Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Arizona have conducted a study aimed at helping surgeons improve their posture during long surgical procedures. The study, published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, focused on using wearable technology to assess the posture of neurosurgeons and provide them with feedback to prevent musculoskeletal issues.
According to Dr. Alejandro Zulbaran-Rojas, the first author of the study, wearable technology can identify neglected postures and enable prompt corrections to be made. The research involved equipping ten neurosurgeons with wearable sensors to monitor their posture during spine and cranial procedures. The findings revealed that surgeons spent a significant amount of time in static postures, which could lead to musculoskeletal problems.
Dr. Zulbaran highlighted the importance of maintaining proper posture during surgical procedures, noting that wearable technology can provide self-awareness of static positions that may not be obvious otherwise. The study also showed that taller neurosurgeons tended to spend more time in certain positions during surgery, emphasizing the need for personalized feedback to improve ergonomics.
Dr. Bijan Najafi, the corresponding author of the study, emphasized the potential impact of using wearable technology to prevent musculoskeletal disorders among surgeons. He mentioned that monitoring and analyzing surgeons' posture proactively could enhance their well-being, performance, and career longevity. Additionally, personalized training programs based on wearable data could transform surgical education by promoting optimal postural habits from the beginning of surgeons' careers.
The study received support from Baylor College of Medicine, the Interdisciplinary Consortium on Advanced Motion Performance (iCAMP), and the National Institute on Aging. Future studies are needed to further evaluate the use of wearable technology in other medical specialties.
