Wrists Hurt From Crocheting? Here Are Four Tips For ReliefPosted by Grossman Pettersson on April 1st, 2021 You could give a tip that helps allow someone to crochet again! You might also be able to better connect with crocheters like you who have suffered from pain related to crocheting. I follow several crochet designers who swear by Clover hooks- one of whom has a great post about her crochet health problems, too. RSI from crocheting, tends to manifest itself with pain in the fingers, wrists, elbow, shoulders and neck. I have the same pain in my thumb and was going crazy trying to get a answer. crochet pain hands I am going to try that trigger massage because nothing else helped. I even rested my hands for a month and the moment I start crocheting the pain will be back in about 10 minutes. I just got myself a Boye ergonomic crochet hook handle – it comes with different size rubber washers for each size metal hook . It reminds me of a Playskool toy, but it does help prevent wrist pain, especially with the smaller hooks. I am right handed and an avid crocheted over a year now I have suffered severe pain in my left shoulder. In recent months the pain in my upper left arm has become excruciating. The one I will mention here is one I’ve used for a couple of years now. It has been a great help with my Raynaud's syndrome as well as just provide relief while crocheting. My right hand seems to be worse than my left, so I cater to it more than my left. On the packaging, it states that it provides comfort and relief from pain and stiffness of carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, tendinitis, repetitive motion work, hobbies, and play. Some causes of hand pain while knitting or crocheting can't be solved with simple stretches, and will require physical therapy, medication, or braces. If you have advanced arthritis or carpal tunnel, then please ask your doctor what might be of help to you! You may find it difficult to hold things like a mobile phone… and driving can also become a painful pastime. It can be brought on by ‘gripping’ an object, especially if the hand is elevated, hence the reason crafters often suffer with CTS. Pull your chin inwards towards your chest without bending your neck… Repeat these exercises several times… Stop immediately if it starts to hurt. Don’t pull your index finger back too high when using it to feed the yarn over…. I had 5 sessions of therapy, but I could notice an improvement after the first time I went. If for example, you clutch your crochet hook tightly try loosening up your grip a bit to avoid stress on your wrists. The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome come on gradually. They may come and go at first gradually getting worse and more frequent as time goes by. Many people experience symptoms at night because of sleeping with their wrists bent. Symptoms may be severe enough to wake you up at night. If you’re sitting on a super squishy couch give your back some love and put a few supportive pillows behind you to reduce the strain. The little compression pad actually helps reduce the strain on the affected tendon. It also just made my elbow feel better and I wore it not only while crocheting or knitting, but anytime I was using my arms, which was basically anytime I wasn’t sleeping. It’s even more of one when it comes to knitting and crochet. No maker wants to put down their latest hat, shawl, or mitten WIP because of sore hands! Many knitters don’t realize that your hands are your most important knitting tools, so it's important to look after them. As knitting and crochet fanatics, a number of us have chronic hand pain to deal with when we make so we’re always on the hunt for the best hand pain treatment. However, with circular knitting needles, the majority of the project is hanging from a flexible cable, which allows the project to rest in your lap without weighing your hands down. These are my favorite circular knitting needles, and I use them for almost every knitting project. While it may be tempting to knit for several hours straight, that may not be good for your hands. I recommend knitting in a few smaller sessions throughout the day. You’ll also want to warm up your hands before beginning, by gently stretching the hands and wrists. If you damage or injure your hands and wrists too much, you may have to stop knitting altogether! Find different ways to crochet that work best for you. So if you feel pain when pinching or holding items between your thumb and the other fingers of the same hand, it could be due to the opponens pollicis or adductor pollicis. You can overwork these muscles if you hold something in your hand for a long period of time – so activities like drawing, sewing, or crocheting can cause this pain. If you have pain that comes and goes in your shoulder, elbow, wrist or hands or that gets worse while crocheting, you might have developed tendinitis at one or more of your joints. By following these simple exercises, you can relieve your pain and prevent worsening of your symptoms. There are many different brands and styles so you’ll have to read some reviews and try some for yourself to see if this option works for you. Traditionally used for arthritis, compression gloves are great for helping relieve exhausted hands and decrease inflammation. You can get them at craft stores in the yarn tool section or you can get them at a drug store with other wraps and braces. I swear by Furls crochet hooks for ergonomic hooks. Yes, they are a bit more expensive, but they last forever and come with a hand health guarantee. Material – Avoid crochet hooks which are made entirely from metal. Having just the head made from metal is okay, but the handle should not be metal, or it should be covered in rubber. Metal is cold to the touch, and this does not do anything to help prevent pain and discomfort. Which is the best ergonomic crochet hook for arthritis? It is a rather tenacious and persistent ailment but there are things you can do to help yourself heal. It can become more difficult to knit if you have hand or tendon pain, but there are ways around it. New products have become available to those who can’t work with needles anymore. With these products, you can still knit most projects, sometimes even faster than if it were with needles. They are similar to weaving but do actually form knitted knots instead of a woven piece. Keeping a good posture while working on computer, crocheting and during everyday activities. Try to focus on loosening your stitches, and relaxing your arms and wrists as you crochet. As a bonus, this also helps your crochet projects turn out more flexible, which is ideal for garments and accessories! There are lots of easy exercises you can do at home to stretch your wrists and help prevent future pain and soreness. Try squeezing a stress ball (you could even crochet one!), or using a finger strengthener like these. While this post will be fairly crochet-centric, these tips can apply to anyone who experiences wrist pain or soreness due to crafting or other activities.Like it? Share it! More by this author |