For Your Benefit: A stretch in time saves the back and muscles

The physical stress of lifting patients and spending a lot of time on their feet makes nurses susceptible to back and muscle injuries. One way to keep your muscles loose and to help prevent injuries is by stretching — and not just when you're tired, but throughout the day.

Setting the tone for loose muscles starts before you get out of bed. Brendon Blake, a physical therapist with Lanier Therapy in Motion, suggests a simple routine for when you first wake up.

"Some nonload-bearing stretches while you're still in bed can really help you loosen up," he said. "It's important to take a few minutes to take care of yourself as you get ready for your day."

Here are six exercises Blake recommended:

Lower back: While lying on your back, bend your knees, leaving your feet on the bed. Gently rock your knees from side to side.

Back and upper torso: Sit on the edge of the bed and reach high with both arms. Relax; then repeat several times, holding for a count of five on each stretch.

Back and upper torso: Stand and place your feet at shoulder-width. With arms extended, lean left, then center; lean right, then center. Hold each position for a count of five. Pause between directional changes.

Quadriceps and gluteus maximus: Do several sit-to-stand movements, sitting up straight and using your legs to rise to a standing position. Repeat several times, making deliberate movements.

Stand up with your back against a wall and move into a sitting position until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Hold for a count of five. Repeat.

Calves and hamstrings: Face the wall and put your arms out at shoulder height. Slowly move one leg back for a full stretch. Hold for five seconds; repeat with other leg.

Doing these stretches when you wake up takes less than 10 minutes. Blake suggested stretching throughout the day as well.

"It can also give you a chance to clear your mind if you take a break to stretch," he said. "You've got a much better chance of focusing on your patients if you're taking care of yourself and are not focused on aching muscles and joints."

CORRECTION

The For Your Benefit column in the May edition of Pulse did not reflect a change in Georgia Nurses Association regulations for contact hours. As of January, 60 minutes of training is required to get credit for one contact hour.