• Alex G Raman, Neil Parikh, Radhika Gupta, Raj Swaroop Lavadi, Raghav Gupta, Robert F Heary, Kristopher Kimmell, Justin Singer, and Nitin Agarwal.
• College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California, USA.
• World Neurosurg. 2023 May 1; 173: e11e17e11-e17.

BackgroundWork-related pain among neurosurgeons remains understudied, yet can have long-term consequences which affect operative efficiency and efficacy, career longevity, and life outside of work.ObjectiveThis study provides insight into the extent of pain experienced by neurosurgeons and the effect of ergonomics training on pain.MethodsAn online survey pertaining to ergonomics and pain was sent to all neurosurgeons on the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies (CSNS) email distribution list. Statistical comparisons of age groups against pain levels and ergonomics training against pain levels, as well as multivariate linear regression of demographics, training, and operating factors against pain levels were performed.ResultsOne hundred and thirty-four neurosurgeons responded to the survey. The mean average severity of pain across respondents was 3.3/10 and the mean peak severity of pain was 5.1/10. Among the reported peak pain severity scores, neurosurgeons with 21-30 years of operating experience had significantly higher pain scores than those with 11-20 years of experience (mean 6.2 vs. 4.2; P < 0.05), while neurosurgeons with more than 30 years of experience had significantly less pain than those with 21-30 years of experience (mean 4.4 vs. 6.2, P = 0.005). Training in ergonomics did not significantly improve respondents' reported peak or mean pain severities (17.9% reported having ergonomics training).ConclusionsErgonomics training did not appear to make a difference in neurosurgeons' pain severities. This may signify a need to optimize ergonomics pedagogy to achieve observable benefits.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

9 keywords...

hide…