Project healthy photograher

Photography is very popular hobby. Each of us had an opportunity to take pictures at work, on the trip or under different circumstances. However, we very rarely look into this picture in the contests of the risk it can carry for the human's body.

Every professional photographer has experienced the consequences of this long difficult job. During the Warsaw photography fair PRESS PHOTO EXPO 2017, as a part of the project "Healthy Photographer", our physiotherapist Aleksander Wieteska had an honor to show an influence of the photographers' job on their health and the methods of treating and preventing the injuries that result from the character of this job.

The most common medical conditions are:

- Spine diseases - e.g. the pain caused by the excessive muscular tension, sciatic neuritis, brachial neuritis, degenerative changes in the spinal joints, discopathy

- Diseases of the upper limb - e.g. rotator cuff syndrome, carpal tunnel, inflammation of subacromial bursa, subacromial impingement syndrome, degenerative changes in glenohumeral joint, "tennis elbow", "golfer elbow"

- Others - e.g. inflammation of infrapatellar bursa, overextension of the sciatic ishiotibial, and gluteal muscles

Very important element is choosing the appropriate equipment for our job. If we use a satchel, we will have to remember that its weight shouldn't exceed 10% of our body mass. We should always try to divide the weight of the equipment equally between both sides our body. However, if we prefer a backpack, it should adhere tightly to our body and not hang below our lower ribs.

What are the most common mistakes made by photographers at work?:

- Working too long
- Excessive weight of the equipment
- Position taken while taking pictures tiring for the body
- Lack of physical preparation for work
- Lack of relaxation and stretching exercises after work
-"I am moving all the time, so I am in a good shape" (photographer's profession is a heavy manual labour and it shouldn't be considered as a training or strengthening our body )

If you want to prevent the eventual unpleasant results of the distress related to not ergonomic position while working you should try a few things that will help your body:

-  Put the equipment aside every 20 minutes
- Often change the techniques of taking pictures
- Take a break from work every 30 minutes
- Drink water - dehydration of the body increases the risk of soft tissue injury
- Warm up before you get down to work!
- Perform some stretching exercises after work

According to the rule "it is better to prevent then to treat" in CORE and MORE clinic we developed a specific training program which will help you to work more hours without pain and afflictions. Here is a few examples of our training programs:

Injury prevention - warm up

Injury prevention - strenghtening excercises

Injury prevention - stretching excercises

If you feel pain and excessive fatigue after work and you are able to work less and less  without feeling pain - we encourage you to contact CORE and MORE clinic. We will help you to get rid of unpleasant consequences of hard work and we will prepare your body for new professional challenges.