CODHA Explorer July 2022
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STEPHANIE BOTTS RDH CEAS
Ever Wish for a Posture Coach?
Did you ever go home from a full day of dental hygiene practice with an aching back or sore hand and wish there was someone who could help you figure out why this keeps happening to you? Meet that someone, Stephanie Botts owner of PosturePros. She can be the coach you need and in the process has carved out a special business model for her career. Stephanie can provide you with an ergonomic assessment to identify your risk factors for injury and pain followed by a coaching session to address and correct these concerns. Furthermore, both the assessment and coaching can be conducted either in person or via Zoom, opening this service for all of Colorado, not just within the metro Denver area where Stephanie resides.
How it Works
Dental hygienists are all about prevention and so is Stephanie. She wants to help prevent injury and pain, so even if you are not hurting now, an assessment can reveal problems waiting to happen. According to Stephanie, an ergonomics check-up is a lot like an OSHA check-up, something that needs to happen! Following the assessment, a 5-6 page detailed report is prepared accompanied by photos and videos to fully illustrate current practices that are contributing or will contribute to discomfort, injury and potential disability. Then comes ‘the fix’, a step-by-step guide describing how to rectify the situation. These suggestions may include positioning changes and perhaps even equipment replacement. She will also supply videos the client can study on his/her own as habits begin to change. Stephanie points out that there is no judging that occurs in this process; her goal is simply to help others.
Stephanie’s Philosophy
PosturePros can work with an individual dental hygienist or with all members of the dental team, including the dentist, together. Stephanie will potentially travel outside of Denver to coach a team, although it is not cost-effective for her to travel to work with one practitioner.
Dental hygienists have a right to feel good after work, according to Stephanie, and she wants to empower them to speak up for their own needs. She says they often tend to put others needs ahead of their own. Chronic pain affects not only one’s professional life, but also spills over into one’s personal world.
More About Stephanie
Stephanie, herself, experienced frustrating low back pain resulting from dental hygiene practice. She began to study and research the contributing factors and how she could rectify them and became much more mindful of ergonomics. Her interest continued to grow and she gained certification in Ergonomics in 2021; she explains that there is no dental ergonomics certification.
Stephanie still practices within a general practice about 2 days per week while also running her business. She was born and raised in Alaska and graduated with a baccalaureate degree from the University of Alaska in Anchorage. Once she realized how much milder winter is in Colorado compared to Alaska, she decided to move here. She also has a sister living in Ft. Collins. When asked if she has suggestions for other dental hygienists who are thinking about starting their own business, she says that it is 1000% more work than you thought it might be. She would eventually like to get more involved in educating dental hygiene students about ergonomics so that they won’t be as likely to develop habits that need changing.
Look for Stephanie as a presenter at CODHA annual session, where she will be presenting two courses, one around the issues of substance use and chemical dependence and the second titled, Perfect Posture Mechanics. Hope to see you in Beaver Creek in November!
Learn more at website- posturepros.net or Instagram-@steph.posturepros or facebook- stephanie.botts.rdh.
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