Back problems from doing dentals and surgery

RE: Back problems from doing dentals and surgery

Clive Ansell — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 08:53:28 GMT

I've had a bad back following a prolapsed lumbar disc since 2018, with surgery in 2021. 90% better following surgery, but still have to be careful.

Maintaing good posture in important, keep a straight back as much as possible. I find a saddle stool helps me a lot, but as Malcolm points out spend some time learning how to set it up and use it properly. Walking helps a lot, and I do daily simple stretching and core exercises. One of physio's explained maintaining posture as pretending to walk or sit, with a string attached to your head pulling you upwards and stretching the spine.

It seems strange what triggers pain and what doesn't, and over time one gets to learn what can or cannot be done. I can carry out fairly heavy lifting and digging, with no problem at all, yet actions such as raking leaves will kick it off, it seems twisting movements are worse. I've just returned from a walking holiday, carrying a small day pack, with no problems at all.

It's also worth spending time and money on a suitable mattress or mattress topper. Sleeping in different beds can really kick it off too.

RE: Back problems from doing dentals and surgery

Judith Joyce — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 08:22:01 GMT

My physio (for bad back) said that physios suffer similar problems for the same reasons!. Her advice was 10 minutes of stretching exercises every day for life and trying to do an equal amount of extending back as bending over table, (which isn't feasible while working but a short lean back after eery bending over procedure helps)

RE: Back problems from doing dentals and surgery

Dinu Catilina — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 09:17:11 GMT

I spoke to my dentist about this last week and their nurses are training to give them a nudge when their posture is wrong and also get them to stretch a bit every 15 minutes. The root canal treatment lady in the same practice has been off work for a few months with a bad back and she is in her thirties. I guess we are not alone in this.

RE: Back problems from doing dentals and surgery

Malcolm Ness — Sun, 19 Jan 2025 11:58:59 GMT

Long term surgery-related back pain. I used a saddle seat - buy a good quality one and be prepared to invest some time in getting used to using it.

Best tip I can offer is to ask/empower your nurses to tell/nag you when they see you stooping. My problems came from getting so engrossed in what I was doing that I wasn't really aware of my bad bending-over posture until I had finished the op and tried to straighten up.

RE: Back problems from doing dentals and surgery

Rachel Perry — Sun, 19 Jan 2025 09:31:11 GMT

Definitely invest in some high quality loupes that will let your cervical spine stay in a neutral position. You may need to invest in a new dental table which is height adjustable- obviously you need to be able to get your legs under the table so if you have a dreaded tub table this should be the priority to change. You should be able to sit and rest forearms naturally along the table towards patient. Saddle type stools can help with lumbar spinal pain but I use a Håg Capisco- it’s like a saddle but also has a back rest.
for now, my osteopath would say alternate icing and heating your back for 10-15 min a few times a day . Pilates is always a core winner, but depending on the type of yoga, that should help too.
I feel your pain!

RE: Back problems from doing dentals and surgery

Noweia — Sun, 19 Jan 2025 09:05:40 GMT

I got a cheap set of loupes recently to stop me hunching over dentals. They do make it a lot easier to see tiny sutures and to see properly with them I have to sit straighter. Worth a look?

RE: Back problems from doing dentals and surgery

David Mills — Sun, 19 Jan 2025 04:01:58 GMT

Stigen whatever happened with your love interest? Can she not supply some (kind of) relief?

RE: Back problems from doing dentals and surgery

janine redman — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 20:44:41 GMT

I feel your pain , I had a difficult carnassial extraction Wednesday along with three botch spays over two days and a 63 kg dog to X-ray. It’s taken the last three days to recover . I am limiting the size of patients these days as most of my staff have had back , hip , knee or neck problems. Having the table at the right height helps but the angles required for dental work gives me neck and shoulder problems as well . Along with dogs that have poor manners and jerk and pull on the lead

RE: Back problems from doing dentals and surgery

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 08:37:29 GMT

Dinu Catilina, in my experience, if you gave a disc problem, the very, very, very last thing in the world you should be doing is lifting anything heavier than a sheet of paper. I used to think ‘pah, I can get this’ whenever faced with having to lift anything heavy. Regretted it every time, until I learned better!

RE: Back problems from doing dentals and surgery

Dinu Catilina — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 21:44:05 GMT

If you want a stronger back then you will have to lift and lift heavy. I know it is not popular but good core and back strength exercises will help massively in the long term. Start light, 2 times/week, use a coach if you can and don't be afraid to gradually go really heavy.

[quote userid="2131" url="~/f/clinical-questions/31116/back-problems-from-doing-dentals-and-surgery/246378#246378"]Many people like "saddle" chairs though personally I do not.[/quote]

I hate it when you sit on it the back to front by mistake. An error to remember for a while.

I use chairs more often for dentals otherwise I forget to maintain a good posture and end up with neck pain.

RE: Back problems from doing dentals and surgery

Allison Gleadhill — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 20:15:24 GMT

When I did my back in the physio I saw told me not to do yoga but go for Pilates instead, didn’t want me doing back bends.

RE: Back problems from doing dentals and surgery

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 15:24:50 GMT

I can't suggest any exercises and I'm not an ergonomic expert, but I have one suggestion. Don't bend over. Either put the table high and stand, or put it low and sit. If you sit, get a good chair that suits you. Many people like "saddle" chairs though personally I do not. Arrange everything so that you can sit and operate with a straight back. Your chair will probably be on castors: make sure you are not bracing yourself , unconsciously or otherwise, to stop it rolling away.

If you are doing a lot of tough extractions in a patient, take at least one break halfway. (This helps mentally too).

RE: Back problems from doing dentals and surgery

Stigen — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 14:44:29 GMT

I actually had about 6 months in agonizing legpain from prolapse and sciatica, and could barely get out of bed..I was`nt working at all then, but that was 2 years ago, and improved since then. But still very sensitive, and any kind of lifitng or bad positioning will set it off again.

It is a good article, seem I am not alone. Fortunately I am a general practitioner so I am not doing surgeries and dentals constantly. I do have a back brace that I will start wearing daily. Today I have had one of the ice packs we use to ship medicines with on my lower back all day. That feels a little better.

I guess things in the clinics could be more optimized. My boss gave me a gift card to a physiotherapist for christmas..so she knows I struggle sometimes.

RE: Back problems from doing dentals and surgery

Beats — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 12:28:27 GMT

Might not be a factor for you, but depending on your age, getting your eyes tested might make a difference also. I recently got glasses and reckon I hunch less now. Good lighting can similarly help.

RE: Back problems from doing dentals and surgery

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 11:50:08 GMT

Stigen My sympathies ... I've had a prolapse and I could barely walk for months. Absolutely miserable. I'm a bit sceptical about exercise making a transformational difference, but the one thing I do find has helped me is standing up more, and walking more. I've also got a standing desk, and I wonder how height adjustable the operating table is. Can you raise it enough to stop you having to stoop so much? Is there anything in this paper which might be useful: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6824896/#abstract1