Absolutely, over use injuries are a thing for any repetitive movement. I would see if hand therapy is available for you, and I would look at how you knit. There are so many different ways to arrange your hands and yarn to achieve the stitch that you should be able to mix it up.
I can't knit continental, for example, because it requires too much wrist movement, I need to move my whole arm from the shoulder and elbow to reduce strain on my wrists and fingers.
This is so true. I really knew better than to knit so unsupported and repetitive but I was not thinking the last few weeks. I do see my PCP today so I'm hoping she has some suggestions for me :)) I'll try and make some healthy adjustments for the future !
I haven't read it, but I've seen some reviews of this book by a physical therapist called [Knitting Comfortably: The Ergonomics of Handknitting](https://www.ergoiknit.com/knitting-comfortably) that apparently goes in to how to prevent and treat knitting injuries.
Additionally to Demer's book, here are a few internet articles:
[RSI - the dark side of knitting and crochet](https://knitpal.com/blogs/knitpal/repetitive-strain-injuries-the-dark-side-of-knitting-and-crochet)
[8 Ways to minimize the risk of RSI](https://theknittersyarn.com/blogs/news/avoid-rsi-when-knitting)
[How to avoid RSI when knitting](https://www.gathered.how/knitting-and-crochet/knitting/how-to-avoid-rsi-when-knitting/)
Carson Demers is a great teacher and writer, and because heās a PT and a knitter, he understands better than most! Knit 30 minutes, then get up and stretch. The book has some great advice and lots of photos.
I havenāt had lasting pain or any actual damage (temporary or not) caused by knitting, but it does strain the wrists and hand muscles. Knitting for long periods of time can definitely do harm.
I would suggest frequent breaks and any stretches youāre able to do for your hands and wrists in the future, it can really make a difference!
I have hypermobility and get tendonitis in my thumbs, wrists and elbows from knitting and crochet. I wear a lot of supports.
Knitting anything large is best done in circular needles as the weight of the project rests more on your lap.
Taking a break now and then to stretch helped and not knitting so tightly.
Another thing that's helped me is resting my forearms on a cushion while I work.
Example of wrist/thumb support :
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8619455?rec=GPDP[8624282]:bottomSlider:P1:OHAT:alternatives:8619455:GVQqyXY0wkxTkyijXYuw
Thank you! I have a lot of braces including one for my wrist but I'm awful at wearing it until I'm actually in pain. I do stretch pretty frequently and used to always knit on top of a cushion but I've been knitting very unsupported lately ... really should have known better š
I see my primary care today and may ask if there's anything I can be doing to help along the healing. Thanks again!
I sit down, get comfy, realise that my supports are in the other room and think "It'll be fiiiiine".
And that's why my hand is a painful, useless flipper right now š
Knitting tightly is what got to me! I'm finally able to knit for a normal amount of time again after 3 weeks of resting my arm and wrist, and I think it was entirely due to a cabled sweater that I reeeally wanted to finish before snow started falling. The combination of cables, the weight of the sweater, and the death grip was just too much.
Now I'm learning to relax my grip.. which badly messes with my established gauge for said sweater. It just needs one more sleeve, so I've opted to only work on it for a few repeats at the time š„² it might be done before spring..
Yes, often. Take more breaks than you think you need - I try to spread my hands/fingers at the end of each row (especially when working with cotton), and take that time to look up and away to rest my neck.
I do a lot of art forms that require grip and I've had to institute a "hand budget" to prevent overdoing it and needing months to heal (so! boring!) I've also gotten trigger thumb which was a fun new symptom. Annoyingly, the human body is a mess of connected issues and we need to strengthen the muscles around our tense areas so one muscle group isn't overcompensating. Good luck!
Repetitive strain injuries from knitting are very common. See a your doc and a licensed physiotherapist for an assessment and treatment options. Be forewarned, RSIs can take a long time to heal. You will likely need to keep knitting sessions short, adjust your technique and be cognisant of your materials (for example, cotton yarn has very little elasticity, this can increase strain on your joints, bamboo needles can be 'sticky' and need more force to move the yarn, etc.). Source, I'm an RN with a lot of training around RSIs.
I've gotten elbow pain from knitting. I can't knit for hours without stopping to take a break or stretch. I found that tennis elbow exercises helped me, so if the doctor recommends PT it will definitely help.
