Carpal Tunnel?? Anyone suffer from it?

[crochet_queen_03]

I've just confirmed that I'm getting it.. or well, should say. Um.. have it because a few ladies at work have had surgery for it.. yikes, and I showed them a knot that has come up on my wrist. One lady has one on hers and one on her middle finger from it... anyone.. surgery! not good!! Months of being off work.. wouldn't be that bad I suppose but not right now for me. I'm only 20 (21 on the 9th WOO HOO! lol) so I shouldn't have it! But then again, there's gymnastics, colorguard, the computer, cake decorating, deli work, and now, crocheting to add on to that. ... anyone else have this problem??

 

I just bought a brace for my right hand tonight to see if it'll help out any.

[InStitches]

I think I need to be checked for it, my wrists have been bothering me for years! And I'm only 22. (volleyball player and crocheter)

[kisha29]

I was diagonsed with it when I was in high school, my senior year. I went thru thearpy for it and it only acts up every now and then but your better off getting it checked to see how bad it is. I was told that mine wasn't bad enough to require surgery so I count myself lucky there. On the days that my hand does act up, my right is worse than my left, I take a couple of Aleve's in the morning and a couple of hours later I'm feeling better. Hope it's not severe enough for surgery :hug

[donnalynn2]

Absolutely get it checked! If it goes without any therapy or surgery, there can sometimes be permanent nerve damage!!!

 

I just had the surgery in May and I'm very glad I did! I was out of work for only 2 days and within a month I was able to pick up a crochet hook again. It took several weeks after that to be able to crochet regularly again, but it's much much better.

 

Carpal Tunnel Surgery is an outpatient procedure and is pretty routine. In most cases you need to be out of work for about a week, but because I work in an office where the only writing I do is signing contracts when customers come in, I was able to come back sooner as I could do everything pretty much one-handed and could sign my name with my opposite hand (even though it looked really goofy!) LOL

 

It's better to be safe than sorry. The brace will definately help, but if you need surgery, you need surgery.

 

Good luck!

[Tiga]

I don't have it, but my mother does. So, I'm very aware of repetive stress.

 

I actually do a lot of my crocheting lying down on the loveseat. It keeps my back and shoulder area totally supported, and keeps my shoulders in the proper alignment (down and not hunched up).

 

If I'm sitting up, I make sure I've got good back support and that I'm using good posture, and that helps keep me from getting pain.

 

Another thing I do is change how I hold the hook from time to time; sometimes I hold it like a pencil and sometimes I hold it like a piece of chalk.

 

I also will switch projects if I'm crocheting for a long time, like on Saturday afternoons, so I'm not doing the same stitch over and over.

 

It's also a good idea to take a break and stretch every half hour or so. Just stand up, and then using the opposite hand, stretch your hands/wrists down both palm up and palm down (those are actual carpal tunnel exercises my Mom has to do).

 

And, if it starts to hurt too much, stop, of course.

 

Getting older sucks, lol!

[Crocus58]

I've had carpal tunnel for decades (20 years). Never had the surgery. I wear a brace to bed every night, take breaks from crocheting every 45 minutes or so - flex my fingers, squeeze a tennis ball. I will change the way I hold my hook periodically and on bad days I wear a wrist support. If you have the surgery but don't change the actions that caused the problem, it will just come back. Good luck - get it checked and follow your doctor's advice!

[Mom w/a Motif]

I don't have carpal tunnel; but I do have tendonitis, which is very painful. At times I can barely hold a crochet let alone crochet. (Was the worst when I was pregnant with our last baby, which incidentally is what triggered it/made it worse...) What everyone said is good, and maybe you will need to go to the doctor (if you're like me you avoid doctors, but sometimes you have to go...) Take a break from making all those bears!

 

Tina

[pinkroses]

I have it in both hands. I Am a Diabetic, and have atrihris too. It is very painful at times. I haven't had surgery yet. Good luck with yours. PINKROSES

[Charlene]

I've had the surgery on both hands. I also had it as outpatient surgery. I was off work a month, had the stitches in for two weeks. Yes, if you don't take care of it you can loose the nerves in your hands. The surgery isn't painful, the carpel tunnel is. Charlene

[losingmymind2]

I had the 'small incision' surgery, only two stitches in the palm of my hand and was cleared to return to work the next week. Fortunately, my boss fired me, saying I'd be unable to do housecleaning ever again. I was able to collect unemployment benefits because of that; and it made me available to get a much better job just as the benefits were ending. Oh, and because I was considered an unemployed, uninsured head of household, Medicaid paid for my surgery completely instead of a $3000 deductible if I'd still been working.

[Raquel]

HI there--so sorry to hear your wrists are suffering!

I have certainly had pain in my wrists, especially after long hours of any repeated activity, including crochet! I also developed temporary carpal tunnel syndrome while I was pregnant--all that wonderful swelling your body does happened even in my wrists and was putting pressure on the nerve!

Whether or not you get surgery, there are some things you can do to improve the situation.

They say get wrist braces and wear them during the activities that make your wrists hurt and at night.

I found that if I took more breaks that helped, but also just doing things more ergonoically. If I'm going to crochet or knit for a long time (for me that's a half hour or more) I sit in a good supportive chair, use a Boppy pillow in my lap to support my elbows and forearms, and pay attention to how tightly I'm gripping the needles/hook.

All of that seemed to help a lot!

I'm sure there are tons of natural remedies out there, too.

Oh, a Boppy pillow is one of those U-shaped pillows for breastfeeding. I bought one for crocheting way before I was ever pregnant!

Good luck, and definitely ask your doctor about it--he or she may be able to tell you how severe a case you have and probably give you lots of good options.

Take care,

Raquel

[Nashville Crocheter]

I haven't been diagonsed with Carpal Tunnel but I have had the symptoms of it from time to time. The first time I noticed it was when I was making beads with Fimo Clay. Once I stopped doing it, my symptome went away.

 

Then when I first started crocheting...I was holding the hook WAY TOO tight and I was trying to crochet with 2 strands of yarn, I really had problems. I bought a wrist brace to wear at night when I slept and I used ice on my wrist several times a day.

 

Now I rarely have symptoms. I am just careful about crocheting too long at a time.

[susannahk]

YES , I have it too , but I'm kinda old and it came on very badly during and just after each pregnancy so beware of that!!!

Pregnancy hormones make it much worse.

I have had steroid injections which in the UK your GP can do , bit it didn't help much for me - worth trying before surgery though???

After crocheting a while my 2.5 fingers of my right hand go completely numb....( I'm right handed)

Surgery is probably next : it's all keyhole surgery now and should be quite quick and easy?A friend who is a surgeon even offered to do it at a dinner party.....no, don't worry I declined!

Let us know what you decide to do?

Best wishes,

Susannah;)

[Shell]

hey all. I just found this and thought it might be of a lil help to some http://www.dollstreetdreamers.com/Hand%20Exercises.htm i hope so anyway

[AngiR]

I was first diagnosed with mild carpal tunnel about 6 years ago. I went in to be tested for MS due to the numbness in my hands and my vertigo. The same combo my Mom had before her MS diagnosis.

How many people do you know say "Thank Goodness it's only Carpal Tunnel"?

I use a wrist brace when I'm at work. Mine developed mainly from computer use. I also wear a brace when I sleep. It has arrested the development a bit, and it hasn't been getting any worse, so I've gotten lucky.