carpal tunnel?

[yankeeblue]

Does anyone here suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome?

I'm fairly new to crocheting in the sense that I haven't done it for years! I learned when I was in my teens. Crocheted until I was in my twenties, then life kinda took over, I did alot of other things, had kids, etc...I stopped crocheting. Picked it up in the 80s again, and started a couple projects that I did not finish.

Now, here it is 2008, I have dug out all my books, patterns, yarn and unfinished projects. I started to finish everything from long ago....

mostly because of CROCHETVILLE, I have really gotten interested once again. This forum has so much great info, so many nice people...its so much fun and a pleasure to read, that I am pumped and excited to belong to this community!!

ok, so here I am almost 50 years old now....suddenly when crocheting, my middle finger goes completely numb, the tingling becomes pain, and I have to stop because I can't feel my hand anymore..

I shake it off and rest, but it comes back when I start to crochet again. So I looked it up online...and found that I fit the profile of carpal tunnel on that hand. great. now what?

If you suffer from this, does it effect your crocheting? do you take the anti-inflammatories? (when I take one, the tingling goes away) Im afraid to take them every day...not good for the body, right?

Any self help or clues to help me get thru a day so that I can do what I love alot?? crochet!!

[HomekeepingGran]

Yankeeblue, I'm sorry you're having trouble, but you're far from alone.

 

I had to quit crochet and knitting for several weeks this past summer due to carpal tunnel. Now I can do either again as long as I am careful not to do too much at once. Sometimes I still overdo and when that happens I try to take the next day totally off — no handwork of any kind — to give my hands a chance to rest before I get back into the bad shape I was in.

 

I find that the weather affects how long I can work, too. Occasionally I just hurt no matter what. It seems best to back off for a while then, just in case.

[robbieAK]

Yes, you are far from alone. I don't have carpal tunnel, but I have a neck injury from 20 years ago that affects me in a simular way at times. I don't know what kind of hooks you have, but I would recommend getting (if you don't have them already) some hooks with ergonomic handles. From reading the posts on here clover ones seem to the most popular. That should help some, but I know for me personally the hand I have the most trouble with is the hand I hold my work with. I haven't found a real good solution for this yet, except to make sure I don't hold my hand in that position too long.

 

blessings, Robbie

[Braxxi]

I had a similar problem to yours about a year ago with my right arm. After having an EMG done, they said I did not have carpal tunnel and that the tests they just put me through didn't show any problems. I took some major pain killers until the problem finally went away on its own. NOW I'm having the exact same problem with my left arm! I'm guessing that I may have a problem in my neck somewhere...

 

Anyway, I'm 35 and have a 5-year-old daughter that depends on me to function correctly, so I do what I have to. I take Tylenol and Advil whenever I have to, but most times it doesn't help much. I have stronger pain killers but I only take those at night once she's asleep. I hope you can find something that works for you so you can continue to crochet...

[Feederofthepack]

It's a real pain. Some people have good luck with changing the way they hold the hook. Then changing back. Could take some practice, like learning to crochet all over again. I have a hard time with the pencil grip so I just stop for a little bit.

[sorefingers]

Yep your definitely not alone. I have it in both hands.

 

I started out with wearing wrist braces 24/7 and am now done to wearing them at night while I sleep. I don't take any medication for it and none of it works for me anyways. I try to only do little bits at a time and it has really slowed me down on how much I can crochet and how fast.

 

I still have very bad flare ups and often have numb hands and pain all the way to my elbows. Taking nice breaks and taking days off really helps.

 

Someday I may even get the surgery.

 

I do however suggest you get this checked by a doctor. My hubby had the exact same symptoms as me but his is actually severe nerve damage and has nothing to do with carpal tunnel. So get it checked and make sure that is what it is.

 

Sore

[yankeeblue]

 

I do however suggest you get this checked by a doctor. My hubby had the exact same symptoms as me but his is actually severe nerve damage and has nothing to do with carpal tunnel. So get it checked and make sure that is what it is.

 

Sore

 

yes, most definitely. I intend to discuss this with my GP at my next appointment. I kinda knew that there really isn't anything that helps this problem except rest, but that is so frustrating to someone who wants to use it alot!

It's nice to know I am not alone in this...so we take longer to make crocheted items.. I guess that is better than not making any at all, right?

thank you for sharing your pain with me!

