And to Think I Thought Knitting Yoga was a Joke . . . Q & A and a Giveaway!

Gosh, it has been years, and I think I blogged about it way back, but I went to this breast cancer awareness knitting event and met up with other bloggers and I was wearing a tank top that said "gin and tonic" (because, eh, why not? Right?) and this dude at one of the booths looked at me and said, "Hey, which one is gin and which one is tonic? Heh heh." 

But what really stood out in my mind about this particular event was that the organizers brought in these yoga instructors and led the crowd with several minutes of "Knitting Yoga." Yes, folks, "Knitting . . . Yoga."

I thought the whole thing was ridiculous.

But I was a newbie. A knitting injury? Yeah, right. 

Fast forward to today. I have so many injuries, that there are days I can barely function. My right arm falls asleep when I lay down. Sometimes the shooting pains in my pinky and ring fingers are so excrutiating I can't even lift a coffee mug to my mouth without dropping it. And it gets even worse: There are weekends I can't grip a tonic bottle cap firmly enough to open it. 

So the other day Lindsay Haas, a physical therapist in San Francisco, who happens to be a knitter and who reads Knit and Tonic wrote me asking if I'd direct my readers to a (really good) article she wrote about knitting ergonomics, I thought, heck yeah. I also thought I'd ask her about a few of my troubles and see if she had some solutions. 

I also thought that I'd invite you to, in the comments area, to write a question of your own and we'll select some and feature them here on Knit and Tonic for all to see. I will also give away a copy of my latest book, Custom Knits Accessories to a random participant. The winning name will be randomly selected on February 13th.

Here are my questions and her responses. Hopefully, by reading through these, you'll prevent some of the crazy injuries from which I now suffer. And remember, leave a question for Lindsay of your own in the comments and when you do, you'll automatically be entered to win a free copy of Custom Knits Accessories.

W: Sometimes I absolutely have to produce samples in a short period of time which means I might knit every day, many hours at a time, for months. I am right-handed, I knit continentally (with both hands) and lately my right pinky finger goes numb and/or I have nerve pain that shoots up my forearm from my pinky.


L: Understandably you can't always control
the amount of work that you need to get done.  What’s important is to take
breaks. I recommend when knitting is to take a short break every 15 minutes to
relax your hands for around 90 seconds, and to get up every hour for five
minutes to stretch your legs and back. 

When faced with specific symptoms like
yours, I recommend taking breaks even more frequently. Numbness, tingling, and
shooting pains are not symptoms to take lightly!  If you are experiencing
these you should check in with your doctor or physical therapist. For my
patients who get those types of symptoms, I recommend logging how long you can
knit before the symptoms start. You may need to set a timer for right before
your symptoms start and take a break (for example if your hand gets tingly
after 13 minutes, take a break after 12.) Realize that resting does not have to
take a lot of time, and it can also help keep you focused and more productive
when you are knitting. 

W: Similar to my last question, I have noticed that my entire right arm goes numb when I sleep--even if I'm just sleeping on my back. It wakes me up at night.

L: When the symptoms you get while knitting
begin to translate into other activities you do (such as sleeping) it is
another indicator that you should seek medical help. To help prevent the
development of symptoms, there are specific stretches and exercises that you
can do to keep everything in balance. One of my favorites is using a foam
roller to target stretching and massaging the upper back. Specifically
'rolling' perpendicular to the spine from the shoulders to about your bra line
can help relieve pressure from sitting and open up the chest. Neck stretches as
well as wrist stretches can help undo all of the chronic posturing you find
yourself in after long periods of knitting.

In terms of strengthening, hand and
forearm muscle endurance plays a big part. Also important is your shoulder and
upper back strength. Trying to squeeze an imaginary pencil between your
shoulder blades while sitting up straight will strengthen some of the postural
muscles. Exercises such as kneeling on hands and knees and
alternating lifting one arm out to the side will also help strengthen the neck
and upper back muscles. 

I've read your article and you state that my feet should be on the floor while I knit. I have a plush rocking chair and I put my feet up on an ottoman. Is this posture thing so important that I can get away with continuing to knit this way?

Being comfortable when
you knit is very important. Unfortunately being comfortable frequently
seems to result in putting our bodies in bad positions. If you are
sitting in a plush rocking chair with your feet up on an ottoman it is likely
that your lower back will become more rounded and you will find yourself
sitting more on your tailbone than your sits bones. This encourages a
more slumped position, causing your shoulders to hunch forward and your head to
tilt forward more. When we are in this position it takes more work for our
muscles to hold us in place. It also puts more tension on the nerves in
our neck and back, which can be a trigger for getting shooting pain, numbness
and tingling. Just as with taking breaks, changing your position as you
knit can keep your body from acclimating and relaxing too much into bad
posture.  Many people benefit from putting a small pillow or rolled up
towel behind their lower back, which helps shift your pelvis forward and
automatically helps you sit up. And yes, ideally your feet should be on
the floor. Watch the position of your knees, they should not be higher
than your hips when you are sitting.  Your chair can be cushioned and comfortable,
you just shouldn’t get swallowed up by it! 

*Remember to leave a question in comments for a chance to receive a copy of Custom Knits Accessories.*

BTW: I think I'll have to make an appointment to see a doctor. I'll email Lindsay to ask her which type. Oy.