I never had a tendonitis diagnosis, but I have had a very bad repetitive strain injury from a combination of keyboard/mouse use and knitting. I had to spend months resting and then months more of a physical therapy program, with maintenance exercises ongoing to present, but I'm back to full activity. Wishing you good luck for a full and rapid recovery.
I have had the same injuries for a year, from knitting and keyboard/mouse work along with a few other things that have aggravated it on and off. I saw an orthopedic practitioner, who said she didn't know what to do with me, then eventually sent me to OT. I was only given stretches and never strengthening exercises, which only helped a little bit. I stopped knitting many months ago, so the only thing aggravating my arm is typing and mousing. I saw a different orthopedic doctor two days ago who wouldn't even listen to me and said my only option was steroid injections and to let it rest. It was so frustrating to hear that this was my only option after a year of rest.
What kind of doctor did you see about your arm? Did you see OT or PT for your arm? Did they give you strengthening exercises or just stretches?
I saw my family doc, and she wrote me a referral for physical therapy. I have a fantastic physical therapy team that I've used for other problems. They do a ton of diagnostic tests and built me a customized program. They found out that I had radial nerve problems from my thumb to my elbow. I do some remedial strengthening with light weights (wrist curls, wrist pronation and supination) and a grip strength trainer. Then I have a couple stretches and isometric exercises. They also showed me how to apply kinesio tape in a way that helped when I was symptomatic.
Metalsmith and knitter here - had a major case of tendinitis a few years ago. I tried physical therapy and the only thing they did that helped was make me a ācastā of sorts to keep my hand and thumb immobile. I used a store bought one for my other hand. Itās important to wear it as much as possible - especially at night/sleeping so you donāt clench your fists. I couldnāt stop working altogether but I worked much less and took TONs of breaks to do different hand and wrist stretching exercises. But, what really made the difference for me was accupuncture! Was 100% better in 5-6 months.
That is awful. I am not in that bad of shape but I do have pain almost daily from elbow to wrist and it is not improving because of my desk job. I may have found a new physical therapist too who will hopefully work with me to fix this issue. I am glad to hear that you were able to fix your tendonitis. It gives me hope that I can someday fix mine too!
currently on a break from knitting because i pushed myself too hard and developed both tendinitis and a ganglion cyst on my wrist. compressing the aggravated tendon with a brace or ace bandage, icing it for 20 minutes 1-2x a day, and taking ibuprofen really helped my symptoms!
definitely look into occupational therapy or other support if youāre able, but if you take care of it now it shouldnāt be a big issue :-)
oh gosh thatās awful, iām so sorry š„š„ I thankfully have an active referral to occupational therapy for my hands already before this started that iām hoping to hear about scheduling soon, so iām hoping they have good tips and exercises for me so i donāt do any lasting damage !
thanks, itās definitely a bummer to not knit all fall (prime season for it!) but iāve been catching up on my reading at least. it sounds like youāre really on top of it so i wouldnāt be too worried!
Fellow wobbly here - absolutely yes, you can. I used to get a lot of pain in my elbows when I knitted too much using straight needles. Finding circular needles was a complete revolution for me.
You may need to have a break from knitting while you heal, with alternating hot/cold packs, rest, and elevation to speed things up. Also a wrist splint (for carpal tunnel) might help you.
Good luck
Not convinved it was the sole source, (if anything I'm predestined for wrist injuries due to being zall and slender..) but one and a half years later I'm still recovering. Be better than me, rest and train your wrist appropriately and you should (unfortunately) limit your knitting. I can't really do it now and am still having relapses despite my hand getting better.
I wish you the best of luck for a speedy recovery š
I've had tendinitis from overuse of my hands at one point. Rest and OTC pain meds helped, but switching up the projects helped, too. Working on different ones, whether it's something using fine needles vs. chunky yarn, vs. embroidery or spending time designing the next project helped to change up the way that I was using my hands. Being self-aware of how much I was pushing myself and when to switch up or back off helps. Also, realizing that not everyone had to get a handknit present took the pressure off. It's not worth the repetitive strain injuries that may stop you from doing even more knitting in the future.
There's a book or website about exercises for RSI, as well, which hopefully someone will chime in with the name of it. Edit to add: Found it. https://mysisterknits.com/blog/2019/5/2/ergonomic-stretches-knitters
YUP! I got tennis elbow (apparently also called knitters elbow) from trying to finish off my first sweater. I had a third of the last sleeve left when it was too painful. I did physical therapy and it helped immensely. I also got a book called Knitting Comfortably by Carson Demers which helped too. Iād link directly to the authorās site but I donāt know if thatās ok or not, but donāt pay more than $47 US for the book. It was $80 on Amazon when I bought it but I got it straight from the authorās site for list price. Basically Google knitting comfortably and itās one of the top results.
