Non-knitting discussions

Re: Carpal tunnel

Julesra — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 20:54:45 GMT

I suffered capal tunnel for years, Tried wrist braces etc. Got to point where it was keeping me awake at night. I know you said that you didn't want to have surgery, but I finally did and it was the best thing I have ever done, apart from having my two beautiful daughters. Am knitting now and sleeping through the night without any problems!

Re: Carpal tunnel

deemail — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:25:35 GMT

warmth, schmarmth!!!!!! in the short run, you want the pain to stop and here is my all time fave for accomplishing that...I place about 1.5 cups water in three different ziplock bags...fold top as you zip to force the extra air out...that lets the bag look like a slightly flatenned, watery, square instead of a little pillow with water inside. Now place all bags into one medium sized glass bowl and heat in microwave to a comfortable temp...all micros will be different so just do one minute at first and then up the time till you reach 'warm, but not hot'....

when warm, place bowl in your lap, put first hand inside bowl, facing up, with one bag under your knuckles, and second bag in palm...now place second hand on top of second bag, also facing up, and then the third bag inside that palm....it's like little water beds for your hands....it is warm, the shape of the half full bags allows the warm water to creep into every crevice in your hands and is amazingly soothing....I try to find just the right bowl to cup everything well without being too big (water spreads out too much) or too small (can't relax the hand in a bowl too small)....I really want my hands and arms to be in a completely relaxed position during these little 'comfort sessions'....I re-warm the bowl/bags as many times as I like, sometimes just one warming is enough and sometimes I sit with my hands in the bowl during an entire evening of 'chick flicks'....either way, i don't worry about 'how much'...I just consider 'how warm' and 'how comfortable' to be my guidelines...

**I am a carpal tunnel sufferer, not a therapist, and of course, I believe you should check with your doctor before attempting anything, but this is totally non-invasive and is really just a short-term, comfort-providing measure...but when they hurt, it can make a huge difference in a few minutes...

Re: Carpal tunnel

JT3302 — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 01:03:07 GMT

Aside from authoritative websites like http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/carpal-tunnel-therapies , you can also try checking youtube: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=carpal+tunnel+exercises&aq=5 and e-book sharing sites: http://www.4shared.com/document/Q8H-fJvW/Carpal_Tunnel_Syndrome.htm .

And try some flexibility exercises too. Hope this helps and go on knitting pain free.

Re: Carpal tunnel

Janell C.B — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 22:41:12 GMT

I am so happy for you! My thumb doesn't move at all. It is called tigger finger but I am so glad you were able to finish your project. I have open weave shawl waiting for me. I want to have the same feeling of satisfaction you achieve!

Re: Carpal tunnel

Janell C.B — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 01:13:16 GMT

I hear and feel your pain. I have had 5 cortizone and novacaine shots, six parafin and ultrasound treatments, deep muscle massage. And I have wore a brace at night and accidently bumped my husband in the head. I finally had a nerve induction test and failed. I'll be having surgery. I don't want it but if I am able to knit and crochet again then, pardon the military term, I'm going for the okey doke. My typing is slow but I can at least type for short moments. You hang in there and so will I!

Re: Carpal tunnel

ryannn — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:55:13 GMT

there is a wrist exercise that you can do, but i forgot what it is

Re: Carpal tunnel

SilkYarn4Ever — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 12:15:31 GMT

As a physician (who wrote a much longer post below) I would strongly suggest that authors ALWAYS avoid recommending prescription medications or surgical procedures. At best, it is advised that one state something like "IN MY CASE, radiofrequency neurotomies proved helpful about every six months" [for neck and back pain, rfn's run the gamut from useless to a 9 month effectiveness], or "cortisone provides significant relief FOR ME".

But ANY medication or procedure has contraindications (I for one risk death after a single 5 mg cortisone tablet!), and should be recommended in light of each patient's medical record, allergies, specific test outcomes, prior results of interventions, etc. False hope can be deadly!!!

