Have you ever been at a conference where you heard an intriguing technique or tip from a fellow oral and maxillofacial surgeon or dentist that you then implemented effectively in your practice? We know we have. Welcome to the Every Day Oral Surgery podcast, where we hope to share some techniques and personal experiences that could be beneficial to your surgical or dental practice. In this episode, host, Dr. Grant Stucki, introduces himself, where we learn more about his professional and personal life. He also shares the story of how a lower back injury from playing basketball in college plagued him for years after school and well into his practice. We hear how changing sides has helped alleviate his pain. While this may seem like a small tweak, it is not easy because not only will you be slowed down, but you will have to work on strengthening your weaker hand. Oral surgery and dentistry, in general, can be particularly hard on the lower back, so even if you are not in pain yet, it is well worth taking preventative measures to ensure you remain pain-free. We look forward to many more conversations, so be sure to tune in for the start of this exciting journey!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The goal of this podcast – To share practice techniques that can potentially help yours.
• A quote from Better, a great book about the meaning of being a surgeon.
• Get to know Grant, his education and training, and his full-on family life.
• Playing ‘morning ball’ while at UCLA and how Grant’s signature fadeaway led to an injury.
• The extent of Grant’s injury which he found out after a triathlon and treatments he followed. 
• Some challenges that came with switching sides and how Grant strengthened his left hand.
• The benefits that Grant has seen from switching sides, including reduced back pain.
• Even if you do not struggle with back pain, take preventative measures before it happens.
• Why surgeons might be hesitant to switch sides.
• What studies have shown about dentists and lower back pain? 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Dr. Grant Stucki

Dr. Grant Stucki on LinkedIn

Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance

Atul Gawande

UCLA School of Dentistry

University of Illinois at Chicago

Michael Jordan

Karl Malone

Hakeem Olajuwon

LeBron James

Kobe Bryant

Dirk Nowitzki

Ironman Triathlon

PubMed