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ERGONOMICS

16 CATARACT & REFRACTIVE SURGERY TODAY EUROPE | FEBRUARY 2018

ARTHUR B. CUMMINGS, MB ChB, FCS(SA), MMe d(Op h t h), FRCS(Ed i n)

Have you experienced any work-related repetitive use injuries?

I had some neck problems when I was doing a lot of vitreoretinal surgery.

Do you have strategies to make your OR ergonomically optimized?

I think about health and safety for all staff at all times.

Do you per form any stretches or exercises to prevent injur y?

Yes.

MICHAEL LAWLESS, MBBS, FRANZCO, FRACS

Have you experienced any work-related repetitive use injuries?

I have had neck issues from the use of the operating microscope.

Do you have strategies to make your OR ergonomically optimized?

No.

Do you per form any stretches or exercises to prevent injur y?

Yes, daily and also in between cases in the OR.

JODHBIR S. MEHTA, FRCS, FRCOp h t h

Have you experienced any work-related repetitive use injuries?

No.

Do you have strategies to make your OR ergonomically optimized?

I ensure good back posture for long operations.

Do you per form any stretches or exercises to prevent injur y?

Yes, especially my back and neck. I also get massages after long surgeries.

DAVID A. GOLDMAN, MD

Have you experienced any work-related repetitive use injuries?

No.

Do you have strategies to make your OR ergonomically optimized?

I make sure my positioning is proper before starting any exam or surgery.

Do you per form any stretches or exercises to prevent injur y?

No.

LEON W. HERNDON, MD

Have you experienced any work-related repetitive use injuries?

Early in my career, I had neck pain after surgery.

Do you have strategies to make your OR ergonomically optimized?

It is all about positioning myself properly at the microscope.

Do you per form any stretches or exercises to prevent injur y?

Not before surgery.

SPILLING THE BEANS

DOCS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES AND STRATEGIES TO PREVENT

ERGONOMIC INJURIES.SPILLING THE BEANS

ERGONOMICS s

FEBRUARY 2018 | CATARACT & REFRACTIVE SURGERY TODAY EUROPE 17

JOHN A. HOVANESIAN, MD

Have you experienced any work-related repetitive use injuries?

No.

Do you have strategies to make your OR ergonomically optimized?

I tilt the microscope about 15° so that I don’t need to stretch my back and neck to be directly over the patient.

Do you per form any stretches or exercises to prevent injur y?

I swim about 7 miles a week. This builds a lot of core strength and neck flexibility, and I think is responsible for my avoidance of injuries.

MITCHELL A. JACKSON, MD

Have you experienced any work-related repetitive use injuries?

No.

Do you have strategies to make your OR ergonomically optimized?

I keep all technologies in one room with a no-movement strategy. I just slide the chair out from the femtosecond laser and place the patient under the microscope to complete the procedure.

Do you per form any stretches or exercises to prevent injur y?

I do a psoas muscle stretch and hamstring stretches daily.

CYNTHIA MATOSSIAN, MD

Have you experienced any work-related repetitive use injuries?

Neck and back pain and occasional wrist aches.

Do you have strategies to make your OR ergonomically optimized?

Yes.

Do you per form any stretches or exercises to prevent injur y?

Yes, on a regular basis, in addition to working out with a trainer and getting a therapeutic massage the night of my surgery days.

AUDREY TALLEY ROSTOV, MD

Have you experienced any work-related repetitive use injuries?

Yes. I had some neck pain and also leg pain secondary to an old OR chair that was not ergonomically suited for me. We replaced the chair, I had physical therapy, and this resolved.

Do you have strategies to make your OR ergonomically optimized?

Yes. I make sure that I adjust every-thing to me so that I am not hunched or overextended in my neck, my back is straight with good posture, and my legs comfortable. I have longer ocu-lars so that I can sit straight without hunching over the microscope.

Do you per form any stretches or exercises to prevent injur y?

I do yoga.

MITCHELL SHULTZ, MD

Have you experienced any work-related repetitive use injuries?

Yes, including neck, lower back, and wrist pain that is associated with use of the phoropter and operative microscope. I also have cramping in my wrist and hand when operating.

Do you have strategies to make your OR ergonomically optimized?

No.

Do you per form any stretches or exercises to prevent injur y?

Yes, I do core exercises 3 to 4 days per week.

MICHAEL E. SNYDER, MD

Have you experienced any work-related repetitive use injuries?

No.

Do you have strategies to make your OR ergonomically optimized?

No. 1: Tilted microscope and tilted patient head;

No. 2: Ergonomic chair from Reliance Medical Products with lumbar lordosis to the seat back;

No. 3: Footpedal elevators to tilt foot pedals (Reliance Medical Products); and

No. 4: Attentiveness to bed height so my spine remains upright.

Do you per form any stretches or exercises to prevent injur y?

No.

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ERGONOMICS

18 CATARACT & REFRACTIVE SURGERY TODAY EUROPE | FEBRUARY 2018

WILLIAM B. TRATTLER, MD

Have you experienced any work-related repetitive use injuries?

I have not. I was taught by my professor, Michelle Piccone, MD, at Scheie Eye Institute, how critical it is to keep proper positioning at the slit lamp and in surgery.

Do you have strategies to make your OR ergonomically optimized?

I use the TrueVision heads-up display (TrueVision Systems) for most procedures. I can sit in a comfortable position for every case.

Do you per form any stretches or exercises to prevent injur y?

I should do more.

GARY WÖRTZ, MD

Have you experienced any work-related repetitive use injuries?

Chronic neck and lower back pain, not requiring surgery or therapy but definitely annoying. I fixed it by start-ing a workout program including yoga, high-intensity training, and weightlifting.

Do you have strategies to make your OR ergonomically optimized?

No. It’s a huge unmet need in our profession.

Do you per form any stretches or exercises to prevent injur y?

Yes. Surprisingly, deadlifts, squats, and core training, along with yoga, have really helped.

FITNESS AND OPHTHALMOLOGYDarrell E. White, MD, joins Gary Wörtz, MD, to highlight the value of exercise to reduce the physical and psychological stresses of ophthalmic surgery. Dr. White explains how the fitness regimen CrossFit has helped him become a better surgeon, highlighting that the intense workout regimen has helped him not only to stay in peak physical shape but also on an emotional level.

bit.ly/Fitnessandophthalmology

ROBERT J. WEINSTOCK, MD

Have you experienced any work-related repetitive use injuries?

Yes, I have experienced back pain in the past.

Do you have strategies to make your OR ergonomically optimized?

Yes, I perform heads-up 3D surgery. I also operate with sneakers on and use a specific bed and chair height and patient positioning. I orchestrate turn-over so I keep moving.

Do you per form any stretches or exercises to prevent injur y?

I stretch and do isometric exercises daily. n

BY THE NUMBERS

of survey respondents have experienced a work-related injury57%

23%of survey respondents have strategies in place to prevent injuries

of survey respondents stretch or exercise23%

89%of physicians across multiple specialties exercise at least once per week

LISTEN UP!

Source: Peckman C. Medscape Physician Lifestyle & Happiness Report 2018. http://bit.ly/MedscapeHappinessSurvey. Accessed January 17, 2018.