"Dentist And The Spine Health"
During our school days we were taught " Health is wealth." Back then it may not have made much sense to most of us.
Health is certainly the greatest wealth because whatever we wish to accomplish in our lives, is primarily attained through great health, rest everything comes later.
These days majority of folks are aware of good health, balanced diet, physical activity etc. Each one of the listed factors hold individual significance for achieving holistic health. Out of these, maintaining good posture and a flexible spine means a big deal especially to a dentist.
The reason behind, we all know that while performing various clinical procedures our postures are sometimes beyond our control. Even if we take good note of ergonomics, still at times we do fall in the trap of not so spine-friendly postures. As a consequence sooner or later every dentist comes across this tormenting and nagging cervical or lumber spinal pain atleast once in their lifetime. If the pain is agonising ,robbing off your sleep...believe me ...all the utopian aspirations of an able dentist go down the drain. So the matter is grave and rather than brooding over the pain ,let's see how can we combat this situation.
# Flexibility excercises , daily stretches, some physical activity ( walking, jogging, yoga) are a sure bet to defeat the premature aging of spine.
Our internet is flooded with all the " Gyan" of these excercises. To name a few - we must practice daily: cobra pose( bhujangasana) , bow pose( dhanurasna), cow pose( gomukhasna), cat and camel pose, bridging, the list is endless. Just do them daily according to your body's suitability. Combining these postures with Pranayam will infuse new life to our degenerating disc spaces and sore muscles.
Just impose your self with the slogan-
" No excercise , no patient."
The day you miss your activity regieme just bear the loss of not attending a single patient. This is just to put ourselves in self- discipline mode.
# Apart from these yogic practices, there are few small but significant tips we need to follow diligently so as to attain a healthy vertebral column.
- Do get up from your chair or dental stool every 15-20 min and take a small walk of few steps in your operatory only. Or just move your toes, readjust yourself, just do whatever small movement is possible so as to keep the blood flow running efficiently throughout our vertebral column and the extremities
.
- while consulting the patient, keep your lower back intact with the chair and keep your elbows rested on the table and feet rested comfortably on the lower platform under your table.
- Use an inclined table top to write the prescription to avoid unnecessary bending of the neck.
- In between appointments just do 1-2 neck stretches , it takes hardly a minute. Learn some good neck stretches from a yoga teacher or a reliable physiotherapist. Do it in right way.
- Keep your muscles hydrated by sipping some water, soup or juice in between various appointments. Though it is not easy to relax and sip some hydrating drink when your lounge is filled with restless souls , but then it's your choice to work with painful and stiff back and cursing yourself of choosing this profession OR taking a small break for soothing your sore muscles and enjoy the artistic holy dentistry.
- Get your clinic's ergonomics right. Do equip yourself with magnifying loops, microscopes, invest in anything which makes your life easier as a Dentist while doing various treatment procedures.
- Do not mask your pain with muscle relaxants and analgesics just because your appointment diary doesn't allow you the space for your own physiotherapy session.
Postpone the appointments , get a physiotherapy session and return to your patients with more vigour and energy.
A strong core and a flexible spine are the best assets a dentist must work for .
Strengthen your spine and free yourself from the fear of premature retirement!!
