hygiene - the international C.E. magazine of dental hygiene

I 13hygiene 1_2012 C.E. article_ ergonomics I option of movement, allowing the muscles to both contract and relax while one remains seated. Pro- longed muscle contraction results in increased pres- sure of the blood vessels in the muscle, creating a decreasedbloodflowthroughthemuscle.Bloodflow assists in the repair and health of the muscles by de- livering oxygen to the muscle and removing waste products in the muscle that might otherwise cause localized, intense pain (ischemia). A dynamic chair allowsaperiodofrestandrebuildingforthemuscles needed for healthy seating. In some dynamic stools theseatpanmoves;withothersit’stheseatbackthat movesforwardandbackwardasyoumove;and,with some, all parts of the chair move. In any case, these chairs help strengthen the body’s core. _Seating materials A chair can be made of rubber, plastic, leather, meshorotherman-madematerialsthatmay or may notbreathe.Thesematerialscanmakeadifferencein comfort depending on where you live. In the South, orifthereishighhumidlyintheoffice,apractitioner might complain about the material of the seat. If thereissweatingwhilesitting,theseatmaynotallow the legs and back to breathe. This can be uncomfort- able and/or embarrassing. Asking the manufacturer about options for breathability is the best choice. There are new fabrics that control odor and stain- causing bacteria. _With or without arms Many practitioners wonder if they should or shouldn’t have arms on their chairs. The answer dependsonhowthatindividualworks.Iftheperson’s arms are always flapping in the breeze because the patient isn’t seated back properly, then arms on the chair will not help. It is imperative for the patient to either lay back in the appropriate position, or the practitioner must stand. One suggestion is instead ofsaying“Ok,let’sputthechairbackandgetstarted,” thepractitionersays,“Let’sputthechairbackandget both of us comfortable.” They are very similar phrases with very different meaning. Patients are not the only ones who need to be comfortable; the best work can happen when everyoneiscomfortable.Howmanytimesduringthe daydopractitionersstoptogetcomfortable?Usually none. Health care providers often worry more about patient comfort and end up compromising them- selves all day long, leading to pain and injury. _Goldilocks theory of seating Chairs are often inherited from someone else when first employed in a different practice. Steve Knight’s Goldilocks™ theory is like the old story, sometimesit’stootallortooshortandnomatterhow muchitisadjusted,itisstillnotjustright.Notgetting that just-right position will lead to pain and other issues. Many companies can exchange the cylinder in a stool, for different heights to make it just right. Checking with the supplier or the manufacturer of the stool is the best way to find out if the cylinder can be changed to create a better fit. The important lesson is: Don’t just try to live with it; it hurts the practitioner, the patients, and eventually, the prac- tice’s bottom line. Considering alternative seating may be the best choice. Creating a checklist for buying a new chair (Table2)canhelpyoufindthebestoneforyourneeds. A new chair may be needed because some chairs can’t be jerry-rigged enough to fit. Other issues also play a part. Some patient chairs are extremely wide, or our patients can be very broad. This can make it impossible to work close enough when seated in a traditionalstool.Thesaddlestoolallowsmuchcloser access to the patient, so tasks can be accomplished with less stress. Fig. 4_Traditional upright seating: Notice how this causes a stretching in the thigh muscles. (Drawings/ Provided by Crown Seating) Fig. 5_Reclined seating. Fig. 6_Inclined seating. Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6