Sore hands/wrists/fingers? haha

#1

I don’t really know if this is a coincidence or what since I just kinda started getting into knitting regularly.

But…do any of you fellow knitters get sore fingers or anything? My right wrist kinda hurts a little and my right ring finger.

Is there some kinda hand stretches :roflhard: you can do before knitting to prevent this?? Or use like one of those squeeze stress balls or something. OR anything at all to prevent this??? I’m afraid I’m going to get carpal tunnel or finger tendonitis or something over time…

#2

Sore hands is common if you knit a lot without breaks. Stop and stretch your hands every hour or so.

I also find knitting with certain size needles and/or yarn can make them hurt more. I think we tend to become more tense with certain projects, too.

Take some time to relax and do something else with your hands sometimes too. Read a book, play ball, go for a walk…

#3

Like any new physical endeavor, knitting is going to use muscles in a way that they’re not used to, and you’re going to get soreness in the beginning.

You can stretch, take breaks, etc., like Jan said. Your muscles will get stronger and adapt to the movements and after a while will feel weird if you [I]don’t[/I] knit a bit each day.

#4

It hurts if you’re just starting knitting and you’re not used to it. It goes away once you’re conditioned. It can also flare up if you’ve been doing a lot of knitting without a break, like having a few days off from work and knitting all day. Your hands can also hurt if you’re switching from one method of knitting to another, like English to Continental. My Eastern European knitting uses more wrist rotation than some of the others. I use Aspercreme, a topical cream, on my hands. It’s not appropriate for those with aspirin allergies. I also stop knitting for a few days if it gets bad.

#5

Here is an older post on another thread regarding Portuguese Knitting. The style is supposed to be easier on the hands and wrists. If your hands don’t straighten themselves out with practice you might want to give it a shot.

http://forum.knittinghelp.com/t/i-learned-portuguese-knitting-very-easy-and-great-for-those-with-hand-problems?t=78791
#6

Here is a blog that may answer your question on hand/wrists exercises:

Remember to take many breaks in between knitting :slight_smile:

#7

Hmm interesting, I watched all those Portugese knitting videos. I dunno though that looks a lot more complicated hahhhahaha. I might have to give that a whirl someday. I didn’t realize there were SO many different methods of knitting though.

And I will definitely try the stretching! Thanks for the tips.

I’ve actually just picked up a crochet project again (haven’t done that for a really long time) figured maybe I’d work some different hand muscles doing that for a bit :roflhard:

#8

[COLOR=“DarkOrchid”]i started wearing a wrist brace because my wrist started to hurt a lot, mostly from work. I guess lifting 25# pans of potatoes are tough on the joints :wink: Now I wear the brace if I knit or crochet to limit the movement a little.[/COLOR]