Is dentistry is back breaking labour?

Not in the traditional sense. It essentially is a job that is performed in a sitting position but it often involves some twisting of the neck or back. A number of my colleagues complain of neck or back issues. Some may be exacerbated by poor working postures that place undue strain on their musculoskeletal systems.

When I started in dentistry I was a young man with no back, neck or hand problems. I never hesitated to perform any  movements and I was initially loathe to make much  my use of my dental mirror. This led to me working long hours with my neck and back twisted in stressful positions. After a number of years I found that at the end of the day my neck and back were really "barking". The solution I implemented was to change my working position.

Before I was mostly working in the "seven o'clock position and using direct vision as much as possible.  To improve my working posture I started wearing magnification with a long working distance (18-20 inches). I also found myself using my mirror more and more and that I could work with less stress form the "eleven o'clock position".

Due to these changes, I have been working more comfortably, with less discomfort than I previously experienced. That doesn't mean I don't have back problems. The last time I checked with a cat scan, I was told I had three or four herniated disks and most days I experience low grade back pain.

As I write this post, I am lying in bed with an electric heating pad, treating my latest flare up.  Truth be told I am not sure if my most recent flare up is from dentistry or from my recent purchase of a used BMW Mini Cooper. It is so much fun to drive, but it has a race car suspension and when driving around NYC I feel every bump!

Tomorrow I will be "back" at work (pardon my pun) and will probably still be experiencing  some pain, but dentists do not get paid when they are sick and our overhead usually necessitates us working even when we are mildly under the weather.

from Ask Dr. Spindel - http://ift.tt/2l7DMhV - http://ift.tt/1SpPbm6

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