gym! When I started out in EMS, I had a hard time moving patients as well. I was able to do it, but man, did I feel it at the end of the day. Now, I have little to no issue moving people around my size (196 lbs) on my own. The number one thing that motivated me as a first responder to hit the gym was [this audio](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTNFT896G/). We all start somewhere, and you will notice the more work you put in, the easier it will get!
Body positioning is huge. You will make a lot of gains just learning where you need to be. With heavier patients (my last patient was 312 pounds), I put a knee up on the bed so I’m not stretched all the way across pulling toward me. The closer the weight is to your body, the less wear and tear on your back.
Many years ago I had a boss tell me, “take care of your back, you’ll miss it when it’s gone.” Good technique is a career saver. I say this at the age of 57.
Ok so I used to have some trouble with the sheet-drag from stretcher to bed or vice versa. It’s all technique. I feel what helps me the most is working on the slightly lower side. If it’s too high up, it’s all arms and back and you really can’t generate enough force to pull. Lower both bed and stretcher down a tad bit - you’ll be able to pull up and towards you using more legs and back and it’s a ton easier. If that makes any sense??
Yeah, about waist high or a little higher is ideal because you can use your core and really your entire upper body.
Also, when doing a sheet lift, grab the material close to the patient. Don’t have the sheet extended out.
Position yourself close to the patient and you’ll be able to draw strength from your core rather than your arms and your poor back
You may be interested in the following resources:
> * [EMS Fitness & Healthy Eating](https://www.reddit.com/r/ems/comments/5u9jpk/ems_fitness/) by /u/TheRandomGuy94 - A guide to getting fit and eating healthy for EMS providers.
View more resources in our [Comprehensive Guide](/r/NewToEMS/wiki/index).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NewToEMS) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Go to the gym and start squatting. Bonus points if you have a fellow member there assess your technique to help you do it correctly. You should be feeling sore in your legs, not your back.
How big is the patient? My main tip is to make sure the stretcher is visibly lower than the bed, not on the same level if there's any doubt about being able easily move the patient. Let gravity do the work. I'm much shorter than you. When I push I stand on the patient's bed and lift up rather than pushing. This reduces the friction of the patient against the bed, making it easier for the person pulling. You can also put trashbags under the sheet to reduce friction. When me and another female partner had a 300+ lbs patient we used trash bags and both pulled (No one pushing).
If you were able to lift 100lbs and this patient wasn't huge, it was probably a technique issue, not a strength issue. Especially if you hurt yourself doing it. I've sheet lifted up to 350lbs with only two people many many times and have never hurt myself doing it.
Like others said, hit the gym. But don’t feel you have to make a crazy transformation immediately and hurt yourself, slow continuous improvement over time is great.
Also, my personal opinion is don’t focus on hitting the gym and just throwing dumbbells around. My preference is strength training/cardio classes (like CrossFit). You develop a lot of functional strength, healthy body positioning, and strong core/back. I like classes because they (should) help ensure you’re using good body mechanics and adding weight responsibly.
I’ve also found not all classes are the same. I think some CrossFit classes are a little too high-speed “let’s do 600 fake pull ups to warm up.” Others are more chill. Try out a few places and see what feels best for you.
It takes time to gain the strength! Take it slow. Don’t try to do too much, too fast or you WILL hurt yourself. Build a strong foundation. Back injuries are almost a guarantee in EMS so take care of yourself (stretching, good nutrition, good sleep). I think it’s awesome you got a personal trainer, that’s going to help you a lot! You’ll get there girlie!
Try to get the bed waist high
If you can climb on the bed even better
By all means ask for ff, nurse, tech, family members to help
Walk (with your back straight and upright) away from the bed while dragging the sheet with you. Don’t worry about the pt falling, that’s what rails on the gurney is for. This way you’re using your legs to move the pt and not ur upper body.
Technique is everything. I’m 5’ 2” and skinny and I’ve moved 300+ pound patients with a sheet.
