Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…
Jeff welcomes to the podcast, exercise physiology LiverTransplant Program member, Gil Spitz.
In many ways, physicians are like athletes. We’re high performers always striving to be the best version of ourselves – often to our physical detriment.
Many physicians do things that are generally healthy, but they may not be doing exercises that properly train them for the rigors of a career in medicine. Instead of moving as fast as possible at all times, we should focus on precise movements that create specific outcomes. We need to train for what we do on a daily basis.
Just like you would see on a sports team, there are a variety of different positions that physicians play. For example, a open surgery requires a different set of training than laparoscopic surgery. Training for different situations is essential to prevent injuries..
What steps does Gil suggest we do to prevent injuries?
- Step 1 – Perform an honest physical check. How does your body feel? What hurts?
- Step 2 – Work with an exercise physiologist or another qualified professional to create a personalized plan that helps you sustain your career longer.
- Step 3 – Follow your plan with scheduled check-ins to evaluate what is working well and what you can improve.
Most importantly, PRACTICE personalized injury prevention!
Have feedback? Did this episode resonate with you? Share your thoughts by emailing Team@surgeonmasters.com. We’d love to hear from you!
Gil Spitz
Originally a classical musician, Gil Spitz shifted his focus to ergonomics and preventative exercise to help musicians with repetitive motion injuries. He furthered his expertise with an MS in Exercise Physiology, researching optimized training for first responders.
In 2019, he joined the Medical ICU team at Baylor/St. Luke’s Medical Center, developing and enacting exercise plans for medically compromised patients. Since 2021, he has been with the LiverTransplant Program, implementing a hospital-wide method for assessing transplant patients physical suitability, providing post-transplant follow-up, and developing a virtual pre-habilitation program to improve outcomes.
During this time he has worked with the surgical staff helping them prevent musculoskeletal and repetitive motion injuries. Gil has worked with providers both on a 1-on-1 basis, addressing specific needs and issues as well as presenting the topic of OR ergonomics, inter- & intra-op preventative exercises to incoming resident cohorts during an annual bootcamp at Baylor College of Medicine.
Subscribe to the SurgeonMasters podcast!
