Caring For Your Body As An Artist: Risk Factors That Lead To Injury
THE PROBLEM:
I’m not quite sure why NOBODY is talking about this….so I will. In the rise of creatives, artists, content creators, and people working from home, there’s been a lot of talk about entrepreneurship, mental health, and self care… but what about preventative care?
Majority of artists will have musculoskeletal injury and/or pain at some point in their career that is related to their practice habits. Musculoskeletal injuries are “injuries [o]r disorders that affect the human body’s movement or musculoskeletal system (i.e. muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, discs, blood vessels, etc.)” (source). Most will complain about hand/wrist pain, neck, shoulder, or back pain. Instead of waiting around for an injury to happen and treating the injury once it happens (reactive), let's be preventative in our approach (proactive).
A lot of research shows musculoskeletal injuries are single largest category of workplace and on-the-job injuries, resulting in direct costs of $50 billion in the U.S. in 2011 (source). Now in 2022, so many people are leaving their office jobs and/or working from home where workers compensation and support is not as readily available. If you are a solo-entrepreneur and your entire business relies on you being well and available, what are you doing to make sure you are healthy?
In this series we will discuss how to take care of your body as a creative in order to decrease your risk of pain so you can do what you love for a long time with minimal pain or difficulty. Let's start with identifying common risk factors.
RISK FACTORS
Risk factors are something that increases your risk of developing a disease or injury. There are few common risk factors in artists that can lead to injury. Since I am a calligrapher myself, most of my examples will be from the perspective of a calligraphy artist.
High Repetition and Overuse
practicing calligraphy or writing for long periods of time
Completing an order of 100-200 place cards in one sitting
On-site calligraphy or engraving with non-stop writing for hours
Long hours of typing, texting, editing, etc.
Poor Posture and Body Mechanics
Hunched over at our desk while practicing calligraphy
Working on large signage, murals, or projects in awkward positions (too high, too low, having to reach, hunched over on the floor, etc)
Slouching at the computer for prolonged periods of time
Carrying heavy equipment
*note: Poor posture is usually not the cause of injury. If you slouch over one time, you’re not going to break your back. Its consistent poor posture or maintaining awkward positions for a prolonged period of time. Physical therapists have a saying that goes “your best posture is your NEXT posture”, meaning to regularly move and don't stay in one position for too long.
Sedentary Lifestyle
Sitting at your desk doing art for a long period of time
Sitting at your computer doing “admin” for a long period of time
Scrolling or posting on social media for a long period of time (laying around, sitting, etc.)
Mhmmm… you know you are not moving enough. In the words of my functional medicine doctor and health coach, “if you don’t have a movement routine…GET ONE!”
Low quality tools and equipment
This is one most people don't think about very often. If you have tools that are faulty and don’t lead to ease of use, they could be causing more strain on your body.
For calligraphers, using rusty nibs
for photographers/videographers, you may be carrying heavy equipment all day at a wedding or photoshoot
Using pens, markers, or paintbrushes that are expired, don’t work well, and make you work harder than you have to
Make sure you have the tools that work for you. Practicing your craft should be fun, not causing you pain and stress. Don't be afraid to experiment and try different tools until you find the ones that work for you.
BEHAVIORS THAT CAN LEAD TO MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURIES
Now I may step on some toes with this category, but I like to keep it real around here. Sometimes, we can place increased risk and stress upon OURSELVES, that leads to overuse or increased strain. I’ll explain what I mean. (let me know if you’ve found yourself in any of these situations)
Procrastinating on projects (leads to staying up all night, stressed out trying to get stuff done last minute)
Poor time management
Taking on too many projects (learn to say no and set some boundaries!)
Not taking any rest breaks while working
Using the wrong tools and/or equipment (putting increased strain on your body)
Having an intense schedule or season (hello holidays and wedding season)
Some risks that could potentially lead to strain or injury could be prevented if we modified some of our behaviors.
COMMON PAIN AREAS
Muscles and joints that are overused in artists in creatives most often can present as pain in the
hands/wrists
Forearm
Shoulder
Neck
Back
HOW DOES OVERUSE CAUSE PAIN?
Many calligraphers and artists may complain about hand pain, so let's use that as an example to explain what's going on.
In our hands we have a bunch of small, intrinsic (deep) muscles that are in control of fine motor control and precision. These small muscles in our fingers, thumbs, and hands are made of fast twitch muscle fibers. Fast twitch muscles are designed for short bursts of movement. When we practice calligraphy for prolonged periods of time, or texting/scrolling on our phones, your hands may start to ache or cramp. Those poor little hand muscles weren’t designed to work so hard for so long!
You may have heard some calligraphers say to “use your whole arm” when writing calligraphy, and that is for good reason! Power should come from the larger muscles in our arms and shoulders. These larger muscles have more blood supply and are able to tolerate prolonged use (at least more use than our smaller muscles).
When the biceps muscle contracts, it is shorter. When it relaxes, the muscle is lengthened. source
When muscles are used, they contract (shorten) and relax (lengthen). With repetitive use, muscles begin to stay in a shortened, contracted state (aka…they get tight), which decreases blood flow to the muscle and can cause pain, stiffness, trigger points, or muscle spasms. When we get to this point, our performance is affected and you’re unable to do your craft or work :(
HOW DO WE FIX THIS??
In this series, I’m going to continue to provide information on how to reduce risks, treatment, and stretches/exercises/movements you can do to relieve pain you may already have or to prevent pain from coming. But for now, here are 5 things you can do to reduce your risk of overuse injuries as an artist or creative.
1 . Take breaks
Take breaks every 30 minutes and stand up and walk around at least once an hour
2. Don’t wait until the last minute to work on projects
Procrastination leads to stress, rushing, and pulling an all nighter to do an order of 100+ envelopes. Don’t do that to yourself. Plan accordingly and pace yourself, so you actually enjoy your work instead of resenting it.
3. Don't take on too many projects
If you’re saying yes to too many projects, that leads to being overwhelmed and overworked. Hustle culture is not your friend, boo. Only say yes to projects that bring you joy or at least fair compensation for the amount of work you are about to do ($$$).
4. Use the right tools
When you’re just starting out, it's okay to use cheaper tools/material before you commit. But once you commit…get the good stuff. Your body will thank you for it. If you do large scale work, make sure you have good surfaces to work on (easel, the right table, ladder for murals, etc), so you are not breaking your back!
5. Move your body
Get a good movement routine. It just has to be a part of your life. Find something you enjoy and keep doing it. Go for a daily walk, stretch every morning, do pilates, dance, join a sports team, zumba, gym membership, anything! Don’t sit down all day. Motion is lotion!
I hope this was helpful for you! I’m looking forward to sharing more information with you in this series on taking care of your body as a calligrapher, artist, or creative. You have one body and its your job to make sure you are taking good care of it (self-care). If you have specific topics you’d like me to cover, comment below or shoot me an email hello@amandareiddesigns.com.
Be sure to tune in for the next blog in this series: How to Prevent Injury as a creative. It will include SPECIFIC stretches, warm-ups, and lifestyle adjustments you can do to decrease risk of injury. BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE TO MY EMAIL LIST, SO YOU DON’T MISS IT! (subscribe below)
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician, physical therapist, or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
DISCLAIMER - Last updated June 17, 2022