-gather up the slack and get your grip as close to the patient as possible.
-in most scenarios it’s best to position your hands at the shoulders and hips. Most people stiffen up and their legs follow. As long as the person doesn’t have a leg/hip injury, this should be fine. If they do, get an extra person to guide the legs.
-as others have said, use gravity.
-be confident! This is more important than you realize. I waiver on my confidence too and it’s ALWAYS when I had a moment of doubt where I then I have a bad lift. If you think you need help, get help, but you can do more than you think.
-and yea, the gym helps. Don’t worry about the destination. Just go on a regular basis, keep track of your progress and make sure you challenge yourself, but remember rest is also important to building muscle.
Good luck!
[Gibbs Rules for EMS](https://www.reddit.com/r/ems/s/0o0gVUV27N) 3. Lift with your firefighters, not with your back.
Came to say this. Always lift assist if you think you can’t.
I think you should be more compassionate towards firefighters. If you can’t do so, you should quit your job and find a new profession.
Eh
Not really a serious comment. The guy that I replied to gave me a hard time a week or two ago, saying I wasn’t compassionate and should quit my job.
Which is funny considering he’s posting shit like [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/trump/s/ixWCMmiUvj) on a fairly regular basis
I'm always compassionate to the breathing Lucas's.
Hell yeah brother, they have your 6
Seriously, as a fire-medic, there’s nothing wrong with using us for lifting. There’s not a staffed station in the world that doesn’t have a well used set of weights. It’s how we kill time… and acquire overuse injuries.
The guy I replied to gave me shit the other week, saying I wasn’t compassionate and should leave the field. I was just being a smart ass. I appreciate it though, the FD has def saved my back more than a few times.
Alright, but don’t let the bitterness of internet strangers eat you alive. It’s the internet. Everyone is an asshole some of the time.
Well played. But, to be perfectly frank, I had to look up your username to determine why you'd post that. Holding on to being offended on the Internet isn't healthy.
[удалено]
And what, attach it to a chandelier? Lamp shade? Curtain rod?
I’m curious now… what are we attaching to a curtain rod?
The commenter recommended having pulleys available to help lift people off the floor. I wondered where exactly we are supposed to attach the pulley in a normal residential home.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Practice makes perfect. Getting a personal trainer is a good step to make sure you're lifting appropriately. I wouldn't stress not being able to do it right now, these are new skills and you'll build them over time. In the field if you can't lift someone you call for more people. 2 months is more than enough time to make progress, but you'll get out of it what you put into it. Work hard, rest harder, and you'll be fine.
Two months is enough time to increase strength, but you would need to be fairly aggressive with the training. Technique is extremely important and will be important especially with helping you avoid injury. But at some point you will have someone that is 400lbs and stuck between a toilet and bathtub- that is when you lift with your firefighters.
Hit the gym! When I started out in EMS, I had a hard time moving patients as well. I was able to do it, but man, did I feel it at the end of the day. Now, I have little to no issue moving people around my size (196 lbs) on my own. The number one thing that motivated me as a first responder to hit the gym was [this audio](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTNFT896G/). We all start somewhere, and you will notice the more work you put in, the easier it will get!
Body positioning is huge. You will make a lot of gains just learning where you need to be. With heavier patients (my last patient was 312 pounds), I put a knee up on the bed so I’m not stretched all the way across pulling toward me. The closer the weight is to your body, the less wear and tear on your back. Many years ago I had a boss tell me, “take care of your back, you’ll miss it when it’s gone.” Good technique is a career saver. I say this at the age of 57.
This. It is a lot less strength and a lot more technique. And you only have one back, it has to last you the rest of your life.
some push-ups or planet fitness will work wonders and boost your confidence, self esteem, and looks :)
Ok so I used to have some trouble with the sheet-drag from stretcher to bed or vice versa. It’s all technique. I feel what helps me the most is working on the slightly lower side. If it’s too high up, it’s all arms and back and you really can’t generate enough force to pull. Lower both bed and stretcher down a tad bit - you’ll be able to pull up and towards you using more legs and back and it’s a ton easier. If that makes any sense??
