Knitting and Tendonitis - A Cautionary Tale
Do you practice hand care?
I know you.... I know you because I am you. I often find myself knitting away "just one more row" and 25 rows later, my hands are aching. Sound familiar?
I wanted to share a recent experience that can affect us all as knitters. About 4 months ago, I was knitting the "one more row" this (as my usual practice) and guess what happened? The next day, I was crippled with pain to the point that I couldn't even grip an envelope without severe pain. My entire left forearm was throbbing and swollen. I couldn't even lift a coffee cup, let alone knit... and it broke my heart!
I went to an occupational therapist and confirmed my fear: I had severe tendonitis from my outer and inner elbow to my fingers and I was on knitting restriction. I got a whole suite of exercises, a couple of braces and several instructions of how to care for my injury and to heal properly. I have been diligently following directions, but my injury was so extreme, that to this day, I am babying it and rarely knitting. I keep trying - which is probably not the best idea, honestly - but as a continental knitter, using my left index finger to guide yarn still isn't comfortable. It takes time to come back from that - and I'm still doing the exercises!
It's important to take a break, stretch those fingers and wrists to keep your most important tools - your hands - in tip top shape! I'm sharing the exercises my occupational therapist shared with me. She gave me very specific instructions to heal my injury - but she also said that it's equally important take breaks and perform some exercises when I'm back to knitting. I likely wouldn't have had an injury at all if I had been doing this all along.

Don't be like me! Do some hand stretching and strength training now and then!
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a doctor. Please don't take medical advice from some rando on the internet. It's me, I'm the rando. You've heard it before, but it's true - you should absolutely consult your own physician before starting any exercise program. The exercises I share here are purely for informational purposes and no medical claim is intended. Talk to your doctor for a specific treatment plan that's right for you.