FITNESS
ANALYZING MOVEMENT & PREVENTING INJURY By Hussien Jabai, MS, CSCS, TSAC-F, CPT
I T ’ S T H E N AT U R E O F T H E B E A S T … Reports show that one firefighter injury occurs every eight seconds. Every eight seconds! And a large percentage of these result from falls, slips, and jumps, as well as over-exertion and strain. We all know that firefighters with a lower level of fitness have a higher risk of being injured on the job - that’s a basic equation. But we also know that many firefighter injuries result from fitness training. And here’s an even bigger shocker: you’re four times more likely to get injured if you are training while on duty. How can you increase your longevity, improve your fitness, reduce your chances of injury and perform effectively, all while not getting hurt in the process?
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C RAC KYL MAGAZ I N E
LET’S LOOK AT HABITUAL MOVEMENTS A great place to start is by taking a close look at the way that you perform the movements involved in your daily tasks. How many of us approach putting on our bunker gear, PPE, and SCBA, and enter and exit the fire engine exactly the same way, every single time? Although repetition is effective in terms of time management when responding to a call, it can also cause us to lean, bend, twist, or move in patterns that might favor one side of the body over the other, creating imbalances and the possibility for strain and injury, particularly over the length of a career. Everyone’s movements are unique, so addressing movement patterns and inefficiencies should be done on an individual basis.
ALL ABOUT LOW BACK PAIN One area of movement we analyze carefully in the fire service is spine rotation, with a focus on lower back wellness. Spinal rotation contributes to movement by transferring momentum from the lower body to the upper body. Excessive lumbar spine rotation may contribute to low back pain, and axial rotation of the torso is also a risk factor. Excessive rotation in various other parts of the spine can create stiffness in many areas involved in movement, altering the way the lumbar spine functions. Thoracic pain and low back pain are common in the general population, but rates are higher in the fire service thanks to the nature of the work and the physiological stressors associated with occupational demands.
