well my hand has been acting up again. so i started looking for a brace to use while decorating because i decorate 40 hours a week so does anyone know a good brace to use while decorating. all the ones i find have that big metal piece in it for support but its too hard to decorate with them. please help
I used to work for a chick who bought a bakery in her late 30's coming from a non-food industry. After a while she needed surgery on her hand--she had blown out the nerves. After all that she came back and decorated the exact same way. She sold her business shortly after that 'cause she permanently effed her hand.
I hate that this is happening to you but it doesn't get better unless you make some hard choices fast. Can you still decorate afterwards? Maybe. But it's not gonna get better by itself. It's getting worse. You body's talking to you, you need to listen. It will have your complete attention one way or another--sad to say. A brace ain't gonna do it.
(((big hug)))
I feel for you....arthritis runs in my family and even though I'm in my twenties I can feel it coming on sometimes. It makes me wonder how long I will be able to do this cake decorating thing 
. LauraBeth, I hope you find something that helps, but I agree, you should see a doctor for the best advice. Not sure that a brace will cut it...
If you're talking about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, the elastic bands worked pretty well for me. I'd try anything to avoid the surgery... it wasn't recommended for me because of the risks involved and no guarantee that I wouldn't lose the use of a thumb or finger.
I had to retire from cake decorating because of chronic tendonitis.
Take care of those hands/wrists NOW! Go to an orthopedic doc- they will give you the best course of action.
From my experience: find the least cumbersome brace you can find- some are a bit more 'streamlined' than others. And make sure it HAS that metal brace in it- otherwise you are defeating the purpose of the brace!!
Then- learn to decorate with it on. I had to make some adjustments on how I did things, but in my later years in the bakery I learned how to work with the brace on. Sad thing is- I think most people with this problem eventually have to make some difficult decisions: their job or their health?
Also- my doc says that the elastic bands merely add to the problem that already exists- the cartilage bands surrounding your wrists are tight, so the band just add more squeezing and tightness to further irritate tendons. The metal brace keeps the wrist in a neutral position to help aleviate the pressure.
I'm a massage therapist and between that and playing around with caking, my hands, wrists and forearms get sore. Do some stretching before and after you decorate. Some good stretches are to extend your arm straight out in front of you and hold your hand up as if you are motioning "stop". Pull your fingers back towards your body for a count of 20. Then bend your wrist so your fingers are pointing down like you are trying to touch the inside of your wrist with your fingers. Pull the back of your hand towards you for a count of 20. Do that 3 times. That will stretch out the muscles of the forearm and help your wrists. Hope that helps you out some. 
heywife- great tips. I guess we all sometimes forget what a physical workout it is for our hands! GREAT TIP! 
well my hand has been acting up again. so i started looking for a brace to use while decorating because i decorate 40 hours a week so does anyone know a good brace to use while decorating. all the ones i find have that big metal piece in it for support but its too hard to decorate with them. please help
Laurabeth, as the others have said, you must go to your doctor right away--if you continue working it will cause your condition to become much, much worse. I checked your profile but didn't see a bakery name. If you are working for a bakery or big chain store, do you have medical insurance?
You will probably have to see your primary care physician first, then get a referral to an orthopedic doctor and a physical therapist. Set down ASAP and write a small journal noting the dates of your hand problems in order to document the repetitive work injury if you have to seek workman's compensation. Tell your manager ASAP! Get it on record (preferably in writing!). Ask to do other tasks until the inflammation in your hand/wrist/elbow subsides. (You are welcome to PM me with any medical or insurance questions, this is the type of work I did before retirement.)
In the meantime, you should definitely wear a wrist brace with a metal piece in it from the moment you get off work until you return to work. It is VERY important to wear it while sleeping!
I had to retire from cake decorating because of chronic tendonitis.
Take care of those hands/wrists NOW! Go to an orthopedic doc- they will give you the best course of action.
From my experience: find the least cumbersome brace you can find- some are a bit more 'streamlined' than others. And make sure it HAS that metal brace in it- otherwise you are defeating the purpose of the brace!!
Then- learn to decorate with it on. I had to make some adjustments on how I did things, but in my later years in the bakery I learned how to work with the brace on. Sad thing is- I think most people with this problem eventually have to make some difficult decisions: their job or their health?
Also- my doc says that the elastic bands merely add to the problem that already exists- the cartilage bands surrounding your wrists are tight, so the band just add more squeezing and tightness to further irritate tendons. The metal brace keeps the wrist in a neutral position to help aleviate the pressure.
I agree 100% with this post.
Compression gloves can be gotten at Michaels and Hobby lobby. These help ALOT if it"s just your hand that gets to feeling arthritic. HTH
hi guys, just noticed this thread, i have cps, and have had surgery twice, and they want me to do it again, the problem is it keeps coming back! so even if you go to the ortho dr and therapy, and maybe even surg, if you keep doing the repetitive motions, it will come back. cakedout stated to learn to decorate with the brace is prob the best advice you can get! yes, its hard, and you might even have to change the way you decorate, but you will get used to it, and adapt. but if you dont, it WILL get worse. and then you cant decorate anything!
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