[_Stacy_]

I have pain when I use smaller hooks. I don't get it as crocheting but when I wake up in the morning, my elbow hurts and the back of my arm all the way up the shoulder blade is tingly. Sometimes my pinky goes numb. I've seen braces at Joann's that are specifically for crochet/knitting. I've thought about getting one but I really wonder if they work?

[Granny Square]

Do go get checked by a Dr. before self treating with a brace you pick up at a store, you might have tendonitis (as I do) and the brace & treatment are different (you could make it worse). In fact my first bout of tendonitis was CAUSED by a brace-like compression sleeve I had to wear for another problem (sigh).

 

Rest is best. You may have to quit for a while to heal and then ease back into it; I can't crochet for more than a couple of hours a day, and my tendonitis is fairly dormant (it never really goes away).

[smiles08]

I had it in both hands for years. I had to stop crocheting completely.

I slept with a brace and did everything I could to stop the pain.

Finally, I went to the doctor and had surgery to correct it, I had one

hand at a time operated on.

 

That was in 2001 and I have not had one single problem since. I am so

sorry I put off the surgery for so long. The recovery time was not too bad either. The recovery pain was nothing compared to pre-surgery.

 

I am not suggesting you have surgery, I am just telling you what I did.

 

Talk to your doctor about your problem and see what he/she can do for you.

 

I know you are suffering, I send my best wishes and hope you get relief soon.

[RoseRed]

i'm not a doc. I had the emg and it is carpel tunnel.

 

I was told to take NSAIDS (ibuprofen) and wear wrist braces every night. they help a lot.

[mamarose22]

I haven't heard of B12 for this condition but B6 is an approved treatment for carpal tunnel. It helps to reduce inflammation and it takes about a month to build up in your system and start reducing the pain. You start with a daily dose of 50 mg., but never take more than 100mg. If you do take this, be sure to advise your doctor. I have carpal tunnel since the mid 80's. I did have surgery for 3 trigger fingers on my rt hand in "95. I had also worn splints 24/7 for years and years and eventually only at night. At present I no longer wear them.

[Crocus58]

I'd never heard of the B12 - may give that a shot. I've had carpal tunnel for years - wear braces at night and change how I hold my hook frequently within crocheting session since it's caused by repetitive motions. I can crochet all day if I want, as long as I'm aware of what I'm doing. My SIL had the surgery about 15 years ago, and within a couple of years it was back.

 

Get it checked out by your Dr. and follow her advise!

[_Stacy_]

Do go get checked by a Dr. before self treating with a brace you pick up at a store, you might have tendonitis (as I do) and the brace & treatment are different (you could make it worse). In fact my first bout of tendonitis was CAUSED by a brace-like compression sleeve I had to wear for another problem (sigh).

 

Rest is best. You may have to quit for a while to heal and then ease back into it; I can't crochet for more than a couple of hours a day, and my tendonitis is fairly dormant (it never really goes away).

 

Granny Square- I'm not sure if this reply was intended for me since I mentioned trying the brace, but thank you for your input. I have a dr. appt. next Monday to hopefully figure out what is going on. I worked on a chenille afghan for several hours with a larger hook a few days ago and when I woke up the next morning, I had tingling and numbness all the way up to my neck. Scary stuff!

Actually I didn't mean to try a brace, I meant those stress-relief gloves that are supposed to be made for needlework. well I tried them and they didn't work a lick anyway so we will see what I find out on Monday!

[tryptikangel]

I don't have carpel tunnel (yet), but I do have problem with my right wrist after awhile of crocheting. Hubby has carpel tunnel in both wrists and he's having surgery done on one of them early in December. As for the anti-inflammatory, I take Naproxen for my knee on a near daily baiss and my DR hasn't had much concern for it. My mom is also on an anti-inflammatory (I believe) and she's on them daily. I think the best thing to do is to talk with your DR about the issue and find out if there's something you can take for it daily. I know with the surgery hubby will be unable to work or do much for about 3 weeks, but his is also getting worse so he doesn't have much choice right now. And you never know, it may be something else other than carpel tunnel.

[rshseaeagle]

I have serious neck problems and have to be careful with what I do because the nerves in my neck will cause my hands and arms to go numb and then comes the pain. I also have carpal tunnel in my right wrist and that flairs up when I do stuff like using a screwdriver. I am lucky so far that the carpal tunnel doesn't flair when I am crocheting, just my neck problem.

 

I have a special way that I set up 4 pillows in my bed and I can crochet like that for hours. I have lower back problems also so I do have to get up and move around for that.

