The Latest Ask Guy Column: What About My Sore, Tired Back?


Wednesday April 02, 2014

 

Over the course of 25 years of tattooing I've encountered my physical limits a few times; I've had my back lock up on me, along with some pretty frightening hand and wrist issues that I could only resolve through making lifestyle changes, which fortunately seems to have resolved the problem. This is an issue that many tattooists face at one point or another, sitting for long hours day after day across the years in less-than-ideal body positions... eventually it all catches up with you.
 
 
I've always believed that surgery and that kind of invasive therapy can often be avoided by being more conscious of how you work and by making the right changes where needed. I still work long hours sometimes but have found other ways of pacing myself, and hope to be tattooing still another 25 years from now. In this month's Ask Guy column, now available on newsstands in Tattoo Magazine #297, I go into some detail about workstation adjustments and stretches that are specific to relieving back pain, including a few illustrations. I hope you all find it helpful... and I invite you to submit your own toughest tattoo related questions at my Ask Guy contact link. You can read past editions of the column here at the GuyAitchison.com Ask Guy archive.
 
 
I'd also like to remind you of my two upcoming seminars- Reinventing The Tattoo, which will be offered next week on April 8 and 9, and can be attended either via online, or in person here in southern Illinois. It's an immersive, intensive workshop meant to focus on the fundamentals of good tattoo design and the techniques for making it happen on skin. Then, on April 12, I'm having another seminar, Structure, at the Hell City Tattoo Fest. A combination ticket is available for anyone wanting to participate in both. The Reinventing workshop is limited to 30 tickets which are almost gone- you can purchase tickets and find more information in the Tattoo Education online store.
 
Thanks, and I'll be in touch soon!