Back pain & the busty printer..

Wasn’t quite sure where this would fit but this group is probably the most appropriate to help with this subject.Lately my back pain has been getting much worse while standing at the press (C&P 8×12). After 15 minutes or so I can barely stand it and have to take a break. Sadly I am quite ‘top heavy’ and I think this is making things much worse. I have tried sitting on a stool but that is just annoying.Do any of you gals suffer from constant back pain while standing at the press and if so, do you have any tips or suggestions that might help? Short of a breast reduction (which is next summers big event) I don’t know what else to do to alleviate the pain.

Maybe get a special supportive sports-bra-meets-playtex-18hr-bra? Something to hold the girls up and shoulders back?Are you using one of those anti-fatigue mats?

oh yes… I stand on a mat and I have some serious braziers. Sadly I either have to go to a specialty store or order them from Europe. All those standard ‘full figured support bras’ are too small. I am starting to think I need some sort of a support brace but who wants to wear one of those things? Yuck.I don’t know what I will do if I can’t print anymore. 🙁

Yeah, it may not be sexy, but if it helps you print until your reduction, a supportive brace might be the way to go. :-/

When I was pregnate I wore a belly band for support. It is made of wide elastic and velcro. It wraps around your lower back and belly. I still wear it for lower back support, which could help you; or remember those old bra’s that went all the way to your waist? Good luck

I also get back pain from working on the press, and I’m definitely not very well endowed. It seems like something that just comes with the territory – the repetition of printing. I built into my business expenses time with a massage therapist once or twice a month, especially at the end of a really intense week. This seems to help. I also try to take breaks for 5 minutes every hour or two to stretch (sometimes yoga stretches help). It seems like taking on an intern or a trusted friend for a few hours each week might help, especially if you set up the press and just have them work on production.

I agree with Rachael; some well placed yoga stretches helps me out a lot. I have also had quite a bit of luck with acupuncture. A few years ago when I was printing a lot of the same thing, my hands started freezing up a bit, and acupuncture helped tremendously. I know you’re not far from me, so I would recommend The Nest up in Lincoln Square as she focuses specifically on women and issues that affect women.In the summer I wear my Earth shoes, as I feel like they force me to have better posture and avoid more trouble.Good luck!

I’ve got the DDs here and although it doesn’t bother me too much normally, when I’m pregnant that’s a whole other story. My OB recommend wrapping my ribs/chest as posture has a lot to do with it too. I just used a good old ace bandage and wrapped it tight every-time I printed. Otherwise I’d have “out” days where I couldn’t even walk!

You might be too short for feeding your press. I’m 5′ 4″ and I need to stand on a small crate to efficiently feed my 8×12 OS. Build a stand that brings the feed board to a comfortable height where your arms can be bent 90 degrees at the elbows just above your feed board.Also, a thick concrete pad helps absorb the strain of impact of standing for a long time. And yes, I second the others here with get a good sports bra, and consider wearing a posture support thingie like this here: Back Support. It really help relive back strain and keeps me from hunching over.

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