Why picking up the anchor makes the back hurt for days??

[trouville]

I anchor a lot !(no money for ports) I change my anchor from my Brittany (which is the best anchor ever made for many holdings)to my CQR (best anchor ever made!)or bruce(incase i have to clear out leaving the anchor)and never hurt anything except my hands!
Today i picked up my anchor a fisherman that was on deck to clean the mud away,just picked it up (20 LBS) turned around and ouch!!!! put the anchor down and carefully moved!Ouch
Why dose the lower back just do that?? Its happend before, this time its not bad but sitting standing walking theres the feeling that my back almost hurts!The hurt is as when i drop a bite of chain on my foot(i dont wear shoes on deck)!Hurts but the hurt is supportable!
Last time i was with my girlfreind the next morning back hurts??

Why is the back so difficult?? What can i do why dosent lifting the anchor to anchor ever hurt??But just picking a light one up to move dose???WHY??

 

[franky]

When you see your physio to get the inflammation reduced or the disc put back you will probably be told that your lifting technique was wrong.You were not expecting the lighter weight of the Fisherman and did not compensate on the lift.Use the legs to lift not the back.Wish you better.Suggest using alcohol to relieve any pain (internally)

 

[fisherman]

Bet you're in your mid thirties?

 

[trouville]

Yes! 36 actually
I was going to say im between the devil and the deep blue sea!!!!!!!!My girlfriend has her bed on the floor a japanees bed????(im really not sure about that!) And when my back hurts its very difficult to get out of bed!Nothing hurts but it MIGHT!!

Thats it! So the devil and the deep blue sea (or at the moment very light blue)On board i cant stand up!below.(becouse the cabin only has sitting headroom!) What am i to do??

Ive tried the pain releif! a bottle of good local !!And yes if i go to a doctor its bound to be my bad posture but i dident do anything other than twist while holding the anchor.

 

[misterg]

[ QUOTE ]
but i dident do anything other than twist while holding the anchor.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't twist!

We've been working with a company on lifting & handling training for staff, and (this particular one) makes sense, and the lessons boil down to a few simple rules:

Lifting should be a natural movement - not "knees bent back straight";

Get whatever you're lifting inside your "base" - i.e. put one foot forward so that you are almost straddling it;

Make sure your feet aren't both pointing in the same direction;

Lift with your legs (i.e bend them as far as you would if you were preparing to leap, and straighten them to lift the load);

and

Turn, don't twist - i.e move your feet first if you want to turn;

As a demonstration as to what to avoid, they ask trainees to stand feet together and to bend from the waist to pick something up from ~knee level. They say that the feeling in your back at the point of picking the item up is what you need to avoid.

Holding things out from your body, or twisting whilst holding a weight puts trmendous pressure on your back, and this has a cumulative effect on your spine, eventually resulting in displcement or rupturing of the discs between the vertebrae which puts pressure on the nerves in the spine and causes pain.

I was generally sceptical about the whole thing, but it did seem to make sense. I became a "convert" after shifting about 3 tonnes of stone by hand, according to the principles taught. I fully expected to feel aches & pains the next day, but nothing!

I'm sure someone will give you a proper explanation, but the only thing I advise is that there are right and wrong ways of lifting things - you probably need to be shown, rather than try and follow my description.

Andy

 

[ColinHuggins]

[ QUOTE ]
Why is the back so difficult??

[/ QUOTE ]

Some 'authorities' maintain that it's because we are designed to go round on all fours!

With your lifestyle it appears you could get away with it. The girlfriend will need educating tho' . . .

 

[DeeGee]

Under the circumstances I think the best medical advice would be to stay in bed with your girlfriend and lie flat on your back... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[fisherman]

You can often work hard and not damage it, then some innocuous movement, reach round for something and it's gone.

FWIW my back 'went' at 36. In my case, work and exercise does the trick. You will find that you learn, and what not to do becomes instinctive. All the advice about lifting techniques becomes automatic, pain is a good teacher.

Doc says take ibuprofen, but make sure you take enough, something like 2x 400mg: it's not good long term, ulcers.

