Abstract
Purpose :
Vitreoretinal (VR) surgeons have high rates of spinal pain. The aim of this study was to investigate if VR surgeons adopt more complex postures in indirect ophthalmoscopy procedures compared to procedures involving the slit lamp or operating microscope.
Methods :
Postures of the neck, back and overall spine were measured by inclinometers on 13 VR surgeons. Each doctor was measured during 3 indirect examinations and 3 slit lamp examinations (SLE); then during one operating microscope procedure (phacoemulsification/vitrectomy) and one indirect procedure (indirect laser or cryotherapy/buckle).
Results :
The average degree of flexion of neck/back/overall spine was significantly higher in indirect examinations compared to SLE (p<0.01). SLE involved mainly neutral flexion, while indirect examinations involved significant time in moderate flexion of the neck and overall spine (42.2% and 76.2% respectively), lateral bending of the back and overall spine (62.5% and 38%), and rotation of the neck and overall spine (76.6% and 32.1%). For indirect procedures, the neck was in moderate flexion and rotation approximately half of the time, and the overall spine was moderately flexed in >75% of the time.
Conclusions :
Based on biomechanical concepts, VR surgeons are at risk of developing spinal pain since they adopt postures that are described as ergonomically unacceptable
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.