Need help w/ common muscular probs hairdressers might have

[Samantha Boyle]

I'll be massaging a hair dresser in a few days. She mostly complains about pain in her left side of the back, pretty much in the middle between lower and upper back, just lateral to the spine. She basically has her left arm up to shoulder hight or higher all day. It is her 'comb' arm. When I mimick that movement of the arm, pulling back the comb over some imaginary head, or just holding it there, I feel a contraction in my shoulder, traps and right where she complains of the pain. My first thought was that the mucles in her shoulders and middle of the back should be overstretched, as well as her pecs shortened, just by the way the arms are held in front of the body all the time. I was wondering if there is a reference out there that shows common pathologies for specific jobs as well as a guideline on the approach. I know that everybody is different and I might find something unexpected when I have her on the table. I'm just trying to get some pointers.

 

[Olli]

Common Muscular Problems with hairdressers

Ms. Simon,
I have worked with several hairdresser lately. They all seems to have similar problems as you have found. I don't know of any references but you might look at a few things like:

Whitney Lowe-Orthopedic Assessment
V. Janda: anything on phasic-tonic muscles.
Erik Dalton: I like his newsletters and hope to take his class someday.

Hope this is helpful.Happy Friday.
Rubmyster

 

[Michaela]

From practical experience working with several hair stylists - also work with teres major and minor, rhomboideus, traps, lats, serratus, supraspinatus, subscapularis, infraspinatus --- basically, the entire shoulder girdle anterior and posterior. Be sure to check the attachmetnts for pecs minor as well as pecs major because minor can be a bigger nuisance that major.

I work gently, and do a lot of myofascial release work to aid in getting things to work "quickly but easily" in starting the releases to relieve the achiness most stylists feel in those areas. REMEMBER, they didn't get that way overnight and you won't "fix" 'em in one session either.

Good luck!

 

[GucciGirl]

In addition to above...I tend to find forearm and hand-especially thumb issues. Usually overly contracted muscles that respond well to stripping (gently) and stretching. Some have nerve impingments (aka carpal tunnel).