And to Think I Thought Knitting Yoga was a Joke . . . Q & A and a Giveaway!

Gosh, it has been years, and I think I blogged about it way back, but I went to this breast cancer awareness knitting event and met up with other bloggers and I was wearing a tank top that said "gin and tonic" (because, eh, why not? Right?) and this dude at one of the booths looked at me and said, "Hey, which one is gin and which one is tonic? Heh heh." 

But what really stood out in my mind about this particular event was that the organizers brought in these yoga instructors and led the crowd with several minutes of "Knitting Yoga." Yes, folks, "Knitting . . . Yoga."

I thought the whole thing was ridiculous.

But I was a newbie. A knitting injury? Yeah, right. 

Fast forward to today. I have so many injuries, that there are days I can barely function. My right arm falls asleep when I lay down. Sometimes the shooting pains in my pinky and ring fingers are so excrutiating I can't even lift a coffee mug to my mouth without dropping it. And it gets even worse: There are weekends I can't grip a tonic bottle cap firmly enough to open it. 

So the other day Lindsay Haas, a physical therapist in San Francisco, who happens to be a knitter and who reads Knit and Tonic wrote me asking if I'd direct my readers to a (really good) article she wrote about knitting ergonomics, I thought, heck yeah. I also thought I'd ask her about a few of my troubles and see if she had some solutions. 

I also thought that I'd invite you to, in the comments area, to write a question of your own and we'll select some and feature them here on Knit and Tonic for all to see. I will also give away a copy of my latest book, Custom Knits Accessories to a random participant. The winning name will be randomly selected on February 13th.

Here are my questions and her responses. Hopefully, by reading through these, you'll prevent some of the crazy injuries from which I now suffer. And remember, leave a question for Lindsay of your own in the comments and when you do, you'll automatically be entered to win a free copy of Custom Knits Accessories.

W: Sometimes I absolutely have to produce samples in a short period of time which means I might knit every day, many hours at a time, for months. I am right-handed, I knit continentally (with both hands) and lately my right pinky finger goes numb and/or I have nerve pain that shoots up my forearm from my pinky.

L: Understandably you can't always control the amount of work that you need to get done.  What’s important is to take breaks. I recommend when knitting is to take a short break every 15 minutes to relax your hands for around 90 seconds, and to get up every hour for five minutes to stretch your legs and back. 

When faced with specific symptoms like yours, I recommend taking breaks even more frequently. Numbness, tingling, and shooting pains are not symptoms to take lightly!  If you are experiencing these you should check in with your doctor or physical therapist. For my patients who get those types of symptoms, I recommend logging how long you can knit before the symptoms start. You may need to set a timer for right before your symptoms start and take a break (for example if your hand gets tingly after 13 minutes, take a break after 12.) Realize that resting does not have to take a lot of time, and it can also help keep you focused and more productive when you are knitting. 

W: Similar to my last question, I have noticed that my entire right arm goes numb when I sleep--even if I'm just sleeping on my back. It wakes me up at night.

L: When the symptoms you get while knitting begin to translate into other activities you do (such as sleeping) it is another indicator that you should seek medical help. To help prevent the development of symptoms, there are specific stretches and exercises that you can do to keep everything in balance. One of my favorites is using a foam roller to target stretching and massaging the upper back. Specifically 'rolling' perpendicular to the spine from the shoulders to about your bra line can help relieve pressure from sitting and open up the chest. Neck stretches as well as wrist stretches can help undo all of the chronic posturing you find yourself in after long periods of knitting.

In terms of strengthening, hand and forearm muscle endurance plays a big part. Also important is your shoulder and upper back strength. Trying to squeeze an imaginary pencil between your shoulder blades while sitting up straight will strengthen some of the postural muscles. Exercises such as kneeling on hands and knees and alternating lifting one arm out to the side will also help strengthen the neck and upper back muscles. 

I've read your article and you state that my feet should be on the floor while I knit. I have a plush rocking chair and I put my feet up on an ottoman. Is this posture thing so important that I can get away with continuing to knit this way?

Being comfortable when you knit is very important. Unfortunately being comfortable frequently seems to result in putting our bodies in bad positions. If you are sitting in a plush rocking chair with your feet up on an ottoman it is likely that your lower back will become more rounded and you will find yourself sitting more on your tailbone than your sits bones. This encourages a more slumped position, causing your shoulders to hunch forward and your head to tilt forward more. When we are in this position it takes more work for our muscles to hold us in place. It also puts more tension on the nerves in our neck and back, which can be a trigger for getting shooting pain, numbness and tingling. Just as with taking breaks, changing your position as you knit can keep your body from acclimating and relaxing too much into bad posture.  Many people benefit from putting a small pillow or rolled up towel behind their lower back, which helps shift your pelvis forward and automatically helps you sit up. And yes, ideally your feet should be on the floor. Watch the position of your knees, they should not be higher than your hips when you are sitting.  Your chair can be cushioned and comfortable, you just shouldn’t get swallowed up by it! 

*Remember to leave a question in comments for a chance to receive a copy of Custom Knits Accessories.*

BTW: I think I'll have to make an appointment to see a doctor. I'll email Lindsay to ask her which type. Oy.

Comments

[Lisa]

I've developed a trigger finger on my left hand and I have a sore middle finger on my right hand. I had the right hand xrayed and I don't have arthritis. The doctor told me to take 2 aleve twice a day for 5 days. I didn't. I didn't seem like the right answer.

