well, i've been to the doctor for back pain several times. first visit he gives me pain killers and muscle relaxers. second visit, exercise...third visit i get sent to physical therapy. i have never had back pain, but now i have it every day. the sad thing is, it's from standing for long periods of time doing cakes. i now have to do back exercises and aerobics and also wear a back brace when i am going to be in a store longer than 15 minutes. he said it will get better when i take away what's causing it! has anyone had or have this problem?? what can you do? it's hard, especially in this line of work.

Oh my I thought i was the only one with this problem. My back hurts so bad I can not even sit down or stand up. I have to bend over placing my hands on my knees. Its really bad for me & it only does it when I am doing cakes. I have no idea why it does it!! So I am in the same boat with you & I feel your pain!!

I feel your pain too........I was decorating cakes on Tuesday and before I knew it, my back was killing me and I couldn't figure out why it hurt just from standing up ( I could see if I was bending over a lot of lifting heavy things) and then I realized I had been decorating non-stop for 12 and 1/2 hrs.!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No wonder, I think the best thing to do is to stop every now and then and sit down and relax and maybe do some stretches or something!

My husband has back problems and they told him he needs to walk. We thought yeah right but give it a shot. It has helped him alot because it strengthens your core muscles that hold your back. If you strengthen your stomach muscles and walk with your shoulders back it will help in the long run. I too have had back pain from doing cakes but a good nights rest helps too. I excersise alot which will help from the fatigue. You need to look after this or it will get worse... sorry to tell you...walk around the block...relieves stress too so all around it is good for you and you will be back to doing cakes for a very long time... Hope you feel better....

I have the same problem! I have a bulging disc so long periods of standing for me are crazy painful. Cake decorating has worsened the pain but I REFUSE to stop doing something I love! My doctor also sent me to PT and gave me pills (which I'm not fond of taking).

I have found a few things that have been helpful for me & may be for you. For every 20 minutes of standing take 1-2 minutes to leave the area and stretch your back. Bend over at the waist and let your arms hang to the floor to stretch everything out...that's one of my favorite things. I also do yoga which does wonders! I also got a bar stool so that I can sit high at the counter and don't have to stand too much. Oh, wear shoes with arch support! Sneakers or shoes with an added arch. I know it sounds crazy but it truly makes a difference.

Hope ya'll find even a bit of this helpful. Back pain stinks!

My best to all

wow! i thought i was the only one! i do use a stool and only stand when i have to. i use to go walking every other day when it was warm and i will be taking that up again for sure. it just stinks having to sit down every so often when i am out. i feel like an old lady. well, if i want to continue doing cakes, i guess i just have to exercise.

Have you thought about purchasing one of those "rugs" they use in commercial kitchens. You can get them through King's Menus (I think the website is www.kingmenus.com - if this isn't it try doing a google on them). They are rubber rugs that are specially made for long periods of standing. I did a cake for 250 people Sunday through yesterdy of this week. I'll post pictures later. Too exhausted to find the energy. My legs, feet, back and hips are killing me.

Diane, I feel your pain, here's some suggestions...find a good chiropractor (the best method out there I think is called the atlas method), walking definetely will help, one standing for long periods of time, put one foot up a little higher than the other, for example, place a small footstool and place your left foot on it, remember to switch them out, so if you start with your left foot, switch to your right foot after 15-30 minutes; also invest in a reusuable ice pack, after you are done working on your cakes, sit on the couch or lay down on the bed with the ice pack on your back for 15 minutes at least.
If you can take it, Aleve works great on back pain.

I forgot to add...I bought a handheld massager from walmart for about $20-30, it vibrates and has the infared heat on it...it is very nice to use on sore muscles...the handle is adjustable (bendable) and the head on it swivels, and it came with several attachments to use just with the vibrate portion, you can vibrate only, heat only, vibrate and heat... I did not feel like spending $50+on a nice one, so my cheap one works just fine for now... my husband like it too, when he has a sore back he likes me to use it on his back.

