Musculoskeletal Disorder of the Lower Back

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Have you ever felt that sharp pain in your back and wondered “what is going on?” well it could be a cause from what is called Musculoskeletal Disorder. Musculoskeletal Disorder has a wide range of effects on different parts of the human body and affecting over hundreds of millions of people, it causes long-term pain and disability. In this paper we mainly will discuss MSD of the lower back.

At one time as many as 85% of the population has experienced lower back pain (LBP) in recent years. For doctor visits the reason has become the second, this is not including those whom do not question or seek advice for the problem and just in hope that one day the pain will go away. Those who have reported lower back pain have “either neck pain 41% of the time, or hand or wrist pain 38% of the time.”

“Musculoskeletal disorder arises from a number of sources; however the primary cause in the dental practice is the prolonged static posture (PSP’s)” (oral health group, 2009). Postures is important when working in the dental field however there is not an ideal sitting position and even the upright position wears on the lower back.

Work areas in the dental field are narrow and because of the narrow work space it causes the operator or the assistant to have an inflexible work posture. “Studies indicate that back, neck and shoulder or arm pain is present in up to 81% of dental operators.” (Nutalapati, 2009).

In the prevention of work related MSD Ergonomics is the primary goal. Sitting in an uncomfortable position can be a great contribute to the MSD factor. In dentistry there a way to minimize the position that may also be a factor to the MSD and that is called Four handed dentistry. In the office four handed dentistry is what most would say ...

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... a dental chair that can support the back of the dentist also having a comfortable chair for the dentist is helpful.

“The reporting of musculoskeletal symptoms by dental students as early as the first year of the dental program suggests the ergonomics should be covered and taught as part of the dental curriculum to reduce risk of MSD in the future.” (Chew, 2013)

Bibliography

(2009, 02 01). Retrieved from oral health group: www.oralhealthgroup.com/new/musculoskeletal-disorders-and-the-impact-on-the-dental-professional/1000226354

Chew, K. a. (2013). Ebsco host. Retrieved from http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2474/14/118

Muralidharan, D. (2013). Retrieved from Musculoskeletal disorder among Dental Practitioners : www.hindawi.com/journals/eri/2013/716897

Nutalapati, R. (2009). Retrieved from Internet Scientific Publication: http://ispub.com/IJOH/I/I/6253

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