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...

Standing on the job offers many favorable benefits by Juli Kagan, RDH, MEd, and Lynn Pencek, RDH, MS When you were a little kid, did you ever get scolded for tipping forward in your chair, or worse, tipping backward and teetering on two hind legs? At the time you didn't think about your posture or biomechanics. Fortunately, your body knew it needed to be in a neutral spine-opening position with the hip joint while leaning forward, and needed to lengthen the spine while hinging back. You were forced to sit in those hard wooden chairs and consequently, you often squirmed, daydreamed, or became inattentive. But mostly your body wasn't happy. To counteract this frustration, you fidgeted. Sitting for long periods of time while leaning forward toward patients and performing repetitive motions (e.g., scaling), builds the front of the body, making these muscles short and tight while the opposing back muscles overstretch, making them long...

Apr 27, 2010 • Dental Hygiene by Juli Kagan, RDH Dentin hypersensitivity is a painful dental condition often left untreated. Prevalence of dentin hypersensitivity in the adult population can range from 8 to 30 per cent, with the majority of the sufferers between 25 and 45 years of age.   Therefore, a clinician will see, on an average day, between one and three patients who show varying degrees of sensitivity. The condition is slightly more prevalent in women and periodontally involved patients. With the population aging and keeping their teeth longer, there is an increased incidence for dentin hypersensitivity, recession and periodontal disease. Additionally, the majority of this older population is on medications that cause xerostomia. Differences in salivary flow or composition may contribute to the development of hypersensitive dentin by affecting the formation of the smear layer. The occurrence of pain from hypersensitive dentin can occur when patients brush their teeth, use dental floss, eat...

DentalTown.com • Ergonomics FeatureBy Juli Kagan, RDH, MEd Why are stretch, strength and yoga classes not part of a dental school curriculum? And why do most schools have outdated or ineffective stools, despite rising tuition and the fact that dentists sit for the majority of their career? It is so important to develop good habits early on in your career in order to prevent strain and injury later. While excellent care is being provided to patients, dental students are neglecting their own bodies. It is mindboggling that more than 3,000 hours are required to fulfill dental school requirements, yet little time, is spent on spinal health and injury prevention. With less than 10 minutes per day, you can complete effective exercises that can help prevent neck, shoulder and spinal trouble. Is your valuable time worth it? Absolutely! If you exercise on a daily basis your body will take care of itself so...

Don’t let vision compromise your posture June 2010 • RDH Magazine by Juli Kagan, RDH, MEd, and Lynn Pencek, RDH, MS When you were younger did you tend to bring items close to your eyes to see fine details? Think of a time when you needed to thread a needle or find a part for your model airplane. One reason you strained is that in youth your vision was better in close range than long range. It’s true; you can read a millimeter probe just fine from 18 inches, but it’s easier to read at 10 or 12 inches. Then at midlife, most adults experience loss of visual acuity when viewing close objects. This is a normal change of the eye lens due to aging. Reading glasses can correct this. It’s not uncommon for an eye doctor to prescribe reading glasses to provide mild magnification for dental practitioners; unfortunately, if the reading prescription is...

December 11, 2008 • RDH Magazine by Juli Kagan, RDH, MEd Movement is the key to keeping your body healthy and preventing musculoskeletal disorders. The dental professional is in a postural crisis. On a monthly basis, professional dental journals and general population articles focus on the biomechanical problems that cause aches, pains, disorders, and complaints that make life miserable for people who are seated over long periods for their professions. These conditions can affect the receptionist awkwardly cradling the phone in between the ear and shoulder, the hygienist who is often in the same forced position for long periods of time, or the assistant, hygienist, or dentist who have to lean precariously on movable casters. Add emotional and mental stress and the result is often debilitating. Unfortunately, knowing better doesn't always translate into doing better. You know you shouldn't cramp your neck or shoulder while positioning yourself for hard–to–reach areas. You know you...

