Wrist pain, numbness?

[kaycrochay]

For the last few weeks I have had vague pain in the right wrist, and today had cold and numbness in the first few digits on the same hand. Occasionally if I "pop" my wrist (like popping fingers, but to the side instead) it will get better.

 

I have had an EMG with a very low probability of carpal tunnel as the result. I'm just wondering if anyone else has problems with stiffness and numbness from too much crocheting (is there such a thing??).

[Nashville Crocheter]

I had the same question right after I started crocheting, my wrists hurt especially my right one. And my hands would go to sleep. I started wearing a wrist brace at night and the problem has slowly gotten better. I got the brace at Walmart.

 

While the brace has helped, I think the fact that I am not crocheting so tightly as I did when I first started. So there is less tugging on the yarn.

[loranger329]

I've had the same thing happen in the past few weeks, too...when I asked my doctor about it, he said that it's most likely the fact that I'm 6 months pregnant, and that CTS is pretty common for pregnant women. It has something to do with the swelling in my hands and feet pushing on the nerve...anyways, he said that shaking your hands to revive them will help, or to use the pressure gloves if you're going to be crocheting or typing for long periods of time.

[Stacey]

Everyone has great suggestions - I just wanted to add my :2

 

I've had pretty bad carpal tunnel and wrist tendinitis in the past, and I'm allergic to advil and that whole family of drugs, so I was in a bad way and was headed toward needing surgery. My doctor told me to take a B complex supplement; apparently there have been studies suggesting it helps some people with carpal tunnel. Within two months the pain was 99% gone.

 

So if you're on the way to developing CTS, it could stop it completely. It doesn't work for everyone, but it's definitely worth a try. Later on, when my carpal tunnel problem was better but I had a flareup of tendinitis, the B vitamins seemed to help with that, too.

 

It takes a good 6-8 weeks to see an improvement from what I recall. Also, if you try this, don't take the vitamin on an empty stomach (blech - they smell awful and can upset an empty stomach). A B-100 complex will probably have better results, but if it upsets your stomach, try a B-50 complex instead.

 

I've been off my vitamins for a while, but I'm planning to start taking them again since I've had a little trouble (not much but I want to stop it before it starts).

 

Oh, and my doctor also told me not to use the kind of brace you can get at most drugstores, the kind that holds your wrist at an angle. He said it was putting pressure on tendons and nerves and possibly making it worse! The brand name of the one he gave me is Carpal Lock - here's a site that has them: www.acessinc.com/carpal_l...plints.htm (I don't know anything about that site - it's just one of the first results that came up when I did a google search for "carpal lock"). It holds your wrist straight and supposedly is better for this kind of problem than the bent kind.

 

You probably can't crochet with a brace like that one on, but wearing it at other times can be helpful. I wore it to sleep in because I'd end up twisting my wrists up under my chin in my sleep and I'd wake up in pain...

 

Hope that helps

 

Stacey

[bkellya]

Hello, I'm new here, I've been lurking for awhile and have greatly enjoyed reading the forums. I just wanted to tell you that I have this same problem and my Dr. recommended that I take a vitamin B complex daily...my wrist was really hurting as I've starting my "crochet christmas gift" binge. Anyway, I started taking it just a few days ago...perhaps a week, and I've already noticed a big difference! So I'm going to keep at it and thought I would pass that along.

[Nashville Crocheter]

I tried wearing the brace while crocheting too. Doesn't work. I think I am a knife-holder-crocheter too. I still wear the brace every night. I am not bothered so much anymore unless I crochet with 2 strands of yarn at the same time. I guess I have to tug at it more than I do when using only one strand.

But Ya know what? I keep doin' it.

 

Barbara

[kaycrochay]

I'm glad you mentioned the wrist brace. I've started wearing one at night, but actually have more pain if I try to wear it while I'm crocheting. I guess I'm a knife-holder-style crocheter, and I don't know how much that has to do with anything. The weather has been a bit indecisive lately, and if my knees are any indication, that may be affecting my wrist too.

 

Thanks to everyone for your support, and for sharing. It really helps knowing I'm not the only one going through this !!

