Is it common for surgeons to have bad back problems?

[turkey.fever]

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Good afternoon y'all! MS1 here interested in going into surgery. I had a discussion with a current surgeon at my school who mentioned having back problems directly related to the amount of time she spends operating.

Just curious, is this a common thing for surgeons? What do y'all do to help take care of your back?

 

[Smurfette]

Good afternoon y'all! MS1 here interested in going into surgery. I had a discussion with a current surgeon at my school who mentioned having back problems directly related to the amount of time she spends operating.

Just curious, is this a common thing for surgeons? What do y'all do to help take care of your back?

Yes, back and neck issues are incredibly common among surgeons.
Instrumentation and equipment is not generally adjustable, which has implications for surgeons who are much bigger and much smaller than whom it was originally designed around as well.
It's important to maintain good posture and stretch occasionally, as well as make sure to use proper OR table height, etc. But some things can't easily be worked around, so taking care of yourself outside of the OR (stretching, massages, rest, etc. to help alleviate discomfort) is also important.

 

[DOVinciRobot]

Squats work wonders for back problems.

 

[longhaul3]

It's common for everyone to have back problems

 

[Piskaupf]

I saw a famous argentine surgeon on tiktok talking about having to quit surgery to open a winery in napa valley bc of his neck and back problems

 

[Styrene]

Good afternoon y'all! MS1 here interested in going into surgery. I had a discussion with a current surgeon at my school who mentioned having back problems directly related to the amount of time she spends operating.

Just curious, is this a common thing for surgeons? What do y'all do to help take care of your back?

I know personally of two surgeons who changed practice structure or retired from the OR in their 40s and 50s because of back trouble.