Carpal tunnel

 I saw a message somewhere on this site about therapy for carpal tunnel. I do not want to give up knitting (horrors!) but some days it just hurts too bad. Is anyone aware of any non-invasive, non-surgical therapies? I know it's a bad idea because of the internal swelling but sometimes warmth seems to help... any ideas, anyone?

OMG! A knitter with carpal tunnel, is like a pianist without a finger!

I don't have any reccomendations, but I am so sorry for you :(

Oh...one thing that I've heard is that accupuncture is pretty good. I haven't had it done myself, but I recall someone mentionining that they had it done for carpal tunnel and it relieved a lot of pain.

 Thanks, I will look into that. Don't want to have surgery if I can help it. I was a graphic artist for years... too many mouse clicks!

Could changing to a different method of knitting possible help? Or being able to switch back and forth? I am a continental knitter, and when I tried a combination method I saw on UTube, I found that it made my wrist ache. So maybe certain methods are harder on carpal than others. I have joint pain, but not carpal, so don't know if anything like this would even help. Hope you find some relief! 

I have a pair of fingerless support gloves that I use when my hands are bothering me.You can find them in the health and beauty aids section where they have all kinds of braces.

I like you have carpal tunnel, though just a touch (I caught it before it got bad, it just aches sometimes now). I'm a musician and a knitter, and all that repetitive motion...

I've found that knitting with cotton or straight metal needles make it flare up the fastest, so I tend to avoid those. If I do use them, it's sparringly. Ibprofin helps to take down swelling, so it might help some. I also have wrist braces (they look like bowling gloves) that I wear at night when it gets particularly bad. Also, I just don't knit for maybe a week when it gets bad. (Instead I surf the web to look at knitting and talk about knitting!!)

I hope this helps a little!! Good luck!

Within the last year I had an aching hand with a click in my thumb joint

1) after knitting small flowers for a baby's hat

2) several hours at a time every day

3) with cotton yarn (even embroidery thread)

4) on #0 needles

5) with intensity.

Little did I know! From November to March I stopped knitting, took aspirin, and did the hand exercises found on various knitting websites. Voila! I lived to knit again, only now I

1) try to remember to do the exercises before and after knitting

2) knit with more breaks, kindlier yarn, larger needles,

3) and with a more relaxed hand and attitude.

But darn, that hat was a beauty.

kmbold

Hi..try going to see a massage therapist. There are trigger points that can be treated + will help a lot. Some of those points are actually on your forearm too. We tend to prefer non invasive + "non-pill" stuff in my house...so use this kind of treatment alot. I knit/crochet/machine knit/etc + my husband does rug hooking so we use this fairly often !!! Have helped friends too. A good massage therapist will teach you things you can do yourself @ home also. I find ice applied to both the sore spots (hands)+ the sore trigger points on my forearm helps much more than heat as it reduces the inflamation. Granted...it's not nice + "cuddly" like heat...but it helps in the long term!!! My stuff flares up often as I have Fibromyalgia too.

Good luck...you can't stop knitting!!!  Andrea

Thank you all SO MUCH for the helpful ideas. Where did you find the exercises and what are they? Is there a website???

 Yes there is very helpful info.  Go to www.webmd.com  There you can find very good hand exercises for properly stretching the tendons involved so you will have less pain.  I suggested to another reader that a local library will have books on knitting.  I found a really old publication which gave alot of attention first to the proper posture and hand placement/technique if you will.    

Hope you will be better real soon. 

I strongly recommend using circular needles for as much of your knitting as you can.  NOT that it needs to be knitting in the round but just use the circular needles as you would straight ones - the weight of the garment/item ends up sort of falling down along the thin, circular part of the needle instead of the weight being way off on the end of a straight needle.  It takes about two rows to get the hang of it!  The goal is to lighten the load on your wrists and this will really help.  (I had 'the' surgery on both hands in Nov. and Dec. '07 and it was the best thing ever [gave myself heaps of time to heal which is key]... damage done by furnituremaking/blacksmithing/metalworking but knitting really aggrivated it, too... no problems whatsoever now.)

 Thank you Tanya, I do use circular needles whenever possible and they do help a lot! I'm glad your surgery went well, I am dreading the day I have to do it!

 CeliaC

Check some of the comments/answers under

Knitting Chat under the 'achin hands' post. 

How are your hands feeling - better I hope.   

i am a massage therapist in training and definitly recommend thaqt you go see a massage therapist or a phisical therapist.  the tendons in your wrists are tight and need to be stretched. a good therapist could show you what to do at home in one visit.  of course that wouldn't get them paid.  LOL

My shoulders cramp up and I get a lot of pain due to a bunch of herniated discs so I try and switch from knitting the american (?) way to continental to ease up pain sometimes.  Maybe that could help?

Good luck!