This is not my smarts showing, rather it is from Talking Crochet, the newsletter by Crochet World magazine. And is excellent advice.
You can read it here or at
Healthy Hands at Talking Crochet Newsletter
I receive their newsletter and it always has good advice, great ideas, and even give-aways. It's free, no cost to us, and very enjoyable to get in your In Box. There's a link at the bottom that will take you to their home page, where you can look around and sign up to receive it too if you want.
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Healthy Hands
Many of you are such ardent crocheters that you spend several hours a day
working the hook. That's wonderful, but it also raises some concerns about
maintaining good hand health. Activities that require small, repetitive
movements can cause muscle disorders; therefore, it's important for crafters to
be aware of the risks and to do what they can to minimize them.
Of course, if you feel pain when you crochet, the best thing to do is consult
your doctor. The medical community has been trying to tackle the issue of
repetitive muscle disorders for several decades and has made progress in
understanding its causes and cures. From my own experience, as someone who
crochets many hours a day and has a bit of arthritis, I have learned to follow
certain guidelines. Let me share them.
- Maintain good posture while working.
- Avoid a tight grip on the hook or yarn; keep hands relaxed.
- Take breaks.
- Stretch the hands, fingers, wrists and other parts of the upper arm
regularly.
- Use ergonomic hooks.
By being attentive to these factors, I have been able to continue to crochet
for long periods without causing additional discomfort.
If you'd like to learn more about this topic, there is some interesting
information at the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration at this
link. The focus here is on workers who do commercial sewing,
but there is much that relates to crochet.
Talking Crochet Newsletter
