I've had lots of problems with repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) from knitting. I’ve also dealt with wrist pain caused by carpal tunnel syndrome and De Quervain’s tenosynovitis, which is why I want to share some tips on how to cure wrist pain and prevent it from recurring.
Understanding Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) in Knitting
As a knitter and spinner, and therefore someone who works with their hands an awful lot, knitting injuries such as repetitive strain injury (RSI) is something that I probably have more than my fair share of experience with. I'm also hypermobile which seems to be a really common factor in people who struggle with ongoing RSIs.
Repetitive strain injury occurs when repeated hand and wrist movements cause damage to muscles and tendons. In my case, De Quervain’s tenosynovitis - which affects the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist - has been a persistent issue. If you’re someone who spends hours knitting, typing, or crafting, it’s easy to develop an RSI. Carpal tunnel syndrome, another common injury, can occur when there is pressure on the median nerve in your wrist, leading to pain, tingling, and numbness.
Over the years, I’ve developed strategies for managing these types of knitting injuries and found ways to heal and avoid future flare-ups.
Please note that these are just things that have worked for me; I'm not a doctor or physio. If you are in serious pain or if your knitting injury/RSI/carpal tunnel has been going on for a long time, please do speak to your doctor or seek medical advice. It's easy to do long-term damage to yourself if you ignore wrist pain and don't treat it effectively.
How to cure wrist pain and speed up recovery
Now, yes, it would make sense for me to talk about how to prevent RSI's when knitting and crafting and then how to cure them because ideally you want the knitting injuries to not happen in the first place. However, if you're finding this knitting blog, then there's a good chance that you have already injured yourself. Perhaps you have been knitting or crafting for too long or maybe you're gaming frequently or sit at a computer a lot - frankly, anyone who does a lot of fine motorwork with their hands, fingers and lower arms can be susceptible to an RSI injury or wrist pain. So that's why I'm going to talk about how to cure wrist pain first. It also makes prevention so much easier then once you get to it.
7 tips to help heal your knitting injury or repetitive strain
1. Rest! Don't knit through wrist pain
The first and most important step in curing wrist pain is rest. If you feel any pain or discomfort, stop doing the thing that is hurting you. The second you feel a tiny bit of a twinge do not continue knitting, do not continue typing, do not continue gaming. Take a break! Continuing to knit or type through pain can worsen an RSI or even lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.
2. An anti inflammatory really can help in the initial stages of wrist pain from a knitting injury
Now whilst I do think this is a short term thing, rest along with ibuprofen (or any anti-inflammatory that you can get over the counter) really does help in that intense, painful bit at the beginning where everything is just inflamed and really hurting. In the past, when I sustained a knitting injury, I was reluctant to medicate at first because I thought it was just pain relief, but, believe it or not, they really do help reduce the inflammation and gives you the chance to heal up whilst you rest.
3. But rest and medication can only do so much
When I developed De Quervain’s tenosynovitis a few years ago, I ended up having to stop knitting for 6 months which, as someone who knits for a living, was ridiculous. I took an extended break from knitting, I did the exercises recommended by my physio, I took the ibuprofen - but it simply wasn't cutting it.
I ended up finding that it's because I'm hypermobile and therefore physically, I am a very tense person. I tend to hold a lot of tension in my shoulders and in my arms and if you're sitting doing the same thing for a long period of time, it's that repetitive movement that creates the wrist pain and repetitive strain injury.
So what did help?
4. Massage to relieve tension all the way from your hands to your neck
Massage was and continues to be a wonderfully helpful tool in helping me heal from knitting injuries. Not just focusing on the area that is injured, but the areas surrounding and linked to it too.
My knitting injury was De Quervain's tenosynovitis which affects the thumb side of my wrist and the two tendons that control movement of the thumb. You know the main tendon you can see along your thumb? That's the bit that hurts for me. So, when you have carpal tunnel or RSI, it's very tempting to just focus on the area that is causing you pain, however, I found that my wrist pain only started to properly heal once I paid attention to my hands, my forearms, my upper arms, my shoulders and my neck. Once I could finally start relaxing in those areas, that's when I saw a difference all the way down towards my thumb.
