Crafting Comfort: How Crochet Gloves Offer Relief for Arthritis Sufferers

For many, crafting is an enjoyable hobby that allows them to create something practical and functional. But if arthritis affects your hands, activities like crocheting knitting, and embroidery can also cause pain.

Even so, while craftwork can be challenging if you have arthritis, it is generally not detrimental for people with arthritis in their hands if you're proactive about paying attention to your tools and techniques. In fact, it can be an excellent method for maintaining movement, strength, and dexterity in your fingers. Additionally, it helps improve mental well-being through participation in a meaningful activity.

Taking Care of Your Hands

Crocheting with arthritis means you need to make sure you are taking care of your hands, both by finding relief for your symptoms as well as implementing preventative measures.

In order to crochet with arthritic hands and wrists, you will need to change how you usually crochet. The truth is that you will have to work with your pain instead of around it--and that's why crochet gloves are important.

Crochet gloves should be a standard addition to your crafting tool kit to prevent pain and stiffness despite the repetitive motion of crocheting. These gloves help relieve the aches and tension from crocheting with arthritis by protecting your hands.

Made from supportive and compressive fabric, it helps give additional support to alleviate the pain caused by the repetitive movements. They are specially designed to support important parts of your hands, like the joints and wrists, which are important to control movements in crocheting. It also helps facilitate better blood flow, which helps prevent your hands from getting too tired. 

Try: Dr. Arthritis Full-Finger Compression Crochet Gloves

The full-finger style has been hailed as one of the top 5 best compression gloves for knitters and crocheters by The Creative Folk and comes in black, gray, nude, and pink. They also have extended sizing, offers extra small sizes (great for small hands), and each pair comes with a doctor-written handbook. 

If you prefer open-finger crochet gloves to have better control and improve dexterity, they also come in open-finger styles. 

Handy Crafting Tools To Try

In addition to crochet gloves, here are some useful tools that can help make it easier for arthritic hands to continue crafting: 

Heated Mittens

Dr. Akash Kansagra recommends that if your hands feel stiff and cold before an activity to try warming them first. A pair of warming mittens can help improve mobility and joint comfort before starting your project. However, if joints are inflamed, it's best to rest your joints instead. 

Grip Supports

Dr. Arthritis grip supports can help make handling your needles easier.  The number one way you can ease the stress and pain of crocheting with arthritis is by using the correct tools. Making changes to your crochet hooks, for example, will make a world of difference. Crocheting means you are performing repetitive motions over and over again with tired joints. Anything you can do to provide support and alleviate the tension and pressure you place on your joints, wrists, and hands can work wonders. Grip supports give your fingers better grip on the needle and widens the handle so it eases the strain on your fingers. 

If you're an avid crafter, be sure to check out our other articles on crochet gloves: 

Stitching Support: The Benefits of Crochet Fingerless Gloves for Arthritis Management

Dr. Arthritis' Best Compression Gloves for Crocheting