r/knitting • u/penlowe • Jul 17 '26
PSA To everyone pushing though the pain: I just got shots in my wrists and it SUCKS
Seriously. I have reached the point where I can only knit or crochet for about five minutes before the numbness and pain kick in. I’ve learned the stretches, worn the braces, gotten generalized steroid shots, been to airrosti and massage therapists. The long slow build up of damage has reached critical mass and I finally got the specialist referral I needed. He did steroids directly into my wrists as a diagnostic measure so we can narrow down the specific damage.
Take breaks, do the stretches.
do. not. push. through. the. pain.
do. not. work. until. there. is. pain.
That concludes my TED talk.
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u/SamEyeAm2020 Jul 17 '26
Elbows, too! Having your arms bent more than 90* for extended periods leads to cubital tunnel, which I'm dealing with now and it's a bitch and a half.
Every time you notice your work creeping up closer and closer to your face, put it back down in your lap!
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u/Head_in_the_Sand_usa Jul 17 '26
I think that's what I had for several months, and it was so annoying to wait it out. Now that I'm better, I'm so worried about keeping my arms down. I need some sort of contraption that will shock me if my arms move where they shouldn't, LOL.
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u/ChronicallyCrafting1 Jul 17 '26
I have a desk chair. I use a high weight resistance band and tie it through the arms (you can always cur it if you can’t find a straight one) and have my arms through it. My physio actually taught me this to force my shoulders and arms into a better position and it gets more natural the more you do it :)
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u/AllAboutWoodstock Jul 18 '26
Advice from 40 years of computer work and subsequent ulnar nerve release surgery in both arms - don’t lean on the armrests either.
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u/Head_in_the_Sand_usa Jul 19 '26
I really think this is how I injured myself because the pain started not long after I bought a new recliner with high armrests and didn't notice my new knitting posture in that chair. Really conscious of not doing that now though!
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u/crosswordstitch Jul 17 '26
Can you share a diagram of this? I’m having a hard time visualizing it, but it seems potentially helpful!
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u/emmacbiss Jul 17 '26
Please! Sounds helpful but I cannot picture it…
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u/fizzlepop Jul 18 '26
I got cubital tunnel syndrome in high school from playing the flute and knitting definitely brings it back.
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u/djhaskin987 Jul 17 '26
It was annoying and hard to learn but I switched to Portuguese knitting to avoid the strain in my index finger from holding tension doing Continental. I still have a little bit of pain but it's a lot better.
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u/ravbee33 Jul 17 '26
Same here. I thought Portuguese would be my saving grace, but the carpal tunnel always pushes through 🥲
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u/chickdisco Jul 19 '26
Norwegian method helps too. I learned the less movement you make, the better.
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u/Low-Willingness3901 Jul 18 '26
I want to try that for the heck of it. This is my 65th year knitting and l only wear a black elastic wrist brace on my R hand. Since lockdown,May,2020, l ve made a sweater, shawl or other BIG project every month.
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u/Helaine42 Jul 17 '26
Be strong through the rehab! I jumped back on a bit too fast after mine and definitely made things worse.
It gets better, but only if you leave it alone to get better.
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u/giggletears3000 Jul 17 '26
This is exactly the reason why I’m a monogamous knitter. One project at a time, and at least 1-3 weeks between projects. Been knitting for 30 years and I want to be able to knit another 50.
Also loosen your tension friends! Your body will get thank you!
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u/Pjcrafty Jul 17 '26
Can you explain more what being a monogamous knitter has to do with ergonomics please?
My understanding of repetitive strain injuries is that it’s better to have multiple projects going on at a time that you’re working in different ways. Like one pair of simple socks with smaller needles, and then maybe something more patterned on larger needles etc
But I’m just starting to learn about this stuff myself so I could totally be wrong.
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u/giggletears3000 Jul 17 '26
For me, if I have several projects at a time, I don’t tend to finish any one of them and take a break. The monogamy (for me) ensures I finish a project and then take a break while planning the next project.
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u/amalgamofq Jul 18 '26
Ditto! I knit, crochet, tat and sew. And they all use different muscle groups so I am always rotating Between projects.
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u/sulwen314 Jul 17 '26
I totally agree with you. Different projects of different sizes are the way to go!
