knit and tonic

Follow-Up to Your Questions on Knitting Injuries, Pics of Exercises and a Winner

I admit it: The idea of being injured by knitting used to be a joke to me. Seriously. When people talked about such things I'd roll my eyes. Nowadays, I'm the one who is first to say that I can't roll my eyes anymore because, when I do, I get nerve pain down my right arm. Well, I'm kidding about that, but it is, for all intents and purposes (love saying that), just about true.

Another thing that is true is, that I think I might deserve a medal for my latest bout of epic white-knuckle knitting (Ha! another knitting joke that only we can appreciate). I can't show you the project because it'll be featured in my next book, but what I can show you is the leftover yarn. Talk about nearly having a heart attack.

Lindsay, our resident expert on knitting injuries, physical therapist and all around good gal, has read through all your comments/questions and since she's so smart, instead of just answering a few, she addressed multiple problems into a nice, neat article, just for us.

Here it is:

As a physical therapist I see many people with over-use injuries, however I had no idea how many of my fellow knitters had such symptoms!  All of your comments were great, and I wish I could get to each and every one.  Instead, I am going to try to address some of the trends that emerged.  Absent this helping you, feel free to email me at Lindsay@sfsspt.com, and I’ll do my best to answer your question or direct you to where you can find it.

Many of you wanted to know about issues with carpal tunnel and knitting.  Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve, which runs on the inside of your wrist, gets inflamed and irritated, typically from sustained positions of holding your wrists up (hello knitting and typing!)  The best things you can do for this include trying to modify your position by keeping your wrists as relaxed as possible as well as keeping your arms close to your body.  Also important is taking breaks and doing some stretching.  Important to do is a wrist extension and wrist flexion stretch.

For really stiff fingers, including trigger fingers, as well as those hoping to avoid finger pain and tightness while knitting maybenefit from doing what is referred to as ‘tendon gliding.’  It is a series of movements which stretches out the tendons that run on your palm to each joint of your fingers.  Follow the series 1-5 a few times when you are taking a break from knitting.  Opening and closing your fist as well as spreading your fingers can also help.  Many people find that heat is helpful to warm up the hand and reduce stiffness.  Using a heating pad, or even wearing fingerless gloves, can keep your hands from getting cold.  

Which brings me to bracing.  I prefer that my patients DON’T wear a brace while they knit.  Understandably it may be the only way that you can knit without pain, but my concern would be that you are basically training yourself towards relying on a brace while knitting.  If you experience popping in the fingers and wrists it isn’t typically an issue unless it is painful.  A lot of time the joints are releasing built up pressure from the sustained positions they are in.

The other thing that a lot of people commented on was upper back and neck issues.  Looking down at your knitting can put a lot of strain on the back of your neck.  It’s important to strengthen your postural muscles (the muscles between your shoulder blades which frequently get sore and tired after knitting for a while).  The general strength exercise I recommend for while you are knitting is to think of pinching your shoulder blades together behind you.  It is equally important to work on keeping your shoulders relaxed, and avoiding ‘hunching’ the shoulders.  Stretching the upper trapezius muscle can help with this.  To stretch the upper trapezius bend your neck to one side (bringing the ear to your shoulder), then gently turn your nose down the floor (or as I usually say to smell your armpit).  You should get a good stretch to the back side of your neck.
 

Lastly, many people asked what I am working on.  I am currently working on this.  Its the second one I’m working on (I made one for a family member for the holidays).  I love the simple elegance of their patterns, as well as the ease of just knitting and purling.

The best treatment for each individual is different, so while these are general guidelines towards some common knitting ailments they may not be the best answer for you.  There are also more specifics and of course additional exercises that I didn’t go into in effort to cover a variety of topics.  If you are having persistent issues, and especially if any of these make your symptoms worse, you should stop and check in with a health care provider.  Otherwise feel free to email me for more info. Hope these help... and happy knitting!

Lindsay has helped me a ton, actually. She has reminded me to see my doctor and I will be sure to see him. Who knew knitting would do this to me? After running seven miles, five days a week (for years) I ended up with major hip problems and now I can no longer run. Running was the love of my life, really, it was. (Except for a certain guy I know.) But seriously, if you love to knit, and I know you all do, take care of yourselves.

Oh, and the winner of a signed copy of Custom Knits Accessories is Colleen C. I just sent you a message!

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.