Fore and Aft Lift From the Floor

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MafiaPrincess

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I was searching the net tonight and found the forum. I've read some great threads so far on lifting, but could use more help. I'm a paramedic student and on my second week of school. We start with lifting techniques. Last week I was able to fore and aft a patient off the floor up to 150 pounds of the bat.

Today's class was miserable as I am doing something incorrectly. I just am not quite sure what I'm doing differently now. Since it is only week 2 and we haven't practised much it is not ingrained yet in my head. I couldn't correctly lift a 125 pounds person today.

I asked for help on my position and the few tips I got didn't improve anything.. I kept asking to have someone look and tell me what I was doing incorrectly (as I don't want to do something stupid and hurt myself) and got told repeatedly I am not strong enough and have to hit the gym. I totally agree I need to work out and improve my strength and will.. but since I could lift without much trouble last week I feel I have done something differently biomechanically.

If anyone has tips or hints for for and aft lifts or lifting in general it would be much appreciated. Thank you.
 
When you say "fore and aft" lifting are you talking about dead lifting a patient off of the ground with one person at the head and one at foot?
 
Yes. One 'hugging' the patient and the other person having an arm under the knees and one under the buttocks.
 
There is frankly not really a way to do that correctly, unless you have proper lifting tools. It is a poor idea to pick up and carry anyone like that. The risk of injury to yourself and your patients is quite high.
 
Technique is 100 times more important than strength.

For the "Georgia Street" (GS) carry, at the head what works well is for the person to come up under the patients arms and then grab the patient's opposite wrist. So your right hand comes up under the patient's right armpit, and then grabs the patient's left wrist.

Keep your back straight, lift with the legs, not the back, when possible.

Get into a comfortable position before lifting. Nothing is so time sensitive that you can't wait 5 seconds to get into a better position.

Communicate. It runs smoother when everyone, including the patient, knows what's going on and when it's going to happen.
 
Sadly poor idea or not I have to prove I can do it with a lighter person in the near future and a 210 pound person in April for exams. It seems horribly awkward..

I've been told to get as close as possible and keep my back straight.. but once I squat I seem to be off balance and can't get back up which is pretty embarassing. I did it last week without harming myself.. but I'm doing something different (and wrong) now and don't know what I've done differently..
 
A few other things that I should have added earlier.

Wide stance. Toes pointed outward. You should be essentially straddling the patient's back with your knees. Avoid having your knees flex past 90 degrees as much as possible. This is medicine, there is no such thing as "personal space".
 
Thank you, that helps. My stance was likely not wide enough...

They told me my feet weren't close enough to my patient and I wanted to get lower, and I ended up way past 90 degrees, my butt probably 6" from the floor and then got stuck.. I was told I wanted to be down that far and it was lack of leg muscles. I think I was too low and too narrow a stance.

I now want to take the advice and go and practice lol.
 
Like Jp stated bend at the knees not the waist, feet at the width of your shoulders or a little wider, like your going to sit on the floor then gently raise up lifting with your legs.

Its about technique.
 
I just thought of the best description for this. It's basically squating like a baseball catcher.
 
JPINFV said:
I just thought of the best description for this. It's basically squating like a baseball catcher.
Click to expand...

i think that may be too low. you would need extreme leg strength to get up from that holding 200 lbs
 
I was down probably that low today.. My legs weren't spread wide enough I don't think, but getting that low got me stuck down there hugging my patient. I have no problem getting super close to the patient, I was embarassed because I got stuck and couldn't get up.

Squatting in my house now with a wider stance and gettign that low I fall over backwards.. Maybe I'm anatomically challenged ;)
 
JPINFV said:
Technique is 100 times more important than strength.

For the "Georgia Street" (GS) carry, at the head what works well is for the person to come up under the patients arms and then grab the patient's opposite wrist. So your right hand comes up under the patient's right armpit, and then grabs the patient's left wrist.

Keep your back straight, lift with the legs, not the back, when possible.

Get into a comfortable position before lifting. Nothing is so time sensitive that you can't wait 5 seconds to get into a better position.

Communicate. It runs smoother when everyone, including the patient, knows what's going on and when it's going to happen.
Click to expand...

Yeah I have used the "Georgia Street" carry before. Its works well, especially when you can get the stretcher close by.
 
lampnyter said:
i think that may be too low. you would need extreme leg strength to get up from that holding 200 lbs
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree. One thing that makes it much harder is not getting in close enough to the patient. I love/hate this lift. It's the best way to get an unconscious person down the trailer hallway from the back bedroom, but usually the people who need this lift are covered in some kind of slime. Bring a spare uniform to work. Barf.

Just yesterday, we removed a lady from a bus with this lift, and my partner (yeehaw on the luck of the draw!) got urine all down one leg.

I've tried doing this with a gown on, but it's just too slippery then.
 
MafiaPrincess said:
Thank you, that helps. My stance was likely not wide enough.

They told me my feet weren't close enough to my patient and I wanted to get lower, and I ended up way past 90 degrees, my butt probably 6" from the floor and then got stuck.. I was told I wanted to be down that far and it was lack of leg muscles. I think I was too low and too narrow a stance.

I now want to take the advice and go and practice lol.
Click to expand...

Just some perspective on this:

The lifting technique also depends on your body construction. There are 6 recognized types.

The average female can generate more power in the legs than a male of the same weight do to the angles of the femurs, the center of gravity, and muscle mass involved.

You might want to find somebody outside of your school who knows a lot more about lifting techniques and can taylor a technique better to you than listening to some meathead tell you to hit the gym.
 
Are there no firefighters here?

Howitt strap...
 
Thanks everyone. This one thread has generated more help so far than I got in real life yesterday. I contacted a personal trainer yesterday. I'm hoping to get a good routine going to become stronger but maybe she can help me with my body type and where my body should be to lift.

I really think it was where my feet were mainly that was my big problem yesterday, and I'm a little annoyed that in the haste to be told by 4 or so different instructors that I'm just not strong enough that no one caught that I was on my toes dirrectly under my body.
 
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