Recently, I’ve been catching up on some journal reading and came across an ergonomics article in an online plastic surgery journal that I wanted to share.
We feel your pain
The article, Stretching and Strength Training to Improve Postural Ergonomics and Endurance in the Operating Room, offers all the usual warnings about musculoskeletal discomfort among surgeons as a result of surgical postures. It seems that the areas of pain are similar to those in spay neuter veterinarians. Many of the surgeon postures described in the article are also common in veterinary surgeons. And many of the solutions they suggest, like adjusting the table height or sitting for surgery, are the same as we have discussed previously.
Stretches for Surgeons
What I liked about the article, though, was that it published a supplemental set of videos of one of the authors’ consultations with a physical therapist. The physical therapist offers exercises and stretches to counteract common surgical postures. The videos are available along with the article (and are slow to load, but be patient). Video 1, video 2, and video 3 are all recordings of this consultation, while the final video shows the surgeon by himself, performing each of the exercises from the consultation in the first 3 videos. The final video goes too fast for viewers to follow along while doing the exercises themselves so works better as a reference than as an accompaniment to exercise.
These videos offer something specific that I hadn’t seen before and that I have wished I could share with others: stretches and exercises targeted for surgeons. (Maybe this exists somewhere but I haven’t come across it yet). I’m curious to try some and if they help relieve some neck/shoulder/upper back tension.
It would be even more exciting if the study had actually tested the stretches and exercises to determine if the surgeons were more comfortable or more flexible after using them for a time. But they didn’t, so as it is we’re left with recommendations based off the physical therapists’ “standard practice algorithms” for addressing the surgeons’ complaints.
Limitations
The study had other limitations besides not having tested the exercises on surgeons. The study design isn’t optimal: the sample size is limited, and the authors didn’t use a validated musculoskeletal discomfort questionnaire. The participants’ surgical posture self-assessment was also problematic. After watching a 2-minute video, the participants were asked to judge deficiencies in their own surgical posture based on their ability to complete the stretches and range of motion activities in the video. They didn’t have the chance to view video of themselves at work or to have any assessment by an ergonomist or physical therapist, so I’m skeptical of that measure’s validity.
Despite the article’s shortcomings as a scientific study, I think that the exercises suggested in the videos could be a good resource or starting point for surgeons experiencing discomfort and for those trying to avoid it. Let me know if any of these work for you, or if there are any other exercises or stretches that work better.
Meanwhile
Today we had the chance to fire up the Hartland Community Oven which was built in our town during the pandemic. Tina was on the oven committee (she helped build it, too) so she has been through several firings in 2020 and 2021, but this is only my second time baking in the oven. Despite a sometimes windy, sleety afternoon, we spent a few hours out there baking different things as the oven went from really hot to only sort of hot. Everything looks and tastes great and I think I’m done cooking for the week! (well, maybe).
