Nail Technician Pains and Aches: Why These Nail Tech Problems Happen and How to Prevent Them

“I am a nail technician and when I work my neck hurts when doing pedicures,” one Reddit user posted in a thread about painful nail tech problems. “Any help or tips for that?”

“Wait until you have sciatic nerve damage and carpal tunnel,” another Redditer replied. “Repetitive injury is a definite cost of doing nails. I have to now wear a back brace and wrist support from doing nails [for] 29 years.”

Nail technician school is full of learning experiences. A new nail tech’s journey means learning about nail salon safety and hygiene. They learn the skills of the trade, of course, preparing them to shape nails, apply polish, and exfoliate on the fly, says the Hollywood Institute of Beauty Careers. 

But if there’s one thing they feel inadequately prepared for, it’s preventing common nail technician pains and aches.

How prevalent are nail technician pains (and similar nail tech problems)?

Is being a nail tech hard on your body? Does being a nail tech hurt your back?

Unfortunately, yes. Nail technician injuries, occupational hazards, and similar nail tech problems are not foreign to the nail community. 

One study asked 80 nail techs to complete the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and Novel Ergonomic Postural Assessment (NERPA). Of the 80 participants, 63.8 percent reported neck pain. The same study also documented a significant correlation between a nail tech’s activities and disorders in the neck, elbows, hips, knees, and ankles.

Meanwhile, a similar study asked nail technicians and office-based employees to complete another questionnaire. Compared to the office-based control group, the nail salon workers reported statistically significant higher levels of neck, shoulder, wrist, hand, and lower back problems. 

Today, nail technician pains are discussed as a common part of any nail tech’s journey. But they don’t have to be. And with the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting a faster than average industry growth for nail techs (22 percent), there’s no better time to raise awareness. 

What causes nail technician pains and aches?

They say beauty is pain. But why is that so often the case for nail techs?

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), nail tech problems in the muscles and joints occur from ergonomic hazards. 

Ergonomics is the study of making a workplace more comfortable, efficient, and less stressful on the body, OSHA explains. By comparison, people who put repetitive strains on the body without ergonomic accommodations face more nail technician injuries.

Think about the stressors your body endures on the job:

• Repetitive hand motions like filing nails and shaking product bottles. This can cause a repetitive strain injury on a nail technician, like carpal tunnel syndrome. (Hairdressers and barbers experience them, too.) 
• Resting your hands, wrists, and elbows on hard surfaces. This is a leading cause of nail tech problems like muscle, bone, joint, tendon, ligament, and nerve injuries, OSHA says.
• Bending or hunching over surfaces or holding clients’ hands for extended periods of time without proper support (e.g., while painting toenails). Doing so strains the muscles in your back, neck, hands, and wrists, explains Katie Barnes Tool Range & Education in their blog article.
• Twisting your body to accommodate the client’s hands or feet opposite you, which are often at an angle.
• Numbness, pain sensations, and even tissue damage from electric files.

Ultimately, your body is under stress for hours, often with minimal breaks. It’s no wonder nail techs go home with aching hands, thumbs, shoulders, necks, and backs. It takes a toll. In fact, the average person burns out from nail technician pains and aches after just five years.

How can nail techs protect themselves from painful back conditions? To protect the longevity of your nail career, here’s how to stay healthy as a nail technician by preventing aches and pains.

5 Steps to Combating Nail Tech Back Pain, Nail Tech Hand Pain, and More 

1. Stretch.

No one feels good after sitting in awkward positions for prolonged periods of time. If you find yourself forgetting to take breaks and move your body, you might be feeling more nail technician pain than others. 

That’s why it helps to take breaks and practice gentle stretches. It allows your muscles to relax and relieves your joints, OSHA says.

Still, many nail techs admit it can be difficult to create time for breaks. In her interview with Scratch Magazine, award-winning tech Katie Barnes recommends integrating small activities where you can. Even getting up to wash your hands or standing to greet a client can help, Barnes said.