[Pridemom]

I've started wearing a neoprene wrist brace when I crochet. It helps a lot with my wrist pain. It was $10 at Walgreens and looks like a glove with holes for the thumb and forefinger with a velcro strap across the wrist. I still have plenty of movement with this one and it's lightweight.

[emeraldmoon]

yes I have problems too. but mine has to do with after having a surgery.. I had a huge gangloin cyst on my left hand that was so intertwined with the nerves.. Anyways it will get numb at times, sharp shooting pains up the arm, or the hand will close up on its own.. I just take advil to deal with the pain..

Cathey

[Nashville Crocheter]

Here is a link to another board that has Great info on how to help your arms/ wrists stop hurting when you crochet too much?

 

help for hurting wrists

[kaycrochay]

Wow! Thank you all for your responses and suggestions, I had no idea this was such a widespread issue. I will definitely keep an eye on the situation, and if it gets any worse, will talk to my dr. I feel so relieved to know I'm not the only one with this problem!!

[crochetme]

I had the same symptoms in April, and eventually I was in terrible pain. It was tendonitis, not CTS, and I ended up in physiotherapy. The best thing to do is to put your hook down for a while, and then try different ways of holding your hook. Take frequent breaks, and stretch your wrist (ok, not really stretch, but just move it in all four directions without straining it; this keeps the tendons gliding nicely). Ice works wonders. I found it far more effective than ibuprofen, and I didn't want to take ib. for too long anyway. If the pain gets worse, definitely see your doctor. It's been months now, for me, and I was just able to crochet a bit for the first time pain-free last night.

[DawnsRays]

Sorry, forgot the sign it:blush

~DAWN

[DawnsRays]

Kayla, you probably do have early stages of CTS. The median nerve, which is the source of CTS, affects the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and part of the ring finger. Of course, some wrist pain can occur, also. I'm speaking from my massage therapy training. It's a good idea to take frequent breaks when doing a repetative task (such as crochet). Also, give your wrists and fingers a good stretch by first placing palms together and pressing and then fingers together and pressing. Reverse the stretch by placing backs of hand and backs of fingers together and repeat. Strengthen your fingers by squeezing a tennis ball or those hand grippy things you get in the weight lifting dept. at sports stores. The most important thing to do is to take breaks and make your fingers and wrists do the opposite of what they where previously doing. Advil is great, but I prefer to find alternitive to meds as often as possible. Keep an eye on it and by all means keep your doctor abreast of the situation. He may suggest wearing a wrist glove to stabilize your hand while doing your task.

Sorry this is so long, but I hope it helps.

[RebeccaVelasquez]

i also have to dope up on advil daily. last year, right after i started crocheting again (and couldn't get enough), i fell and hurt my arm just above my wrist but didn't think anything about it.... i kept crocheting because it didn't make it hurt any worse... then (like 2 days later) my arm hurt so bad hubby took me to the ER, thought i had broken my arm when i fell...... nope. severe tendonitis. i felt like such a dork anyway, my point: try some advil and see if it makes it go away completely. if not, get it checked. this is the advice my dr gave me.... she said at any point the advil (anti-inflammatory) didn't work completely, that was the time to get checked for CTS.

 

by the way, i'm not a dr. you should see what yours says

good luck:hug

[Red883]

Sadly there IS such a thing.

Think of CTS as a repetitive strain injury. By holding your hands in the same position for hours (we all can crochet for hours!) added to days and years of the same "work"...well, it leads to symptoms and/or full blown CTS.

Typists are prone to CTS and computer operators are now on the top of the list...holding one's hand over the mouse in the same position all day seems to be the culprit.

I've also read that "pencil holders" ache more than "knife holders" as there is an extra repetitive movement of the wrist.

I can say that I feel it more when I thread crochet than yarn crochet.

Here's a site that explains it well (I am not endorsing the product):

 

www.repetitive-strain.com/risk.html

www.repetitive-strain.com/causes.html

[Nay65]

I've had some problems with numbness from crocheting. When I had it checked out (I thought it might be carpal tunnel), the doctor said it was tendonitis and recommended taking 3 Advil twice a day. I also made a few changes in how long I work at a time and where I work.