A Barber: The Ambidextrous Hair Cutting Solution

The last time I visited  my barber Tony it was like he was a completely different person. He was quiet, morose and in pain. He had developed a version of carpel tunnel syndrome in his right hand, the hand which he uses to scissor cut hair. The hand was like a claw that could no longer grasp anything. Tony who is fifty four was genuinely afraid he would have to give up his livelihood and it scared him. We talked about eligibility for Disability under Social Security/ He had been a barber for thirty years and that was all he knew. Using a scissor for that many years of ten hour days had taken it's toll.

This morning, a month later I returned to his shop not knowing what I would find. He was in good spirits, his old self had made a reappearance. After a brief wait it was my turn. I had observed with his previous customers that he was cutting their hair seemingly without trouble. We chatted about other things before I mentioned my observation of how well he was doing. He explained that he was taking All eve and temporarily, that made all the difference, although he did not at all like taking pain killers.

I started talking about my own experiences in attempting to prevent muscle and joint pain. I always try to alternate physical activity so nothing is repeated over and over without end. Not only using different muscle sets but also using the same muscles in different, frequently reverse ways. The trouble is there aren't too many ways you can hold scissors and still be able to cut.

I was searching for the best way to illustrate my previous point in a helpful way and said, in humor, "It's too bad you're not ambidextrous". That would allow you to change hands. Tony kicked in immediately about how he writes with his right hand but throws a ball with his left. That was always a problem because he also catches a ball with his left hand. As a result he used to catch fly balls and then have to remove the glove in order to throw it. He bowls left but cuts hair with his right hand. We had fumbled into what appears to be the very best thing he could do to become less reliant on his right hand for cutting, without changing his other life circumstances.

I've heard many instances of people losing their favored limb entirely and being retrained to use their other limb instead. He just has to put in the necessary hours of practice. Because he will be starting out with ambidextrous talents anyway, it will be much easier for him than someone starting out from scratch. Tony appeared to have gotten caught up in the  possibility. We appear to have hit on an approach that holds promise.