For a list of stretch examples, visit page 11 of OSHA’s Nail Salon Workers Guide. Additionally, Nailpro’s Tracy Morin asked several nail techs for their favorite stretches and exercises here. 

2. Work smarter, not harder.

To save yourself from nail tech wrist pain and nail tech hand pain, look for simple fixes that make regular tasks less straining.

For example, instead of shaking product bottles by hand, you might use something like an imix polish mixer. Tools like the imix are hands-free and reduce wasted polish.

Furthermore, consider using a new file on every client. This can help you avoid nail tech problems by not exerting repetitive and unnecessary pressure, the Katie Barnes blog says.

3. Padding pays off.

Lots of nail technician pains and aches come from repeated pressure points—especially with nail tech arm pain and nail tech wrist pain.

Look for ways to reduce contact with pressure points. For example, OSHA recommends using a towel or foam pad to soften table edges before leaning on them. Additionally, using pads on tools makes them easier to hold, OSHA says in their Nail Salon Workers Guide.

4. Practice proper placement and posture.

You often hear about posture for folks in office positions. But the same ergonomic practices have significant benefits for preventing carpal tunnel syndrome, nail technician back pain, repetitive strain injury in nail technicians, and other painful nail tech problems.

If you and your employees don’t have adjustable chairs, get them. Then, advise every technician to adjust so their feet are flat on the floor. If their feet can’t touch, get footrests, OSHA advises. Techs should have proper back support and avoid hunching over, too.

Sofia Castiglione of Purple Nails advises against crossing your legs or sitting sideways. But do use the entire chair seat. If necessary, provide pillows to release pressure on nail techs’ lower backs, Castiglione adds.

Additionally, to avoid nail technician pain, techs should be able to work with straight backs, necks, and heads, without twisting or leaning, Castiglione explains. In other words, keep your spine neutral. 

It helps to consider your clients’ body positioning, too. For example, it’s tempting to twist out of a neutral position to accommodate a client. They might reach across the table at an angle, causing you to turn sideways. Or their feet are probably lower than your hands during pedicures, causing you to lean downward.

Instead, adjust their hands or feet to bring them closer to you, Castiglione and the Katie Barnes blog agree. Products like the Ergo Lift and Wrist Assist may help alleviate these nail tech problems.

5. As a salon owner, provide regular ergonomics training.

Lastly, if you run your own salon, you can combat nail technician pains and aches with routine training.

In one of the aforementioned studies, 99 percent of participants reported having health and safety training. And yet, many of these participants also reported musculoskeletal problems. This suggests even the technicians who’ve been trained on health risks either don’t receive adequate ergonomics-specific training, don’t receive refresher training, or work in salons with insufficient ergonomic accommodations.

Owners, keep your amazing employees around longer and prevent unnecessary nail technician injuries in your salons. Consider implementing routine training for yourself and your employees to address areas of improvement. It could remind your team to practice good posture. You might even realize it’s time to replace your chairs with something more supportive.

With WellnessPro, good insurance is anything but a pain.

It’s never too late to prevent nail technician pain and ergonomic nail tech problems, either for yourself or your employees. After all, the sooner you’re proactive, the sooner you can protect your body from long-term negative consequences of poor ergonomics.

“When you start out as a nail professional, the last thing on your mind is your physical health—it wasn’t on my mind over 30 years ago,” Marian Newman BEM said in her interview with Scratch Magazine. “However, we do need to realize this job has a big impact on how the body will behave in years to come.”

The same is true for your risk management. If you take proactive measures to prevent claims early in your nail technician or salon management career, you’ll experience fewer hardships years down the road.

Our errors and omissions (E&O) and general liability insurance is designed to protect you from mishaps, like clients slipping after getting up from the pedicure chair or accusations against the services you provide as a professional. Explore more examples of our nail technicians insurance and apply online here.

Note that workers compensation (coverage for injured employees) is not included in the WellnessPro Insurance program. We advise speaking with a professional insurance agent to assess other lines of coverage you may need.