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Tattoo Artists - Exercise, diet and health

Petri Aspvik

By Petri Aspvik,
in Crazy Tattoo Stories

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RoryQ Champion

RoryQ

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I really like that Lenhard article because I can almost guess some of the sources he has drawn his conclusions from, but he has applied it beautifully to the specifics of his own situation.

I'm interested in how the ergonomics of your work set-up can affect your health (I spend 60+ hours a week either driving a car or sitting in a chair mostly), but I'm wary of trying to stick my oar in here because - as the Lenhard article points out - tattooing has its own specific characteristics as a practice, and maybe it's not such a good idea to try and shoehorn in ideas about posture etc. which are more relevant to other professions...

...That said, I think there are some universals that come into play. After all, we're all people, we've all got spines, and none of those spines like compression, shear forces or torsion...

With that in mind, one line in the Lenhard article caught my eye:-

Muscle is better than fat for stabilizing that back.

What he is alluding to here is very much in line with the work of Stuart McGill and others in the physiotheraphy and sports performance community who have been arguing in recent years that the answer to back and neck pain is to pursue a strong, supportive musculature around the spine. McGill calls this concept 'superstiffness' and it is also variously referred to as 'bracing'.

A lot of people actually have bulging discs or even partial herniations but are asymptiomatic in the sense that they have no pain. It's though that this may be because if your back musculature is sufficiently developed it alleviates the symptoms. I'm a layman but my thinking is that also that a stronger back is one better able to handle the shear, compression and torsion that poor posture or awkward positions puts the back in.

As a result, McGill and others will promote an approach to addressing back (and, insofar as it relates to the cervical spine, neck) pain which is based on (1) correct posture but also (2) building a strong core and back through spine-friendly exercises such as the plank, 'bird-dog', curl-up etc.

In a general sense something else I'd venture to suggest may be of interest to anyone who is experiencing aches and pains, whether muscular or joint-related, is that they consider looking at some of the various 'active mobility' programmes out there which are used by some athletes as "dynamic warm-ups" these days. If you're going to be hunched over a desk or sitting in a chair for hours on end then the odd five to ten minutes spent on these movements could be well worth your while.

Some examples-

The Essential 8 Mobility Drills everyone should do

Mark's Daily Apple on joint mobility drills

One last thing, I guess...

I have a bulging disc in my neck (discovered it before Christmas). Partially it likely came about as a result of trauma - getting my neck cranked - but there's no doubt that poor posture was also a factor. I developed a very 'forward head' posture over the past few years, where my head would sit slightly out in front of my shoulders. If you look around you a lot of people have this, and there are a variety of likely causes. Either way, it's a recipe for disaster, in that there are a lot of shear forces applied to the c-spine. Now I make an effort to 'pack' my neck backwards - basically correctly aligning the cervical spine. This is sometimes called 'neck retrusion' and that, coupled with a lot of neck strengthening exercises, means I'm pain free.

I think even if you are in a profession where you need to hunch or bend over it's worth noting that you can still practice this 'neck packing'. Although it is not a very intuitive movement I think it is an important one to get the hang of.

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Graeme Autobot

Graeme

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Thanks for doing these. Though I don't tattoo, I do work a physical job that isn't very good for my body and while the physical stresses of my job are different than those involved in tattooing, I feel like the observations here about general physical fitness and diet have given me a lot to consider so that I can adapt my work and routine to do less damage to my body.

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RoryQ Champion

RoryQ

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Interesting, Rubendall is obviously pretty meticulous when it comes to his health and fitness.

Going gluten free in terms of your diet is probably one of the best single things you can do in terms of reducing tissue inflammation (think back and neck complaints, general aches and pains) ... It's also bloody hard, think of all the things you're giving up (decent bread, for a start! Pizza!).

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Graeme Autobot

Graeme

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Interesting, Rubendall is obviously pretty meticulous when it comes to his health and fitness.

Going gluten free in terms of your diet is probably one of the best single things you can do in terms of reducing tissue inflammation (think back and neck complaints, general aches and pains) ... It's also bloody hard, think of all the things you're giving up (decent bread, for a start! Pizza!).

Also beer.

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