How to Cook & Bake Without Back Pain: PT-Approved Tips for a Happier, Healthier Kitchen

December 3, 2025

Cooking and baking bring joy—especially during busy holiday seasons or when preparing food for family and friends. But for many people, long hours in the kitchen can lead to nagging back or neck pain. As physical therapists, we see this all the time, and the good news is that a few smart positioning strategies and simple movement breaks can make a big difference.

At New Life Physical Therapy, we’re all about helping you thrive moving through life—and that includes thriving while chopping veggies, decorating cookies, or working through a sink full of dishes.

Here are the top PT-recommended ways to reduce pain and protect your spine during kitchen tasks.

1. Set Up Your Space to Work Smarter, Not Harder

Minimizing extended reaching is one of the simplest ways to reduce strain on your back and neck.

Try these set-up tips before you begin:

• Bring items close to your body. Place mixing bowls, utensils, spices, and ingredients within arm’s reach instead of across the counter.
• Use the “pull-in” principle. Slide heavy objects (mixers, pots, pans) toward you rather than bending and reaching forward to lift them.
• Raise what you can. If you’re chopping for a long time, bring your cutting board closer to elbow height using a stable board or large baking sheet underneath.
• Avoid twisting through your back only. Keep ingredients, tools, and the garbage or compost near your dominant side so you’re not rotating your spine repetitively. Maintain an athletic stance position and leverage twisting through your large hip joints.

These simple changes reduce strain and keep your spine in a more comfortable position.

2. Take Frequent Micro-Breaks—Your Spine Will Thank You

Standing in one position for too long is one of the biggest contributors to pain. The solution? Small, frequent resets.

Every 10–15 minutes, try one of the following:

Upper-Back Reset

• Stand tall
• Gently squeeze your shoulder blades together
• Hold 3–5 seconds
• Repeat 5–10 times

This counteracts the forward-rounded posture common during chopping, mixing, and decorating.

Lower-Back Relief

If you tend to get lower back pain:

• Stand tall and gently lean forward, letting your arms hang
• Or sit briefly and lean forward over your thighs to open space in the lower spine

These positions help reduce pressure and shear forces created when you’ve been slightly bent over the counter for long periods.

3. Warm Up Your Core & Hips Before You Cook

Just a couple of quick exercises before you start can “wake up” stabilizing muscles and support your spine through long kitchen sessions.

Try 2–3 of these:

• Transverse Abdominis (deep core) activation:
  Gently draw your lower belly in and up as if zipping up snug pants—hold 5 seconds. Repeat 10–15 times.
• Glute squeezes:
  Tighten your glutes for 5 seconds, repeat 10–15 times.
• Standing hip hinge practice:
  With hands on hips, bend forward by hinging at your hips, not rounding your back. Do 10 slow reps.

A warm, activated core helps reduce strain while bending, lifting, and reaching.

4. Don’t Forget Post-Cooking Exercises

After hours of bending, decorating, or dishwashing, your spine may feel stiff or compressed. A few minutes of gentle movement afterward helps reset everything.

Try:

• Cat–cow stretch, 10 reps
• Child’s pose or prayer stretch, 30–60 seconds
• Standing back extensions (hands on hips), 10 reps

Your back will thank you the next day.

5. The Same Advice Applies to Doing Dishes

Dishes often bother people even more than cooking because you’re stuck at the sink, bent forward for long stretches.

To minimize pain:

• Stand close to the sink—don’t let your hips drift backward.
• Open the cabinet under the sink and rest one foot on the edge to unload the spine.
• Keep your ribs lifted instead of collapsing toward the counter.
• Take those same micro-breaks every few minutes.

The Big Takeaway: Keep Moving, Keep Changing Positions

Back and neck pain in the kitchen aren’t caused by “bad posture”—they’re caused by too much of the same posture for too long.

Awareness and small, frequent adjustments make all the difference.

Need Help With Back Pain? We’re Here for You.

If kitchen work causes pain—or if you want personalized strategies to protect your spine—our physical therapists are here to help. At New Life Physical Therapy, we provide individualized evaluations and hands-on care to help you feel stronger, move better, and get back to doing what you love.

👉 Call us or schedule online today for a comprehensive PT evaluation.
Let us help you thrive moving through life—inside and outside the kitchen.