 

It took me quite awhile to figure out what works best for me to be able to crochet without pain. Talk to the Dr. and see what he says. I know for me just changing the position of the pillows I lean back on can make a very big difference. Some days it just hurts and I can't do anything.

 

I have also found that if I try to crochet in my recliner, it really hurts. It is because of the arms on the recliner, they put me in a bad position. I can't use my kitchen chairs, which are armless because of my lower back so I'm pretty much restricted to crocheting in bed.

 

Try different hooks and methods of holding your hooks. Carpal Tunnel is a compression of the nerves in your wrists and everyone is different, so what causes the nerves to be compressed in one person won't in another. The repetative motion will cause the inflamation so if you can train yourself to hold your hook in two different ways, that might help to ease the flair ups.

 

I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers, let us all know what the Dr. says. I'll deal with my neck and lower back and any other pains that happen, I just pray God does not take away my hands and eyes so I can continue to do my crocheting "therapy".

 

God Bless,

Toni

[Kimmy]

Yes, and tennis elbow too!

[NikkJakksMom]

YankeeBlue,

 

I crochet and have done so, off and on, for years. I learned from my grandmother when I wasn't quite a teenager yet. I know when I start up after being idle for a while, my hands and fingers hurt. But I think that's normal. Once I'm at it again for a few days that initial pain subsides.

 

One of my co-workers was experiencing continual pain, like you're talking about, to the point where it was affecting her ability to knit/crochet. She started taking a natural supplement called SheaFlex70. I'm pretty sure she found it at Walgreens?? At any rate, she's been using it for a long time now and her hands and fingers aren't bothering her at all any more! She quilts too, so she uses her arms, wrists, hands and fingers ALOT!!! She swears by this stuff!

 

Maybe that would work for you too. Couldn't hurt to try, and since it's not a drug there shouldn't be any negative side effects.

 

I hope this is helpful, and that you can continue crochetting for as long as you so desire!

Nikk & Jakk's Mom, Darcy

[crazycrochet]

First and foremost get it diagnoses by a doctor. If you have carpal tunnel and surgery is suggested, and you can afford it DO IT!!!!!!!! Don't mess around with braces, painkillers or what ever because it will only get worse. If you really want to crochet, surgery is the best option. I had both of my hands done, the right in March of 1996, and the left in June of 1996, best thing I have ever done. I was back to crocheting pain free in two weeks. I have never had any problems since. I now have a trigger thumb, which has nothing to do with crocheting, but being on the computer too long. My hands were so bad that I could not hold the newspaper to read it, I couldn't hold anything and no matter what brace and or painkillers I used the pain was always there. Just my opinion, but again the surgery was the best thing I could have ever done. We are looking at 12 years of pain free crocheting here.

[beaglelover]

When I'm trying to get something done quickly and crochet several hours a day I get a lot of pain in my right hand. It even starts to bother my elbow and wrist. I now try to limit the amount of hours I crochet each day. That's tough when I want to get something completed!!

[mamarose22]

I had 3 trigger fingers on my right hand operated on in '95; the pinky, index and the middle finger. The surgeon injected the ring finger from the inside, while I was under anesthesia to compensate for any swelling from the fingers that was operated on. It was an outpatient procedure and I was driving the next day as I had to start habd therapy immediately. I still wasn't able to crochet for about 3 yrs. But little by little I started and I haven't stopped since. The accepted vitamin therapy for carpal tunnel is B6. Some doctors even suggest it as a first course of treatment before attempting surgery. If you are seeing an orthopedic surgeon for the CT, naturally he will suggest surgery. But your internist might suggest B6 first. If B6 and wearing splints at night, (and even during the day if you can) doesn't halp, then yes, surgery would be your best bet. It would be wise to consult a hand surgeon for this procedure.

[Hookmaster]

I changed from metal hooks to the plastic ones that lite up they seem to help me be able to crochet for longer periods without the numbness and pain.

[HappyOldCro]

Have it in both wrists, along with neck and lower back stenosis, and arthritis in fingers.

As stated above it is different for everyone, with different trigers and compressions.

I am on strong pain pills for spine, but still have to use elastic braces when crocheting to avoid the sharp shooting pains. I can only crochet for two hours or less at a time, then have to break. Then after a few hours away from it I can go back once more.

If crocheting something with weight to it, (afghan or heavy wearables) I crochet at my desk, with the work supported by the desk instead of my having to pull it up off my lap. This way the weight isn't pulling on my hands and wrists. I find this was the best discovery I made and relieved alot of the pain.