The Pursuit of Power for Surgical Instruments

As an increasing number of patients enter the operating room, more and more orthopedic surgeons are becoming orthopedic patients themselves. According to a survey entitled “Occupational Hazards Facing Orthopedic Surgeons,” featured in the March 2012 issue of The American Journal of Orthopedics, orthopedic surgeons are subjected to a multitude of occupational hazards during surgeries, including injury to back, neck, shoulders, arms, and hands. In fact, 66 percent of the orthopedic surgeons surveyed had neck and lower back pain, 49 percent experienced shoulder pain, and 26 percent had wrist pain. More specifically, 24 percent had rotator cuff pathology and cervical disc herniation, 11 percent had carpal tunnel syndrome, and 20 percent had lumbar disc herniation.