achin' hands

 Has anyone figured out a way to ease those tired hands?

I take glucosamine, which seems to help some, but not completely.

It sounds like you will need to take a week off from knitting.  Try changing the position of your hands while knitting.  You can also try soaking your hands in a mixture of epsom salt and hot water at night for 20 mins or so.  I take "Move Free" which is a marvelous invention.  It cured my neck pain within 2 weeks.   Hope you feel better soon.

 Joyfully

Try going to your local library.  I borrowed a book that was excellent on explaining proper posture and placement of hands, etc. so as to not tire or cause pain.  One suggestion I remember is to use circular needles when doing a larger, heavier project.  That way the bulk of your work will be sitting in your lap, not on one needle and the weight of it causing extra stress on your hands and wrists.  Posture, if incorrect can also contribute to discomfort. 

I am not able to remember the title, but I do remember it was a rather old edition with a plain, well-worn, brown cover and kind of thick, maybe 2 1/2".  

Whatever you do, don't knit with pain!  Stretches, epsom salt soaks and splints help a lot.  If you don't get relief, there are other options.

I went to a hand therapist (Occupational therapist with additional certified hand therapist training) and got a lot of help, including silver ring splints for my thumbs and index fingers where my arthritis is worst. 

I also taught myself Portuguese Knitting from YouTube! It has given me back my craft!  If you choose to go this route, watch all the videos from Chuanavit first.  Then work on a swatch that you've already got going. The only thing to get used to is that you cross your needles in the FRONT instead of in the back.

 Hi, Have you tried the fingerless glove things that you can buy. I can't vouch for them as I bought a pair when I was in the USA visiting my family and found that I should have bought a bigger size since my hands are not very dainty! Anyway, I just sent them to someone else to try. They were called something like Thergonomic gloves and I got them at  local craft store in Texas. Best wishes from Judith

A big thanks to all your suggestions. I did take a week off from knitting, which seems to help.

The incentive was and is trying to figure out how to attach the sleeves for a cardigan , using the sweater workshop book by

Jacquiline Fee. I'm having a hard time figuring out which side of the underarm stitches to knit from. The pattern says from the left, but does that mean the left of the inside or outside. If you go the way it seems you should go, then you have to be knitting from the wrong side on the sleeve and the right side of the sweater. Does this make any sense to anyone?  Has anyone else come across this problem?

 I use aspercreme on my hands when they are achy. Hope it works for you.

-NancyB

 I believe you always join from the right side.

I am a concert violinist, so when I got hand pain, it was find a solution, or give up knitting.  The pain seemed like carpal tunnel pain, but I only had a splint for my right hand, and it was my left hand that hurt.  My rollerblade wrist guard seemed to immobilize my wrist in the same way, so I kept it on while knitting.  A little cumbersome, perhaps, but pain is not a good thing.  The pain went away, and only comes back if I do too much, and then the splint/wrist guard goes back on. 

I've been using roller blade guards for my carpal tunnel for years, and it's true - they really do work! Icing the inside of the wrist right where the carpal tunnel is at the base of the hand can work very quickly to relieve pain too.

 I have had the same problem.  I went on the internet and found exercises for carpul tunnel and it seems to help.  I also used a little  capisian which doesn't smell the the other achy meds. 

Hope your hands are feeling better.

Something I've done for my seriously arthritic hands was to change knitting styles.  In my case, I went from Continental to English; however, many find relief going the other way.  I think the key is to change the style.

Another bit that I'm working on is to use a knitting sheath - ravelry has an interesting group on that.  It supports the hands, arm & eases the upper back tension.

Additionally, exercises & stretches are vital, as is good overall posture.

Good luck with this. 

 Hi, My knuckles ache especially if I either use plastic or really small needles. I was told to stop knitting for a few weeks, but that's too hard. I had accupuncture and it works really well. I also learned to spin my own fleece, so I still have that fibre feeling in my hands while resting them!

Hope all's going well.

 I finally figured it out. Thanks! Now my only problem is I'm afraid I'm not going to have enough yarn to finish! I might have made the sleeves too big and I think I might have to rip. Does anyone have Frog Tree alpaca sport weight      #000? The lot # is 10/04.

I

 Tiger Balm is great for those sore (or tired) muscles in your hands. I'm in Florida and get it at Walgreens.