Regular massage, whether that's self massage or from a family member, is really helpful. It doesn't have to be professional, just anything that is going to release some tension and help you heal those knitting injuries or RSIs. Here is a really effective self massage you can try on your own forearms (this one was a game-changer for me!)
5. Pay attention to your posture and do some exercises to get your upper body moving
We've all had occasions where we've been knitting/typing/working/gaming/crafting for a while only to realise that we are hunched over like a prawn! Poor posture, or just sitting with the same posture for lengthened periods of time can exacerbate RSIs and carpal tunnel syndrome which is why it's important to get up and get moving in different ways.
Here is a really useful, and short, Yoga for Knitters video you can do on the sofa, on a chair or on the floor. It's a set of exercises that to help release a lot of tension that comes with wrist pain and repetitive strain injuries and also get a little bit of strengthening in your arms and shoulders too. Do these every hour or two when you're sitting for long periods of time.
6. Gua Sha can also help with those knitting niggles
If you have tight, knotted muscles due to an RSI or carpal tunnel syndrome, using a gua sha tool can help break down those muscle knots and improve blood flow to the area, which aids recovery. When I was struggling with De Quervain’s, I focused not only on my wrist, but also all the way up my forearm and found it really helpful in reducing my wrist pain.
7. Take a gradual return to your knitting
Once your RSI or knitting injury has calmed down a bit, after a few days of rest and trying out some of these techniques, you can then start to reintroduce the activity which caused you the wrist pain in the first place. It's important to do this very very gently - it's a gradual return so don't go jumping back into knitting for 6 hours a day, that's not recommended! Once you've sort of dipped your toe back in, taken it easy and got to a point where you know you're not hurting yourself again, then you can continue gently. Overworking too soon could lead to a setback or worsen your RSI.
Now, this is where we enter prevention mode!
How to prevent wrist pain and repetitive strain injuries from knitting and crafting?
After you’ve healed from an RSI, carpal tunnel or other knitting-related injury, of course you want to take steps to prevent it from coming back. Here are some tips:
1. Take regular breaks
Set a timer to remind yourself to take breaks every hour or two. Stand up, stretch, walk around, do the shoulder and neck exercises and move your hands and wrists to keep your body from stiffening up.
2. Work on your knitting technique - are you using your hands properly?
This is, of course, knitting specific, but I realised that one of the main reasons I developed De Quervain’s tenosynovitis was due to improper hand positioning - I was bending my hands at the wrists while I was knitting. Ideally you want your hand to be an extension of your arm in a straight line, but I had a habit of turning my hands outwards which obviously puts loads of strain on the side of my wrist that got injured. So pay attention to how you are holding yourself. I know, it's tedious to be told to watch your posture, but it does affect so many parts of your body that can go unnoticed. Just because you aren't experiencing a lot of wrist pain right away, doesn't mean they aren't holding a lot of tension - and that tension is how you hurt yourself.
3. English vs Continental knitting
I started out as an English knitter and, if I'm honest, my technique was absolutely disgusting, so it's not all that surprising that I ended up with wrist pain that ultimately ended in a knitting injury! Take that as a lesson to work on your technique so that you are not putting any undue stress on your hands or fingers. I found switching to Continental knitting helped quite a lot as did switching between English and Continental to reduce repetitive movements. However, working on your knitting technique whichever method you choose will mean you know the things to look out for in terms of hand position and finger movements that tend to trigger that wrist pain and/or repetitive strain injury.
4. Work on your strength
Knitting is a sedentary activity and whilst there are knitters who walk whilst they stitch, knitting garments is activity that can see you sitting down in the same position an awful lot. So deliberate movement is really important to keep your body mobile and in good shape. This doesn't necessarily mean hitting the gym, but Pilates or yoga on a semi regular basis can help keep things ticking over and make sure that everything's working well.
In fact, the times I have injured myself has always been the times I have suddenly quit Pilates classes for whatever reason and I start to lose the strength I had to support myself in a good position when sitting or working.
By incorporating these strategies into your routine, you can recover from your wrist pain and prevent it from recurring, whether it’s an RSI, carpal tunnel syndrome, or De Quervain’s tenosynovitis. Remember, listen to your body, take breaks, and prioritise your health.
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MUSIC
Deep Relaxation Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
