I was shocked to learn that over 60% of cosmetologists develop some kind of wrist pain within their first 5 years on the job.

Read that stat in a trade magazine last month and it made me wonder, how many of us are just ignoring the early warning signs until it gets bad?

3 comments

3 Comments

victorhernandez27d ago

Yeah, "ignoring the early warning signs until it gets bad" hit way too close to home for me. I was doing hair for about three years and started getting this dull ache in my right wrist after scissors work. I just popped some ibuprofen and kept going, figured it was nothing. Then one morning I couldn't even grip my shears without shooting pain. Had to take two months off and do physical therapy. Now I have to be super careful about my grip and take breaks, but I wish I'd listened to my body way sooner.

hannahj4926d ago

i get where ur coming from but honestly i kinda disagree. i mean yeah listening to your body is important but sometimes you dont have the luxury to just stop working when something feels off. like when you're self employed or commission based you cant just take a day off cuz your wrist feels weird, you gotta push through until you hit your bills. not saying ignore it forever but sometimes "pushing through" is just survival mode and the real problem is the system makes it so you cant afford to rest early.

waderamirez26d ago

That makes total sense. I remember reading a study once about how hairdressers and barbers have some of the highest rates of repetitive strain injuries in any trade. They called it "occupational overuse syndrome" and said most people wait way too long to get help because they think it's just part of the job. The crazy part is that the damage can be permanent if you ignore it long enough. It's like your body sends you a bill with interest for every day you don't listen. Your story about the two months off is exactly what they warned about. Sometimes a little time off early saves you a lot of time off later.