Any doctor who has spent a day seeing patients knows that the repetitive motions and awkward postures are par for the course. But that time spent bending over equipment can lead to some pretty serious aches and pains by the end of the day. And those little aches and pains can lead to some pretty serious long-term musculoskeletal issues that can be temporarily or permanently debilitating.

Here are a few tips that can help prevent those little pains from becoming big ones.

• Pay attention to your posture throughout the day and try to keep your motions as ergonomic as you can.
• Be cognizant of your repetitive motions and try to vary them.
• Position equipment (and patients) with comfort in mind. Have your patients lean into you, rather than you to them.
• Invest in elbow rests where you need them. And wrist rests for your keyboard.
• Take time to stretch.
• When operating, consider standing versus sitting. And invest in anti-fatigue mats for anywhere you’ll be standing for long periods of time.
• When purchasing new equipment, keep ergonomics in mind.

Remember that those little motions, while only lasting a moment at a time, can build up over the course of the day, weeks, and months, making for lasting effects over a career.