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grip style vs hand pain


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I think there might be a corelation between grip style and hand pain during crocheting. I have a theory, but would like it validated.

 

So here's what lets do.

Simply tell:

 

1. your grip style (pencil or steaknife)

 

2. if you have hand, wrist, or finger pain from crocheting.

 

 

We'll just see, if enough folks weigh in, if there might be more liklihood of pain developing in one style over the other.

 

Thanks

Jimbo

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I use a pencil grip (very light too - someone could easily pull the hook out of my hand while I'm working - and they better run fast if they try it too :lol )

 

I do not have issues with sore hands, wrists or fingers unless I am using a large hook. I usually use a 5mm 5.5mm or 6mm and have no troubles. I tried a Q hook once and it drove me nuts - felt like I was crocheting with a baseball bat :think I doubt I'd use it for much ever again. It also made my hand hurt but I think it was mostly from the large size that was uncomfortable with me.

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I use a fairly relaxed pencil grip. I do have pain issues but I do not think they can be directly tied to my hook grip. I say this because I used a PC keyboard 40+ hours a week for 30+ years (a technical writer) and I have some nerve damage from a compressed nerve in my neck.

 

So, I don't really think that there is a direct correlation between grip style and hand pain. Other factors (as in my case) can contribute to the pain. Factors that include the number of hours you crochet at a time.

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I use the pencil style and I hold it tight. I tend to have wrist pain no matter what size hook I use but I also type ALL day long at work so I think that also has something to do with it. I have found that if I wear flexible wrist bands that it helps with my wrist pain.

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I have a fairly loose pencil grip. I usually do not have hand pain. Usually do not crochet for more than an hour or two at a time. Lately I have used hooks from steel sz 7 to aluminum I, without pain. the aluminum hooks I use are Susan bates. I experimented not too long ago with some worsted wt cotton yarn and that was uncomfortable for me, the yarn just did not glide on the hook and I felt like I was forcing it and strain made my hands hurt.

 

I had more hand pain when i was working at a job where I was constantly writing or keyboarding (did have ergonomic keyboard). I do have arthritis and take Celebrex.

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I have a knife grip, varying from fairly light to very tight. I only have pain when working with thread for more than 20 or 30 minutes at a time (because I hold on with a death grip_.... or if I'm sitting wierd on the airplane (i.e. not in a seat with elbow room for a lefty...).

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I crochet with both the steak-knife and the pencil grip. Mainly I use the steak-knife grip and generally do not have any pain issues unless I have been crocheting for hours or doing multiple Fpdc & Bpdc's. When I use the pencil grip, I find that my last two fingers get tired vs. painful after a short amount of time. I like to switch back and forth so I don't always use the same motion. :)

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Pencil grip here.

 

I had tendonitis in BOTH wrists a while back (long story) which had nothing to do with crocheting (had a crocheting dry spell for a few years). After that simmered down, crocheting is about the only craft I can do that doesn't hurt -- can't hand sew for more than a few minutes without pain, and that is more of a knife grip for me.

 

I think that grip/pain may depend on the hours you spend doing any other type of repetitive activity as well. Carpal tunnel is caused by repetitive motion like tendonitis but affects a different range of motion.

 

Maybe knife grip pain folks also do a certain type other repetitive tasks (A), and pencil grip pain folks also do a different set of other tasks (B). Perhaps knife grippers who do B tasks, and pencil grippers with A tasks, are pain free.

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Definetly steak knife...I don't think it is the method as much as the pressure you use, some people crochet with a lighter touch than others. Maybe it isn't so much the grip as the tension.

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yup.. might be pretty un-scientific cause i didn't think to add the grip force in the equation. But i'd expect that pain would follow either grip style if a vice like grip is used for either. And i suspect we could surmize that both grips won't cause pain for soft grippers.

Still its interesting to read and, given even gripping force and no pre-crochet stress, there might be a difference.

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I use a loose pencil grip. I mostly get pains at the start and end of the hot weather since I switch from yarns to threads and vice versa. The only other time I get pains is in my pointer finger and thumb when doing long chains for filet crochet in thread. I crochet for many hours a day so I'm surprised I don't have more pains.

