Crochet Accessibility For Hands

Are years of crocheting getting to your hands? Maybe it is time to adjust your tools to accommodate the changes in your body.

For years, I have noticed my hands numbing occasionally. Picking up smaller tools like tapestry needles and even fashion-like small scissors is becoming more of a challenge for me.

In 2024, the changes of my hands have become noticeable, and I wake up in pain in the middle of the night with my body trying to stretch my hands before I am even conscious that I am doing it.

I have described the feeling of losing the dexterity of fine movement in my body. Recently, I changed my keyboard to be a split keyboard to prevent my hands from bending unnaturally for a keyboard.

Picking up small scissors or even a pen has been a challenge. It was time to see medical specialists.

It's kind of ironic that I started doing miniatures in 2024, and gluing and positioning items in my exhibit requires fine movement.

Bending my hands to accommodate a regular pair of scissors has been difficult. The movement of trying to slide my thumb into a hole has been challenging.

While watching a friend at stitch night, I noticed she used these scissors. I can just pick it up, cut and drop it back without being so precise with how I pick it up to position my hands. It's made my life much easier.

I have sought medical help from three professionals, and it is ongoing. I have a massage therapist, chiropractor and acupuncturist. Both my acupuncturist and chiropractor do acupuncture on me but from a different point of view.

My acupuncture from the acupuncturist uses the Meridians of Chinese method, and the chiropractor uses dry acupuncture to release the muscles.

My left side, crochet yarn feeding hand is worse.

Upon seeing all three specialists, they each agree that the left side of my body is very tight. One described it as my body being locked. It was discovered recently that I have sciatica. I thought my hip needed to be replaced, but my nerves were pinched.

My chiropractor isn't a technical junkie like I have had in the past. Using chiropractors, I have seen tools to push bones and muscles around. My chiropractor uses her body meshed with mine to force my body to stretch, bend and adjust. Her table is low to the ground, so her weight and the use of her arms and legs are causing my body to be centred on her body. I've not seen a chiropractor do that before.

She released the nerves in my neck so my hands could move better.

We love our hobby, but sometimes it can be challenging as we age. Obviously, I need to stretch more and take breaks, but crochet is addictive.

Unfortunately, in Canada, though most of our health care is covered, there are no out-of-pocket expenses for most of what we need, including most surgeries and hospital stays; these types of services are not covered. However, the costs are relief from longer-term issues that can result from repetitive activities.

In the meantime, some tools like crochet hooks and scissors can be changed for your medical benefit. You are worth it in the end.