Sometimes I put half an emery board with surgical take around my trigger finger so when I knit it doesn't bend. Also not the right answer.

So is there a cure for trigger finger?

Lisa

[Bobbie]

Thank you for the reminder! I often forget to move when knitting a long time. My question is: what is the best way to loosen up those stiff hand muscles after knitting for a long time? (I'm working on a sweater and am obsessed with finishing quickly!)

[Cara]

I broke my tailbone a few years back. Since then I have the worst trouble sitting straight. Since I tend to knit for hours at a time, is there an alternative posture I should try?

Thanks for the question option on this one! I found the whole article really helpful.

[debd94]

I am wondering if there are any exercises that help with sore thumbs. Using the computer and ipad, and also knitting seems to aggravate it. Thank you.

[Beverly Shaw]

I spend every day at the computer at work then come home to knit. Somedays my neck and shoulder are stiff. It almost feels as if my head is too heavy. What can I do to relieve this issue?

[Elizabeth]

My fingers get sore after knitting with bulky yarn, especially cable work, after a few hours. Are there any good exercises that strengthen your fingers to help prepare for all the Christmas knitting?

[Tiffanie]

Such great advice. Thank you Wendy, thank you Lindsay. Mom always says posture is important.

[Tiffanie]

And a question for Lindsay - what are you knitting now? :)

[Melissa]

I have two kinds of arthritis in my fingers, and wrists (and other non-knitting places) and wonder if there are specific remedies other than the pharma prescribed by my rheumatologist?

[Kris]

Are there any specific exercises that can help with knitters elbow?

[Cheri]

I have arthritis in my right thumb (arthritis and bone spurs), I knit continental so most of the movement when I knit is in my left hand, but sometimes my wrists and lower arms get very sore and achy...can this be the beginnings of carpal tunnel from the knitting? And do all of those special gloves you see for needle work help?

[Becky]

I had the exact same symptoms as you--tingling in fingers, absolutely dead arm at night that hurt when I would try to wake it up. I was ultimately diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome by a neurologist, who I was referred to by an orthopedist who specializes in hands. Because the nerve damage was not too bad, I was able to have the super-simple carpal tunnel surgery where they just snip the carpal tunnel that the nerve goes through open. My symptoms were gone completely and have not come back! That was around eight years ago. My problem stemmed from overuse--biking, gardening, knitting, keyboarding, etc.--and a smallish carpal tunnel. Check that out!

[Cinnamon]

I try to avoid all the neck and back pain caused by knitting too long in a seated position by knitting while standing. However, I've discovered my lower back starts to hurt after awhile. Is my standing solution not really a solution? Is there something I can do to keep my lower back from hurting?

Also, my neck "kills" after a while of knitting, presumably from all the looking down. Are there neck strengthening exercises I can do (along with the frequent break taking that is recommended) to help with the pain?

(And here is where I admit that I'm only 31 and playing too hard when I was young makes even something as low impact as knitting painful!)

[Shelly D.]

My neck muscles just start aching terribly after about an hour of knitting; right at the base of my skull where the neck and head meet. Are there some exercises or stretching that would help?

[MelodyJ]

Sitting for a long period of time knitting can be stressful on the body in general, not just hands, neck, shoulders and back. So, what are some of the best strengthen and stretching excercises for the whole body?

[Birgit]

Thank you for the tips in how to sit correctly! I had surgery on one of my shoulders and now the muscels on this side are weaker. Is it a good idea to use a pillow as support under this arm or is this going to emphasize my o e-sided weakness?

[Julia C]

I am very short (4'11") and it is hard to find chairs where I can sit fully back on the seat and still have my feet flat on the floor. For years I have maintained the habit of sitting cross-legged, or "Indian Style", in my computer chair or on the couch.

I know that sitting in the same position for an extended period of time is bad for your joints, regardless of what position it is, but can sitting cross-legged cause additional wear/pain in my knee joints?

[Carie]

My question is whether there are any methods that are better for you ergonomically; eg is continental better than English or should we just mix it up?

[Rannveig]

My shoulders get very tense when I knit for a while. What can I do to avoid this? (They are generally quite tense, but it gets worse if I knit a lot)

[jio]

What exercises at the gym will prevent the kinds of injuries everyone seems to get from knitting?
What yoga positions strengthen these injury prone area?
What yoga positions relieve the spasms, tightness in these areas?

[bloepper]

i salute you wendy & lindsay! such important information here. i don't have a question - i can only reinforce what lindsay's saying. i certainly wouldn't be able to knit as much as i do (which probably isn't half as much as wendy knits) if i didn't do yoga and pnf (a form of physio). as i teach these in my own studio, i can't get out of doing the exercises! interestingly, half of the ladies from my s'n'b group come to my classes, possibly for the same reason (or maybe i preached them into coming...)

[Tara]

I've also read that wearing a wrist brace while sleeping can help with carpal tunnel type symptoms (forces things into proper alignment) - so I do that. Especially useful as I tend to clench my fists while I sleep.

[Silke]

Are there any stretching movements or gymnastics for fingers, hands and wrists one can do in the knitting breaks?

[Patti]

I have sciatica. Sitting for long periods hurts. I do get up to stretch,but someone told me to sit on a tennis on the side that hurts. It does help, but I think I might be adding more to the injury because when you stand up, ouch!

[asteride]

I do not have any problem at the moment but I would like to ask if there is some kind of gym or stretching that you can actually perform WHILE you are knitting.
asteride on Ravelry