Surgeon, Heal Thyself: Mastering Ergonomics & Navigating Injury

Behind The Knife: The Surgery Podcast

Science, Health & Fitness, Medicine, Education

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 17 November 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Stop powering through the pain! Surgery is a high-performance sport, yet surgeons often operate with minimal support, leading to chronic pain and potential career-ending injuries. This episode dives into the crucial topic of surgical ergonomics, explaining why your posture, instrument size, and even hydration impact your performance and longevity.

Learn essential OR hacks—from adjusting monitor height and using micro-break stretches to strategic pre-case fueling—to mitigate the physical toll. We also share candid stories from surgeons who faced debilitating injuries, providing critical advice on acknowledging pain, seeking help, and treating recovery like a full-time job. It’s time to invest in your physical health, because your hands and posture are your most vital instruments.

Hosts:

Agnes Premkumar, MD (General Surgery Resident at Creighton University) @agnespremkumar
Steven Thornton, MD (General Surgery Resident at Duke University) @swthorntonjr

Guests:

Kathryn Coan, MD (Dignity Health, Phoenix)
Anathea Powell, MD (Renown Health, Reno)
Danielle Tanner, MD (Creighton University, Phoenix)

Dr. Kathryn Coan is an endocrine surgeon, and associate professor at the Creighton University School of Medicine in Phoenix. Outside of the OR, she enjoys being active such as playing golf, hockey, and hiking. Dr. Anathea Powell is a colorectal surgeon working at Renown Health in Reno, Nevada and the University of Nevada, Reno. Outside of the OR, she has certifications in personal training as well as coaching for nutrition, sleep and recovery, mobility, and menopause. She is also a former All American in triathlon and aquabike (swim-bike). Dr. Danielle Tanner is a PGY-5 at Creighton University School of Medicine in Phoenix and aspires to be a rural general surgeon.

Publications and Applications Discussed:

Black Belt Academic Surgical Skills: https://bbass.org/
Epstein S, Sparer EH, Tran BN, Ruan QZ, Dennerlein JT, Singhal D, Lee BT. Prevalence of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Surgeons and Interventionalists: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Surg. 2018 Feb 21;153(2):e174947. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2017.4947. Epub 2018 Feb 21. PMID: 29282463; PMCID: PMC5838584. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29282463/
Sutton E, Irvin M, Zeigler C, Lee G, Park A. The ergonomics of women in surgery. Surg Endosc. 2014 Apr;28(4):1051-5. doi: 10.1007/s00464-013-3281-0. PMID: 24232047. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24232047/
Patel VR, Stearns SA, Liu M, Tsai TC, Jena AB. Mortality Among Surgeons in the United States. JAMA Surg. 2025 Sep 1;160(9):1032-1034. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2025.2482. PMID: 40737024; PMCID: PMC12311820. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40737024/
Lee MR, Lee GI. Does a robotic surgery approach offer optimal ergonomics to gynecologic surgeons?: a comprehensive ergonomics survey study in gynecologic robotic surgery. J Gynecol Oncol. 2017 Sep;28(5):e70. doi: 10.3802/jgo.2017.28.e70. Epub 2017 Jun 23. PMID: 28657231; PMCID: PMC5540729. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28657231/
Berguer R. The application of ergonomics in the work environment of general surgeons. Rev Environ Health. 1997 Apr-Jun;12(2):99-106. doi: 10.1515/reveh.1997.12.2.99. PMID: 9273926. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9273926/

Transcript

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0:00.0	Behind the Knife, the Surgery Podcast, relevant and engaging content designed to help you
0:11.6	dominate the day. Welcome back to Behind the Knife.
0:23.7	I'm Stephen Thornton, and I'm joined here by Agnes Grim Kumar.
0:27.4	We're both Behind the Knife Surgical Education Fellows,
0:29.6	and today we're really excited to share another podcast with you.
0:33.5	We're going to be revisiting the topic of surgical ergonomics
0:36.5	with a special focus on how to respond to injury during your career.
0:40.7	If you haven't already, be sure to check out our prior episodes on this important topic.
0:45.8	Yes, your posture, your positioning, and your overall physical health in the OR.
0:50.3	So that our further ado, let's meet the team helping us explore this topic.
0:54.1	First up, we have Dr. Cohen. Thanks so much for having me. I'm Dr. Katie Cohen, an endocrine surgeon and associate professor at the Creighton University School of Medicine. Outside the OR, I enjoy being active, playing golf, ice hockey, and hiking, all of which require a happy back. I'm Dr. Anitia Pal. I'm a colorectal surgeon,
1:13.1	and I work at Renowned Health and the University of Nevada, Reno. Outside of the OR, I have
1:17.7	certifications in personal training, as well as coaching for nutrition, sleep and recovery,
1:22.9	mobility, and menopause. I am a former All-American in triathlon and aqua bike, which is swim bike without the run.
1:29.8	I do believe a lot in ergonomics, especially about how they can impact your surgical career.
1:35.7	Hello, I'm Danielle Tanner. I'm a PGY-5 at Creighton University School of Medicine, Phoenix,
1:40.4	and I'm very passionate about ergonomics and excited to be here. Thank you for having me.
1:45.3	So let's start at the top. What is ergonomics? When we talk about ergonomics, we often think
1:50.9	about posture, but it's really much bigger than that. Dr. Berger back in 1997 was the first to apply
1:57.5	ergonomics to the field of surgery, and he described visualization,
2:01.7	manipulation, posture, mental and physical workload, and operating room environments.
2:07.3	It's important to keep all of these components in mind in order to best optimize ergonomics
	...

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