BRYAN FASS, ATC, LAT, EMT-P, CSCS
Moving a patient from a bed to a stretcher usually involves one
responder leaning over the stretcher to reach for the sheet to pull,
which places them in a flexed posture that puts enormous load on
the lumbar spine, not to mention shear forces on the rotator cuff.
Meanwhile, the second responder is often kneeling on the bed to
“assist” in the transfer. This responder will most likely be kneeling
on an unstable surface with trunk flexion and an unobtainable
neutral spine, which all adds up to a recipe for a soft tissue
overexertion injury. Utilizing an assistive device as seen in Figure 3
can help responders achieve a neutral spine posture when moving
a patient to or from a bed, and will help avoid putting responders
in compromising lifting positions.
Almost every call a re