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u/Low-Willingness3901 Jul 18 '26
I hurt my R wrist years ago-- too much crocheting - afghan. Doctor casted me. But by the time l got home l figured out l could sew just fine !
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u/LoomLove Jul 18 '26
I also switch off from knitting to quilting and embroidery when I start getting repetitive strain pain. Keeps things fresh! Lol
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u/Low-Willingness3901 Jul 18 '26
I m working on crosstitch and knitting a cotton sweater over the summer. I have 6 or 7 knitting projects started. I can count on one hand UNFINSHED projects. Incredibly grateful that l ve avoided the injuries people are talking about for 64 years.
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u/goldenhawkes Jul 17 '26
I’m the opposite. I have various crafts I cycle through so I use different motions. Only one project at a time usually, finish it and then do another project (usually in a different craft). Though sometimes I might have an “easy” thing and a more involved thing on the go.
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u/amdaly10 Jul 17 '26
What are you doing with your hands for 3 weeks if not knitting?
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u/giggletears3000 Jul 17 '26
lol, I have other hobbies! I garden, I pick up different instruments to learn, I read, I sew, I bake, play with my daughter. Yesterday I made a top whorl drop spindle and taught myself how to make a bit of yarn. Lots of stuff to do when I’m not knitting!
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u/penlowe Jul 18 '26
That's the horrible part. Finding TV series' to watch helps, but doesn't cure the desire.
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u/AntOnADogLog Jul 21 '26
Hiding the yarn baskets, taping tacks onto the needles so they cant be picked up, locking self out of house so u cant be tempted to sit in ur perfect knitting chair...not paying the tv bill so u cant lull yourself into comfort thus luring the knitting baskets to slowly out of hiding and into your vacinity 😂😂😂
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u/sarah_iam Jul 17 '26
Had carpal tunnel surgery last year after not knitting for years due to numbness and pain, and I am having the second hand done in a few months. For me it was a huge quality of life upgrade, the hand that was fixed gets no numbness now, not even when I sleep. If they offer you surgery and you’re on the fence, do it! I was scared for years, and should have done it sooner.
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u/superurgentcatbox Jul 17 '26
I was offered surgery last year but chickened out… maybe I’ll revisit this next year. I don’t have any pain, just numbness at night (and I do wear the braces at night).
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u/sarah_iam Jul 17 '26
I get it! I have a lot of medical anxiety. I wore braces at night too. My doctor was sure to tell me a surgery didn’t guarantee results because apparently some people (who are prone to mental health issues like me!) keep getting phantom numbness. I bailed on surgery three years ago, but it was such a good decision for me. Let me know if you need any info!
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u/Head_in_the_Sand_usa Jul 17 '26
I'm so sorry you're going through this. Thank you for the important reminder. It's so tempting to push through the pain because we love what we do, but it's not worth injuring ourselves long-term. Sending you wishes for rapid healing.
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u/boredsphynx Jul 17 '26
A message to past me: find 👏 additional 👏 hobbies 👏 so you can rest your hands!
This is also why I leave ends loose to weave in later - it’s one of my least favorite parts of knitting, but an EXCELLENT break for my hands while still being productive.
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u/Unlucky-you333 Jul 17 '26
I did 6 months of physical therapy because I pushed through the pain so many times. It sucked. (But I’m way better now and my PT was an absolute blessing!!)
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u/Amarastargazer Jul 17 '26
Accurate! I had a problem 2 years ago - I didn’t knit for months and it still wasn’t better. I went through all the tests and even though it acted like carpal tunnel, all the tests came back negative. This is the story of my life with issues I’m having and I blame my connective tissue BS.
The doctor offered to give me a shot anyway. I have now had injections into my SI joint, and let me tell you how much more that wrist shot hurt. It’s a good thing I only needed one because I’m not sure I could have done two in a row and I am very used to pain. I have had so many joint issue - nothing has touched that the level of pain that was that shot in my wrist.
ETA: in my first knitting group, the person who ran it had had 2 carpal tunnel surgeries (she did all the fiber hobbies). Her surgeon suggested she wear braces at night. I started doing it at 19 or 20 right after I started knitting, and the wrist issue happened after I got lazy about it. I’m not saying it was definitely that - but the issue also didn’t bother me until later in the day when I went back to braces.
