Pint-pulling leads to RSI for licensee

A Hampshire landlord has had his shoulder surgically reconstructed after suffering damage to the joint from 26 years of pulling pints. Mike Elvis, a BII Licensee of the Year in 1998, went for a shoulder operation in January after a doctor decided that his pains were caused by repetitive strain injury brought on through his time pulling pints. Elvis, a freeholder at the Beaulieu Road Inn in the New Forest, said: "We eliminated old rugby and other sporting injuries and then he remembered what I did for a living." Medical experts ordered the 57-year-old licensee to stop serving customers with his right arm for two years to allow the injury to heal. Elvis returned to the pub and has now perfected pouring pints with his left arm. More than half a million UK workers suffer from RSI, according to the Repetitive Strain Injury Association. Licensees should be aware of the dangers of the syndrome warned chartered physiotherapist, Sammi Morgo. "Pulling pints is a task carried out on a repeat basis and can therefore cause serious damage as it puts extra stress and strain on muscles," she said. Adapting a comfortable pint-pouring position provides protection against injury. "Stand close to the pump so that you're not stretching. The momentum should come from your abdomen and not the shoulder," she advised.