How To Avoid Crochet & Knitting Pain

I think at some point we have all had to out down our WIP (work in progress) to give our hands a rest. For some crafters the pain is frequent, the pain is intense, and the pain is usually diagnosed as Carpel Tunnel Syndrome.  But have you ever thought about how to avoid it?

Firstly do you have Carpel Tunnel Syndrome? ( seek medical advice always before self diagnosis)

Symptoms include:

• Numbness or pain in your hand, forearm, or wrist that awakens you at night. (Shaking or moving your fingers may ease this numbness and pain.)
• Occasional tingling, numbness, “pins-and-needles” sensation, or pain. The feeling is similar to your hand “falling asleep.”
• Numbness or pain that gets worse while you are using your hand or wrist. You are most likely to feel it when you grip an object with your hand or bend (flex) your wrist.
• Occasional aching pain in your forearm between your elbow and wrist.
• Stiffness in your fingers when you get up in the morning. (source)

Things you can do to avoid the pain.

Use Compression support gloves

Exercise your hands. Make  sure you stretch your fingers, arms and your wrists before you begin.

No slouching – If you are a true addict you will probably want to crochet or knit anywhere you can, but is your posture right? We all know the rules for sitting at a computer desk but did you know those apply to crafting too. Make sure you are sitting straight with support for your lower back and a cushion under your arms if you need the extra support. Your feet should be flat on the ground at all times.

Take a stretching break – I know it’s probably only a few more rows until you are finished but your HAVE to get up and move. Take a toilet break or a tea break and go back to the first step of stretching your hands around.

Is it too late for you? Is the damage done? then you might like to try these techniques for eliminating Carpel Tunnel Pain.

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