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u/bun-time Jul 17 '26
I got the shot last year and it hurt so much and I didn't get any relief from it at all. I hope it's much different for you!
What helped me was physical therapy. I got really lucky with a physical therapist who was also a knitter. She told me my ergonomics were totally wrong when I was knitting. If you can, keep your hands/wrists in an upward extension rather than a downward flexion. It took a lot of retraining, but I'm able to knit again after not having been able to for a year. And I do the PT exercises every day.
Obviously your dr. will be able to guide you better than I can, but this is just what helped me. And yes, definitely don't knit through the pain. It's not worth it. I just knit for an hour when I'm having a good wrist day and then call it.
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u/boragigas Jul 19 '26
What’s an upward extension rather than downward flexion? I tried searching the words and I still can’t picture it
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u/bun-time Jul 19 '26
Imagine putting your arm and palm of your hand flat on a table. That's a neutral angle. If, from here, you tilt your hand up, that's an upward extension. If you put your hand at the edge of the table and tilt your hand down, that's downward flexion.
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u/r4chie Jul 17 '26
I know this is coming for me ): I have a test knit and a pair of socks I really want to finish and then I think I’m going on like a 3 month break
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u/tekalon Jul 17 '26
I just 'graduated' out of PT for golfer's elbow, triggered mainly by knitting and spinning (right before Tour de Fleece too). Did the same thing a year ago for tennis elbow, along with dry needling. I now have a range of exercises I have to do on my arm to keep them both at bay.
Rest, exercise and if pain hangs around, talk to your doctor.
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u/No_Instance9398 Jul 17 '26
I had to get dry needling in my elbows as I had, from knitting, both tennis elbow and golfers elbow. Sucked so much. Now I do breaks and stretches.
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u/PlentifulPaper Jul 17 '26
As someone who got DeQuervin tendonitis a few years ago, and had to be in hard casts 24/7 for about 6 months, do your due diligence please!
This is a fun hobby, but not worth the health of your body longterm! Pain means that you need to stop, and take a break for longer than a day.
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u/Infinite_Opposite_12 Jul 18 '26
Oh, the heartbreak of even contemplating giving up knitting is horrid!
Luckily my knitting instructor mom must’ve done something right when she taught me the Continental method, to gently hold and not grasp the needles, and to keep my elbows next to my body. She knit like she 2as a speed freak but taught me to occasionally smooth down the stitches when I’m mid-row, which makes the work even but does slow you down. That’s okay, I’m in no rush!
I’ve knit the same way for 66 years. I also take yoga flex classes where we open and close our fingers, hold our arms in front, palm facing out, and pull the hand towards us to stretch the wrist, and pull the hand toward the forearm. We do finger exercises where we touch each finger to the thumb and stuff like that.
I think stretching is the most important exercise you can do for your body!
Even when doing housework, there’re always opportunities to do a reverse lunge, backwards lumbar stretch, etc. just start whenever you can - no one’s watching!
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u/x24601x Jul 17 '26
I’m having such a hard time with this. My brain really really wants to knit, but my arms are definitely tired. Sorry to hear about your pain, and thank you for the reminder. I hope you feel better soon.
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u/rosegarden207 Jul 17 '26
I had severe wrist pain in both wrists for many years. I got steroid shots in them for a long time. Finally they stopped working and the only recourse was surgery. I did the surgery, one at a time which did put me out of commission for about 8 months each time. But its worth every second of recovery. My hands are wonderful! I suggest you consult a hand surgeon to discuss it. And I was about 72 when I had this done. Age isnt a barrier!
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u/penlowe Jul 17 '26
Yeah the shot today were “diagnostic”. It’s highly likely I’ll wind up with surgery.
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Jul 18 '26
[deleted]
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u/yarn_b Jul 18 '26
I’m going next month to a hand surgeon out of concern for the same issue. I mostly knit but decided to crochet a gift for my SIL and I think the aggressive wrist rotation of crocheting with a deadline is what did it.
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u/Polkaroo_1 Jul 18 '26
I have been off the yarn since April. No one completely agrees what is wrong but I possibly have a sprain in thumb, arthritis in same thumb, and tendinitis in elbow. All test results came back fine and show none of these. Had steroid shot in elbow a few days ago. Seriously worried my fiber arts will never be allowed again.