July 27, 2009 • RDH Magazine by Juli Kagan, RDH, MEd Last month, immediately after submitting my previous article about eating, exercise, and taking care of “self,” I was asked to write a new article regarding hamstrings. I wasn’t caught off guard by the request, because it seems everyone has tight hamstrings. Fortunately, actually unfortunately, I know the subject all too well, since I have had a nagging biceps femoris for years! Not until I got the muscle really strong did I finally get relief. And still, I am very careful, especially at the muscle’s origin — up near my gluteus maximus (my bottom) — when I stretch. The hamstrings are actually a grouping of three separate muscles. Two are medial (inner thigh): the semitendinosus and the semimembranosus. The third is the biceps femoris, forming the lateral portion of the thigh. All three muscles originate on the ischial tuberosity (the sitting bone)....

November 21, 2008 • RDH Magazine by Ann-Marie C. DePalma, RDH, MEd, FAADH As health professionals, dental hygienists know the importance of maintaining good physical health. But do we follow our own advice? Often, due to the hectic pace of dental hygiene, we do not. Soon, our neglected bodies rebel against us. Pain and limitation of motion set in; doing simple things can become most difficult. Juli Kagan, RDH, MEd, in her program, "Pilates and Stretches for the Dental Professional," offers hygienists and other dental team members the opportunity to learn to reduce pain and improve flexibility — issues that can present themselves from daily misuse of muscles. The course reviews postural considerations for the seated dental professional including the prevalence of neck and shoulder injuries, spine and hip positioning, neutral seated posture, and the importance of movement. Juli incorporates Pilates and specific exercises and stretches geared for dental professionals, all of...

May 2008 • Modern Hygienist by Juli Kagan, RDH, MEd Simple tips for improving your posture. It is well known that dental hygienists work in static, precise postures and utilize workspaces and instruments that are often less than ideal ergonomically. Add the stress of delivering efficient care, and you have the perfect prescription for acquiring musculoskeletal disorders. The neck and shoulders are frequently the most painful areas for the working hygienist. A recent study found that when the neck is flexed more than 30°, the amount of pressure on the cervical vertebra is increased by 13%.1 This results in neck muscles fatiguing after just four to five hours of work. The results are significant in this study because, additionally, 10-minute rests were provided every hour; however, you don’t need a study to prove that most hygienists work with chronic shoulder, neck, and back pain. Poor posture is amplified when weak neck muscles, tired shoulders,...

March 17, 2009 • RDH Magazine by Juli Kagan, RDH, MEd What dental hygienists should munch on during the course of a busy day There are simply not enough hours in a day. Whether it's an overfilled schedule, an errand that took longer than expected, or a complication on a perfectly organized agenda, sometimes it seems finding the time to simply relax becomes a major ordeal. It's often during these unruly times that eating on the run becomes the modus operandi. It's catch as catch can! Have you ever, between patient appointments, run to the back room/lounge/kitchen and grabbed a bag of chips and a soda to simply carry you through until you can “get a break,” or you've nibbled on something unhealthy that's sitting on the counter, just because it's there? I've been known to stand in front of the refrigerator staring blankly and eating whatever pops out at me. I'm hungry,...

Juli’s Book, Mind Your Body, is selected as a book worthy of being in the World’s largest Pilates manufacturer catalog. Download the PDF of Juli's Listing in the 2008/2009 Catalog. Download the PDF of Juli's Listing in the 2009/2010 Catalog.   About Balance Body Innovation in Pilates equipment since 1976. Balanced Body is the world's largest manufacturer of Pilates equipment. The company was the first to substantially update Joseph Pilates' equipment with state-of-the-art engineering, materials and technology. Ken Endelman, the company's founder and owner, has designed hundreds of improvements to Pilates' original equipment, many of which have since become industry standards. Balanced Body has been awarded 25 US patents, and numerous foreign patents for his inventions, with more patents pending. Formerly known as Current Concepts, the company changed its name to Balanced Body in 1999. More about Balanced Body

April 2005 • RDH Magazine Juli is nominated as Mentor of the Year. Download the Full PDF Scan of the nominations.   {backbutton}  

March 2005 • Access Profile prepared by Daniel Bond Juli is highlighted in the journal of the A.D.H.A. Download the Complete Article. {backbutton}