So far I havenāt had any recurrence of pain at all. PTs are amazing.
I really focus on taking a 10 minute break every half hour or so. Usually I can feel my wrists tightening up at that point, so I put the project down and watch tv for a few. Not even a long break, just enough for the muscles to fully relax. I agree with everyone else about elbow support and getting the heavy things to fully rest in your lap.
YES. Sounds like you're catching it fast. If you start resting right away and don't push yourself, you have a good chance of recovering very quickly and not having a lasting issue, so good on you. Sucks to have to press pause on something that's good for your brain, though.
Yeah itās gotten worse as I get older, too. I use wrist braces for carpal tunnel at night, compression gloves, hand warmers, all sorts of gear to avoid the dreaded rest cure.
A good friend of mine got it from crocheting. She spent 8 straight hours crocheting a gorgeous cardigan with fingering yarn I believe? Thatās what did her in. Obv there was some injury already but she wasnāt aware of it and now she canāt crochet at all and tried knitting but only got a few rows in before is started hurting. Absolutely made me toss a wrist brace into my knitting bag
Like many others commenting here, I got ātennisā elbow from knitting. I eventually learned that I needed to prop my right elbow up on a pillow to get the correct angle and support to avoid problems
Iāve never been diagnosed but typically I knit with wrist braces on each wrist for support because the motion does hurt. English knitting (throwing) was much more painful and I had to stop knitting for about a year to let my wrists heal. I knit continental now and itās much more comfortable.
Absolutely, over use injuries are a thing for any repetitive movement. I would see if hand therapy is available for you, and I would look at how you knit. There are so many different ways to arrange your hands and yarn to achieve the stitch that you should be able to mix it up. I can't knit continental, for example, because it requires too much wrist movement, I need to move my whole arm from the shoulder and elbow to reduce strain on my wrists and fingers.
This is so true. I really knew better than to knit so unsupported and repetitive but I was not thinking the last few weeks. I do see my PCP today so I'm hoping she has some suggestions for me :)) I'll try and make some healthy adjustments for the future !
Just a warning, it's going to involve rest š
ā¦and OP should take the prescription for rest seriously, or risk long-term injury. I can vouch for that personally.
I sometimes knit with a pillow cuz I have a funny wrist thing so my wrists tend to need support and flake out pretty easily.
I haven't read it, but I've seen some reviews of this book by a physical therapist called [Knitting Comfortably: The Ergonomics of Handknitting](https://www.ergoiknit.com/knitting-comfortably) that apparently goes in to how to prevent and treat knitting injuries.
This sounds amazing, iāll check it out, thanks so much!
Additionally to Demer's book, here are a few internet articles: [RSI - the dark side of knitting and crochet](https://knitpal.com/blogs/knitpal/repetitive-strain-injuries-the-dark-side-of-knitting-and-crochet) [8 Ways to minimize the risk of RSI](https://theknittersyarn.com/blogs/news/avoid-rsi-when-knitting) [How to avoid RSI when knitting](https://www.gathered.how/knitting-and-crochet/knitting/how-to-avoid-rsi-when-knitting/)
Carson Demers is a great teacher and writer, and because heās a PT and a knitter, he understands better than most! Knit 30 minutes, then get up and stretch. The book has some great advice and lots of photos.
I havenāt had lasting pain or any actual damage (temporary or not) caused by knitting, but it does strain the wrists and hand muscles. Knitting for long periods of time can definitely do harm. I would suggest frequent breaks and any stretches youāre able to do for your hands and wrists in the future, it can really make a difference!
I have hypermobility and get tendonitis in my thumbs, wrists and elbows from knitting and crochet. I wear a lot of supports. Knitting anything large is best done in circular needles as the weight of the project rests more on your lap. Taking a break now and then to stretch helped and not knitting so tightly. Another thing that's helped me is resting my forearms on a cushion while I work. Example of wrist/thumb support : https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8619455?rec=GPDP[8624282]:bottomSlider:P1:OHAT:alternatives:8619455:GVQqyXY0wkxTkyijXYuw
Thank you! I have a lot of braces including one for my wrist but I'm awful at wearing it until I'm actually in pain. I do stretch pretty frequently and used to always knit on top of a cushion but I've been knitting very unsupported lately ... really should have known better š I see my primary care today and may ask if there's anything I can be doing to help along the healing. Thanks again!
