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Caring for the Clinician: Are You Well and Happy? |
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Wednesday, 04 April 2012 00:00 |
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What would happen to our entire health-care industry if people were well and happy? What if we had a health-care system that truly represented physical and mental health? The unfortunate reality is that the entire pharmaceutical, medical and insurance industry would collapse; much like the housing bust or dot-com bubble did only recently. We are certainly coming to critical mass and a tipping point because many Americans are fed up with our entire medical system. The sad truth is that we actually have a sick-care system and keeping people ill drives it.
Take Betty, RDH, for example. Early last year, while working clinically she injured her right shoulder, sending an instant radiating pain from her shoulder through her elbow and down to her working hand. She saw her chiropractor, but after several visits over a few months, the symptoms actually increased. Betty then saw her doctor who prescribed pain medication and anti-inflammatory drugs. She also regularly saw a physical therapist for treatment – all this with little relief. Betty then took 10 days of vacation to rest her shoulder and afterward felt well enough to return to work. Within the first hour of the first day back, the pain began again, this time in the left shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand.
An MRI of the cervical spine showed slight arthritis, but no nerve problems or bulging discs. EMGs on both hands were negative. An MRI of the left shoulder showed an impingement process so her physician recommended arthroscopic decompression surgery on the right shoulder and a cortisone shot in the left shoulder. Remember, no one has taken the time to look at her work conditions, determine how she was functioning or suggest supportive exercises to create balance and strength in surrounding muscles, connective tissues and joints.
Betty did have the surgery and rather than solving her problems, her symptoms increased. Now she gets stabbing, electrical shocks, numbness and pain in both hands and wrists and can no longer work as a hygienist. The neurologist ruled out MS but implied that Betty’s symptoms might be simply imagined. When Betty asked about the possibility of a repetitive stress injury due to her two-decade-long dental hygiene career, he didn’t see a correlation. Betty still has no diagnosis to explain her condition and only the recommendation of more cortisone shots.
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Dentaltown.com • Hygiene and Prevention: Profile in Oral Health • April 2012 • by Juli Kagan, RDH, MEd |
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Sitting Doesn't Have to be a Pain in the Butt
DentalTown.com • by Juli Kagan
 As a society and specifically as a dental community, we sit a lot.
Whether in our car, at a computer, on the sofa, or on a dental stool, our spine is sadly at increased risk of injury due to the excessive amount of sitting we endure most of our day. Numerous epidemiological studies have shown that clinicians, as well as professional office workers, who are in a seated position, have an increased chance of suffering from back trouble. The reference list is endless – but you know firsthand, your own back pain is evidence enough. The bottom line is this: sitting can be helpful instead of hurtful.
Firstly, to better appreciate why sitting can be so damaging, it is helpful to understand the curvature of the spine and even some history regarding the evolution of chairs. The spine has three natural curves: the cervical, thoracic and lumbar. Every body has different spinal configurations and degrees of curvature. For example, female gymnasts commonly exemplify a large degree of lumbar curvature, termed lordosis, and conversely, a retired senior dentist who hunched over his patients for numerous years, might show a severe thoracic curvature called a kyphosis.
The spine has a natural gentle lumbar slope at the base of the spine; however, when we sit, this natural curve is lost and the amount of pressure on each inter vertebral disc is doubled when compared to the normal lumbar curve when it is not violated.¹ Preventing this loss of curvature is incumbent when sitting on a chair or dental stool; however, most dental stool manufacturers have left out this vitally important aspect of stool mechanics. It has only been very recently that a "lumbar support" has been added to dental stools, but this simple addition is not enough.
Problems arise when the pelvis, which intricately attaches to the lower part of the spine at the sacrum, is asked to perform a function it was not designed to do. It is analogous to the patient who uses anterior teeth to gnash food when some of the posterior teeth are missing. Over time, inevitable damage occurs.
Read Complete Article on DentalTown.com's website.
Download the Full PDF of this article. |
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