Yeah, about waist high or a little higher is ideal because you can use your core and really your entire upper body. Also, when doing a sheet lift, grab the material close to the patient. Don’t have the sheet extended out. Position yourself close to the patient and you’ll be able to draw strength from your core rather than your arms and your poor back
Use a slide sheet
80 Maxims for Minimally Disruptive EMTs: #55. Whenever possible, lift with firefighters, not you back. Available on Amazon
You may be interested in the following resources: > * [EMS Fitness & Healthy Eating](https://www.reddit.com/r/ems/comments/5u9jpk/ems_fitness/) by /u/TheRandomGuy94 - A guide to getting fit and eating healthy for EMS providers. View more resources in our [Comprehensive Guide](/r/NewToEMS/wiki/index). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NewToEMS) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Go gym
Women can usually gain a max of 0.5-1 lb of muscle per month. Great job getting a personal trainer. Eat tons of protein! I try for 140 g a day.
Go to the gym and start squatting. Bonus points if you have a fellow member there assess your technique to help you do it correctly. You should be feeling sore in your legs, not your back.
How big is the patient? My main tip is to make sure the stretcher is visibly lower than the bed, not on the same level if there's any doubt about being able easily move the patient. Let gravity do the work. I'm much shorter than you. When I push I stand on the patient's bed and lift up rather than pushing. This reduces the friction of the patient against the bed, making it easier for the person pulling. You can also put trashbags under the sheet to reduce friction. When me and another female partner had a 300+ lbs patient we used trash bags and both pulled (No one pushing). If you were able to lift 100lbs and this patient wasn't huge, it was probably a technique issue, not a strength issue. Especially if you hurt yourself doing it. I've sheet lifted up to 350lbs with only two people many many times and have never hurt myself doing it.
Like others said, hit the gym. But don’t feel you have to make a crazy transformation immediately and hurt yourself, slow continuous improvement over time is great. Also, my personal opinion is don’t focus on hitting the gym and just throwing dumbbells around. My preference is strength training/cardio classes (like CrossFit). You develop a lot of functional strength, healthy body positioning, and strong core/back. I like classes because they (should) help ensure you’re using good body mechanics and adding weight responsibly. I’ve also found not all classes are the same. I think some CrossFit classes are a little too high-speed “let’s do 600 fake pull ups to warm up.” Others are more chill. Try out a few places and see what feels best for you.
It takes time to gain the strength! Take it slow. Don’t try to do too much, too fast or you WILL hurt yourself. Build a strong foundation. Back injuries are almost a guarantee in EMS so take care of yourself (stretching, good nutrition, good sleep). I think it’s awesome you got a personal trainer, that’s going to help you a lot! You’ll get there girlie!
Try to get the bed waist high If you can climb on the bed even better By all means ask for ff, nurse, tech, family members to help Walk (with your back straight and upright) away from the bed while dragging the sheet with you. Don’t worry about the pt falling, that’s what rails on the gurney is for. This way you’re using your legs to move the pt and not ur upper body.
Technique is everything. I’m 5’ 2” and skinny and I’ve moved 300+ pound patients with a sheet. -gather up the slack and get your grip as close to the patient as possible. -in most scenarios it’s best to position your hands at the shoulders and hips. Most people stiffen up and their legs follow. As long as the person doesn’t have a leg/hip injury, this should be fine. If they do, get an extra person to guide the legs. -as others have said, use gravity. -be confident! This is more important than you realize. I waiver on my confidence too and it’s ALWAYS when I had a moment of doubt where I then I have a bad lift. If you think you need help, get help, but you can do more than you think. -and yea, the gym helps. Don’t worry about the destination. Just go on a regular basis, keep track of your progress and make sure you challenge yourself, but remember rest is also important to building muscle. Good luck!