It's a tough job!

The fire service continues to be one of the most hazardous occupations in the world. Its rates of work related injury/illness and fatality far exceed those for most industries. Musculoskeletal injuries account for almost half of all line-of-duty injuries among the millions of firefighter in the U.S.A. These injuries are primarily sprains, strains and muscular pain that mostly affect the back, shoulder and knee.

So what do we do about it? How can we better protect ourselves? It’s simple… GET FIT!

Physical fitness mitigates against physical and mental fatigue, and acts as a mediating variable in the prediction of musculoskeletal injuries. In firefighter terms, the more fit you are the less physical and mental stress will affect you. The less fit you are the more likelihood of injury.

When you review published physical fitness intervention studies in the fire service, with few exceptions, the primary focus has been on cardiovascular risk reduction rather than musculoskeletal injury risk reduction.

So you have to include an injury prevention program as part of your program design, primarily for the back, shoulder and knees.

With back injuries, the gluteal muscles shut down, abdominal/lumbar extensors will be weak and the piriformis (posterior hip) will be tight, so perform some anti-inhibition drills, foam rolling and stretching.

For gluteal strengthening, perform glute bridges and fire hydrants, monster or x-band walks 2 sets of 10-15 reps and make sure the abs stay tight throughout the exercise. Do front and side planks for core stability and endurance along with prone cobras for the extensors, 2 sets of 15 seconds and build up to 1 minute. Make sure the trunk stays perfectly straight. Roll over the posterior hip and glutes with a foam roller to remove adhesions and finish with some stretching for the glutes.

Lack of core stability and endurance is one of the main reason firefighters suffer back injuries.

Doing Y’s, T’s and W’s along with pushup pluses can protect the shoulders. Do these as a circuit for 1 set of 10. Also, reduce overhead lifting, which can create shoulder impingement.

With knee problems the quadriceps and calves will be weak and inhibited. The hamstrings and IT Band will be tight, and there is possibly a loss of dorsiflexion range of motion at the ankle.

So start by foam rolling your quads, hamstrings and IT band and switch to front squats to fire the quads. Start doing ankle mobility drills in your warm up and post workout stretch the hamstrings and IT band along with the quads.

Getting fit and adding some simple exercise can go a long way in making you injury proof.