Do you get pains in your hands and wrists when crocheting or knitting?
I do, all too often and I REALLY don’t want to stop doing it just because of a little pain. I’m also very conscious that I don’t want to do any permanent damage. My thoughts on pain are, if its bad, stop (sounds obvious but you know that’s easier said than done when you have “just-one-more-row-itis”!!). It is better though to stop, have a rest and be able to craft-on tomorrow then to do something which means I have to take a long break.
As a result of my little niggles, I’ve found that there are a few stretches that I can do which help so I thought I’d share, just in case they are useful for you too.
I try to do these whenever I finish a knit/crochet session (or during it if I’ve been caught by the “oh no, where-did-that-5 hours-go-bug”) and just generally when I remember during the day, whether I’m knitting / crocheting or not.
Some other tips I’ve found…
In Knitting, avoid the “death-grip”, I find this particularly hard if I’m using a find yarn and thin needles as the temptation is to hold on to the needles more tightly.
I’ve been experimenting with the way I hold my yarn and crochet hook to see what I ca do that means the least amount of small repetitive movements.
In both knitting and crochet, I try to make sure that I am sitting comfortably, have good light and I’m not “hunched-over” my work. Occasionally I try to remember to look up and rotate my shoulders and neck.
Sometimes the pain I feel is in my shoulders or neck (probably from sitting badly!!) so I will also do some shoulder rolls and neck stretches too
Another thing I find is that switching between Crochet and Knitting projects helps “even-up” the wear on my hands, I find that they hurt in different places depending on which I’m doing.
Disclaimer: Before I go, I must just say that I’m not a doctor, or a physio and so I’m not medically qualified to say that these will or won’t help. All I’m able to say is that I find that they help me with the occasional niggle. Please be gentle with any stretches that you do as stretching too much could be worse than not at all!
I’d also say that if what you are suffering with is any worse than an occasional gripe, lasts for a day or so, or carries on hurting long after you have stopped crafting, I’d advise you speak to someone who knows what they are talking about, rather than listening to me! 🙂
Long may you craft-on pain free! 🙂
tara-a-bit!
Jo
x