Re: Carpal tunnel

SilkYarn4Ever — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:54:04 GMT

Dear Celia, I empathise with your tunnel syndrome. I share bouts of it; along with chronic fibromyalgia, thoracic outlet syndrome, golfer's elbows [the opposite side of the elbow to tennis elbows], and spinal calcification. I had to retire as a medical professional five years ago because the pain had simply become too debilitating: too many of the motions I needed routinely to care for my patients were inflicting too much sharp pain. Once I got used to the idea of retiring at 50 after spending 18 years studying in University, I looked forward to resuming crafts: knitting, quilting, crochet, sewing, which I had not had time to practice for some years.

Having tried warmth and cold and splints, tens, acupuncture, acupressure [extraordinary if you can get it done in Shanghai, but the commute is a bit costly!], a dozen type massages, etc., I have found that some types of care work for some kinds of pain in some conditions. In terms of overall care, I suggest that:

a good care team is the most effective; that way if a particular strategy is working best because of the weather or if a given health care provider is away, you can reach whomever you need. Make sure you have a good GP at the centre, and whichever specialist(s) you find valuable;
all up, I have had 37 surgeries; none of them were great fun, but each one was far more successful than not;
use what works, to the extent that it does: because of the number of confounding conditions I deal with, the most I can do is knit or crochet for about 20 minutes an hour, avoiding lace & following all advice others have suggested, avoiding tension.

I still knit... a little. But the more intense the pain, the less active I can be. So I'll be following this thread attentively!. Dr S (aka SilkYarn4Ever)

Re: Carpal tunnel

irislogic — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:07:13 GMT

He vbbusch51, how much does a cortozone shot cost?

Re: Carpal tunnel

vbbusch51 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:27:43 GMT

Oh, my. I'm so sorry about your carpal. I've had flares of it. The one thing I found that works (sometimes) is getting a cortozone shot. I also used adjustable braces for my wrist. I've not had to knit with the brace but was great for typing. I'll try to find the company I used on line and send you the info. Hang in there!

Re: Carpal tunnel

yarnsalad — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:30:28 GMT

In my younger years I had a series of jobs that led me to have repetitive strain injury in both my wrists - not quite as bad as carpal tunnel syndome but some very painful tendonitis nonetheless. I'd hate to recommend putting down your sticks until activities of daily living don't aggravate your hands, but that might be the best place to start. What was by far the most helpful for me was yoga. It not only cleared up my repetitive strain injury completely, but with regular practice I haven't had a problem with my wrists in ten years. This is important for someone who knits hours a day! Good luck.

(If you don't want to buy/download any yoga videos, your public library will probably have tons).

Re: Carpal tunnel

diva33 — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:37:42 GMT

One of my online friends has also vouched for a wrist brace helping her out. That and Advil ;)

Re: Carpal tunnel

JohnQ — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:18:04 GMT

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Re: Carpal tunnel

berengei — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:56:26 GMT

I'd recommend two things that have already been mentioned: fingerless support gloves (I use a brand called Thera-glove, which I find works best for me-- www.theraglove.com) and using circular needles whenever possible.

If your wrists are too sore to knit, take a break for a few days-- your body is telling you something's wrong, and you should listen!-- and use ice-packs to ease the pain and reduce the inflammation. Your doctor may also prescribe an anti-inflammatory for short term use. When your wrists are back to normal, start knitting again, but with the support gloves.

I've been through this myself. My wrists got so bad I could hardly lift a mug of coffee. Now I wear the gloves for knitting, crocheting, working on the computer, gardening-- anything that involves my wsrists. and I haven't had a problem since. I also use a keyboard tray that mounts underneath my desk, and which can be tilted with the near edge of the keyboard higher than the far edge. All these things should help you. Good luck!

Re: Carpal tunnel

abiahheign — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:13:00 GMT

I would like to add some questions. What about the prognosis of the non invasive, non surgical therapy is that really effective

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