Ergonomics, Fitness, And Career Longevity With Katrina Klein, RDH - 237

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Rounding out A Tale of Two Hygienists’ series on ergonomics, Michelle spoke to an RDH who found a way to treat and prevent one of the greater physical angsts that hygienists need to deal with throughout their careers.

Katrina Klein is a registered dental hygienist, a certified personal trainer, and the owner and founder of ErgoFit Life, where she helps her dental professional clients apply biomechanics to their daily routines. With 15 years of teaching ergonomic strategies under her belt, she believes it’s possible to practice dentistry without pain.

In this episode, Katrina explains how a hygienist’s physical woes often start early on in their education, shares her own secrets for staying on top of her ergonomic game while working, and coaches you on how you can best advocate for your own wellbeing.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

Interview starts: 14:47

– Katrina describes the most common type of client she and her ErgoFit Life team deal with.

– Looking at the physical—and financial!—debt we incur by neglecting ergonomic training in favor of other kinds of training.

– Some basic stretching and strength-training exercises you can do on your own.

– Why Katrina makes a point of contracting her abs while polishing her patients’ teeth.

– Why nutrition and hydration are key to ergonomic health.

– Building up the courage to ask the necessary questions about your own ergonomic health and future.

QUOTES:

“Your four o’clock deserves your eight o’clock version of you.”

“We have an accumulation of cellular death, which eventually ends up in pain and dysfunction.”

“Fatigued people don’t sell dentistry.”