Surgeon symptoms, strain, and selections: Systematic review and meta-analysis of surgical ergonomics

Many surgeons experience work-related pain and musculoskeletal symptoms; however, comprehensive reporting of surgeon ailments is lacking in the literature. We sought to evaluate surgeons' work-related symptoms, possible causes of these symptoms, and to report outcomes associated with those symptoms.

Five major medical indices were queried for articles published between 1980 and 2014. Included articles evaluated musculoskeletal symptoms and ergonomic outcomes in surgeons. A meta-analysis using a fixed-effect model was used to report pooled results.

Forty articles with 5152 surveyed surgeons were included. Sixty-eight percent of surgeons surveyed reported generalized pain. Site-specific pain included pain in the back (50%), neck (48%), and arm or shoulder (43%). Fatigue was reported by 71% of surgeons, numbness by 37%, and stiffness by 45%. Compared with surgeons performing open surgery, surgeons performing minimally invasive surgery (MIS) were significantly more likely to experience pain in the neck (OR 2.77 [95% CI 1.30-5.93]), arm or shoulder (OR 4.59 [2.19-9.61]), hands (OR 2.99 [1.33-6.71], and legs (OR 12.34 [5.43-28.06]) and experience higher odds of fatigue (8.09 [5.60-11.70]) and numbness (6.82 [1.75-26.65]). Operating exacerbated pain in 61% of surgeons, but only 29% sought treatment for their symptoms. We found no direct association between muscles strained and symptoms.

Most surgeons report work-related symptoms but are unlikely to seek medical attention. MIS surgeons are significantly more likely to experience musculoskeletal symptoms than surgeons performing open surgery. Symptoms experienced do not necessarily correlate with strain.