HOW TO SAVE YOUR BACK AND EXTEND YOUR CAREER AS A TATTOO ARTIST

Tattooing, both as an art form and as a profession, has been around for centuries but only recently has the world outside the industry begun to understand the nuances of the job, especially on the physical side. It is a physically demanding job and, over time, long hours, awkward positions and general bad habits can lead to serious health consequences.

Tattoo artists' health problems may not appear all at once, but develop gradually over time and are initially treated with conventional methods. In some cases the pain in the back and hips starts to appear eight to ten years after starting tattooing, especially after long sessions tattooing large pieces of back and sleeves. Later on, degenerative processes in the shoulders and back may occur. After many sessions with chiropractors and masseurs it is necessary to visit a doctor to understand the problem, which is usually in the spine. These problems are the consequence of the physical demands of the tattoo profession. By spending a lot of time tattooing, the tension is not distributed throughout the body and therefore problems arise in the spine, back muscles and shoulders, which bear the brunt.

While many professionals experience back pain from years of bending over a desk, they are expected to adopt poor posture to meet the demands of tattooing.

When working the tattoo artist plants their hips without using their legs and instead use their spine, abdominals and lumbar muscles. By twisting from side to side, they form larger muscles on one side of the back, which puts stress on the spine. This causes many tattooers to have lower lumbar problems because their back has to work harder to maintain these positions.

There are ways to prevent these problems and that is by informing artists so that they can manage their health and ensure a long, prosperous and pain-free career. All tattoo artists should have an exercise or stretching regimen.

Here are a few stretches and exercises to warm up the upper torso muscles before tattooing or exercise them afterwards to avoid long-term injury: