Top 5 Stretches For Knitting Pain And Stiffness
If you are like most knitters, you were probably up late this Christmas Eve, knitting.
Also like most knitters, you may have woken up with knitting pain in your hands, fingers, and joints.
Any flagrant overuse of your joints can lead to stiffness and leave you susceptible to more chronic knitting injuries.
I asked my sister, Kate Howe of katehowemassage.com, what knitters can do to get some relief from knitting pain.
Tight Muscle Fasciae Prevent Joints From Healing
Kate explained to me that muscle fascia is the “bag” of dense connective tissue that surrounds your muscles and joints, kind of like plastic wrap.
Fascia surround every muscle in the body
Fasciae are made of collagen and are connective in nature, like tendons and ligaments, except that fasciae connect muscles to other muscles.
If the fasciae are tight around your muscles, all the stretching or massage in the world can only provide limited relief, because the muscles don’t have room to move.
The good thing is there is an easy way to fix this, and it works, feels good (after you’re done), you can do it by yourself, and it doesn’t take very long.
Just do a series of fascia stretches on yourself. This is called myofascial release, and it’s a form of massage therapy developed in the 1920’s.
After you stretch your forearm fasciae, you can stretch the muscles of the wrist, hands, and fingers and experience a lot of relief from knitting pain next time you go to knit.
Grasp, “Lock,” and Push To Stretch Muscle Fascia Correctly
- Make sure you don’t have on any hand lotion that might make your arm slippery.
- Unlike most massage techniques, you want the skin to “grab,” not slide.
Grasp your left forearm with your right hand. Squeeze just tight enough to prevent your skin from slipping, and push down towards your wrist.
Note: If your right hand is too sore or weak to get a good grip, you can stabilize your left forearm between your legs (still hold onto the fascia with your right hand) and pull your left arm towards you.
“Lock” the fascia and push towards the wrist
Maintaining your hand grip, now push your hand towards your elbow. Your skin (and fascia) will move, about an inch. That’s how much room your fascia have.
That’s what we want to expand.
Perform These 5 Fascia Stretches to Relieve Knitting Pain
1) Forearm Stretch. Work down your forearm (just a few places will do), holding each stretch for 90 seconds.
I like to do this while standing in front of the microwave, waiting for my tea to heat up.
After 90 seconds, you will feel that the fascia have relaxed and stretched. Move your grip down your forearm and repeat.
2) Wrist Stretch. Make sure to keep your elbow straight (this is like keeping your knees straight for a hamstring stretch).
Do not overstretch the wrist by applying too much pressure. Easy does it.
3) Milk the Fingers. Grasp, lock, and push down each finger, stretching the fasciae.
Work your way down each finger, stretching for 90 seconds. Check your manicure.
4) Stretch the Thumb and Hand. This one feels sooo good.
The tops of the arms face each other as you grasp and stretch each thumb.
5) Stretch Your Pinky.
Be gentle on your pinkie and keep that elbow straight.
You can do one whole arm then repeat, or alternate each step.
Either way, your hands are going to instantly feel better.
To Save Time Just Do Stretch #1
If you don’t have much time, just do the myofascial stretches on your forearms from step 1. These alone will provide very fast relief.
Do these stretches in the bathroom, in front of the microwave, or waiting in line at the grocery store.
I’ve been using these stretches all week, and I love them! Leave a note in the comments if you find anything that has worked for you.
Photographs were taken with the assistance and direction of Kate Howe. Kate is a certified massage therapist based in Aspen, CO. Find her at katehowemassage.com.
If you liked this tutorial on how to get relief for sore hands, post in the comments!
187 Responses to Top 5 Stretches For Knitting Pain And Stiffness
I wish my doctors had given me these stretches when I was diagnosed with De Quervain’s tenosynovitis. I just went through this series of stretches, and I feel more pain relief than I ever did after the last cortisone injection – and I didn’t have to pay $300!
I’m so glad these helped you! I was so surprised when I could actually feel less soreness in my fingers immediately after doing them. Thanks for commenting!
Just tried this and I had to stop my right elbow is hurting real bad. Do you have any suggestions? I believe I developed burstisis I had this before but not this bad. Muscles and joints hurt. I do have arthritis it is no specific kind my doc says it’s not lupus whatever that means! Anyway I like to do those stretches I will when my elbow heals.
It sounds like you are doing just the right thing – waiting until your elbow has healed. If it continues, it would probably be worth seeing your doctor again.
I have a remedy that I got from my Dad, and it works wonders for Bursitis!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Lecithin
Vitamin E
Vitamin C
I take them together every day and my knee pain is gone!
And now, thanks to this post, my knitting arm and hands are vastly improved, thank you!
This works great.wishi saw it a week ago after a month of knitting my hands were super sore…thanks so much!!!!
Hi Sally, I’m so glad that the stretches are working for you. Better late than never, right? :)
I had De Querain’s, too. I had surgery for it in 1990. My wrist still hurt for 20 years until my chiropractor started working on it. I just did these stretches and I wish I had had them in 1990. I might could have done without the surgery or at least the twenty years of pain.
I had DeQuervain’s as well. Had surgery for it MANY years ago. Still have a lot of pain in that wrist (which I also have Carpal Tunnel in that wrist). Hoping these exercises will help as well. Thanks!
I was also diagnosed with De Quervain’s Tendinitis due to crocheting for extended periods of time without taking a break. It is quite painful, especially in the mornings. I am now wearing a special brace on my arm that stabilizes the thumb and hand while I sleep. This seems to be helping. I have also started doing some exercises for my thumb which seem to help. I had (1) cortisone shot 4 months ago and vowed to find relief through other means…cortisone shots are so caustic and can leave even more scar tissue. It is just temporary relief…not a solution to the problem. I wish I had known about these hand exercises and the fact that you should NEVER crochet for extended period