Hairdresser shares shocking photos of injuries caused by her job

Leicester-based massage therapist and healer Hitesth Patel shared this image of client Grace Campbell on Facebook, explaining that she's suffered blood stagnation. Photo / Hitesh Patel Facebook

An image of a woman's back covered in angry red marks that make her look as if she's been seriously injured in a car accident has gone viral - but all is not as it seems.

Leicester-based massage therapist and healer Hitesth Patel shared the image of client Grace Campbell on Facebook, explaining that her job had led to the damage to her back - however she's not in the army lugging a heavy backpack or doing what's considered heavy manual labour.

Shockingly working as a hairdresser is at the root of Grace's back issues, caused by hunching in awkward positions as she cuts clients' hair all day, according to the Daily Mail.

Therapist Hitesh explained to Femail that giving Grace a therapy called gua sha released "stagnation" in the muscles which appeared on the skin as red marks known as petechiae.

"With a job that involves holding a static position for a long time you build up stagnation in the blood flow which accumulates in muscle and causes pain," Hitesh explained.

"Through gua sha the body releases the stagnated tissue stored in the muscles. The red marks indicate where the damaged tissue is.

"We can massage her body accordingly, giving her a full release which in turn gives her mobility and flexibility back in the affected area."

Petechiae look like a rash or bruising but are in fact blood cells that have been pressed out of the capillaries during the process.

As the body starts to reabsorb them, it improves circulation and creates an anti-inflammatory effect.

"Depending on how damaged that area is it can go from a light pink colour to very dark black purple colour," Hitesh explained.

"Light pink indicates just every day fatigue, red marks show little bit more tiredness and damage.

"When it goes purple and black indicate old very stagnant stubborn double inch which might take a little bit longer to deal with."

Grace is one of several hairdresser clients who see Hitesh, while professionals who also stand in awkward positions all day such as dentists and mechanics can also benefit from the treatment.

The treatment that Grace had released all that stagnation giving her mobility and reducing pain and inflammation.

Hitesh' post about Grace has certainly caught people's imagination and has been shared 20,000 times since he shared it.

Hitesh also shared a photo of another hairdresser client, Caroline Sharpe, who is being given the same treatment showing the same results.