FOR DENTAL PROFESSIONALS:
Thursday, 03 June 2010 13:49
I wanted to comment about Saddle chairs, the ball chair, as well as loupes.
A personal FYI: Without my asking or prompting, Back Quality Ergonomics (BQErgonomics.com) personally flew me out to their offices in Colorado, to see their plant and discuss their products. Not only are the chairs unique and impressive from an ergonomic and biomechanical perspective, Antonie and his staff are sincerely respectful and most courteous; I think it's their European heritage!
Before you buy any chair, check out numerous chairs and literally give them a "test drive." (Thanks, AnneGuignon.com!) Use the chair in your operatory for a while, BUT MAKE sure you make all the necessary adjustments so the chair is PERSONALIZED to your body. This is vital. A mm here and another mm there in tension or tilt can make a huge difference.
On another note, I was provided a ball chair (Evolution) for evaluation from Lori Harman out of Canada. Take note of how you feel if sitting on a ball and please be mindful that working on a ball requires conditioned abdominal and back muscles. (Hello Pilates!) That is why they suggest a "time schedule" to get used to the ball. You MUST go through a learning curve to sit on the ball properly and you MUST know how to sit well/ have excellent posture beforehand. One note of importance: there is no "hydraulic pump" to raise the "chair," so you must inflate or deflate the ball to achieve a personal height preference. A highly inflated ball responds very differently than a less inflated ball. (Just do some exercises on a taught /fuller ball and you'll get what I mean.) A soft ball is always easier to do exercises on, as there is more give and support to the body.
BTW: I LOVE the idea of doing exercises on the ball. For more exercises---which are GREAT for the back and abdominals, visit my Video Library and find "Best Back Exercises". Do these three to four times a week and I promise, if you are healthy to start, you should never need to go to a medical doctor, chiropractor or therapist. And if you are unhealthy, get checked and then see if you can do the exercises. They really do help a lot!
Regarding: New Loupes: Like a chair, it might be incumbent of you to "test run" numerous loupes before making a final decision. Years ago, I personally did a side by side with both Orascoptic and Designs for Vision. For ME, at that time, DFV won for one main reason. I was teaching and needed to be able to speak to my patients as well as my students very frequently. The flatter top portion of the loupe was simply more conducive to my needs so that my neck was more neutral. I STILL LOVE my loupes, but know that Orascoptic is a STRONG supporter of the dental profession and I write about their products. David, my dentist husband, swears by DFV and utilizes 6X power to see one tooth at a time, along with a headlight with the battery pack that fits in his pocket. Just check them all out AND---LIKE A CHAIR---a mm here or a mm there can make all the difference in postural health or dis-"ease".
One more thing: Lynne Pencek and I just wrote an article in this month's RDH titled: Do You See How I See? Check it out!
And: I'll be speaking at UOR on Posture & Pilates on Thursday morning and am so excited!
Mind Your Body and Keep Moving!
Juli Kagan, RDH, M.Ed.
Author, Speaker, Educator