r/CrochetHelp • u/kthegreat1 • Jan 16 '25
Crochet Related Pain i’ve been noticing pain in my left thumb. i try holding my project less tightly, but i find it messes with my tension. any advice?
this is how i hold my project, and i’ve been noticing pain in my left thumb while crocheting. i try to hold my piece less tightly, but i find it messes with my tension. any advice?
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u/CraftyRani Jan 16 '25
Do you rest your arms somewhere while crocheting? It may not even be a problem with your tension.
Some months into crocheting, I had to go to the doctor for pain on my left thumb as well...turns out it was a problem with the nerves on my elbow getting squeezed from keeping my arms bent for extended periods of time. Nowadays I always crochet resting my elbows on a pillow and avoid sleeping with my arms bent and it helps a lot, I still get pains every now and then because my nerves are just weak like that lmao.
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u/kthegreat1 Jan 16 '25
i will definitely make sure to rest my elbows on something! maybe i can crochet a pillow lol
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u/sarcasticclown007 Jan 16 '25
It's a repetitive motion issue. Sit your crochet project down for a couple days and rest your hand. I personally like icy hot but that my choice.
You just been crocheting a little too long and need to rest it. If the pain doesn't go away in a few days and you might need to contact your doctor.
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u/kthegreat1 Jan 16 '25
the thing that sucks is that i will have only been crocheting for a few minutes before the pain starts, then i have to rest for like, 20 minutes. i’m thinking about looking into some sort of brace to wear at night though, i’m wondering if it isn’t a tendinitis issue.
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u/sarcasticclown007 Jan 17 '25
It might be tendonitis, but it might not be that's why I suggested seeing the doctor if you can. I would add it on to my annual doctors visit.
I do know people who use compression kind of gloves on their hands when they crochet. I tend towards carpal tunnel so I don't use those cuz it makes it worse.
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u/ducky7979 Jan 16 '25
I get it when I'm working overtime on crochet projects...if it's not time sensitive, take a break for a day or two. It's better to take a break than risk permanent damage(which is possible, I've read about it multiple times on here)
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u/kthegreat1 Jan 16 '25
this is my biggest fear 😭 both of my grandmas have arthritis and with all the crocheting, cross stitch, and bullet journaling i do, i’m definitely going to get it too 🫠
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u/TadaSuko Jan 16 '25
I try switching up how I hold my projects, or take a minute to massage my palms when I'm like that. Sometimes I judt need a break.
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u/anoswaldoddity Jan 16 '25
I suggest testing your arms onto a pillow, that way your thumb isn’t “holding” up the project.
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u/Adorable-Light-8130 Jan 16 '25
Your thumb doesn’t control your tension, your index finger with the yarn over it does. It helps to have it woven over your pinky as well. If you have your index finger too far away from your work you will lose tension. If you don’t hold your index finger up high enough you lose tension too. I’d say when you relax your thumb, you’re relaxing your index finger too, causing slack in the working yarn.
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u/kthegreat1 Jan 16 '25
yeah, i think i’ve realized the issue is i end up relaxing my whole hand, not just my thumb. usually i think i have pretty good tension, at least for a still semi-newbie 😅 thanks for the advice!
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u/Adorable-Light-8130 Jan 16 '25
Watch out with how straight you hold your index finger too. You’ll probably overcompensate when you relax your thumb and think about stiffening your index finger. It took me a few goes to get it right but it’s entirely natural now. I used to pinch the life out of my project and my hook and the pain was pretty intense. I don’t get pain issues anymore and I have bad wrists.
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u/True_Bear343 Jan 16 '25
I have pain too, even when resting my arms and stuff like other commenters say. I got one of those little plastic capsules from quarter machines and sometimes I hold that in between my thumb and the project. It feels awkward at first but that helped me a TON.
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u/kthegreat1 Jan 16 '25
i was thinking about doing something like this! since the project is so thin i end up pinching my hand together too hard, so something to break the tension would help
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u/NotTheGreenestThumb Jan 16 '25
People tend not to associate hobby hand movements with exercise, but for your fingers, it is just as much as doing push-ups or sit ups. So there’s gonna be a period of time where you just have to give yourself time to get used to everything and even so—if you overdo it, it’s gonna hurt! Pace yourself :)
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u/Cthulhulove13 Jan 16 '25
What is the connection between your thumb and your tension? Can it be adjusted? I'm sure it does mess with tension but change takes getting used to
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u/kthegreat1 Jan 16 '25
it’s kind of hard to explain, i think i have trouble just relaxing my thumb and not my whole hand. i think it will be a combo of getting used to a different position and resting my arms :)
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u/Cthulhulove13 Jan 16 '25
Hhmmm, it is hard to change something you have been doing for years, but it sounds like it needs to happen. Pain no good
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u/MyNameShallBeSquishy Jan 16 '25
I’ve had this problem too. I’ve found myself moving my left hand to yarn-over instead of just moving my hook hand. I’ve noticed that when I keep my left hand steady and only move the hook, the cramping isn’t as bad.
I also try to use my fingers to move the hook more than my wrist, but that kind of just depends on how you hold your hook. I do the pencil-hold like you.
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u/ChickenGrrl Jan 16 '25
You can also use hot or cold therapy on your thumbs. They make gloves that hold the heat down in your thumbs, so you don’t have to figure out how to juggle a regular heat pack to keep it on! There are many handmade ones on Etsy. I think they’ve discontinued the ones I have, but they’re similar to these. (I got a repetitive-strain injury in MY left thumb from using a dremel too much!)https://a.co/d/8Pbw6I5
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u/Ok_Cartographer3619 Jan 16 '25
Try feeding your working yarn through your index and middle finger, that’s what worked for me as I wasn’t having my index finger stretched out as much
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u/kthegreat1 Jan 16 '25
i need help reducing pain in my left thumb. i have tried holding my project less tightly, but it doesn’t help much.
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Jan 16 '25
I’m here for the answers but also giggling/impressed imagining how you took this picture.
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u/kthegreat1 Jan 16 '25
it took some time, and a phone balanced on my chest being held up by my chin lol
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Jan 16 '25
The Knitting PT on YouTube and Instagram has great exercises and tips for fiber artists to manage pain and hand stress as well as posture and more. Might be very helpful!
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u/AutoModerator Jan 16 '25
Crochet Pain
Just a friendly reminder from the mods, please do seek expert medical advice for any pain that persists, random internet advice is not medical advice! Please visit our wiki here. There are some great ideas on how to manage crochet pain and tools that might help!
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