Repetition of knitting takes toll on body

When I resumed knitting this year after a hiatus of more than five years, I learned very quickly that the finger bone throwing the strand of yarn around the knitting needle is, indeed, connected to the elbow bone. After knitting even a few rows, my elbow protested in a painful way and I began to think it had, in a previous life, belonged to Thing of “The Addams Family” fame.

The common term for knitter’s elbow, said Dr. Peter Arabadjis, medical director at The Maine Rehabilitation Center in Bangor, is tennis elbow, which is an overuse injury. Yeah, same type of thing that happens to athletes. The next time anyone suggests that knitting isn’t physical activity, I’ll beg to differ and tell ’em I’ve got the elbow to prove it.

Which makes sense when you consider the number of repetitions a knitter’s hands, wrists and arms make in the process of creating a sweater or pair of socks. Consider this – and please remember that crunching numbers isn’t my forte – if I have 80 stitches to a row and I knit 40 rows, and it takes, say, three motions to execute each stitch, that’s 9,600 motions just to do the sweater front – with the back and two sleeves left to go. That adds up to a lot of repetitive movement. No wonder my elbow started to whine and complain so piteously.

As we get older and want to knit more complicated things or to spend a lot more time knitting, it’s important to listen to what our elbows are telling us. If yours are saying, “Eeek!” every time you pick up your knitting, first try to figure out if you are doing something different, Arabadjis said. Are you using a heavier yarn, a heavier needle or has your technique altered in some way? Are you sitting in a different chair or knitting for longer periods of time?

If you can’t think of anything you’re doing differently, or if you have tried to make yourself more comfortable while you knit but nothing is helping, it’s a good idea to consult your health care provider to determine if there is an underlying condition such as arthritis, Arabadjis said.

Treatment for renegade elbows, he said, may include rest, ice packs, gentle stretching and an anti-inflammation medication.

What worked for me was putting the knitting aside for several weeks, then knitting only a few rows a day until I built up to knitting 15 minutes at time without the elbow complaining.

“If you want to keep knitting,” Arabadjis said, “find ways to do that.” One way is to have your body mechanics and your medical health evaluated. Another way might be a referral to an occupational therapist to learn how to stretch and strengthen your hands and lower arms.

But if nothing works and you just can’t knit, there’s always embroidery, quilting or sewing – or one of those little red plastic tube knitting thingies many of us had when we were children.

Snippets

The Farnsworth Museum in Rockland is offering a Decorative Holiday Paper workshop 12:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, and 12:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at the museum. The first workshop will be about pastepaper and the second will be about marbling. The cost for each session is $40 for members, $45 for others. To register, call the museum at 596-6457.

In Stitches, the cross stitch shop that used to be located in Bucksport, is now online at www.institches-online.com, or call toll-free (866) 469-2334.

Ardeana Hamlin welcomes comments, suggestions and ideas. Call her at 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.