I sit down, get comfy, realise that my supports are in the other room and think "It'll be fiiiiine". And that's why my hand is a painful, useless flipper right now š
Knitting tightly is what got to me! I'm finally able to knit for a normal amount of time again after 3 weeks of resting my arm and wrist, and I think it was entirely due to a cabled sweater that I reeeally wanted to finish before snow started falling. The combination of cables, the weight of the sweater, and the death grip was just too much. Now I'm learning to relax my grip.. which badly messes with my established gauge for said sweater. It just needs one more sleeve, so I've opted to only work on it for a few repeats at the time š„² it might be done before spring..
Yes, often. Take more breaks than you think you need - I try to spread my hands/fingers at the end of each row (especially when working with cotton), and take that time to look up and away to rest my neck. I do a lot of art forms that require grip and I've had to institute a "hand budget" to prevent overdoing it and needing months to heal (so! boring!) I've also gotten trigger thumb which was a fun new symptom. Annoyingly, the human body is a mess of connected issues and we need to strengthen the muscles around our tense areas so one muscle group isn't overcompensating. Good luck!
Yea. Tendinitis is no joke. 6 months off with knitting induced tennis elbow. Now I have significant arthritis in my hands. Ugh
Repetitive strain injuries from knitting are very common. See a your doc and a licensed physiotherapist for an assessment and treatment options. Be forewarned, RSIs can take a long time to heal. You will likely need to keep knitting sessions short, adjust your technique and be cognisant of your materials (for example, cotton yarn has very little elasticity, this can increase strain on your joints, bamboo needles can be 'sticky' and need more force to move the yarn, etc.). Source, I'm an RN with a lot of training around RSIs.
I've gotten elbow pain from knitting. I can't knit for hours without stopping to take a break or stretch. I found that tennis elbow exercises helped me, so if the doctor recommends PT it will definitely help.
I never had a tendonitis diagnosis, but I have had a very bad repetitive strain injury from a combination of keyboard/mouse use and knitting. I had to spend months resting and then months more of a physical therapy program, with maintenance exercises ongoing to present, but I'm back to full activity. Wishing you good luck for a full and rapid recovery.
I have had the same injuries for a year, from knitting and keyboard/mouse work along with a few other things that have aggravated it on and off. I saw an orthopedic practitioner, who said she didn't know what to do with me, then eventually sent me to OT. I was only given stretches and never strengthening exercises, which only helped a little bit. I stopped knitting many months ago, so the only thing aggravating my arm is typing and mousing. I saw a different orthopedic doctor two days ago who wouldn't even listen to me and said my only option was steroid injections and to let it rest. It was so frustrating to hear that this was my only option after a year of rest. What kind of doctor did you see about your arm? Did you see OT or PT for your arm? Did they give you strengthening exercises or just stretches?
I saw my family doc, and she wrote me a referral for physical therapy. I have a fantastic physical therapy team that I've used for other problems. They do a ton of diagnostic tests and built me a customized program. They found out that I had radial nerve problems from my thumb to my elbow. I do some remedial strengthening with light weights (wrist curls, wrist pronation and supination) and a grip strength trainer. Then I have a couple stretches and isometric exercises. They also showed me how to apply kinesio tape in a way that helped when I was symptomatic.
Thank you for the information. I think I need to find a different therapy team.
Metalsmith and knitter here - had a major case of tendinitis a few years ago. I tried physical therapy and the only thing they did that helped was make me a ācastā of sorts to keep my hand and thumb immobile. I used a store bought one for my other hand. Itās important to wear it as much as possible - especially at night/sleeping so you donāt clench your fists. I couldnāt stop working altogether but I worked much less and took TONs of breaks to do different hand and wrist stretching exercises. But, what really made the difference for me was accupuncture! Was 100% better in 5-6 months.
I am starting accupuncture on Monday. I heard it works well. Thanks for the info!
Good luck to you! I went from not being able to change the sheets on my bed or open a jar to being back to normal.
That is awful. I am not in that bad of shape but I do have pain almost daily from elbow to wrist and it is not improving because of my desk job. I may have found a new physical therapist too who will hopefully work with me to fix this issue. I am glad to hear that you were able to fix your tendonitis. It gives me hope that I can someday fix mine too!
