Back strain during lifting and carrying in emergency medical services: a survey

Background Currently, there is no data collection in Germany that evaluates back strain of emergency medical services (EMS) personnel shortly after a mission. The aim of this study is to quantify the subjectively perceived extent of back strain of EMS personnel during lifting and carrying on-site. Furthermore, correlations between different factors and the extent of back strain of the lumbar spine (LS), thoracic spine (TS), and cervical spine (CS) are investigated.Methods Data were collected using an online questionnaire issued to EMS personnel from various organizations in the Stuttgart area. Participants were asked about sociodemographic information, their current mission, working conditions, their own situation, and perceived back strain. The level of back strain was assessed by using the Borg scale.Results In 83 completed questionnaires, participants generally rated the extent of back strain as "moderate " (LS: 67.5%; TS: 75%; CS: 62%) or "low " (LS: 30%; TS: 25%; CS: 37%). This distribution is also reflected in the extent of strain on the entire spine (moderate: 69%; low: 28.5%; high: 2.5%). Significant correlations were found between the means of transport and the strain on the entire spine, between previous strains and the strain on the entire spine, and between fitness level and the strain on the LS.Conclusion A large proportion of respondents already had back pain, which they suspected was the result of EMS work. This seems to be in contrast to the classification of the extent of back strain. More detailed research is needed to further investigate and validate the results.