Dr. Julie Chavez and Personal Trainer Chuck Turner on Pearls to Avoiding Neck and Back Pain

 As oral surgeons, we spend a lot of our lives in positions that aren’t good for our bodies, and which can end up causing us a lot of pain. Your host, Grant Stucki, knows this all too well. Today’s episode is a lesson in what so many of us are doing wrong, and how we can start looking after ourselves better. Our guests today are Dr. Julie Chaves, an oral surgeon, and Chuck Turner, a personal trainer; the two of whom have been working together for almost 10 years in order to help Julie correct the damage that she has done to herself through her work and to educate others on how to prevent the onset of musculoskeletal disorders. Oral surgeons are so focused on helping others that we tend to neglect our own health, but this shouldn’t be the case. Julie and Chuck highlight the importance of listening to our bodies and being aware of all our movements. Whether or not you are currently experiencing back and neck pain, this episode could change your life!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Julie’s circuitous route to becoming an oral surgeon.
• The journey Chuck went on to find the career that he is passionate about.
• Education that Chuck provided to people working in corporate settings.
• How Chuck and Julie’s relationship formed.
• A pattern that Chuck noticed amongst his clients.
• An example of an exercise that Chuck gives to his clients, and how it improves posture and reduces pain.
• The toll that oral surgery has on one’s body.
• Measures that can be taken by oral surgeons to prevent pain.
• Chuck shares some ways to make a standing position less harmful for your body.
• A paper that Julie and Chuck are hoping to publish soon.
• Why we should start treating our bodies how we treat our cars.
• Changes that Julie has made since the pandemic and the positive impact this has had on her.
• Major back issues that Grant suffers from.
• The importance of listening to your body and bringing awareness to your movements.
• A lesson from Chuck on how to do certain movements correctly.
• Not all exercise is good for you.

 Tweetables:

 “There’s a lot of damage that takes place over time but people think when they get injured it was an actual incident.” — Chuck Turner [0:06:40]

 “What I do is important but what you do and making you aware of what you do outside at work is even more important.” — Chuck Turner [0:11:48]

 “Strengthening ourselves in certain ways can help us to weather the storm a little bit better.” — Dr. Julie Chavez [0:16:17]

 “The best position at work, regardless of what you do, is the next position.” — Chuck Turner [0:20:08]

 “What’s the point of working hard for 30 years and retiring if you’re decrepit and in chronic pain and you can’t enjoy yourself?” — Dr. Julie Chavez [0:24:20]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Sustainable Surgeon Project