Hand Surgeon Posture: An Evaluation and Factors That Affect It

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Musculoskeletal Health
• Surgical Ergonomics

Background:

• Occupational musculoskeletal pain affects a majority of orthopaedic surgeons, with back pain being most prevalent.
• Poor intraoperative posture is a significant contributing factor to surgeon-related pain.
• Limited research exists on the specific posture of hand and upper extremity surgeons during procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively investigate and analyze the intraoperative posture of hand surgeons.
• To identify factors contributing to poor posture among hand surgeons.
• To establish baseline data for improving surgeon ergonomics in hand surgery.

Main Methods:

• Posture of three hand surgeons was tracked using the UPRIGHT GO device during 223 surgeries.
• Data collected included procedure type, surgeon position (seated/standing), loupe usage, and surgeon role (primary/assistant).
• Analysis focused on identifying correlations between these variables and time spent in a slouched posture.

Main Results:

• Hand surgeons spent an average of 40.3% of their operative time in a slouched posture.
• Significantly more time was spent slouching when surgeons wore loupes compared to not wearing them.
• Slightly increased slouching was observed when surgeons operated in a seated position or as an assistant surgeon.

Conclusions:

• Orthopaedic hand surgeons exhibit significant slouching during operative procedures.
• The use of loupes was the primary factor associated with increased poor surgical posture.
• Awareness and development of techniques to improve surgeon posture are crucial for mitigating musculoskeletal strain in hand surgery.