Feb
When it comes to injury on the job, RSI or Repetitive Strain Injuries will most often impact people who work as dentists, and electricians. However, nearly three in four hairdressers have developed an RSI injury (such as tendonitis or carpal tunnel syndrome). Although RSI injuries aren’t only limited to the tools you create your client’s beauty. Other common areas of RSI related injury or pain are: shoulders, elbows, forearms, wrists and hands, neck and back.
Beyond having ergonomically designed tools to work with (thanks ERGO!), there are a number of things that doctors recommend to stylists to eliminate the risk of RSI.
1: Get to work early. If you arrive in a rush, puffed out from running up the street, your muscles will be tense before you even start work. If you’re calm and relaxed, your muscles will be too.
2: Do a few simple stretches before you start work.
3: Take a mini break every few minutes. Every few minutes. Let your hands drop your sides and shake loose to relax the muscles.
4: In between clients do a couple of the stretching exercises again and massage your neck, shoulder and forearm muscles.
5: Perch on a high stool when you can. This eases the pressure on your lower back and feet.
6: Avoid raising your arms up so high by lowering the client’s chair or standing on a platform.
7: Keep your wrists straight. If your wrists are held at odd angles you are straining your forearm muscles.
8: Breathe deeply. This improves the oxygen supply to your muscles and helps keep them relaxed. If you’re tense and breathing shallowly your muscles are more likely to go into spasm.
9: Some of the chemicals in alcohol increase inflammation and can amplify muscle aches and pains. Further, smoking has been linked to muscled and join pain – so just be mindful and kind to your body!
10: At the end of the workday do the simple stretches mentioned above again.
Professional styling tools from ERGO are designed to be lightweight and to deliver professional results while taking your physical health into account. ERGO tools are ergonomically friendly to the body and deliver the same excellent results that your clients expect. From their ceramic round brushes to their paddle brushes and hair dryers, ERGO tools are designed by professional stylists FOR professional stylists.
