Quoted: low back pain and med school

[Doodledog]

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Posted for a user.

I have a chronic low back condition--herniated discs requiring multiple surgeries. I am otherwise quite healthy. However, I cannot crouch forward for more than a few minutes. If I do, pain becomes intolerable and back spasms can result.

As a result I generally mind my ergonomics and us my legs to do my bending. I maintain a rigorous yoga practice to enable my body to cope and I do fine with working all day in a pediatric unit.

I have been accepted to a couple of medical schools for next fall.

What worries me is being placed in that stressful position as a 3rd or 4th year medical student where--as I hear and imagine--I could be stuck in a bad ergonomic position on a surgery or OB rotation or something like that. This would put both me and the patient in a bad situation.

What should I do? I don't want to be un-accepted for revealing my condition. I believe strongly that I will do fine in a practice or training situation in a less procedural more intellectual field.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Doodledog]

The following response was sent to me by PM and is posted anonymously

I'm responding to this in the confidential consult forum. Both myself and my father (an attending) have lower back pain. My father who is a surgeon uses several techniques to get through a case. A) Set yourself up, pull up the chair close and adjust the height to make yourself comfortable if using a chair that is B) Use back exercises, your physician or DPT may have some suggestions C) Request reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act D) Consider swimming as a way to strengthen the back, consult a physician first E) If the pain is truly intractable consult a pain management physician F) Moving the operatory microscope to a comfortable microscope. I also find shifting positions useful. I usually stand through cases and shift weight from foot to foot.

 

[Doodledog]

Another response sent to me and posted anonymously

Prior to going to med school I also had several herniated discs which had caused me severe pain for several years. I never had surgery and was eventually about to heal through lots of PT, swimming, and cortisone injections. However, I am still not able to bend forward for very long or to do much heavy lifting.

I never had too many problems in medical school. The prolonged sitting in uncomfortable lecture hall seats was bad sometimes, but I would just get up and walk out of the room. Surgery rotation went okay overall. I ended up on one service that did a lot of laparoscopic procedures, and another where most cases were shorter, <4hrs, so spent a lot of time standing in the OR, looking at a screen. The few times I did have to retract, I was able to get by and often we would change positions after awhile anyway. My worst rotation for back pain was probably the ED due to lots of procedures requiring forward bending and codes requiring doing prolonged chest compressions. But even that was not enought to really flare it.

The hardest thing I found was finding time to maintain the exercise routines that kept my back healthy. And now in residency that lack of time is even worse. Some days I fear my back could easily go out at any time due to not maintaining it. So my best advice would be to try to carve time out for what you have done to keep your back in shape. But do not let it stop you from med school if that is what you really want to do.

 

[notinkansas]

The following response was sent to me by PM and is posted anonymously

I'm responding to this in the confidential consult forum. Both myself and my father (an attending) have lower back pain. My father who is a surgeon uses several techniques to get through a case. A) Set yourself up, pull up the chair close and adjust the height to make yourself comfortable if using a chair that is B) Use back exercises, your physician or DPT may have some suggestions C) Request reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act D) Consider swimming as a way to strengthen the back, consult a physician first E) If the pain is truly intractable consult a pain management physician F) Moving the operatory microscope to a comfortable microscope. I also find shifting positions useful. I usually stand through cases and shift weight from foot to foot.

A medical student won't be able to adjust things to their comfort in the OR, that's what the main operating surgeon does.

I wouldn't mention your back issue at all in the medical school application. Wait until you find out how your rotations are before you bring it up. You can use the ADA accomodations request, but DO NOT do that before you get accepted to medical school.