 

Hugs and Cookies

Auntie K

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I use a knife grip, and everyone else I know uses a pencil grip. I never used to have trouble unless I used a very small hook. I started working as a massage therapist earlier this year, and now I can't do more than a row or two without some pain or discomfort. Fortunately, that fits my attention span fairly well. :lol

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I use the steak knife grip and have arthritis in my hand and wrist. Usually the motion of crochet actually relieves some of the ache of my arthritis, except when I am working on a pattern with complicated stitches. That's when my hand and wrist will hurt because I have a tendency to hold the hook a lot tighter when I am concentrating on something complicated. If I stop and remind myself to loosen my grip, the pain will go away.

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I use a pencil grip. I don't have wrist pain, but my shoulder will bother me sometimes. I don't crochet for more than an hour at a time anymore without taking at least 10 to 15 minute break to get out of the chair and walk around or just lay it down to do something else.

 

I developed tendonitis in my left wrist a couple of years ago (not do to crochet) and could not crochet at all. I was afraid I was not going to be able to crochet again and was not a happy camper. After laying off all hand projects for about a year the tendonitis finally healed and I can crochet again :cheer:clap

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I use the steak knife grip. I learned to loosen my hold a bit so it is very comfortable now. I also learned to loosen my stitch tension a little, so now I just glide when working on a large expanse of sc or dc.

 

If I work too long, I don't have pain. Instead my fingers start to go numb. Then it's time to stop.

 

The only time I had pain, and it was severe, was making a small animal. The pattern stated that to have a firm fabric, use a hook 2 sizes smaller that the smallest size normally used for the weight of your yarn. So it recommended an F hook with ww yarn, and make the stitches really tight. That is what I did, and I'll never do it again.

 

Real Deal

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This should be an interesting experiment!

 

I have chronic tendinitis & sometimes acute where I have to stop crocheting for days at a time. :( I get cortisone shots 2-3 times per year allowed, I wear elastic wrist brace whenever I crochet & a stronger one with splints at night when it get painful.

 

I use a knife grip. I'm a fairly tight crocheter/gripper so I think that makes it worse.

 

The ortho calls it DeQuervain's syndrome (link to info about it) http://www.handuniversity.com/topics.asp?Topic_ID=45

 

although my tendinitis can spread all the way to my elbow & shoulder at times. The main test to determine the disorder, is the Finkelstein test, placing your thumb inside your closed fist & bending your fist towards your wrist on the pinky side in a downward direction. If it hurts, you probably have DeQuervain's syndrome, either a little or a lot. The sheath that holds the tendons gets dry & inflamed.

 

I need to seriously work on my crochet grip, relaxing it even if I have to go down in hook size & crochet with a more relaxed grip to get the crochet stitches the way I like them, which is close together & not "holey". When I crochet loose, the fabric becomes loose.

 

Of course it helps to take regular breaks, whatever crochet grip you use. And use hand & wrist exercises weather you have pain or not. Because more than likely, even if you don't have pain now, you will at some time & any tendon or muscle that's used a lot needs exercising.

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I looked at that and, dummy that i am, couldn't figure out how to do a poll. But even with the poll it seems that there are so many influences other than hook grip that i'm suspicious of any results.

If i'm keeping accurate results and interpreting responses correctly, it looks like there's less pain with the underhand/toothbrush/steaknife grip but we're far from beind scientific.

Maybe someone who can crochet both ways could do a test, making a square or two with the same hook, same yarn, same tension and all other conditions similar.. then report the results. THAT might be more telling, eh?

 

OOPS, almost forgot .......ahem...... RRRRRRRR thankee Maties far parrrrrticipatin (today's talk like a pirate day)..

 

Jimbo

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I think it has more to do with overuse. If you're crocheting more than usual (or with a less cooperative material) your muscles will get sore. Switching your grip would change which muscles are being used. I usually just switch which hand is moving and hold the right hook stationary.

 

I'm a compulsive crocheter (knife grip) and typist. If I'm not doing one, I'm doing the other. I get hand pain sometimes, but it's not a chronic thing. My fingers hurt today from the pinching motion of handling paperwork.

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