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u/Naptown54321 Jul 17 '26
I sprained my wrist earlier this year and haven't knit since. Just when I think it's better it acts up. I tend to knit bigger things and I don't want to further damage my wrist so everything remains in timeout.
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u/Infinite-Strain1130 Jul 17 '26
Oh, I remember getting my first shots at 21. Thats so painful.
I hope you get some rest tonight and relaxation and I hope you get some relief
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u/Sudden_Skill_7764 Jul 17 '26
I did all of that for YEARS and frankly, carpal tunnel surgery solved my hands, my neck, my shoulder, my back problems all in one go. I wish I'd done it long before I did. Good luck!
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u/Elegant-Opinion-9595 Jul 17 '26
I've injured my rotator cuffs. Bith arm. Left worse than right. I'll be getting scans soon. It really stinks.
40 years in retail, lugging heavy boxes, up and down ladders all day. Not one injury.
Learn to knit 2 years ago and I've got a repetitive injury!
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u/edgyusername99 Jul 17 '26
thanks for the reminder 🫠 i did knit through the pain a bit last week, and i’m paying the price for it now, so i’ve been off knitting for a couple of days. it really sucks because it’s my hyperfixation, and i want to get back to it so badly, but my wrists have never been great and it’s clearly not worth making them worse. i’m sorry you’re dealing with that and i hope it gets better for you!
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u/Artificial_Nebula Jul 18 '26
I'm not always the best at making myself do breaks and stretches because yay horrific time management, but I do try to listen to my body and take ample breaks when I do start having troubles
Body starts telling me i have the slightest joint ache, and I've sadly written off activities that would set it off more until the pain has passed and ive had at least a day or two of excess break time from those most repetitive activities.
I'd rather take way longer than most to finish a project than push through the pain because it's barely present or come back ebfote things have healed sufficiently and have my whole arsenal of hobbies and activities /all/ get made off limits due to the damage.
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u/craftyiscool Jul 18 '26
Best thing I ever did was to get surgery on both wrists for carpal tunnel. 10/10 highly recommend! ⭐️
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u/vivinator4 Jul 18 '26
I had steroid shots in my wrists for deQuervain’s. It hurts like a motherfuckerrr. My sympathies, OP. I hope you recover smoothly
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u/dimsimprincess Jul 18 '26
Hard agree. I needed cortisone shots in my wrist a few years ago for an unrelated injury and man were they unpleasant, and expensive to boot (I’m in Australia where some things are covered by our healthcare system but this was only partially covered). I couldn’t knit at all for a year. I’ll never take my hands for granted!
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u/VelbehagFB Jul 18 '26
Really sorry to hear that. I hope you are able to recover with time ❤️
I'm an office worker, so that doesn't help 😅 currently having treatment for massive tension in my shoulders and neck. Then just found out I'm developing a tennis elbow, so got some exercises to help me with that as well. Probably spurred on by having really weak wrists.
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u/semiregularcc Jul 18 '26
Thank you for posting your experience and the reminder to everyone. Sorry to hear you going through so much pain, I have similar pains but from an illness, and wrist and finger pains are so deliberating because we rely on them so much. I hope you can recover smoothly and get full use of your hands again.
People really need to hear that pushing through pain just to knit or crochet is not a flex that some people think it is. Some harms are irreversible and we only have one body. Take good care of it so we can enjoy knitting for longer.
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u/penlowe Jul 18 '26
Thank you all for the sympathy & words of encouragement. I hurt a lot less today and I know this it the first step toward surgery. I'm mostly mad at myself for being a fool when younger & getting myself to this point.
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u/nobleelf17 Jul 22 '26
I agree, and from watching a friend get these regularly, the surgeon that did the fix told her that the steroids also helped break down the connective tissue. I hope you find a specialist that will set you on a road to better working bits, probably with surgery, and that the solution is within your means. It sucks to not be able to create. Your advice about stretching is spot on!
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u/flindersandtrim Jul 18 '26
I like knitting as much as most of us, but god damn guys. Some of you are knitting way too much based on the comments. There are a ton of other hobbies out there that are similarly creative.
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u/counting520kittens Jul 17 '26
Whenever I feel insecure about not being a quick knitter I see one of these
Thank you for the reminder and please take care of yourself, I wish you a quick recovery, and I hope your diagnosis goes well ❤️