Department of Occupational Therapy Associate Professor Ricky Joseph, PhD, OTR, reviews concepts with dental students during an interprofessional ergonomics activity. Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorder Interprofessional Education received a Linking Interprofessional Networks for Collaboration seed grant in 2019. The project was a finalist among 18 innovation projects submitted from across the UT System at the 2021 University of Texas Kenneth I. Shine Academy of Health Science Education Conference. The project also was presented at the 2021 American Dental Educational Association Annual Session & Exhibition, the American Physical Therapy Association Education Leadership Conference and Nexus Summit 2020.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
After her surgery for two herniated cervical disks, Lozano-Pineda started questioning what she could have done to avoid injury. As she researched, she learned that musculoskeletal disorders frequently derail the careers of dentists and dental hygienists, as the very nature of their work puts them at risk for a number of musculoskeletal injuries. For dentists, neck and lower back pain is a prevalent risk, as are repetitive-motion injuries for hygienists and periodontists. Static work, repetition, strained or constrained posture, vibrating instruments and improper seat and body positions contribute to cumulative damage that can lead to pain \u2014 and even early retirement.<\/p>\n
Common musculoskeletal disorders resulting from prolonged postures include chronic lower back pain, tension neck syndrome, trapezius myalgia and rotator cuff impingement. Repetitive movements can cause disorders including carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar neuropathy and thoracic outlet syndrome.<\/p>\n
Lozano-Pineda wanted to help others avoid pain and career-ending injury, so in 2006, she began lecturing first-year dental students on ergonomics to let them know the risks of their future profession and how to mitigate them. That lecture has since evolved into a three-part interprofessional program that includes faculty and students from the departments of occupational therapy and physical therapy in the School of Health Professions.<\/p>\n
An interprofessional approach<\/b><\/p>\n
Lozano-Pineda began collaborating with Department of Occupational Therapy faculty members Associate Professor Ricky Joseph, PhD, OTR, and Associate Professor Kimatha Grice, OTD, OTR, CHT, to give students more information about how to reduce their chance of injury by creating an optimized work environment. Soon, Associate Professor Michael Geelhoed, DPT, OCS, MTC, director of clinical education in the Department of Physical Therapy, joined the project to provide the PT perspective on exercise to prevent \u2014 and rehabilitate \u2014 work-related damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way we designed it is to have the students work alongside each other so they can learn from each other,\u201d Lozano-Pineda said. \u201cThis was all didactic material that was being taught separately to these students, and this was an opportunity for us to enhance the learning experience and have them learn from each other as the information was being applied.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the project\u2019s first stage, first-year dental students receive an ergonomics lecture from Lozano-Pineda and occupational therapy faculty as they begin their first semester. That is followed by practice in the lab, where dental students practice proper patient and clinician seating and posture while receiving real-time feedback from OT faculty, students and Lozano-Pineda.<\/p>\n
In the subsequent stages of the project, second-year occupational therapy students observe and evaluate third-year dental students as they treat patients in the clinic and provide written assessments of how they follow ergonomic principles, with notes for how they can improve. First-year dental students also meet with second-year physical therapy students, who provide evaluations of any existing issues students may have, as well as recommendations.<\/p>\n
Responses to pre- and post-program surveys have shown that the program is making a difference for dental students, Joseph said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe observed there was a lot of carryover of the skills and knowledge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"infographic](\"https:\/\/utmagazines.wpenginepowered.com\/mission\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/05\/Screenshot-2023-05-09-at-2.18.24-PM.png\")
Make the workplace fit you<\/b><\/p>\n
Occupational therapists aim to help people function and achieve their daily goals.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs OTs, we look at functioning and what is stopping you from doing things you want or have to do,\u201d Joseph told first-year dental students in his portion of the lecture this summer.<\/p>\n
Joseph emphasizes the importance of setting up a workplace that is designed for optimal physical and visual accessibility, as well as smart traffic flow. That same attention to optimized practice is necessary to make sure that the body is positioned correctly for the task at hand. But it\u2019s not enough for dentists to adjust their seats and monitor their body positioning, Joseph tells dental students. Exercise and proper sleep are other important habits that can help reduce the risk for musculoskeletal disorders.<\/p>\n
\u201cSleep-rest cycles are so important when performing physical or repetitive work,\u201d Joseph said. \u201cWhen you go to bed at night, think about how you prepare yourself to go to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
Repairing the damage<\/b><\/p>\n
The cumulative damage of unaddressed musculoskeletal pain can lead to an injury, Lozano-Pineda said. When an injury occurs, physical therapy can repair the damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cPT helps you undo what has been done,\u201d she told students in one of her summer lectures, explaining that physical therapy stretches shortened, contracted muscles and strengthens elongated, weak muscles.<\/p>\n
Getting proper exercise and remediating damage after work is another important strategy for reducing the risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders, Geelhoed said. He gives a guest lecture to first-year dental students on injury prevention.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s primarily exercise advice to prevent neck and back pain since those are more common in dentists than in the general population,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The role of physical therapy in treating pain is reinforced during the meeting between dental students and second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy students in the PT lab. There, the DPT students perform assessments on the dental students to identify issues already occurring and can provide treatment. The activity allows PT students to share their knowledge.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe benefits for our DPT students are huge,\u201d Geelhoed said. \u201cIt really builds their confidence because they realize they truly know how to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting an early start<\/b><\/p>\n
For second-year Doctor of Occupational Therapy student Roland Martinez, the opportunity to share best practices and to participate in the ergonomics project allowed him to delve into his future profession.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we are doing is pretty advanced, especially to be able to do it as a second-year student,\u201d he said. \u201cNo one likes to be sore or in pain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martinez helped evaluate dental students as they practiced ergonomic positioning during lab. Dental students in one of his groups said they found the ergonomics lecture and lab practice to be eye-opening and informative \u2014 from selecting the correct height of chairs to learning the concept of adjusting their work environment to fit them rather than fitting themselves into the existing environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know the meaning of ergonomics\u201d before the lecture, first-year dental student Samantha Perez said after practicing her positioning under Martinez\u2019s watchful eye. As a new dental student, Perez said she appreciated the lecture.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to extend our careers as much as we can,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Before starting dental school, Elisama Navarro was a dental hygienist. She has had personal experience with the pain a career in the dental field can bring.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would feel it in my wrists,\u201d Navarro said.<\/p>\n
Joseph told dental students that it\u2019s their responsibility to be proactive as they embark upon their careers.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are in charge of your health,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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