[pianotech] lifting anything heavy

[Stephen Grattan]

Hi,

The week before Christmas I was contracted to put a Digital Piano Cart on a digital piano.  The piano weighs 210 pounds.  I laid the piano on its back, spaced 2" from the floor, bolted the cart to it and then stood the piano up on the cart.  Lifting the piano was no problem and all was fine until I pushed the piano away from myself to complete standing it up.  There was a big snap and I snapped the distal bicep muscle right off the bone in my left arm and pulled a piece of bone with it- nicking the nerves.  Three days later I had 2 hours of surgery to reattach the muscle and anchor it to the bone.  Two months of physical therapy later my doctor told that I will never move pianos or lift heavy objects again - if I'm smart.  As a rebuilder for 38 years, this is not what I wanted to hear - but I will comply.  Looks like the chainfall will be getting a lot more use!  He also told me that muscle tears are cumulative - they never heal- they just stop hurting. 
 In other words - be careful out there and work smart- like Julia says!

 
Steve Grattan
Lost Chord Clinic




________________________________
From: "KeyKat88 at aol.com" <KeyKat88 at aol.com>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Fri, February 26, 2010 1:25:51 PM
Subject: [pianotech] lifting anything heavy

 
Greetings,
 
        To avoid ruptured spinal disk, NEVER lift anything heavy without bending the knees. I was told by my chiropractor to get your body as close to the heavy object as you can and then bend the knees as you lift. 
 
Anything that causes you to have to hump your back and stretch it can cause tearing, stretching of muscle tissue and possible rupture of spinal disks.
 
Julia 
Reading, PA
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