I was told that two discs had flattened and disappeared, the bones would fuse, then there would be less pain and less mobility. 20 years on I'm fine provided I look after things, I do a heavy manual job (300 pots at 20kg each, handled twice, =12 tons) and I can touch my toes.

You are IMHO going to have to do something about exercise, with caution. Swimming may be better than jogging, too many shock loads.

 

[Rigger]

If its a regular occurence it might be worth purchasing a weight lifters support belt for a few quid from any sports shop. This straps on in seconds and supports your lower back in a safe position as well as reminding you to lift properly!

 

[oldharry]

Its all to do with angles of twist and load, I reckon. Having hefted my old boat around for years, with its 35kg anchor and 8mm chain, why suddenly getting up from my seat at the bar did my back seize up and wreck any prospect of getting afloat (or doing anything else) for a month? A month off work, and not even able to get on to the boat...aaarrrrggggh!

 

[BAtoo]

Unfortunatly lying in bed flat on your back is NOT current medical advice for a bad back...........

 

[spannerman]

I gave upworking in the workshop due to back problems, years of lifting gearboxes and cylinder heads and repeatedly putting my back out. The worst was when I was sent out to change a Volvo drive, the boat had a low swimplatform so I had to lift it on and off alone bent double, (not the recommended position for heavy lifting) I did the job and went back to the workshop and thought nothing of it, until at hometime I went onto a sailboat to remove the keys, I bent forward slightly to remove the ignition key from the panel and my back went out. I was off for two weeks in agony, I had overloaded my back earlier in the day and now the discs were unstable, it just took one more bending action for it to pop out. now I won't lift anything heavy, as I have a weakness there now and besides it costs too much at the chiropracters!
Remember you only have one back...

 

[DeeGee]

[ QUOTE ]
Unfortunatly lying in bed flat on your back is NOT current medical advice for a bad back...........

[/ QUOTE ]Go on, you're having me on...! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Lakesailor]

Ah, So the medics are catching up on what sufferers have know for years. When I was an ambulanceman the specialists decided suddenly that all back patients should be transported lying down. This was just to attend clinics and physio.
So suddenly they couldn't travel in sitting-case patient transport and had to come in proper ambulances. That meant each vehicle could only carry two patients instead of 9 that could be carried sat up.
It was chaos.

It didn't last long.

 

[gandy]

Doctor gave me a sheet of "lower back exercises". They involved lying on my front, but keeping my back concave.

 

[Poignard]

I used to have a "bad back" until I fell off a horse when a strap broke. I landed flat on my back and was in great pain, and could hardly move, for two days but after that my back was much better and rarely bothers me nowadays.

However, as they say "Don't try this at home"!

 

[gandy]

I was taught that "a gentleman takes his weight on his knees and elbows"

 

[Lakesailor]

That's how much doctors know. If it's a sheet he must hand it out willy-nilly. But every one is different and whilst your problem may respond to those suggstions again it may not.
I have a back problem and bending it in the manner you mention is the single worst thing I can do. That's virtually the only thing that gives me lasting problems these days. I've learned to manage my activities, but working on a ladder, painting gutters for instance, would induce that bend and I'd be in pain for a few days.
Once you work out how to manage your work and movement it becomes just a background niggle.

 

[trouville]

Great advice hear!First thing ive done (as my girlfriends not hear)Is have two small glasses of wine!It dose seem to help!

As was said, its odd that after lifting a 25lbs CQR with 10 meters of 8mm chain (followed by about 30m 18mm line)with the boat rocking rolling and haveing to be quick about stowing the beast to get underway never a twinge?? But lifing a fether off a rock steady deck and bang ouch back almost gone!

I do agree that swiming would be a good idea!Up to now i always think the waters to cold!!or some other excuse not to swim!!One good point of a small boat is that i have to bend a lot to get about in the cabin which is excersise???

Oddly if i walk bent over the back dosent hurt at all??Walking upright im reminded to be carful!!!!By a feeling that it could hurt!

Perhaps i realy will have to modify my life style which tends to involve a lot of sitting in the cockpit and not enough rowing ashore for a walk!!

 

[gandy]

In my case this was actually after the doc had examined me, and asked questions about tingling toes, blood in urine etc.