“Gather Your Dreams” x-stitch

Back when I was working at a law firm in the word processing pool, I was also doing a LOT of cross-stitch as a way of relaxing. In very short order, the 2 combined to create tremendous pain in my left hand which I later self-diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome. I set aside all hand embroidery, quit that job and spent the next few years doing a lot of hand stretches. I still to this day have problems but the moment they start to flare up I begin the stretching regimine and always it has worked.

Because of this known weakness, I’ve been rather leary of doing any hand sewing. Then I found those embroidery frames and figured what the hell, I’ll give it a try. Previously, I had been using the hoops which required that the left hand hold the hoop stationery while the right hand did all the work. Since I’d stitch for hours at a time, this lack of movement with muscles tensed is what was causing the problem for me. The frame did away with that and I was able to use both hands to stitch with while using my elbows or upper arms and lap to keep the frame in a working position.

The project I chose was not exactly small. It’s one that I lugged with me from Virginia because I liked the sentiment and wanted to remind myself that I moved because dreams were what prompted me to take action. After 3 years of active stitching, though hardly nightly, that project is now finished! YAY! The best part?

No hand pain! I do make sure now to pause at least once an hour and stretch out the muscles in both hands, wrists and forearms. Still, I’m ECSTATIC about finding alternatives that work so that I can painlessly and safely do the work that I so enjoy. Now to start learning how to hand embroider (rather than counted embroidery), but primarily, I’ll REALLY looking forward to doing metal work embroidery. *giddy clapping*

Now I need to wash and block it, then take it to the framers. Very happy!

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What exercises do I do? Basic stretching primarily. This page does a great job of illustrating them, though I just started moving my hands around and found what felt the best for me. These are the ones that I do ALL the time:

Wrist Circles
Break at the wrist — for wrist, for all fingers, for each individual finger
Stop! (in the name of love)
Underhanded stretch — for wrist, for all fingers, for each individual finger

While I was never officially diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, I’ve had LOTS of friends who were. Every single symptom they describe — but mostly radiating intense pain up the center of the palm as well as numbness of the pinky and ring finger and that side of the palm — I also shared. I tried the wrist bracing, and while that worked as long as I was wearing the brace I swear it made the pain just that much worse without it. So much so I couldn’t even lift a fork at one point. Tired of that I turned to these stretches and did them while watching TV, driving, sitting at my desk, walking around, talking to people … pretty much constantly as long as my hands weren’t busy doing something else. It took about a year for the pain to subside and I could use my hands normally again, though any prolonged activity — such as attempts to xstitch using a hoop — caused a very quick flare of intense pain. After a few years, even that pain was rather limited in scope and I knew exactly what would cause it and how long it would take. Now it’s been over 10 years and I’d say my hands are back to 100% capacity and have been for years, though I still do the stretches very frequently out of habit and because they feel good. I also massage the muscles of the forearms when the stretches feel tight.

I am not advocating replacing a medical doctor. I am only relaying what worked for me and the experiences that I’ve had. Maybe adding some stretching would help, but they definitely shouldn’t hurt anything regardless.