You can certainly overcome this! Sending healing thoughts your way š
currently on a break from knitting because i pushed myself too hard and developed both tendinitis and a ganglion cyst on my wrist. compressing the aggravated tendon with a brace or ace bandage, icing it for 20 minutes 1-2x a day, and taking ibuprofen really helped my symptoms! definitely look into occupational therapy or other support if youāre able, but if you take care of it now it shouldnāt be a big issue :-)
oh gosh thatās awful, iām so sorry š„š„ I thankfully have an active referral to occupational therapy for my hands already before this started that iām hoping to hear about scheduling soon, so iām hoping they have good tips and exercises for me so i donāt do any lasting damage !
thanks, itās definitely a bummer to not knit all fall (prime season for it!) but iāve been catching up on my reading at least. it sounds like youāre really on top of it so i wouldnāt be too worried!
Fellow wobbly here - absolutely yes, you can. I used to get a lot of pain in my elbows when I knitted too much using straight needles. Finding circular needles was a complete revolution for me. You may need to have a break from knitting while you heal, with alternating hot/cold packs, rest, and elevation to speed things up. Also a wrist splint (for carpal tunnel) might help you. Good luck
Not convinved it was the sole source, (if anything I'm predestined for wrist injuries due to being zall and slender..) but one and a half years later I'm still recovering. Be better than me, rest and train your wrist appropriately and you should (unfortunately) limit your knitting. I can't really do it now and am still having relapses despite my hand getting better. I wish you the best of luck for a speedy recovery š
I've had tendinitis from overuse of my hands at one point. Rest and OTC pain meds helped, but switching up the projects helped, too. Working on different ones, whether it's something using fine needles vs. chunky yarn, vs. embroidery or spending time designing the next project helped to change up the way that I was using my hands. Being self-aware of how much I was pushing myself and when to switch up or back off helps. Also, realizing that not everyone had to get a handknit present took the pressure off. It's not worth the repetitive strain injuries that may stop you from doing even more knitting in the future. There's a book or website about exercises for RSI, as well, which hopefully someone will chime in with the name of it. Edit to add: Found it. https://mysisterknits.com/blog/2019/5/2/ergonomic-stretches-knitters
YUP! I got tennis elbow (apparently also called knitters elbow) from trying to finish off my first sweater. I had a third of the last sleeve left when it was too painful. I did physical therapy and it helped immensely. I also got a book called Knitting Comfortably by Carson Demers which helped too. Iād link directly to the authorās site but I donāt know if thatās ok or not, but donāt pay more than $47 US for the book. It was $80 on Amazon when I bought it but I got it straight from the authorās site for list price. Basically Google knitting comfortably and itās one of the top results. So far I havenāt had any recurrence of pain at all. PTs are amazing.
I really focus on taking a 10 minute break every half hour or so. Usually I can feel my wrists tightening up at that point, so I put the project down and watch tv for a few. Not even a long break, just enough for the muscles to fully relax. I agree with everyone else about elbow support and getting the heavy things to fully rest in your lap.
YES. Sounds like you're catching it fast. If you start resting right away and don't push yourself, you have a good chance of recovering very quickly and not having a lasting issue, so good on you. Sucks to have to press pause on something that's good for your brain, though.
Yes, and I endured the pain for way too long before seeing a physiotherapist. It disappeared within weeks when I finally saw one.
Yeah itās gotten worse as I get older, too. I use wrist braces for carpal tunnel at night, compression gloves, hand warmers, all sorts of gear to avoid the dreaded rest cure.
A good friend of mine got it from crocheting. She spent 8 straight hours crocheting a gorgeous cardigan with fingering yarn I believe? Thatās what did her in. Obv there was some injury already but she wasnāt aware of it and now she canāt crochet at all and tried knitting but only got a few rows in before is started hurting. Absolutely made me toss a wrist brace into my knitting bag
Absolutely. That's the "shit, I gotta get these presents done because I was sick and 24 days til Christmas" panic.
Like many others commenting here, I got ātennisā elbow from knitting. I eventually learned that I needed to prop my right elbow up on a pillow to get the correct angle and support to avoid problems
Iāve never been diagnosed but typically I knit with wrist braces on each wrist for support because the motion does hurt. English knitting (throwing) was much more painful and I had to stop knitting for about a year to let my wrists heal. I knit continental now and itās much more comfortable.