I experienced this for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I was standing all day in the kitchen mixing & baking & decorating. When I sat down on the couch at night, my whole back tightened and stayed that way for a week. I went to my chiropractor and he suggested to ice it down to relieve the inflamation. Did that off and on for the next night and was cured.

Last weekend, I iced my back right away and took a couple of Advil and felt fine the next day. Oh, and I also wore good shoes the second time too. HTH

The two things that helped me the most were

A. Abdominal exercises - they help support your back
B. Good back stretching exercises

Do a Google search - there are tons of options for both.

I fell off of a horse into a fence when I was 14, so I know about the back pain thing. Luckily, I haven't had problems in a while. (Knock on wood, quick!!!) I've heard of different things, some of which might have already been mentioned: supports in your shoes, a stool to prop one leg upon at a time, commercial rugs, sitting down. I tense up when I do a cake. (I guess when I become an old pro, that will go away, I hope.) Anyway I have TMJ, so when I tense, I feel it in my jaw, neck and shoulders. I have to remind myself to BREATHE!!! I know that yours is much more serious, but sometimes it's the little things that help us. I hope your doing better!!

I used to work for a chiropractor and they are awesome! I would suggest finding a chiropractor right away! Here is a website you can go to to search for a chiropractor http://www.nucca.org/

You will see a link on the left that says locate a doctor.

Icing will help, advil will help, but they just mask the pain and don't fix the problem. I have seen chiropractors do miracles!

Also you might consider investing in a weekly massage if you ahve the money, sometimes your health insurance will cover some or all of this.

And try to work at a higher level. I have noticed if I work at a counter instead of a low table I don't hunch as much and don't have as many problems.

I have a bulging disk, and after messing with various treatments for six months or so, I finally got blessed relief through steroid injections into my spine. They worked wonders. I had to have more then one cycle, but I've been pretty much painfree for over 3 years now. I've learned to use a back support when driving or working at the computer. When I can feel I've overdone it, I take a slug of ibuprofen and sleep with icepacks on the area. Yes...I actually can sleep with ice! There is life after back pain. Just be careful and baby yourself.

I'm with Jaxdesserts on this one. I am plagued with extreme lower back pain from excessive running. What helps me most is exercise, both lower back and abdominal. One thing I haven't heard anyone mention is what type of flooring are you standing on? I had my kitchen re-floored with ceramic tile a few years ago and although I absolutely love it, it's excruciating on the back. I purchased a cheap cushionny mat from Rona (Canada's answer to Home Depot...although I prefer Home Depot...but I digress ).... and I stand on that.....makes a world of difference. Good footwear is also key. I have a nasty (yet comfortable) habit of walking about the house barefoot. If I did this while decorating, I'd be unable to walk the next day. I am a firm believer in exercise, mats and proper footwear....it will save your body miles of wear and tear. HTH....

Well, after having all the pain I could handle, I finally had to resort to back surgery-found out when they got in there that there was more going on than they thought-you might ask your dr for an mri to make sure nothing serious is going on. I still have pain when I stand for a long stretch or walk like a the mall, etc. Alot of it has to do with the type of floors and your shoes! I hate shoes especially at home but they do make a difference. Try a thermal heat pad when you are going to be working for a long stretch of time, take frequent breaks, make things higher so there is less bending (even a little bending makes a difference)-a really warm bath after you are done to just relax your body will help too-glass of wine or something while soaking will make it a bit better! After all-you deserve it after all the hard work!

thanks to all. i am going to try that floor ring. never heard of it, but i am going to give it a try.

My doctor told me that most people's problem is they have poor posture and weak back muscles. So start exercising if you want the pain to go away. Its the only healthy way to do it. Good luck!

I went through the same thing a few years ago. I was 23 years old and a size 5/6. The doctor and chiropractors didn't help at all. For months I couldn't even walk right. There were times I would freeze up and could not move at all because the pain was so bad.

Then I started exercising. I'm 27 now and never had a problem since. I do a good combination of cardio and weight lifting.